Soap Box 42-The Gospels in the Galatian Epistle, Part II

There is a contrast to been seen between Paul's preaching 'the faith' which he once destroyed ( Gal. 1:23 ) and 'that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles'(Gal. 2:2).

He stated in 1:13 that he 'persecuted the church of God and wasted it. Paul's assault on the believers was also an attack on what they believed. He wanted to waste/destroy them both.

Some would not see this point nor make the kind of distinction that this writer feels is very necessary. There are many dispensationalists and others, who believe that the Body of Christ, the church, which is his body, began before Paul's conversion. Therefore, it is natural and normal to see Paul preaching 'the faith' which he once destroyed, after his conversion, as being less than dispensationally distinct from the truth of the gospel given to Paul by Christ in the revelation on the road to Damascus.

Richard Longenecker, an able Pauline scholar, states his position in The Ministry and Message of Paul on page 88.

"Paul emphatically asserts that 'the gospel which was preached by me' is independent of any human source or agency, having come to him directly 'through a revelation of Jesus Christ' (Rom. 16:25,26;Gal.1:1,11,12; Eph. 3:2-10). His message was so thoroughly his own, in fact, that he refers to it as simply 'my gospel' (Rom. 2:16;16:25; II Tim. 2:8 and 'our gospel'( II Cor. 4:3; I Thess. 1:5; II Thess. 2:14) Yet he also insists that his preaching is not radically different from that of the other apostles ( I Cor. 15:11; Gal. 2:6-10), and refers in his letters to kerygmatic traditions which he assumes were held in common by all Christians( Rom. 6:17; I Cor. 11:23; 15:3-5; cf. I Cor.11:2; II Thess. 2:15, 3:6). Indeed, as there is but one Christ there could be only one Gospel. Had it been otherwise, he would have felt he was 'running or had run in vain' ( Gal. 2:2) Such assertions appear on the face of it, to be in direct conflict, and have led many to view Paulline theology as either (a) essentially original, being in the main the result of a direct revelation to the apostle , or (b) essentially dependent, stemming for the most part from his Jewish and Christian predecessors- or perhaps as overstatements made in the heat of argument, or possibly even due to later redaction of his letters."

"It is a mistake, however, to press such statements beyond their proper limits or set them in rather wooden opposition one to the other. Paul's gospel given him by revelation was not a gospel differing in kerygmatic content from that of the early Church. Rather, it was a message which included a new understanding of the pattern of redemptive history in these final days, involving the legitimacy of a direct approach to Gentiles and the recognition of the equality of Jew and Gentile before God ( Rom. 16:25,26;Eph. 3:2-10; Col. 1:26,27)." ( italics mine).

Dr. Longenecker makes a good case. But it seems that he makes his case more on the basis of rational logic. His statement in the first paragraph above in italics : "Indeed, as there is but one Christ there could be only one Gospel" is a human deduction at best. It is not part of a gathering of Biblical data to be presented as evidence. It is a naked claim. This statement borders on the edge of the incredulous. In one sense, are we to believe that God could not have four writers write the four 'gospels'? Here is an example with regard to the life of the Lord, in which there are four views or Gospels ( not really four lives of Christ ) of the one Christ. We must believe this for God has done it !! A little more study and a little less logic, and we can also accept the concept that Paul's gospel has radically new and distinct material. Paul's revelation is dispensationally distinct. There are some students who accept Paul as the founder of Christianity, humanly speaking. But Paul remains careful to state that he always is the servant of Christ, even in this role portraying him as a founder.

Longenecker takes the position that to have Paul's theology be separate and distinct as a revelation from Christ is to press Paul's claims beyond their 'proper limits' or create a straw man or 'wooden' position that conflicts with itself, while this paper would claim a harmonious combination of a confirmation ministry of all that Paul rejected during his persecutions of the faith which once he sought to destroy ( Gal. 1:23 ) and the additional truth given by the Lord to Paul which was new revelation Gal. 1:11-12 )

Most students of the Bible have a hard time with Paul in his teaching ministry by not being able to balance or harmonize the progressive unfolding that he contributes. In William R. Newell's book, Peter Vs Paul or Remarks on Galatians I and II, his first statement is :

"There are two great revelators or unfolders of Divine truth in the Bible-

Moses in the Old Testament and Paul in the New." ( page 1)

Too many readers erroneously think this automatically undermines the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ by degrading the place and value of the Lord's teaching as found in the four Gospels. This thinking is childish nonsense. Paul has these two verses for his readers to understand the place and the reason for the Lord's ministry in incarnation: Gal. 4:4 and Rom. 15:8.

A too simplistic reading of the Bible makes a time-line marker at Matt. 1:1. Origen made a chaotic blunder by trying to help others by calling the writings of Matthew through the book of Revelation, the 'New Testament'.

Paul says, 'But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law…' Gal. 4:4

Paul also says, 'Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers…' Ro. 15:8

Paul places the Lord's ministry in a proper place – living and teaching under the law of Moses. Part of Paul's ministry was to show how the Lord redeemed those that were under the law.( Gal. 4:5 ) Compare Paul's understanding of the cross in Gal. 6:14 and Peter's understanding of the cross in Matt.16:21-23. Paul gives the interpretation of the facts. To the many followers of Christ, during Peter's time with the Lord, the fact of the cross was unacceptable and a defeat to their Messianic expectations. Cf. Luke 24:13-27. To Paul, these facts were shown to be, in new revelation to him, Good News, Gospel - 'Christ died for our sins' It is one thing to have this fact-Christ died. Paul interprets this limited fact, by declaring the purpose of Christ death : Christ died 'for our sins'

Many use Gal. 1:13; I Cor. 15:9 and Phil. 3:6 as proof-texts to show that indeed, the church actually started before Paul's conversion. And he persecuted it. But, in fact, it only shows that there was a "church" before Paul's conversion. Many students make an error of judgment and interpretation by equating the "church" of these three references with the church, called a joint body in Eph. 3:6, with Jew and Gentile making up this joint Body. All the members of the "church" that Paul persecuted were Jewish. There could not be a joint body until there were both converts from Jews and Gentiles as being part of that joint body. As a matter of fact, the first Gentile convert was in Acts 10. This happened after the record of Paul's persecutions and his conversion in Acts 8 and 9.So, the persecution of the "church" by Paul, as found in the references in I Cor. 15:9, Phil. 3:6 and Gal. 1:13 were not members of the church, which is Christ's Body, made of Jew and Gentile.

Careful and thoughtful contemplation helps one to 'see' many distinct differences between scriptural usage of terms like 'saints' (cf. Psa. 16:3 & Eph. 1:1) and 'church' (Acts 7:38 & Eph. 1:222-23 & Acts 19:32, 39 ). The 'saints' of the Psalms were the children of Israel. The 'saints' of Eph. 1:1 were not. The members of the 'church' as found in Acts 7:38 and/or Acts 5:11 were the children of Israel. The members of the 'church' of Eph. 1;22-23; 3:6 are believers who are Jews and Gentiles.

It is certainly true that God has always had his people, his 'saints' and his called-out ones or 'church' from the times of Adam. It is also true that 'we have all alike sinned' but 'we have not all sinned alike'. There is a tendency to speak in generic terms like' the people of God', 'saints' and 'church' and then have a kind of Biblical homogenization of the milk and meat, distinctions that the Bible would keep separate.

So, to make a short story longer, let us continue. The Lord Jesus spoke to Saul/Paul on the road to Damascus to answer, "Who art thou, Lord?" The answer was, "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest…".Acts 9:5 Many make the false assumption here, that the "Body of Christ" existed before Paul's conversion, because the Lord indicated in his answer that to persecute his people is to persecute the Lord. But is this a valid deduction?

Actually, this is language that is normally used by God to show a close relationship that God has with all of his followers and servants in whatever age, time or dispensation these followers and servants may be found in the Scriptures. Look at Matt. 25:31-45. Notice in this teaching spoken by the Lord, how he states that these sheep nations gave food, water, housing, clothing, and visitation ( when sick or in prison ) unto the Lord, and they never realized it? The goat nations did none of these things unto the Lord. But, how was it, that these sheep nations are considered as ones performing all these acts unto the Lord? The Lord answers them, "inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 25:40 cf. 25:45 Does this mean that the 'Body of Christ' can be found in the time frame of this happening in Matthew 25 ? Not really ! The language of Acts 9:5 and Matt. 25:40,45 have no real relationship with the doctrinal idea concerning the existence of the Body of Christ But there is wonderful truth that the Lord has a close, intimate relationship with all believers in all ages.

Note the language of Matt. 10:40a, "He who receives you receives me.." Was the 'Body of Christ' to be found here, just because we find here this language? Check out these other scripture verses which have this same language : Matt. 18:5; Mark 9:37 ; Luke 9:48 and John 13:20. Or, finally, consider the faulty interpretation given in Acts 11:15, "And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning." Most interpreters who believe that the Body of Christ began before Paul's conversion use this verse as evidence to state that the church had a 'beginning' that happened on Pentecost. They usually make the 'beginning' to be the beginning of the 'church'. But this is reading into the text what does not exist in that text. Rarther, this is adding onto the ending of the text a foreign interpretation. Peter is stating that 'the Holy Ghost fell on these Gentiles' as it fell on the believers at Pentecost. Pentecost was the beginning of the Holy Ghost being poured out upon all the believers gathered there. The fact of the existence of the Body of Christ, the church as beginning at Pentecost is totally absent. This could only happen when the Body of Christ is read into the text.

In 11:16, Peter remembers the word of the Lord as found in Acts 1:5. This too, is the word of John the Baptist. Cf. Matt. 3:11; Mk. 1:8; and Luke 3:16 (How could an Old Testament Prophet like John, know about the mystery that Paul reveals as a mystery, hidden in God?) Well, you can do almost anything, when you start the 'New Testament at Matt. 1:1. Then you can call John the Baptist a New Testament prophet.

In 11:17, Peter states that the reception of the Holy Ghost was a gift given from God, just as the believers received on Pentecost. In 11:17, it was a surprise that the 'gift' given only to Jews (Acts 2 ) and Samaritans ( Acts 8 ) in previous times, now has been given to Gentiles. Peter tells us that this was a work of God. He was merely a bystander, preaching, when God "gave the same gift (to the Gentiles) as he gave to us (on Pentecost) when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ". Peter's reaction was, " Who was I that I could withstand God ?" It would seem to this writer that there are many believers, who are withstanding God, when it comes to dispensational truth.

To Be Continued…..

Return to Index of Jerry's Writings

e-mail Jerry Sterchi