Bible Study for Theology 4; Galatians 1:1 and 11-24

Paul's Vindication of his Apostleship:
1. Paul opens his letter by telling everyone that he is sent by God. why do you think he might need to begin in this way?
Perhaps the Christian community was suspicious. Paul had previously been persecuting Christians, this may have been why he wanted to contact them. Paul needed them to know that he wasn't bragging about himself -he was in touch with them because God required him to write to them! Paul's apostleship is central to his own identity. He sees himself, first and foremost as an apostle; one who is sent by God to proclaim the Good News. Paul also wants the church to know that his emphasis is on God and God's works - it's not about how wonderful Paul is -Paul is not a false prophet.
Paul is very good at 'cutting to the chase.' He wants to make sure that the church knows why he is writing to them and who he is. He doesn't waste time with flattery or small talk. He sets out the agenda right away. He's writing because God has sent him to tell the Good News and tell it he will!

2. How do you think you would feel if we received a letter just like this one tomorrow?
Afraid. Why us? Worried. Cautious, there are many false prophets today; happy; very special to get a letter from God! There may be problems with the use of the word 'apostle' (Rema gave us an example from India here), people may misunderstand what an apostle is; how would we know the person was really sent from God?
This question brought a mixed reaction as you can see. Without being sceptical, we felt that we would want to be sure that the person was sincere. Some of us have met people who claimed that God was working through them, yet the way they treated other people seemed incompatible with God's words as we understood them. We decided that Paul's approach of focusing on God and what God wanted was a much more convincing introduction than any other.

3. Why do you think St Paul needs to tell people that the Gospel is not a human invention?
So that people will see how important and valuable the gospel is; that the gospel is relevant; a living document; what Paul preaches is reflected in the way he lives.

4. Look at verses 13 and 14. Was Paul a very different person before he followed Jesus?
Yes, very. He was nasty; violent; he persecuted other Christians; he was strong, aggressive; a destroyer.
I beg to differ. Before his conversion, Saul was a zealot. He was passionate; a fighter for a cause (the purity of Judaism); he loved and feared God. After his conversion, his behaviour changed - he no longer persecuted the church BUT he was a zealot - for Christianity; he was passionate; he was a fighter for the cause of Christ; he loved and feared God. In my opinion the most wonderful thing about transformation of Paul's life was that God took Paul as he was, turned him around and used all his skills and talents in more positive way. So, instead of using all that vigour and passion in a negative way, causing harm to others, God showed him how to use everything he was for good, to proclaim the Gospel and set people free. God does not change vigorous people into wimps; God can use anyone.

5. Why do you think that Paul did not seek out other apostles when he came to faith? Why did he take three years before he went to see Peter?
It was important for Paul to spend time alone and adjust to his new way of life. Perhaps it was his own 'wilderness' time. It may have been that he used this time to build up trust so that his former life would not be an impediment to his future work.

6. Paul is proud to be an apostle now. Do you think he feels proud to remember that he was a zealot against Christ? Why or why not?
He is not ashamed to tell people about his past. He is a witness to God's transforming power. Proud is probably the wrong word, but he accepts his past behaviour and is keen to emphasise the transformation e has experienced. If God can do this work in Paul, then God can do this for anyone. Paul is open and honest. Paul does not pretend to be better than he is.