Well, after a bit more than a week off, with a number of other things going on, we are returning back to our look through Paul's letter to the Galatians. Today we'll dive into Galatians 2:1-10.
As you read through this section, you see something about Paul that really seems to stand out. If you look at verses 4 through 6, Paul basically says that the Gospel message that he had been preaching was the true one. There were others who were trying to say that Paul was saying something different from the rest of the apostles, but Paul was so sure of what he was preaching that even Peter and the other original apostles didn't have anything to add to what Paul was teaching and preaching. Paul seems rather confident about this.
This would be kind of like you doing the work that you know to be doing, even in the absence of the presence of your boss. You are so sure that you are doing what he/she wants you to be doing that no one can really convince you otherwise. In fact, you are so sure of what you are doing that you don't mind picking up the phone and calling the boss, knowing that he/she will come down on your side. Just imagine having that much confidence in knowing that you are doing the right thing.
Now, we might be tempted to think that Paul is kind of arrogant to be taking this kind of approach. It seems to stand out rather boldly. After all, when we think about Jesus, He often seems to indicate that humility and looking to the good of others is better than standing up for yourself and what you have done. So, is Paul doing something different here? Why can Paul do this and still say that he is upholding the Gospel message?
Well, some of that has to do with the fact that he had to essentially "prove his credentials" again to the Galatian Christians. In fact, when you look at this letter of Paul's and other places, such as Acts 15, you see that Paul and the rest of the apostles were indeed on the same page. Paul could be confident in that. In addition, if other people were leading God's people astray in Galatia, we would hope that Paul would point out why what he was saying was the good and right thing to listen to, rather than that of the others. He almost needs to point out his credentials to show that he is the one teaching the right way of Jesus, rather than those opponents of his.
There is a time and place for humility (actually, pretty much all the time). However, there is also a time and place to stand confident in what you believe and in what you say. My church and church body are observing that very thing this week, as we reflect on Martin Luther nailing 95 theses to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany, way back in 1517. Later on, Luther would truly become known for standing for what he understood from the Bible and for what he was teaching when he would basically say, I'm standing on this unless you can prove it otherwise from the pages of the Bible. Here I stand, I can do nothing else.
As Christians, we can and should have that same confidence. We have the life-giving message of what God has done in Jesus for us, and for every neighbor that we encounter. We can stand with boldness in all of our interactions, sharing the message of Good News with them, since God did send Jesus for them, after all. We don't need to be timid. We can be humble, and yet, at the same time, be confident that the message and good news we bring is just what they need to hear. Confidence and humility, wrapped up together.
As you read through this section, you see something about Paul that really seems to stand out. If you look at verses 4 through 6, Paul basically says that the Gospel message that he had been preaching was the true one. There were others who were trying to say that Paul was saying something different from the rest of the apostles, but Paul was so sure of what he was preaching that even Peter and the other original apostles didn't have anything to add to what Paul was teaching and preaching. Paul seems rather confident about this.
This would be kind of like you doing the work that you know to be doing, even in the absence of the presence of your boss. You are so sure that you are doing what he/she wants you to be doing that no one can really convince you otherwise. In fact, you are so sure of what you are doing that you don't mind picking up the phone and calling the boss, knowing that he/she will come down on your side. Just imagine having that much confidence in knowing that you are doing the right thing.
Now, we might be tempted to think that Paul is kind of arrogant to be taking this kind of approach. It seems to stand out rather boldly. After all, when we think about Jesus, He often seems to indicate that humility and looking to the good of others is better than standing up for yourself and what you have done. So, is Paul doing something different here? Why can Paul do this and still say that he is upholding the Gospel message?
Well, some of that has to do with the fact that he had to essentially "prove his credentials" again to the Galatian Christians. In fact, when you look at this letter of Paul's and other places, such as Acts 15, you see that Paul and the rest of the apostles were indeed on the same page. Paul could be confident in that. In addition, if other people were leading God's people astray in Galatia, we would hope that Paul would point out why what he was saying was the good and right thing to listen to, rather than that of the others. He almost needs to point out his credentials to show that he is the one teaching the right way of Jesus, rather than those opponents of his.
There is a time and place for humility (actually, pretty much all the time). However, there is also a time and place to stand confident in what you believe and in what you say. My church and church body are observing that very thing this week, as we reflect on Martin Luther nailing 95 theses to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany, way back in 1517. Later on, Luther would truly become known for standing for what he understood from the Bible and for what he was teaching when he would basically say, I'm standing on this unless you can prove it otherwise from the pages of the Bible. Here I stand, I can do nothing else.
As Christians, we can and should have that same confidence. We have the life-giving message of what God has done in Jesus for us, and for every neighbor that we encounter. We can stand with boldness in all of our interactions, sharing the message of Good News with them, since God did send Jesus for them, after all. We don't need to be timid. We can be humble, and yet, at the same time, be confident that the message and good news we bring is just what they need to hear. Confidence and humility, wrapped up together.
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