Galatians
Unbound, Unchained, Unbroken
Week 2 | Galatians 1:11–24
Lisa Scheffler, author
Welcome back to the Engage God Daily for Week 2 of Galatians: Unbound, Unchained, Unbroken. Did you check out our new audio version last week? Give it a listen and tell us what you think! bit.ly/EngageGodDaily
We all have a story
Have you ever heard, “Christianity isn’t a religion; it’s a relationship”? The Christian faith isn’t founded on a set of principles or a list of rules; it’s foundation is a person — Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God. Being a Christian means having a relationship with Jesus.
In the same way that parents have a unique relationship with each of their children, God has a unique relationship with each of us. You may have met Jesus during a crisis, when you were at your lowest point. Or maybe your mom, dad, or vacation Bible school teacher introduced you to Jesus when you were a child. You may have experienced a sudden, dramatic awareness of his presence, or slowly become acquainted with him over a lifetime. Maybe your journey with Jesus hasn’t yet begun, but you’re considering it. Every story is unique.
The Apostle Paul has one of the more remarkable faith stories in the Bible. He uses elements of his story in his letter to the Galatians, but does so for a very specific purpose. This week and next, we’re going to learn a little more about Paul’s story and how he uses it persuade the Galatian Christians. We’ll also contemplate how we can have meaningful conversations with others where we share elements of our own faith journey so that people might experience Christ through us.
Day 1
Paul brought the gospel to the region of Galatia during his first missionary journey, but later, the churches he planted began questioning the message he shared. After Paul’s departure, a group of missionaries came with a gospel that added to Paul’s by going back to some of the requirements of the Jewish law. They questioned Paul’s authority and motives as well as his message.
If you’ll recall from last week’s reading, Paul found it necessary to defend his apostleship and the gospel he’d taught. He insisted that the message came directly from God and that any other version of the gospel, and the people who spread it, must be condemned in the strongest terms. He disputed their accusation that he was a “people pleaser,” and instead claimed he was a servant of Christ. Paul’s frustration in those verses practically leaps off the page.
As you’ll see in the passage we’ll look at this week, his exasperated tone begins to give way to strong, firm argumentation as Paul seeks to re-establish his credibility. He’s determined to help the Galatians understand the truth of the gospel he first preached to them.
As you read through the entire section of Galatians that we’ll focus on this week, notice how Paul reminds them of parts of his own story to convince them of his sincerity and his gospel’s authenticity.
Read
Galatians 1:11–24
11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.
18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.
21 Then I went to Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”
24 And they praised God because of me.
What was Paul’s past like? Who and/or what changed him? For what purpose? What was the result according to verse 24?
What argument is Paul making to convince the Galatians that his gospel is the true gospel? How is he using his own story in that argument?
Respond
The Lord intervened in Paul’s life and changed him completely. When we put our faith in Christ, that’s what the Spirit does. You don’t have to have a story as dramatic as Paul’s to recognize the ways the Spirit has and is calling you and enabling you to become more and more like Jesus. He works to transform our lives and gives us meaning and purpose. This week, we want to meditate on our own personal “God stories” and think about the ways Jesus has changed our lives so that we can encourage others to allow him to change their’s.
In prayer, reflect on your faith journey, asking the Spirit to bring to mind specific ways he’s been present in your story and praising him for what he’s done. If you have a hard time thinking of things, pray over that too. Invite the Spirit to transform you and commit to cooperating with him in the work he wants to do.
