Who do you serve?

I was reading Galatians 1:10 today and thought I would share a few notes from what I observed and researched.

Who was Paul writing to?

Paul was writing this book in order to answer some specific problems in particular churches. Not long after Paul’s initial spreading of the gospel to these churches some agitators came up and attacked Paul personally and preached distorted forms of Christianity. Their “gospel” required circumcision for salvation amongst other “works-based” beliefs. They had zeal and pride and tried to discredit Paul using 3 main attacks:

1. They claimed that Paul was a renegade who had defied his superiors, the Jerusalem apostles
2. Paul had recently argued with Peter over whether the gospel required Gentiles to become Jews in order to become Christians.
3. Spread the notion that Paul had originally preached circumcision for salvation but had recently changed his gospel so that he might more easily accommodate the Gentiles.

One of Paul’s responses to these attacks is found in Galatians 1:10:

~ For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. ~

What is Paul saying here?

He is saying that he preaches the gospel of truth. He is not changing truth in order to make people happier or feel like they have done their part. He is simply preaching the truth with no shame whatsoever. Upon reading this, I was instantly reminded of what Paul said in Romans 1:16–17:

Romans 1:16–17

~For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”~

To sum it up: Paul is not ashamed of the gospel.

How does he do this?

It is the power of God through salvation. As he says in Romans, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith”. We, who were once slaves to sin, spat at God. We wanted nothing to do with him. We were rebels. We certainly didn’t feel shame about the gospel because we believed it to be folly. Only through the power of the resurrection of Christ can we grasp the true power of the Holy Spirit. And through that sanctification can we now proclaim the gospel without shame. Only now can we serve God over man.

So why don’t we? We have this power, what’s wrong?

I have a possible answer from two different points of view. Both a secular and a religious view. Starting with the secular view:

It is interesting how non-Christians wonder about the same kinds of things Christians do:

Before I share my point, I need to talk about a philosophy made by Alfred Adler called Adlerian Psychology. He tries to explain why people are dissatisfied or unhappy with life’s circumstances, or even why people that desire to change simply can’t. What Adler proposes is that people can’t change simply because they don’t have the courage to be disliked. They don’t want to put themselves out there. People like to be liked. BUT… this is not what God has called us to. He called us to make disciples and share the gospel. And this doesn’t mean people will always like you either. Jesus talks a lot about suffering for the gospel and explains that some people simply won’t accept what you have to say. So why do we still lack this courage to be disliked?

The concept of fruit to root

The idea here is that lacking the courage to be disliked is actually a fruit. Fearing man is a fruit. We can try to pick the fruit and throw it away, but it will keep growing back. The only way to actually get rid of the fruit is to attack the root of the tree. That is the concept of fruit to root. If we find the root issue or root lie we believe about God, we can change that, and through that change we will begin to see brand new fruit. A great passage to pair with this idea is found in Jeremiah 17:7–8:

~Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.~

How do we trust God?

So, I propose that the root issue to our fear of man is that we don’t fully trust God. Which leaves me with the lingering question of how do I trust God?I desire it, I believe it, but how do I put my desire and beliefs into action? Think of our own relationships with friends, family, or co-workers. Who do you trust the most? The people you are closest to. The ones we desire to be with the most. It could be a spouse, close friend, or family member. But those with whom we spend most of our time with are the ones we trust the most. So to begin breaking down the question of how do I trust God we first need to tackle the issue of do we truly desire God above all other things? If we truly desire God, then we should be spending our time building a relationship with Him, and only through that intimate relationship can we truly learn to trust Him.