Click here for the Galatians 1:15-17 Podcast
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. (Galatians 1:15-17)
God's desire to tell us about Himself is revealing. It is striking that He speaks directly to us. The humility displayed speaks of His holiness for He is lacking nothing. We should not be surprised that the Supreme Being is not proud, arrogant and demanding of His subjects. Such is the nature of humility. Perhaps the greatest display of strength is humility.
The Apostle Paul underscores the fact that God called him by His grace. The structure of the sentence is such that it is by the grace of God one is called. Grace is the means by which God calls us. In today's text, grace is the means by which God causes us to have purpose.
What is it about Grace that couches the call best? Grace is not threatening, it is gentleman-like. Grace is inviting, risky and unfair. Grace says, "I love the bad, not just the good." Grace has been known to be well-known in the slums. “Blessed are the poor,” said Jesus. "Blessed are the desperate", is one way of interpreting that first Beatitude. Unless we face our own failings and weaknesses and desperations, we may never appreciate and/or receive that gift of grace.
In Galatians 1:16, we discover why the grace of God calls us: to reveal His Son in us. The usage of the word "in" is very instructive. Paul did not write "to", he wrote "in." The Son was unveiled directly in Paul so that Paul would have the most intimate understanding of Him. My friend, Dan Veldman likes to say, "Intimacy is feeling without touching." God uses the word "in" here to communicate intimacy. Intimacy, as underscored in the middle of v.16, is essential for the authentic reception and delivery of the message.
Notice the words in the middle of Galatians 1:16. "... so that I might preach him among the Gentiles." God nustled up to Paul so that Paul could deliver this message of grace to those in the slums. Implied here is those with the most authentic and intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus are those who deliver the gospel to the hopeless best.
The obvious question here is: how do we get the most intimate and authentic relationship with the Lord? Look at what God did for Paul who wrote, "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."
God separated Paul to Himself for three years (see Galatians 1:18). It was during this time that Christ revealed Himself to and in Paul. I would imagine that humanly speaking this was a difficult time for Paul. However, his effectiveness in ministry largely depended upon it. It was through this three year trial that God gave to Paul His heart for Him and others.
We lack depth with God and others because we do not embrace God's purposes through our sufferings and trials. We would rather find a scapegoat or just complain in some way.
If we are going to be intimate with God and authentic to those we want to help, we must embrace our trials and sufferings. But, we must not end there; we must embrace God through these two unwanted allies. It is hard, but we must evaluate in the context of eternity.
