Galatians 2:1-10
Today's Passage: Galatians 2:1-10
There’s so much we can learn from the apostle Paul about what it looks like to faithfully walk with God and serve and lead in the church.
Here are two things that stand out:
1. Paul was patient in growing and developing as a Christian.
I think we sometimes think Paul came to Christ on the Damascus road and immediately started planting churches all over the region. But we saw at the end of chapter 1, that he actually waited 3 years before starting his ministry. Perhaps that is why, in 1 Timothy 3:6, he says, “He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.” Putting someone in leadership too early is not good for the person or the church. Sometimes, it is best to go too slow rather than too quick.
2. Paul feared God, not man.
We see in our text that Paul did not fear man. He did not care if some were seen as influential or not (v. 2, 6) and he did not yield in submission to those who were teaching false doctrine (v. 5). This does not mean that Paul doesn’t care about people or love people. Not fearing man, rather, frees you to love people, not be ruled by either their approval or their intimidation. This begins with a strong, steady fear and love of God.
While Paul is an exemplary model for the Christian life, he too needed Jesus. Because Paul is not Jesus, we too can have hope that we can learn from Paul’s example of being patient in our growth, as well as fearing God more than man.
Written By: Graham Withers
There’s so much we can learn from the apostle Paul about what it looks like to faithfully walk with God and serve and lead in the church.
Here are two things that stand out:
1. Paul was patient in growing and developing as a Christian.
I think we sometimes think Paul came to Christ on the Damascus road and immediately started planting churches all over the region. But we saw at the end of chapter 1, that he actually waited 3 years before starting his ministry. Perhaps that is why, in 1 Timothy 3:6, he says, “He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.” Putting someone in leadership too early is not good for the person or the church. Sometimes, it is best to go too slow rather than too quick.
2. Paul feared God, not man.
We see in our text that Paul did not fear man. He did not care if some were seen as influential or not (v. 2, 6) and he did not yield in submission to those who were teaching false doctrine (v. 5). This does not mean that Paul doesn’t care about people or love people. Not fearing man, rather, frees you to love people, not be ruled by either their approval or their intimidation. This begins with a strong, steady fear and love of God.
While Paul is an exemplary model for the Christian life, he too needed Jesus. Because Paul is not Jesus, we too can have hope that we can learn from Paul’s example of being patient in our growth, as well as fearing God more than man.
Written By: Graham Withers
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