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17 December 2000 p.m.

Paul in His letter to the Galatians: 1

TRANSFORMED

Galatians 1 15

15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace,
was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among
the Gentiles, …

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.
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GENERAL INTRODUCTION

The letter to the Galatians is, like that to the Philippians, an intensely biographical
letter – but unlike that other letter it is harsher in its tone as it has to deal with a
serious threat to the spiritual life of the Galatian Christians – the Judaisers.

But it is the pictures of Paul’s life that will concern us on these three Sundays:

o Transformed 1 15 and 22
o Uncompromising 2 5, and 11
o Overcoming disability 6 11~

The transformation of St Paul is, of course, legendary. His Damascus Road

experience has entered common usage even amongst those who know nothing of
Paul or his Saviour.

This apostle was a man whom God met and turned round and used in a unique way.

As we look through these verses in Chapter 1 we use these as stepping stones in the
pursuit of a man transformed by Christ:

• From persecutor to apostle 13,14

• From birth to ministry 15,16
• From obscurity to praise 22-24

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1. From persecutor to apostle vv 13 and 14
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 Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for
the traditions of my fathers.

There is no mistaking Paul’s zeal for Christ. This whole letter declares it – sometimes
in a tone that makes us feel he may have been difficult to work with – full of ambition
for the cause of God and the sufficiency of Christ.

We are often sceptical about radical conversions. We somehow expect them to fail,
and so we reserve judgement until time has passed to see if it is “real”.

There is no doubt about the complete change in Paul’s life.

Notice that what people had talked about was his “previous way of life” v13

We are always impressed by such stories. Those of us who were converted from
Christian families often feel that our experience lacks a certain “edge”. But Paul is
pointing out that his case DEMANDED a dramatic transformation.

Not only was he violently opposed to Christianity, he was a Pharisee and “extremely
zealous for the traditions of his fathers”. Yet Christ turned him round!

As he develops his theme for the Galatian church he wants them to know that it is
only the power of God Himself in Christ that can effect such a change –
therefore to seek to add Judaism to this transformation is truly wrong.

Notice too how Paul reflects (he does the same in Philippians, where he weighs up
the pros and cons of his Jewish background) on his advantages as a Jew – he was
doing very nicely. But God stepped in.

What effect did this transformation have on Paul’s preaching?

o It humbled him
o It centred his faith in Christ not tradition
o It enabled him to come to terms with the claims of the world around him,
religious and secular.

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2. From birth to ministry vv 15,16

15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace,
was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among
the Gentiles…

Paul has looked back at what he was – now he examines the way in which God
worked in his life:

o From His beginning

o By His grace
o In His Son

Paul seems to be quoting from Jeremiah:

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“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”1 Jeremiah 1 v 5

Before all that zeal and persecution, long before all that God has set His love on Paul,
as he has on us who love Him.

Our beginning as Christians goes back into God’s time, God’s plan for us. We may
see it as I do at my mother’s knee – God saw me long before.

That is humbling and yet honouring isn’t it?

Paul uses phrase “set me apart” – it is the first of a series of phrases all concentrating
on the gracious calling of God:

Set apart
Called
Was pleased
So that I might…

Called me by His grace

As Paul looks back at the Damascus road he realises that it was a process that
began long before, it has its roots in God’s love and choice of Paul.

We too may use his language for we have the same Lord, the same Saviour.

To reveal His Son in me

1The New International Version - Anglicised, (London: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.) 1984.
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What a beautiful way of describing the work of God in conversion.

It focuses the attention where it should be on Jesus

It describes the way God goes on to make the same Jesus shine through His
son/daughter

So that I might preach Him…

The purpose involves others – it always does

Do we see our conversion in that light?

Do we preach Him? It doesn’t mean having some gift or qualification – simply being
His.

Yes, of course Paul was specifically called to ministry : but all Christians are.

Notice that the focus of Paul’s words is always Jesus – even when he his talking
about his own conversion.

3. From obscurity to praise vv 22-24

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.

Paul wants to distance himself from any specific influence at the hands of the other
church leaders – because he is focussing on the work of God in him.

The final part of his transformation which he celebrates here is the change from
obscurity to praise God for him.

His focus changes again. At first it was his dramatic change, then the singular work
of God’s grace in him, now it is the way he, Paul, is perceived by others.

Unknown … report … praise …

It is ALL about God working in Paul. Although he has brief contacts with the early
Church leaders he remains an unknown. All the Jerusalem believers know about him
is his reputation for persecuting the Church and that he now preaches the faith. This
is cause for praise to God alone.

Would we be content with such a view of our lives by others?

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If we were recommending Paul as a possible minister or missionary what factors in

his life would influence us?

You can be sure that there would be interest expressed in his education and
ambition.

• Would we commend Paul for the job on the grounds of his zeal? It is certainly
beyond question.

• Would we commend him for orthodoxy?

• Would we say how much influence he had on others? Or praise the teaching of
Gamaliel?

Or would we adopt an alternative approach and focus on his Damascus Road

experience – vision, blindness, baptism … ?

Listen as Paul sets out his CV for himself:

After all that time and activity I was still unknown by face among the
Christian churches in Judea. There was only this report: “That man who
once persecuted us is now preaching the very message he used to try to
destroy.” Their response was to recognize and worship God because of
me!2

Do you see it’s significance? They worship GOD because of me!

At the end of the day when all is said and done what counts is the way people praise
God because of us.
14
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it
on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way,
let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and
praise your Father in heaven.3
Mat 5 14

We glory in the way God’s salvation transforms us.

We rejoice in the work of God’s grace within us and through us

But in the end the measure of our life is how much others praise God because of
what He has done in us.

2Peterson, Eugene H., The Message, (Colorado Springs: NavPress Publishing Group) 1997.
3The New International Version - Anglicised, (London: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.) 1984.
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