As false teachers infiltrated the church in Galatia, they attacked Paul’s authority as an Apostle to discredit the gospel he was preaching. Today, R.C. Sproul shows that Paul received his calling and his message directly from Christ Himself. Get R.C. Sproul’s commentary on Galatians, plus lifetime digital access to his teaching series Galatians and Pleasing God, for your donation of any amount: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/3609/pleasing-god Meet Today’s Teacher: R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was known for his ability to winsomely and clearly communicate deep, practical truths from God’s Word. He was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew’s Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine. Meet the Host: Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of ministry engagement for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, host of the Ask Ligonier podcast, and a graduate of Presbyterian Theological College in Melbourne, Australia. Nathan joined Ligonier in 2012 and lives in Central Florida with his wife and four children. Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Full Episode
When the truth of the gospel is at stake, then the Christian has another obligation. Paul, elsewhere, he's lenient, he's flexible, he's pliable. But now, the issue of the truth of the gospel is at stake, and so Paul resists it.
Not only was the gospel under attack by the false teachers in Galatia, but Paul's authority was also under attack. Who was Paul to boldly declare what the true gospel was? And in our portion of Galatians today, Paul outlines his authority and why he was so bold in his defense of the gospel. I'm Nathan W. Bingham, and this is the Friday edition of Renewing Your Mind. Thanks for being with us.
There are many issues and causes that can attract our attention today, but central for the Christian should be the faithful proclamation of the gospel. Galatians so clearly reminds us of this, so I recommend that you request R.C.
Sproul's series on Galatians and his hardcover expositional commentary that walks through this letter line by line when you give a gift of any amount at renewingyourmind.org before this offer ends at midnight tonight. Here's Dr. Sproul on the credentials and passion of the Apostle Paul.
I think we should begin this morning then, still in the first chapter, and I'm going to start with verse 11. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man, for I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." Let me just stop with that particular point there and just look at those two verses.
Paul is saying, I am going on record here. I want to make it abundantly clear. I want this to be certified and be known and published. This is not an aside comment, a casual remark, but with all the earnestness and seriousness that I can muster, I want to guarantee to you is what the force of this verse is by Paul, that the gospel...
That I preach to you, that gospel which was preached by me is not something that comes from men. Its origin and its authority rests ultimately not with men, but as Paul goes on to say, but it rests upon the authority of Christ himself. Verse 12 is significant. He says, For I neither received it of men, neither was I taught it.
Now, the words here in this particular verse that Paul uses are a bit more specific in their meaning than perhaps the English words convey that are used here in the King James Version of the Bible. When Paul says, I didn't receive it, he has something special obviously in mind. The word that he's using there is a technical term.
It's the term that a Jewish scholar might use in terms of the receiving of the tradition. The receiving of the oral tradition, which is passed on by word of mouth over and over and over again. Paul is saying, I didn't just get this gospel from listening to other people pass it along from generation to generation or from community to community. That's not where I got it.
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