Week 2 Scripture: Galatians 1:10-24
We have all seen them, and some of
us are even guilty of doing it! So what am I talking about? The “selfie.” From
their popularity in the gym to those creepy shots in the bathroom, selfies are
littered all over Facebook and Instagram. Why do we post these types of
pictures? What is our obsession with them? For example, gym shots are taken to
impress our friends/followers; we’re letting them know, “I got outta bed and
made it to the gym rather than playing video games and eating hot pockets all
day!” Sometimes it’s not just a selfie, but a picture of your most recent grade
or picture of your new car. Our hope in sharing these photos is often to reveal
to people something about ourselves that might impress them. We all seek to
impress and hope to receive acceptance from those social groups we want to be
identified with. However, when it comes to the gospel, and its proclamation, Paul
warns about this attitude. He tells the Galatians that he is not trying to
“flatter / impress” (Greek- Areskō)
any human person, but only God. I’ve heard churches shy away from preaching
topics like sin, hell, or judgment and offer their hearers only a half-truth in
order to entice them to follow Jesus. They give their churches the snapshot of
Christianity that is all lollipops and fluffy animals, but refuse to preach the
gospel—the gospel that involves humanity’s dire need for rescue and for Jesus
(Gal 1:4)—in fear of “losing” hearers. In fact, these are the types of
accusations leveled against Paul by a group opposing his teaching.
Paul
clearly informs his readers that he is not trying to impress anyone, but is
rather defending himself against those accusing him of trying to appease his
Gentile listeners. His opponents were Jewish Christians who believed that in
order to be saved (accepted into God’s family), people needed to first become
Jewish—this, for example, means they needed to follow Jewish dietary and
circumcision laws. Imagine that you become a Christian, and the pastor of your
church tells you, “So you wanna follow Christ? Alright, well you need to give
up bacon and sausage (Jews could not eat pork), and make a doctor’s
appointment…because it’s time to get circumcised.” Paul’s opponents are
accusing him of skipping over those difficult teachings in favor of an easy
Gospel. Paul’s defense is that the death of Jesus destroys sin once and for all
and provides a way for them to be rescued; and the way humans are to deal with
sin is not through any outward signs or “works” (choice of food or circumcision),
but through faith (“trust”) in Jesus alone. Paul claims that this is the
“truth” that he learned personally from Jesus. Paul stresses that he was not
attempting to water down the gospel to get more converts. In fact, Paul is
astonished over these accusations because the reality of facing the “true
gospel”—admitting a need for rescue from Jesus—is much more difficult than
going under the knife to get snipped or cutting pork out of your diet.
Questions to Ponder:
1.
In what ways have you not spoken truthfully
about the gospel (to friends, co-workers, neighbors, parents, etc.) in order to
present them a more “acceptable” message?
2.
Why do Christians often shy away from the truth?
What does this reveal about our lack of trusting in the power of God to change
lives?
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