Galatians 1:1a – God’s Treasures

Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ …

Summary: Paul begins his letter to the Galatians with a provocative statement. He is not an apostle sent by other apostles. He didn’t come to the party as a “wanna-be” or a “me too.” Jesus chose Paul personally. He is a man on a mission.

Welcome to Three Minute Bible! Today, we begin meditating on Paul’s letter to the Galatians, our eighth book of the Bible of this series of online meditations. Each meditation is grounded in a passage of Scripture. Sometimes (albeit rarely), we meditate on a whole sentence or verse. Mostly, we dive into deep waters and spend time with a phrase or even a single word.

Recently, I reviewed my approach to these meditations because of a well-intended friend who is enamored of something called “The Chicago Statement on Biblical Hermeneutics.” Having carefully reviewed the document, I am reminded of my past excursions into what is loosely called “theology” in academic circles. Because of these past academic studies, I am wary of any so-called “academic” analysis of Scripture. Paul’s opening words to his letter to the Galatians provide an excellent jumping-off point for why this is important. He begins, “Paul, an apostle — sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ …”

Paul is unique. He is a living metaphor for the transition between the old covenant and the new. When asked why Jesus’ disciples did not participate in ritual fasting like all the other religious leaders, Jesus responds with a reference to a wedding party. Then he speaks about wine and old and new wineskins (Matthew 9:14-17).

Like Jesus’ parable about wineskins, the Christian Bible is divided into old and new. The “Old” refers to the “Old Testament,” which is the foundation of modern Judaism. The “New” is what Christians call the “New Testament” (Luke 22:20). The New Testament is all about Jesus.

The academics who wrote “The Chicago Statement on Biblical Hermeneutics” appear to have believed that there is a single, specific way of understanding the Bible. For example, Article XV of the statement reads:

“We affirm the necessity of interpreting the Bible according to its literal, or normal, sense. The literal sense is the grammatical-historical sense, that is, the meaning which the writer expressed. Interpretation according to the literal sense will take account of all figures of speech and literary forms found in the text.”

Does this statement make you feel qualified to read the Bible on your own? Do you have the academic credentials necessary to discern what the “literal, or normal, sense” of a particular passage is? What about the “grammatical-historical sense?” These are nice phrases that academics like because they believe these words provide a barrier that protects the Bible’s meaning from misunderstandings or misinterpretations.

Does this barrier work?

Has it protected the church from disagreeing about Scripture? Have all misunderstandings disappeared from the face of the earth because of this academic document?

Hardly.

Human efforts to corral the Scriptures into a place that is “safe” from misunderstanding are doomed from the beginning. Academics seem to assume that they are in a better position than God to protect the “meaning” of God’s Word. Here at Three Minute Bible, we reject putting walls around Scripture. We trust God to speak to each of us directly through his Word.

Does that leave open the possibility that someone might come to a wrong conclusion?

Absolutely.

But a wrong conclusion does not reflect badly on God’s Word. Instead, it reflects on the person who misunderstood God’s Word. If a person comes to the Word humbly and desires to learn, good for them. God will, in time, bring them to a correct understanding of his Word. If, on the other hand, a person is looking to feather their own nest with God’s Word and gain power and authority over others by preaching and teaching a misunderstanding, then God will deal with them according to his will.

Ironically, Paul’s letter to the Galatians is an example of this principle.

In Paul’s day, people were doing the same things as today. They like to muddy the waters with their own “interpretation” or version of the gospel message. Paul defends the truth of the gospel in this letter.

God has this covered. He is alive and well! Jesus is, as he promised, here with us (Matthew 18:20, 28:20). An academic study of God’s Word can be very rewarding, but just be wary of people who insinuate that you are not capable of correctly understanding God’s Word. The Bible is God speaking to you, personally! Here at Three Minute Bible, we take time to explore God’s Word together. We share our insights and understandings, not with the intent of telling others what to think, but as children of God running to share with each other the treasures God has given each of us.

Application: Read the Bible every day and join us on Three Minute Bible.

Food for Thought: How does God speak to you through the Bible?