Galatians 2:6b – Double Check

… they added nothing to my message.

Summary: Paul wanted to know if the other apostles agreed with his gospel message. The answer was an encouragement to him and to us.

Do you remember the reason Paul went to Jerusalem?

He had been instructed to go there. Jesus spoke to Paul through a revelation and told him to go and meet with the other apostles. Paul tells us that he “wanted to be sure [he] was not running and had not been running [his] race in vain” (Galatians 2:2).

In today’s passage, Paul tells us the result of their meeting: They added nothing to his message. Nothing. There were no minor tweaks or major changes. There were no corrections or suggestions that Paul should change his message.

When I read Paul’s letters, I find that remarkable. Paul puts a lot of information out there. He doesn’t hold back anything. Sometimes, I find myself wondering, “Where is the gospel in all of this?”

Peter understands. He writes, “[Paul’s letters] contain some things that are hard to understand …” (2 Peter 3:16). I would agree! But why does he do that?

The gospel message is simple. Paul gives us a concise statement of the gospel in the opening of his letter. He tells us that Jesus “gave himself for our sins” (Galatians 1:4). That’s it. That is the gospel. End of story. If you know nothing else about Jesus, that is enough.

But what does that mean?

Answering this question is where Paul’s letters shine. Paul lives in a world where ideas and words are tossed back and forth like hand grenades. There is a battle for the minds and hearts of people between God and the devil. Paul is at the forefront of that battle.

Armed with the “full armor of God,” (Ephesians 6:11), Paul takes up the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” (ibid, v 17) and does battle every day. His goal is to share the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ, and to help us understand what that means in our daily lives.

It is enough to know Jesus is our savior, but it is better and safer to know how to stay close to him and live in a way that pleases him. Paul teaches us how to do this in all of his letters. As Peter points out, “his letters contain some things that are hard to understand,” so it helps to approach Paul’s writings with a big dose of humility. With that, and the Holy Spirit’s help and a lot of patience, we can cherish and apply the things we do understand and grow in understanding as we get to know Paul better and better.

Application: Like Paul, we need to put on the “full armor of God,” and both live the gospel and share it.

Food for Thought: If you were to go back in time and meet with the same apostles Paul met with, what do you think they might say about your “message?”