Matthew 19:16,17
"And, behold, one came and said unto him, `Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?' 17. And he said unto him, `Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.'" Now we aren't under the commandments, in the same way, but rather Grace. but the Lord struck just at the heart of the young mans problem, his pride, yes self pride. His heart had revealed him and his words revealed his true condition. God is in deed good and good to those with a broken and contrite heart and a deep heart humility. The very condition which Jesus reveals, pleases the Father, all the way through His ministration to Israel. Remember Jesus said that He did nothing accept that the Father revealed it to Him and that it was the Fathers working through Him who did the works.
Then the raising of Saul of Tarsus who became the Apostle Paul, the Apostle to us Gentiles. And the revelation of the mysteries that were given only to him, and how that now, since the work finished of the Cross is completed in us, we now have the required broken and contrite heart and deep humility God requires. Because of the Holy Spirits working in us through the power of Grace to break Satan's hold on and in us, Grace destroying prides hold and our willfully surrendering to the work of our alter the cross and the putting to death the separation from God to a new union in God through Christ Jesus. That we have been resurrected from the dead (separation from God), He's gone back to glory and revealed these Truths to Paul. And now that there was no need to work for salvation because it's all done in God's eyes because He assumes full responsibility of doing the works required in us. The perfecting of our salvation. After we receive through revelation all this, "It's so logical isn't it?" Yes, it's so logical that if it's all done then why try to work, work, work to still do more. Now this is what the man, Paul is trying to get across so he says in verse 18:
Galatians 1:18-20
"Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days, (that's only two weeks and a day) 19. But other of the apostles (the other eleven) saw I none, save James the Lord's brother. 20. Now the things which I write unto you, (the Gentiles up in Galatia, He's writing to us even today) behold, before God, I lie not." Does that sound familiar? What did he tell the Corinthians in their letters? "I didn't bring you a corrupt message. I didn't bring you something that has been adulterated." Now here we have it in a little different language, but it's the same thought. Now verse 21.
Galatians 1:21
"Afterwards (after he had been to Jerusalem, and the time alone with the Lord at Sinai, where he received the second blessing, the secret things God had been hiding from Israel and after he's now ready to fulfill this commission to go to the Gentiles that we saw in Acts chapter 9 then) I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;" Now we think most of us know our Bible geography well enough to know that Cilicia was just around the corner of the Mediterranean Sea, up in the area of Saul's home town of Tarsus. So he's not that far removed from Palestine, but yet he is in total Gentile territory when he begins his ministry after the two weeks with Peter. He goes from Jerusalem directly up to his home area of Cilicia. Verse 22:
Galatians 1:22
"And was unknown by face unto the (assemblies or) churches of Judea which were in Christ: "
Now why did the Holy Spirit inspire this man to make a statement like that? Why is he letting us know that he had nothing to do with those Hebrew congregations in Palestine? Because this man is going to be separated from all of that. He has no ministry to the Hebrews there in Judea or any other. No more than the Twelve had a ministry to the Gentiles when Jesus sent them out. Do we see the difference? It's just a complete fork in the road. This man is going to be sent in the very opposite direction then that of Peter and the other apostles were sent. So he goes up into a totally new Gentile area, and no doubt there were some Hebrews in these areas as they were in areas of the whole Roman empire. Paul has experienced the breaking with the traditions of Judaism and the pagan religions of the world. God's Gospel of Grace and the promised New Covenant which it carries the power of an Endless and Eternal Life. Have for the most part replaced all others because of it higher value and power. It destroys the power of sin and death which fallen man carries within him in his flesh but the Living Word and its Grace has the power to push out or bring that power to naught. Now verse 23:
Galatians 1:23
"But (these Hebrew believers down in the area of Jerusalem and Judea) they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. 24. And they glorified God in me." Of course they did, for after all it's the same God, it's the same Christ - but whereas the Jewish believers had come in by virtue of the kingdom economy and the kingdom Gospel, yet this man is going in a different direction but still serving the same God. Never lose sight of that because we saw on the net an article about theologians who are trying to promote the theory that the Apostle Paul, even though he was the founder of Christianity, was in complete contradiction and in opposition of what Jesus taught. We know that promotes book sales, but how can we come to such a conclusion. It's not in opposition, but it is a difference in God's program. It's no longer under the requirements of the Levitical Law or Rabbinical Laws, as they were an external doctrine based on legalism and materialism but it's the same God, it's the same Christ. So how can they say that Paul was in direct opposition to the teaching of Christ (Jesus could not reveal the hidden things because He was bond by the Law and the prophets, He could only allude to it and through parables teach it) when in Ephesians chapter 3:1 Paul says:
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