Gal 1:1 Paul, an apostle (not from men, neither through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead ( a corpse),
Who roused Him out a corpse. To experience the fullness of God giving life to your mortal body, you must enter into the reality that you are but a corpse.
This is the place where only the Person of Christ is evident. The reality of you as you, one day is not there. From here, God can fully resurrect you.
This takes years but it’s the most blessed point to get to. Without a renewed mind by the study of the Word, this is an impossibility.
2 and all the brothers who are with me, to the assemblies (the out called) of Galatia:
Assemblies or churches. Literally the “out called” or the “called out ones” by God, from the world system, to fulfill His eternal purposes.
3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ,
Grace is God’s superhuman labor.
Peace, is shalom peace or the state of wellness which God’s superhuman labor brings. Christ labors to always bring shalom.
Not I working, but Christ superhumanly working through me and I a co laborer with that superhuman grace. Immediately Paul bring it to Christ and His labor in us.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Much of the “grace message” is messed up. Yes, we are saved by grace and work by grace. God wants to always give us grace. But true grace is God’s superhuman labor. The more we die to our labor, the more we experience God’s grace.
To experience the superhuman labor of God you must die to you your own fleshly labor. To enter into the realism of God’s grace energized through you, there must be an experience of your own labor put to death. This takes great commitment to God. Grace is free but not cheap. Beware of those who talk of God’s grace without the price of obedience to walk in it. This produces wimpy and weak Christians. It’s a ploy of the devil, in the same way that Rob Bell’s message that God will rescue all from hell is.
Ga 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver ( subjunctive) “exaireoo” us from this present (enistemi) evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
Mt 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck “ exaireoo” it out “ exaireoo”, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Mt 18:9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck “ exaireoo” it out “ exaireoo”, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
That He might deliver us; “Exaireoo” is to pluck out.
There are different forms of deliverance. Plucking out from evil circumstances is one . God has the power to pluck us out from this evil world system. For “this present evil world”, Paul uses “ enhistemi”, or something that is “in standing” or better yet, “having stood’
Very well does Paul know that our world system has stood and will continue to stand until Christ changes it. We cannot change the world system. We can affect it with revival. Yet, it is a fallen system of sin. This is why it stands or is presently “having stood” as fallen. There is but one remedy, to be plucked out of it and transferred into God’s kingdom.
Adeptly, Paul uses the subjunctive mood, or the one which is conditional on the choice of man’s free will. Christ desires to always pluck out. Many will not be however. Much of the degree of sanctifying salvation is conditional, as an act out our free will through obedience.
Gal 1:11 But I certify you, brethren that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.(not according to humanity).
Better said; not according to humanity, or the philosophies of this word system. Philosophies are the affectionate love of differing types of wisdom. There is only one genuine wisdom, the one according to Christ.
Christian, beware that you do not embrace the philo (affectionate love) sophias (wisdom) of this world. There is only One Wisdom. This wisdom is the revealed Person of Christ. God says that Christ Has Been Made Into Wisdom.
1 Cor 1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
1 Cor 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
Gal 1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
The wisdom of God comes through revelation knowledge, or the spirit of revelation. We teach that the most important prayer is that of revelation. This prayer requires that you speak little and listen much to God.
God speaks to us by wisdom. Wisdom, are the blueprints or patterns of God, or the revelation of His mysteries. It’s essential that man hears daily the still small voice of God who speaks and reveals His mysteries.
Only our obeying the revealed mysteries of God will grant us success. The revelation of God’s mysteries establishes the church.
Rom 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
Did you see the order? The church is established according to the preaching of the Person of Christ who is revealed from a mystery. The more the revelations of God’s mysteries, the more the establishment of the church.
Gal 1:14 And profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous “more exceedingly or excessively a boiler” of the traditions of my fathers.
Interesting use of the Greek “exceedingly zealous”: “More exceedingly or excessively a boiler”, or one who is boiling with zeal and passion.
15 But when it pleased God, who separated me “ roped me off” from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace,
“Separated me”; The one who defined me, roped me off, set a boundary around me, or fenced me to Himself and separated me from the world,” from the time of my being in my mothers’ womb.
16 To reveal ”uncover” his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:
Literally: To uncover His Son in me.
This is the crux of Christianity. Full revelation of the Son cannot occur, until we experience death to who we are as to our pre Christ identity. As long as the I is me and the I is not Christ, both identities become muddled in us. We work and Christ works. There are two people competing. Full resurrection is the privilege of those who are fully dead.
Christ truly works within us when we truly experience the reality that we are a corpse. Christ is the one who raises, He is the one who works. As long as we are alive and work in our own strength, Christ cannot fully reveal Himself .
Paul never preaches about things. This is a devastating mistake in many churches. Paul preaches a Person. His want is to always reveal that Person, Christ, who dwells in a mystery within him.
The purpose if the church is to show this Person. Unfortunately, in many ways, the church has missed this with crushing results for humanity.
God still looks for Christians whose focus is to reveal the Person of Christ.
Col 4:3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:
Paul asks for prayer that He could reveal the Person of Christ from a mystery form
Gal 2;2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.
Once again, Paul ministers not from “well thought out programs”, or ideas, but through revelation knowledge of God’s mysteries.
Gal 2:8 (For he that wrought effectually (energized) in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty (energized) in me toward the Gentiles:)
The one, who effectively energized in Peter, energized in Paul to his apostleship. The one who energized in Paul energizes in you and me to our apostleship. God is not partial. He energizes in you and me as effectively as He energized in and Moses. It’s a matter of how much we allow Him to. Are you as surrendered and humble as Moses and Paul? I know that I am not, but am I am pressing in.
The energizing of God is not just for our sakes but for that of of others. We will never sense the full energizing of God if we are not “others minded”.
9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived ”ginosko” the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
Perceived is ginosko, or the Spanish word conocer. This is progressive knowledge or knowledge birthed by relationship or the progression of time. The superhuman labor of God is known progressively and by intimacy with God.
11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face ( according to face), because he was to be blamed.
Gossip and slander is evil because it’s done behind the face of someone else. If you have a problem with somebody solve it according to his face and not according to his back.
Have a great Friday everybody!
Jose and Mary Alvarez 