I’m Not a Fake

[Read: Galatians 1:11-24]

If you really read this passage you’re probably wondering the same thing I am right now, "why does Paul spend so much air time defending himself in this letter?"…

Some people have accused Paul of being arrogant which is completely asinine. God wouldn’t use someone that thought more of themselves then they thought of Him. In other words, if God was pleased to use Paul as his spokesman for a third of the New Testament then who am I to second guess God… But it is, however, a little weird that Paul spends so much time defending his apostleship in these verses.

Here’s my perspective: Paul understood just how significant his apostleship was. He knew who he was representing and therefore understood just how important it was for him to be credible.

In our modern courts if you want to win a case one of the best ways to do so (at least in the movies…) is to discredit the witness. An “expert” in the medical field who is proven to have received his medical degree in six weeks from a degree-by-mail night program doesn’t carry much weight. Therefore, the person that this “expert” was a witness for is up a creek!

In the same way, if the people who are fighting against Paul are successful at discrediting him then they have not only hurt Paul, but they’ve damaged the case. Since Paul is testifying to Christ it is essential that Paul is a credible witness so he is fighting for it.

Here’s my question for us, are we a credible witness. If we had enemies that wanted to dismiss our testimony could we write a letter to everyone that knows us and defend ourselves as a witness to Christ? Check yourself! There are a lot of people watching us and making their assessment about our Lord by the way we live.

Next Post: “I’m an Apostle not One-of-the-Boys”