High King of Heaven by John F. MacArthur Jr

Author:John F. MacArthur Jr. [MacArthur Jr., John F.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9780802496409
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Published: 2018-03-05T16:00:00+00:00

Paul’s Rebuke of the Galatians

Consider the context of Galatians 1. Verse 6 is the first verse of the epistle’s main body. Verses 1–5 are a greeting and benediction. That was the standard form for a letter like this in the first century, and it’s typical for the apostle Paul to follow this pattern. The first word in every one of the Pauline epistles is the apostle’s name, “Paul,” and sometimes that will be followed by the names of fellow laborers who are traveling or working with him. Then you have the address, naming the person or group of people he is writing to. And then he normally says something encouraging or complimentary to the church or person he is writing to.

Even when he writes to Corinth—that totally dysfunctional congregation with a laundry list of serious problems—he has some words of praise. Think about how disorganized and confused that church was. They had divided into warring factions. People were filing lawsuits against one another. They were neglecting proper discipline, abusing their spiritual gifts, and getting drunk at the Lord’s table. They were doctrinally confused on several levels—struggling even with the basic concept of bodily resurrection. And ultimately, the Corinthians would be susceptible to heretics who tried to entice them to rebel against Paul’s authority.

But despite the many serious problems Paul needed to deal with in Corinth, barely four verses into that first epistle, he says, “I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift” (1 Cor. 1:4–7).

That was Paul’s normal practice. He liked to start with a word of praise or encouragement. In the very first verse of Ephesians, he commends that church for their faithfulness. Even when he needed to deliver a rebuke or some correction, he would always try to start with some gracious words about the people he was writing to. Every one of his epistles follows that pattern—except Galatians.

There’s not a single word of approval or commendation from start to finish in Galatians—not even a hint of gratitude or joy. His greeting is followed immediately by a scolding; and instead of a blessing, he pronounces a curse.

That’s what makes our text electric. Rather than the normal polite formalities, Paul jumps straight to the point, and it is a passionate rebuke: “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you … for a different gospel” (1:6). And the rest of the epistle is just that candid. It’s an urgent, heavily didactic reprimand, and Paul delivers it without mincing words.

In 3:1, he calls the Galatians “foolish,” and suggests that some evil agent has put them under a spell. In 4:11, he says, “I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.” Nine verses later, he says, “I am perplexed about you.

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