Why did Paul preach what he preached? Gal. 2:11-24

Religion is a human construct. I’m sure you’ve across a phrase like that. It comes in handy whenever we need to dismiss any religious dogma that is incompatible with our preferences.

Paul seems to have faced similar responses to his teachings as well. In Galatians 2:11–24, he responds to this convenient hypothesis. He is firm in his conviction that his message is not a work of human intelligence and today we will explore this claim.

Remember Paul is also Saul. It wasn’t uncommon in those days to have multiple names especially in a multi-ethnic environment. Paul was his Roman name after all he was a Roman citizen and yet he was ethnically a Jew and thus to Jews he was Saul of Tarsus.

The story of his “message” is a story of conversion where Saul of Tarsus becomes Paul, the Apostle. It’s necessary to remember who Saul was — a zealous Jew, well versed with the Jewish law and religion and a student of Gamaliel. Thus, when Saul comes across the message of Christ, it’s nothing less than an abomination to him. He wastes no time or effort to punish the preachers of this new message.

Therefore, we first meet Saul/Paul as a persecutor in the book of Acts. Yet, soon we find him preaching the very same message he so vehemently opposed. Yes, he preached the forgiveness of sins through the finished work of Jesus Christ. How could this happen? Yes, it’s shocking to say the least!

Paul describes what happened, here it is in his own words:

But when God, who set me apart from my motherʼs womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. Galatians 1:15‭-‬16 NIV

Saul has a super-natural transformation where Jesus confronts him as the persecuted. It is easy to ignore the pleas of humans but when God confronts you, there’s no easy way out other than facing the truth. Thus, Saul is convinced of his misplaced trust in the law and he takes it upon himself to share this Good News of Great Joy with the non-Jewish people groups.

Thus, this renewed Paul preached this message not as a result of some human consultation or conference with other apostles rather it is rooted in his experience of Christ. This is what affirms him in the time of trials, this is what comforts him in the days of humiliation, violence and imprisonment.

This is the reason why the Christian message endured despites centuries of persecution, conspiracies, wars and political vendetta. In an age of apathy, this hallmark of the Christian Gospel — the genuine and personal transformation of the believer, provides us with a definite source of the message we carry.

If it were for humanly constructed reasons, we will not be ready to carry our cross and live by loving those who persecute us. So, let us reflect on our lives and ask ourselves — why do we believe what we believe? Is it just because someone asked us to believe or is there something more to it?

Investigate your beliefs because if it’s rooted on anything other than a genuine transformation in Christ, then it will be blown away when the storms come, and the storms, they will surely come. May God help us all. Amen.

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