Galatians Bible Study

[Petro]

Greetings all,

Concerning; allinall's reply #67 and others comments of Pauls 3 years in Arabia, I hope this isn't getting to far ahead of the study.

Gal 1
17  Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
18  Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.

I have often thought about Paul's approx. three years, in Arabia.

But before he went to Arabia it is clear he preached Jesus imediately upon his conversion at Damascus, since at;

Acts 9, we read;

18  And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
19  And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.
20  And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
21  But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests?
22  But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.
23  And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him:
24  But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him.
25  Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket.

It was for this reason he left, for Arabia.

There is much speculation as to what Saul did in Arabia, the scriptures do not tell us.

He went there by the Word of God, notice his own testimony concerning the vision, he had on the road to Damascus;

Acts 22
6  And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.
7  And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
8  And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
9  And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
10  And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.

And at Acts 26, when recalling the vision to Agrippa he said;
15  And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
18  To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
19  Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:

Being obedient to the heanvenly vision, no doubt included that which the Hoily Spirit ministered to him, whi9ch is not written.

Arabia, which for the most part was mainly a desert place, may have been what was needful in Pauls life at this point and time, he had come to faith in Him, whom he persecuted.

And this three years of communion with the Lord thru the Spirit, could very well have been his time, to gather his thoughts and meditate on the great events that had taken place in his life, no doubt the Lords prophecy concerning the Spirit became real to the apsotle;

Jhn 14
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Did Paul need to be taught??

Did he recall words spoken by Jesus??

You bet, he was there at the river Jordan when Jesus was made manifest to all Israel, on the day he was baptized by John.

Paul needed this time to prepare for that which Jesus said to him;

I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Saul had to spend time, for the ministery, unravelling his misconceptions and all of the human teachings injected into that which he had learned about God, while at the feet of Gamaliel.

He didn't have the NT to help him, he only had the OT writings, to reconcile to what he believed.


Like Saul if God has chosen us to minister to the peoples of the World concerning Himself and His Redeemer, it is essential that we collect our thought, meditate on the things which the Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (1 Cor 2:13)

Growing in Grace and the knowledge of Jesus.

That also, might share the unseqarchable riches of Christ.

God Bless,
Petro

[nChrist]

Oklahoma Howdy to Brother Petro,

Thanks for joining in Brother!

That was an excellent and interesting post. I find the life and details about the Apostle Paul to be fascinating. I have a ton of notes and references I'm studying now about the Apostle Paul, his life, and the Gospel of the Grace of God he loved so much.

It's interesting to imagine the crisis caused by the first revelation of Christ. We know that he was blinded temporarily, but what happened to the proud and brutal Pharisee? Yes, there was an immediate change, but Christ wasn't through with the molding and transformation of Saul. Can you imagine what Saul of Tarsus thought about his Jewish education in the very best schools of the time? What about the tremendous guilt Saul must have felt about being an enemy of THE CHRIST and a persecutor of Christ's followers? Could it be said that Saul's world exploded into pieces? Yes, it was a crises, and Saul would have to start over.

Thanks again Brother Petro and welcome to the study.

In Christ,
Tom

[Reba]

Often i have 'known' bible statments all my life only to find them not as i thought or as i have believed. This point does not matter to me  and i bet there is some other form of history to substantiate the story.


Gal 1
17  Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
18   Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.

It reads?

he went to arabia and returned to damascus THEN after 3 years went to Jerusalem


 So what am i missing?

[2nd Timothy]

Very interesting indeed!   Hopefully I'm not steering away from Galatians, but I think injecting Pauls teaching from another book here might bring something to the current study.

Paul speaking to religious people in Phillipians about trust in human merit.

Phil 3:3-8
3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh--
4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:

He has MORE reason to be justified by works of the flesh!

5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee;
6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.

-Circumcised according to Jewish Law,
-he is part of God's chosen people of Israel,
-part of tribe of Benjamin (an honored tribe that was Loyal to God in the OT),
-Hebrew of Hebrews! - Trained in the Hebrew Language and customs, likely having memorized the entire Hebrew scriptures
-A Pharisee - tieing in with Hebrew of Hewbrews, a MASTER of the law by Hebrew standards!
- Had ZEAL, shown by persecuting the church...very well known for his persecution of the church.
-(I like this one) - As for LEGALISTIC RIGHTEOUSNESS, FAULTLESS!!!  Outwardly he was righteous by every standard of the LAW! (another version uses the term, BLAMELESS! (kept every law)

One thing every false religion of today has in common is the assumption one can improve his relationship with God by his works, or own merit.

continuing
7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

He wasted his time doing all of the above which he believed made him close to God.  Calling it LOSS for the sake of Christ.

8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ

The rubbish used here is translated as meaning Litterally Manuer or Dung, compared to the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus the Lord.

9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

Paul seems to have every reason to Boast about his human effort in bringing himself closer to God, however he considers all that to be DUNG.   Verse 9 shows not by righteousness of his own by following traditions for the LAW, but through - the righteousness that comes from faith!  Praise God!

I feel like preaching!...lol

Grace and Peace!

[ollie]

 Galatians 1:6. I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
 7.  Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

"so soon removed..........unto another gospel"

"which is not another;"

What is Paul saying here? That it is not another Gospel, but a perverted one? That they are preaching Christ but perverting it by wanting to adhere to the law along with the gospel?

[John the Baptist]

Galatians 1:6. I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
 7.  Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
 

"which is not another;"


******
Yes, true! After the 3 yrs. of self examination Paul went to Jesusalem in Acts 15:5. What was it all about?  "... saying, That it was needful to (1) circumcise them , and (2) [TO COMMAND THEM TO KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF MOSES]."
---John

PS: Acts 25:8 tells us that Paul was a keeper of one of the two laws! Of course the MOTIVE was one of LOVE for Christ!
******


What is Paul saying here? That it is not another Gospel, but a perverted one? That they are preaching Christ but perverting it by wanting to adhere to the law along with the gospel?

[2nd Timothy]

Galatians 1:6. I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
 7.  Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
 

"which is not another;"


******
Yes, true! After the 3 yrs. of self examination Paul went to Jesusalem in Acts 15:5. What was it all about?  "... saying, That it was needful to (1) circumcise them , and (2) [TO COMMAND THEM TO KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF MOSES]."
---John

PS: Acts 25:8 tells us that Paul was a keeper of one of the two laws! Of course the MOTIVE was one of LOVE for Christ!
******


What is Paul saying here? That it is not another Gospel, but a perverted one? That they are preaching Christ but perverting it by wanting to adhere to the law along with the gospel?

If we read acts 15:1-12 its a bit clearer.

Acts 15:1-12
1 Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved."
2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.
3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad.
4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.
5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses."
6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question.
7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.
8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.
9 He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.
10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?
11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."
12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.


This doctrine hounds the early church.   The Judaisers are trying to bring the new church under the doctrine of law, through works of the flesh.   By doing this will you be truely Jewish and saved!   While the true Gospel is that only God can make us righteous through HIS divine work done at the cross, which is pointed out later in Galtians...

Gal 2:19-21
19  For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.
20  I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
21  I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

I love this study!

Grace and Peace!

[Reba]

Thanks Tim

[2nd Timothy]

You're welcome Reba.     Asking questions such as these makes the study more interesting to me.

Grace and Love!

[John the Baptist]

You're welcome Reba.     Asking questions such as these makes the study more interesting to me.

Grace and Love!

******
Christ stated that 'ye must be Born Again'. Do you think that there will ever be any saved on either side of the cross that were not Born Again? Or that the 'Everlasting' Gospel of Rev. 14:6 was not Eternal? In other Words, this Gospel that Paul 'preaches' is something new? Is that what is being suggested?? That the Eternal Godhead does change, is not the SAME yesterday, today and [forever]


---John

[Reba]

I say the  GRACE Noah found in the eyes of the LORD is same GRACE we have today

[John the Baptist]

I say the  GRACE Noah found in the eyes of the LORD is same GRACE we have today

*********
Hi, I agree with that. What my question is, Christ said that ye MUST be born again to Nicodemus. Notice the exact Words:

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, EXCEPT A MAN BE BORN AGAIN, HE CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD." John 3:3  

I suspect that the True Gospel that Paul taught, did not disagree with Christ? And Acts 5:32 states that the Holy Spirit is given to the ones who OBEY HIM. The date was AD 33. Paul came on the sceen in AD 34. It seems that any one to be Born Again would be REQUIRED to be have THE HOLY SPIRIT & OBEY HIM.

So, can any be saved contrary to being Born Again was the question? Can one be saved by 'Grace' alone, without the Holy Spirit, or with out being Bor Again?

[nChrist]

******
Christ stated that 'ye must be Born Again'. Do you think that there will ever be any saved on either side of the cross that were not Born Again? Or that the 'Everlasting' Gospel of Rev. 14:6 was not Eternal? In other Words, this Gospel that Paul 'preaches' is something new? Is that what is being suggested?? That the Eternal Godhead does change, is not the SAME yesterday, today and [forever]

---John

John The Baptist,

I think that I clearly see where this is going. Try searching for the answers to the two following questions:

What was the purpose of the cross, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ?

What changed after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross?

These are fairly easy questions. Once you answer the questions, you have an answer to your own question.

If you conclude there was no purpose for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, we'll stop our study and try to help you.

If you conclude there was no change after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross, again, we'll stop our study and try to help you.

If you think there was no purpose for the cross and no change at the cross, you would do well as a Pharisee. Let us know what you think about those two questions.

Tom

 

[nChrist]

Often i have 'known' bible statments all my life only to find them not as i thought or as i have believed. This point does not matter to me  and i bet there is some other form of history to substantiate the story.


Gal 1
17  Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
18   Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.

It reads?

he went to arabia and returned to damascus THEN after 3 years went to Jerusalem


 So what am i missing?

Oklahoma Howdy to Reba,

I don't know. It depends on what you are looking for. Maybe this will help. The 3 years is after his conversion, not after his return to Damascus. We know from the Scriptures that Paul preached at Damascus before and after his time in Arabia.

Arabia lay south and east of Palestine, extending to the vicinity of Damascus. It's only a speculation which portion of Arabia Paul went to. It could have been close to Damascus, but the Scriptures don't make this clear. Some Bible scholars speculate it might have been Sinai in Arabia. I've seen several other speculations. The most basic point here is that 3 years of Paul's life are almost covered with a veil. Scripture does state that Paul was strengthened in Christ during this time and it was just after his conversion.

The speculation regards Paul's transformation from a Pharisee and enemy of Christ to a mighty Apostle and minister of the Gospel of God's Grace. To say this time was spent in devout study, meditation, and the revelation of Christ would be most reasonable.

Are you saying that Paul did something else with this 3 years other than being strengthened in Christ? If so, I don't think you will find a record of it. I rechecked a large number of references and all conclude what has been posted. If you have other information or ideas, please post them.

In Christ,
Tom

 

[nChrist]

And this three years of communion with the Lord thru the Spirit, could very well have been his time, to gather his thoughts and meditate on the great events that had taken place in his life, no doubt the Lords prophecy concerning the Spirit became real to the apsotle;

Saul had to spend time, for the ministery, unravelling his misconceptions and all of the human teachings injected into that which he had learned about God, while at the feet of Gamaliel.

He didn't have the NT to help him, he only had the OT writings, to reconcile to what he believed.

Oklahoma Howdy to Petro,

I've studied this area again because some had questions. It truly isn't specified what Paul did in these three veiled years, but the speculation that he did what you and others have suggested is more than reasonable. I read your post again and took particular interest in your statement about Paul not having the New Testament to help him. I thought about the many years of extremely strict training Paul/Saul had in his advancement to Pharisee. I now see the writing of Paul and know beyond any doubt that it was inspired by God.

In Christ,
Tom