"Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?
"For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ." (Galatians 1:10)
✍ Comment
If Paul had simply preferred to please his family, teachers, and friends, he would not have paid such a high price for abandoning the bonds of Jewish and rabbinical tradition for the sake of freedom in Christ.
💭 In this life we will always be servants of one of two masters (Matt. 6:24; 1 Thess. 2: 4).
Paul once carried the "yoke of slavery" (Gal. 5:1), but once freed from the power of sin through the redemption in Christ, he became a slave to righteousness, a servant (in the original Greek doulos). of God (Rom. 6:18, 22).
How willing are we to encourage ourselves to challenge systems, beliefs, and arguments that do not agree with the sound doctrine of Christ?
(Note: Paul is speaking in his letter with Christians and talking about issues of gospel fellowship with which Judaism - the old covenant - wanted to mingle. Often we will be called by God to help correct systems, beliefs, and teachings misrepresentations that are dominating in our Christian life, but sometimes this will generate some unavoidable conflicts, but we cannot be discouraged or conniving, suppressing the truth, remember what men like John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, Luther, among other similar men did they prove that what seemed to be true was actually a lie? Have you read the challenges that the prophet Jeremiah faced while preaching the truth? We can also go through similar situations if we want to be friends of truth).
Pleasing men and Christ at the same time is impossible. "No one can serve two masters."
Therefore, if Paul is a slave of Christ, he cannot seek the favor of men.
📝 Do you dedicate your life to trying to please others?
Paul had to speak harshly to Christians in Galatia because they were in serious danger. He does not apologize for his direct words, he knew that he would not be serving Christ faithfully if he allowed the Galatian Christians to follow the wrong path.
"Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?" (Gal 4:16)
Who are you trying to please, people or God?
✋🏼 Give God's approval first place❗
📚 Recommended reading: Galatians for You: For Reading, for Feeding, for Leading (God's Word for You), by Timothy Keller
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