'I marvel
.. that ye are so soon removed
.... from Him that called you
...... into the grace of Christ
........ unto another gospel:
.......... Which is not another;
but there be some that trouble you,
.. and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
But though we,
.. or an angel from heaven,
.... preach any other gospel unto you
...... than that which we have preached unto you,
........ let him be accursed.'
(Galatisnd 1:6-8)
Hello
@Nancy,
I can understand why your mind should go to these verses. One thing we know for sure is that what Paul preached was of God, for He was a called Apostle, by the will of God, as we know. He told Timothy, in his last epistle prior to his death, to hold fast the form of sound words which he (
Timothy) had heard of him (
Paul). Yes,-
Praise God! - Paul's words are
'sound words', and sure; for they were received of the risen Christ Himself. -
Praise His Holy Name!
* There is only one Lord Jesus Christ, and it is '
He' that is preached, either by The Twelve Apostles as, '
them that heard Him' (Hebrews 2:3): or by Paul. However, by the nature of those to whom each were sent, either the
'circumcision' or the '
uncircumcision', there were differences of approach and of content. The Gentile had never been under the law for example, having been under the law of conscience only; whereas the Jew had been obliged to keep the law, under the conditions of the covenant with God that they, as a nation, were under. There was therefore a glorious liberty experienced by the Gentile, which the believing Jew found difficult to get to grips with it seems, hence the sending of men among them causing disquiet, saying that they needed to be circumcised etc., this was
'another gospel' which was no '
good news' at all, for it sought to put them under law, and destroy the law of liberty which they had been brought into, in Christ Jesus.
* The message to the Jew was also designed to bring them to the acknowledgment of Christ as their Messiah: and to repent; in order for the times of refreshing, spoken of by the prophets of the Old Testament, to come; and for Christ to return to be among them; with all that was prophesied taking in it's order. So, during that forty year period of the book of the Acts of the Apostles, the epistles written by Peter, James and Jude had the return of Christ in mind, and the end time events that it would bring with it. The early epistles of Paul, also, looked eagerly for His coming again, and for the believer's deliverance from the wrath to come at the judgment that would follow.
* It was only after Israel's final rejection of the ministry of the Apostles to them, that Israel went into blindness (temporarily) and salvation was finally sent to the Gentiles (Acts 28). It was then that Paul received the revelation of God concerning this period: in which Israel is no longer there to be grafted into, and believing Jew and Gentile are to experience the liberty of being united in Christ as their Head, in which the Jew has no prior place, but all is an equality. They are complete in Christ. This knowledge was passed on through the later epistles of Paul, largely in Ephesians, Colossians and Philippians, but also in 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon.
* Ephesians chapter three, speaks of a revelation received by all the apostles and prophets, which was,
'The Mystery of Christ' (Ephesians 3:4-5), the subject of the Old Testament Prophets, and preached by all, but especially Paul. Also the revelation which was made to Paul only, as the Lord's Prisoner, and Steward of,
'The Mystery' (Colossians 1:26; Ephesians 3:6-10); which concerns the Church which is His Body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all. A knowledge that had been '
hid in God' until it's revelation to Paul.
* You did not ask for all of this, I know, Nancy, but forgive me, for this is what came to mind, and is the expression of my thoughts as I type.
* How blessed we are, in Christ Jesus our Lord, aren't we Nancy?
Praise His Holy Name!
Thank you so much.
With love to you
In Christ Jesus
Chris