02.12. ESSAY NO. 12

ESSAY NO. 12

"Men spake from God being moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). Even without this personal impact of the Holy Spirit upon his own spirit, Paul would have been a very superior man. With his large natural and acquired gifts, wealth of experience, and devotion to God, he was capable of holding more of the mind of God than were others. Consequently, when moved, filled, and possessed by the Spirit, he not only taught some things more fully than other inspired men did, but withal became the most vital and fruit­ful man in history. The biography of a good man, from Christ down, is .always profitable. When others know a man’s motive is right, they like to hear him tell his own life story. Paul, knowing that the narrative of a Christian’s con­version and subsequent life was good argument for Christianity, on two occasions related his own experi­ence (Acts 22:1-30, Acts 26:1-32). To make and to develop Christians there is no better preaching and exhorting than what the Spirit "moved" Paul to write about himself.

Paul’s "Little Children"

(Galatians 4:12-20)

Paul feared that the Galatians might misconstrue some of the plain, frank things he had written, and even misjudge his motives. Apparently the Judaizers had maligned him and caused them to think he was their enemy, purposely depriving them of necessary rites. When he thought of how the simple Galatians were being imposed upon by the designing partisans, memories of their unprecedented reception of him, a very sick man, when he first came among them, compassion for their distressed state under hireling shepherds, and perplexity concerning their future filled his heart, and he grew tender and tearful.

Probably what he wrote Corinth about the same time, under similar circumstances, "Out of many af­flictions and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears" (2 Corinthians 2:4), would be appropriate in a second letter to Galatia. Or perhaps, what he said to Philippi, "Many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you weeping that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ" (Php 3:18), he might have said to Galatia. Contrary to Paul’s custom, no thanksgiving is found in Galatians, but it contains one of the tenderest passages in all his writings: "My little children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you—but I could wish to be present with you now, and change my tone; for I am perplexed about you." Note that the connection between the two verses of this emotionally drenched passage is broken as if by sobs. This introduces a side of Paul and a basic element in Christianity, also, that we today know none too well. If Christ could weep in human sympathy over the broken image of God in the Jews, with the sisters at the tomb of their brother, and pronounce a blessing upon those who mourn, there can be nothing wrong or weak about tears. Paul, whose commission was signed, "I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name’s sake" (Acts 9:16), became a man of pro­found feeling and many tears before his martyrdom. What better reveals a man’s size than that which moves him to tears? As the foundation of the church was cemented in Christ’s blood, and the superstructure built in the persecutions and afflictions of the saints, so must the building be finished in the sufferings and the sacrifices of Christians.

Love and tears have a ministry peculiarly their own. What can be more eloquent and moving than the tears of a strong man, like Moses or Paul, who does not weep till he has something to weep about? A wayward son can withstand the arguments of his father longer than he can the tears of his mother. If Euodia and Syntyche could have got off to themselves somewhere and had a good cry together, probably, their difference would not have seemed so important (Php 4:2). When Christ (Matthew 22:37-40) and Paul (1 Corinthians 13:1-13) so certainly give dominant centrality in the kingdom of God to love, it is hard to see why Christians consider it, as compared to intellect and learning, inferior. The church, leaving hearts unexercised and trying to do God’s work with only heads and hands, breaks step with Christ and Paul. The only fault Christ found with the church at Ephesus was that she had left her "first love" (Revelation 2:4).

Paul’s Allegorizing

After closing his argument for the all-sufficiency of the gospel with a touching reminiscence, Paul, feel­ing that more written doctrinal matter would be use­less to the Galatians, tells them that he would like to talk things out with them face to face and heart to heart. Wondering whether or not they really under­stand how promise and law differ in nature and work­ings, and realizing how easy it is to confess Christ, yet rely on self, Paul, knowing the value of parabolic illustrations to clarify doctrine, decides, before taking up the hortatory part of the book proper, to use Abra­ham again to allegorize the difference.

"Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law (legal system), do ye not hear the law (book of the law)?" Very skillfully, Paul commits the Judaizers to their own Bible before he shows that it is against them. "Moved by the Holy Spirit," Paul says of Hagar and Sarah, "These women are two covenants." He teaches that Ishmael, Abraham’s natural son by Hagar, sym­bolizes and allegorizes the Mosaic covenant; and that Isaac, Abraham’s supernatural son by Sarah, the Christian covenant. As Ishmael, because he mocked Isaac, was cast out, so Jews, because they reject Christ, mocking and persecuting his people, must be cast out. These women with their respective sons were no more incompatible than are the two covenants. Sons of the flesh cannot abide sons of the Spirit. No one hates grace like those who try to save themselves by self-effort. The point of the allegory contained in this bit of history is that God casts out the legal mode of earning justification, and freely bestows it upon "Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise." The prophecy Paul quotes, since it shows Isaiah as well as Moses is against them, further embarrasses Judaizers. Furthermore, it gives Christians of all time assurance that they are on the growing, winning side. Paul proves himself to be an elegant, effective allegorizer.

Galatians is the Act of Emancipation for the slaves of law in all ages. It defends the gospel against any in­vasion of the principles of law, works, and flesh, which would modify its character of pure grace. It is the Magna Charta of Christian universalism and liberty and freedom.