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Through the Bible with Les Feldick
LESSON 2 * PART 4 * BOOK 32
GALATIANS 1:1 - 1:14 - PART 2
Remember, as we introduced the Book of Galatians, Paul is frantically responding to false teachings that have come into the congregations that he had established up in Asia Minor, which is what we call today, Turkey. Now verse 13.
Galatians 1:13a
"For ye have heard of my conversation (manner of living) in time past in the Jews' religion,..."
So Paul was high up in the echelons of Judaism as it was known at the time of Christ with the Temple worship. Now reading on:
Galatians 1:13b
"...how that beyond measure (it was despicable) I persecuted the church (assembly) of God, and wasted it:"
Now I use the word `assembly' here on purpose because too many people get confused by thinking that the word "church" always means what we call the Body of Christ, and it doesn't. Always remember the word translated `church' in our New Testament is the Greek word `ecclesia' (it can be spelled with two c's or two k's). All that word meant in its true translated form was "a called out assembly." Remember that? Well, that wasn't a church, but it was a called-out assembly because God called Israel out of Egypt unto Himself. And it was called an ecclesia.
The group of Jewish believers in Jerusalem was a called-out assembly, or ecclesia, in Jerusalem because they had separated themselves from the run-of-the-mill Judaisers. I maintain they were not yet the Body of Christ. Assembly. So the assembly was being addressed and warned that the Roman authorities were going to call them into question. Galatians 13b
"...I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:"
So Paul persecuted the assembly and wasted it. Let's turn to Chapter 7 verse 57. Here we have Stephen now, who has addressed the leaders of the Nation of Israel. Saul was sincere - sincerely wrong; but he was sincere in hating these Jews who had embraced Jesus of Nazareth. Look at Stephen's account in Acts 7.
59. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, `Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' 60. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, `Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.' Never in all of the scriptural accounts did the Twelve address Him as "Jesus" They called Him either "Lord" or "Master," but they never called him Jesus. I've said before that the only appropriate address for Him today is either Christ, or the Lord Jesus, or the Lord Jesus Christ, or the Lord, but don't ever approach Him as just Jesus because it is not a scriptural application. Now come over to Chapter 9 and we'll pick up a description of Saul of Tarsus in his hatred for anything connected to the followers of Jesus Christ.
Now remember, I've mentioned in a lesson or two that the Judaistic religious people had clout with Rome. Also remember that the Jews from one end of the Roman empire to the other would send vast amounts of money to the Temple as offerings, and never was a dollar lost. Now read on:
Saul was vicious, he had no mercy. He didn't care whether they were young or old, or men or women; if they had embraced Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah, then Saul's attitude was, "They're not worth living, get rid of them, they are nothing but a threat to my religion." Now come back to the Book of Galatians. And the poor man never got over that for hurting so many. Now verse 13.
Galatians 1:13
A lot of these Jewish believers who had to flee Jerusalem, for fear of Saul of Tarsus and the other religious persecutioners, did migrate up into the area of Galilee and some as far north as Damascus. Now verse 14. Galatians 1:14a
"And profited in the Jews' religion..."
Wealth. Judaism was no different. Why did Jesus drive out the money changers in the Temple? A market place right in the Temple. The same motivation that people have today. Old Saul was right in the middle of that. Hey, religion has always been that way. I tell people to look at any religion on the face of the earth tonight, go up into the higher echelons and you'll find the same thing. The more corrupt people get, the more corruption there is, and corruption just keeps feeding. Listen, this was Saul of Tarsus. This guy was a Pharisee of the Pharisees. Now read on about his account.
Galatians 1:14a
"And profited in the Jews' religion..."
You know I detest the word `religion.' Paul says, `I was profiting in the Jews' religion,' because it was a bad, corrupt system. What did Paul call him? Now finishing the verse:
Galatians 1:14
Always remember this, "Religion always banks on traditions rather than doctrine. It's the same thing, it's religion, and all of its demands on poor unsuspecting people. Galatians 1:14b
Remember, his father must have been some kind of a man of influence as a Roman citizen, because Paul, remember, was also a Roman citizen, so that tells you something about his father and probably his grandfather.

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