Paul Who Had Been A Jewish Rabbi, An Israelite - 1619 Words

Galations 1. Charmaine Warford Summer 2014 In Galations chapter 1 Paul who had been a Jewish rabbi, an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin, was writing a letter to his opponents who may have been proto-Pelagians 2. who were trying to persuade the Galations to seek justification by performing good moral deeds. There was a significant group known as â€Å"the Judaizers† in early Christianity, especially among Jewish Christians, who felt that Christian converts had to observe the Jewish Law, as well as follow the teachings of Christ, 3. and this applied even to Gentiles. The message of the church, that a crucified Messiah provides salvation for all, contradicted the traditions of Judaism. Certainly a Messiah on a†¦show more content†¦Judaizers wanted to preach works but Paul wrote that we must preach Christ alone. 7. Paul was not a passive individual as he describes himself in verse 14 he was â€Å"exceedingly zealous†. He appears to be talking to an audience who knew him in the past as a strong Jew who upheld the traditions of his people. He also stated in verse 14 that he â€Å"profited in the Jews’ religion† 8. so he was possibly politically powerful and personally benefiting from his status in the community while upholding the Jewish traditions of his fathers. He wants to make it clear to his audience that what he is preaching to them now is not of man but is by divine revelation from God by his grace. To demonstrate his point, Paul recounts his conversion, in which he switched from being a persecutor of the church to being a preacher of its gospel. He wants to advise that his conversion occurred through a direct act of God, who â€Å"was pleased to reveal his Son to me, 9. so that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles†. The revelation of who Jesus really was came directly from God and for a clear purpose so that Paul could take the message to the Gentiles. Paul insisted that the Spirit is the same Spirit through whom G od spoke and acted in the history of Israel, the difference is that through Jesus the Spirit is now poured out on all God’s people, Jew and Gentile alike. 10. The fact that Paul criticized some aspects of his native Judaism 11. and that he announced a gospel to the