Of God or Men? 4/23/2013 (rp)

"For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ." Gal 1:10

How much of our daily lives are driven by what other people think? Does it affect what we wear, where we go, who we associate with or what we say? What affect does it have on our Christian lives (which should be indistinguishable from our "daily lives")?

The apostle Paul is making the case that there are those in the Galatian church who have turned away from the true gospel he shared with them in favor of a corrupted gospel shared with them by others with questionable motives. They were called Judaizers and they taught that it was necessary to commit to Jewish custom and law to become a Christian. These same people are the ones who caused Peter to turn away from eating with Gentiles with whom he was sharing the gospel because he did not want to be known for associating with them. Paul publicly chastised him for this behavior because he was more interested in pleasing certain people than in doing the work of the Lord.

Beloved, the gospel message and the Christian life it espouses is not going to be popular with everyone. There are those who look with derision on people of faith. This can be a challenging thing for those who are not yet strong in their faith. So called friends and associates attempt to lead them back into the darkness from which they were saved. Even those who are strong in the faith can be subject to pleasing man rather than God. We must remain ever vigilant in setting the example of godliness rather than following the example of ungodliness. To do anything less would mean that we would "not be a bond-servant of Christ."

Committed,

Lee