Galatians - Ferrar Fenton Bible Translation page 1208

IO II 16 m>1s*1·LE or PAUL THE A1>0s·rLE 1*0 was GALATIANS. Qual explains his lpusinlic $pp¤iuimzxxi. AQL, an apostle-·¤0t from man or through man, but appointed by }esus Christ, and God the Father, Who raised Him from the dea.d··-and all the brethren with me, to the assemblies of Qalatia : Grace and peace to you, from God the Father, and our Lord jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for our sins, so that He might lead us out of the present wicked age, according to the will of our God and Father: to Whom be the honour for ever and ever. Amen. I wonder that you are turned so

soon from Him Who called you into the gift of Christ, to another gospel: which, however, is not another; but simply a contrivance of some people to disturb you, and who wish to over- turn the gospel of the Messiah. But if even we, or a messenger from heaven, should promise you contrary to what we have promised you, let him be accursed. As we said before, and I say yet again, if any announce a gospel different to what you re— ceived, let him be accursed. For do I now obey men, or God?

Or do I want to please men? If I yet pleased men, I should not be a servant of Christ. And I wish you to know, brothers, the gospel preached by me, that ittis not human ; neither did I receive it from a man, nor did I learn it otherwise than through reve- lation from jesus Christ. For you have heard of my way of

life when in }udaism, that I exces· sively persecuted and abused the church of God; and outran in that judaism all my contemporaries in my nation, possessed by an excessive zeal for my ancestral traditions. But when it seemed good, God, Who gave me birth from my mother, and called me through His favour, to reveal His Son in me. so that I might preach Him among the hea- then, I did not consult then with flesh and blood; neither did I go up to jerusalem to those who were apostles before me: but at once I went away into Arabia, and again returned to Damascus. Then, three years after, I went up to jerusalem to l uestion Kephas, and stayed fifteen

gays with him; but I did not see anotheriof `the apostles, except james 18

me 1..ord‘s brother. And note what I zo write to you; before God I lie not . Then I went into the countries of 21 Syria and Cilicia; butlwasunlrnown 22 by presentation to the assemblies in Christ of }udea; and they only heard Our own persecutor now preaches the gospel which he then re- -··-and th ey praised God for me. Then passing over fourteen years, I

again went up to jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus as well. But I went up for an explanation ; and explained to them the gospel which I preached among the heathen , but privately to the thoughtful, for fear I should run, or had run, in vain. Titus, however, a Greek-jew, who was with me, was never compelled to be circumcised. But as for the false breth- ren, introduced by a mistake, who had crept in to spy out the freedom which we have in Christ jesus, so that they might enslave us, I never subjected myself to them for an hour; so that the truth of the gospel might continue with yon. But about those regarded as reilective——whatever they were, it makes no difference to me ; I do not receive a man in preference to God those reflective men never objected to me; but, on the contrary, seeing that the gospel for the uncircumcised was entrusted to me, as it was to Peter for the circumcised (for He Who ener- gized Peter in an apostleship for the circumcision also energized me to the heathen) : james and Kephas and ' ohn, who were regarded as pillars, nowing the gift bestowed upon me,

gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and ma, so that we should go tc the heathen; but they to the 1208