Food for Friday
And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia. Galatians 1:2
Our text raises two interesting questions: Who were the brethren who were with Paul? And what churches in Galatia was he writing to? As to the first question, some have speculated that Paul was referring to some of his preaching partners who were with him when he wrote this letter. Others suggest that he was referring to all of the Christians in the Assembly where he was currently residing. In some of his other epistles, Paul mentions some of the men and women who were with him; but that does not happen in this epistle, either at the beginning or at the end. He does not even identify the location from which he is writing, and historians are not sure where it was, either. Nor does Paul identify any of the intended recipients by name or by city. That means we are left to guess, and admit that whoever we identify is only a guess. But there is a hint in the verse, especially as to those who were with him who backed up his message to the Galatians. That word is ‘all’.
We are not sure if Paul knew that his words were inspired, that the Holy Spirit was directing his pen. But he did know that his letter was important enough to be circulated among all of the Assemblies in the province of Galatia. He knew that the matters he was addressing in his letter were critical to the spiritual health of the saints. So it was very important that all of the Christians who were with him were in full agreement as to the message. Whether they were other preachers, or Assembly elders, or other godly Christians who he was visiting, Paul had their confidence. This reminds us today that it is important that the Christians fully support what is preached and taught by those who open the Word of God and expound it. Of course, in order to do that, they need to know the Word of God, and have solid convictions about its truth and meaning. Does that describe you?
Because Paul does not identify which of the Galatian Assemblies is being targeted, we must assume that he is implying another ‘all’. Paul knew about the Assemblies there; he had been used of God to preach the Gospel there and to see many of those Assemblies planted. So he could have been very specific. But he isn’t. He doesn’t say that the letter does not apply to the Christians in Iconium, for example, or that the letter need not go to the Assembly in Derbe. And down through the centuries since Paul wrote this letter, Christians in many thousands of different locations have benefitted from its message, including our location. In directing the apostle to write to the Galatians, the Holy Spirit was directing its message to every Christian in Galatia, and to every Christian in Christendom. This applies to all of the Word of God. None of us can point to one book, or passage, and say it does not refer to me.
The word ‘all’ has only three letters (six in the original Greek). But it packs a big punch when reminds us that we are to support and to accept what the Bible says. – Jim MacIntosh