In this chapter the apostle says that he withstood the false teaching
which was now misleading the Galatian brethren, in order that “the truth
of the Gospel” might remain with them. Compare this with his
introduction, in the first chapter, and his vehement assertions
concerning the Gospel which he had preached to them, and his
astonishment that they were now forsaking it, and it will be
self-evident that the epistle must contain nothing else but the Gospel
in the most forcible form of expression. Many have misunderstood it, and
have derived no personal gain from it, because they have thought that it
was but a contribution to the “strivings about the law,” against which
Paul himself warned the brethren.
[Sidenote: No Monopoly of Truth.]
“Whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me; God accepteth no man’s
person.” There is no man or body of men on earth, that has a monopoly of
truth,—a corner, so to speak, so that whoever wishes it must come to
him. Truth is independent of men. Truth is of God, for Christ, who is
the shining of His glory, and the very impress of His substance (Heb.
1:3), is the truth (John 14:6). Whoever gets the truth, must get it from
God, and not from any man, just as Paul received the Gospel. God may and
does use men as instruments, or channels, but He alone is the Giver.
Neither names nor numbers have anything to do with determining what is
truth. The truth is no more mighty, nor to be accepted more readily,
when it is presented by ten thousand princes than when maintained by a
single humble, laboring man. And there is no more presumptive evidence
that ten thousand men have the truth than that one has it. Every man on
earth may be the possessor of just as much of the truth as he is willing
to use, and no more. See John 7:17; 12:35, 36. He who would act the
pope, thinking to hold a monopoly of the truth, and compel people to
come to him for it, dealing it out here, and withholding it there, loses
all the truth that he ever had, if he ever really had any. Truth and
popery can not exist together; no pope, or man with a popish
disposition, has the truth. As soon as a man receives the truth, he
ceases to be a pope. If the pope of Rome should get converted, and
become a disciple of Christ, that very hour he would vacate the papal
seat.
[Sidenote: The Biggest Not Always the Best.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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