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John Phillips · Citado em PreceptAustin
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Phillips - God the Father! What a wonderful name for God! Judaizers knew Him as Jehovah, the God of covenant; as Elohim, the God of creation; and as Adonai, the Sovereign Lord, the God of command. They knew Him as "the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." But the Galatians had been taught a higher truth than that. He was "God the Father." (Exploring Galatians: An Expository Commentary) Through Jesus Christ and God the Father, Who raised Him from the dead - Again "through" is dia which is a preposition expressing the intermediate agent of an action, in this case the "intermediate agent" is the divine will of the Son and the Father and the "action" is Paul's appointment as an apostle. To reiterate, human beings had nothing to do with Paul's appointment as an apostle! God the Son and the Father called him to be an apostle. In his final letter he reiterated to Timothy that he "Paul (was) an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus." (2 Ti 1:1+) Kenneth Wuest elaborates on the preceding comments - "Not only does Paul say that his apostleship did not find its ultimate source in mankind, but it did not find its intermediate source in man. Man was not even the agent of God in conferring that apostleship. By is the translation of dia, the preposition denoting intermediate agency. It denotes the means or instrument in the hands of an individual by which an act is performed. Thus Paul not only denies that he was made an apostle by men, but also that God used the intermediate agency of man to constitute him an apostle. His apostleship was not derived from a human source or given through a human channel. The reason why Paul changes from the plural word men to the singular word man, is that titles and offices which emanate from a body of men are conferred by their single representative. The acts of the Roman senate took effect through the reigning monarch, those of the Sanhedrin, through the high priest." (Word Studies from the Greek New Testament)
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Phillips explains that "The Galatians had been swept off their feet. After all, the Judaizers specialized in quoting Scripture. But they took texts out of context and ignored the dispensational dimension of the Scriptures. Error, especially when it is wrapped in Scripture and presented under cover of a false hermeneutic, can sound very much like the truth. People who are not instructed in the whole counsel of God can become an easy prey to false teachers." (Exploring Galatians: An Expository Commentary) Quickly (5030) (tacheos) means with little or no delay, speedily, hastily, rashly, suddenly (1Co 4:19; Ga1:6; Php 2:19, 24; 2Ti 4:9; Jdg 9:48; Isa 8:3) . Tacheos can mean either easily and readily or soon, and sometimes both, as was probably the case with these renegade churches in Galatia. Tacheos in 1Ti 5:22 warns against ordaining an elder "too hastily." By using tacheos Paul is emphasizing how rapidly the Galatians offering little resistance to the "graceless messages" and were "jumping ship" from the Gospel ship to a sinking ship that was not the Gospel. Notice that the addition of "houtos" (so - "so quickly") even further emphasizes Paul's astonishment at the speed of desertion for a counterfeit gospel! THOUGHT - Let us not be too hard on the Galatians. Yes, they had the greatest teacher in the history of the Church other than Jesus and His Spirit. And yet they were quickly deserting Paul grace filled message for the Judaizer's graceless message. Here is the point -- you may have been a believer for many years but you can still be fooled by slick presentations of hucksters claiming to hold orthodox truths. We can never let down our guard, no matter how many years we have walked with Jesus!
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Phillips adds on the issue of circumcision regarding Timothy and Titus - His enemies would doubtless accuse him of trying to curry favor in Jerusalem by having Timothy circumcised (Acts 16:3+) and of trying to keep in with the Gentiles by leaving Titus uncircumcised. Paul, however, had a good reason for circumcising Timothy, who was already half a Jew by birth, and an equally good reason for leaving Titus, who was a full Gentile, uncircumcised (Gal 2:3+) (ED COMMENT: If Titus were compelled to be circumcised, then other Gentile believers could be compelled but if not, then freedom from the law was upheld). Paul was accused of setting his sail to match the wind and of adapting his preaching and practice to suit the occasion. This accusation Paul vigorously denies. (Exploring Galatians: An Expository Commentary) Don Anderson - His opponents had insinuated that Paul had dropped all the legal requirements of salvation to please men and to cater to the laxity of human nature. The truth of the matter, however, was that many of the Judaizers taught circumcision and the law to keep from being persecuted. There was a time in Paul’s experience when he was trying to please both men and God by the life that he lived as a Pharisee. Now his only concern is to be a faithful bondslave of Jesus Christ. You have to make a CHOICE who you are going to please in your life. YOU CANNOT PLEASE MEN AND BE A BONDSLAVE OF CHRIST...Paul’s motivation is TWO-FOLD. He wants to: FINISH THE RACE and HEAR “WELL DONE THOU GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT.” Ever since the Damascus road experience, Paul has been a different man with a life that has a singleness of purpose. That purpose is to please God. (+) Martin Luther points out that "To this day you will find many who seek to please men in order that they may live in peace and security. They teach whatever is agreeable to men, no matter whether it is contrary to God’s Word or their own conscience." (Galatians 1 Commentary) Todd Wilson - People-pleasers don’t make good servants of Christ because people-pleasers cave under pressure from influential people. ...People-pleasers don’t make good servants of Christ because people-pleasers ignore harmful hypocrisy...people-pleasers hide from the shame of the cross...Do you know what the root of the problem with people-pleasers is? The root of the problem is that people-pleasers are idolaters. People-pleasers make idols of other people and thus crave their approval as though it were the bread of life. But in idolizing other people and their approval, they ultimately idolize themselves. They make idols of themselves and thus require the approval of others as though it were an offering being given to a god. People-pleasing is a kind of self-worship. It is the antithesis of being a servant of Christ Jesus....if we’re going to fight the temptation to people-please, we must also come to really believe that God’s judgment is the only one that counts.....Bishop Thomas Wolsey once (SADLY) remarked, “If I had served God as faithfully as man, I had been better rewarded, and not forsaken in my distress (WHICH HE WAS BY KING HENRY VIII!).” There’s a lot of wisdom in that statement. Being a servant of Christ is far sweeter than being a slave to man’s opinion, and the reward of being a servant of Christ is far, far superior to any reward we can obtain from any man. For only by serving Christ Jesus will we hear on that final day the approval that our hearts so desperately long to hear: “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Galatians: Gospel-Rooted Living) Seeking the favor (3982)(peitho) means to cause to come to a particular point of view or course of action, to prevail upon, to win over, to persuade or to bring about a change of one's mind (cp 2 Cor 5:11+, Acts 13:43+ = "urging"). While Paul was willing to "become all things to all men, so that (he might) by all means save some" (1 Cor 9:22) he would never do so by compromising a Biblical conviction or watering down God's Word of truth. Phillips adds "Persuading men? Yes, indeed! That was exactly what he did. That was his business. That was what he had been called to do. Pleasing men? Nonsense! Did it sound as though he were trying to please men—damning those who preached something contrary to the grace of Christ that he preached." (Exploring Galatians: An Expository Commentary) PLEASING MEN OR PLEASING GOD Am I striving to please men - Before his conversion this was undoubtedly Paul's aim. "I have been charged with conciliating (seeking to gain as goodwill by pleasing acts) men. Does this anathema of mine look like it? Is it a time for conciliatory words now, when Judaizing emissaries are troubling you (Gal 1:7) and persuading you to forsake the true Gospel?" (Vincent) Paul's aim was never to please men but God as he wrote in other letters... 1Thess 2:4+ but just as we have been approved (dokimazo in perfect tense = speaks of permanence) by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing (aresko) men but God, who examines our hearts. For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed–God is witness– 2Cor 5:9+ Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. In his last letter Paul urged young Timothy to not be a man-pleaser but a God-pleaser, but that in so doing it would entail a cost, a sacrifice... Suffer hardship (aorist imperative - only possible as we rely on Holy Spirit to obey) with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please (aresko) the One who enlisted him as a soldier. (2 Ti 2:3-4+) The paradox is that Paul's adversaries were in fact the people pleasers as he alluded to in chapter 6 Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh (PEOPLE PLEASERS) try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Gal 6:11-14+) George
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Phillips - Paul reminds us of John Knox, Scotland's fearless voice. Mary, Queen of Scots, was more afraid of John Knox than of all of the armies of England. At one time in his stormy career, Knox was a galley slave, chained to an oar and under the interdiction of the court. The galleon was served by a Roman Catholic priest who came to where the prisoners were toiling at the oars and brought with him an image of the Virgin Mary. He presented the image to each of the galley slaves in turn, demanding that they, the blasphemous heretics, kiss the "Mother of God." At length, he came to John Knox. The bold preacher took the image from the priest. "Mother?" he cried, "Mother of God? This is nothing but a piece of painted wood, more fit for swimming, I think!" And before the horrified priest could stop him, he threw it overboard! Was John Knox seeking to please men? Of course not! Neither was Paul. He loved men. He gave himself wholeheartedly and unreservedly to try to win men. But compromise his message? Never! (Exploring Galatians: An Expository Commentary) Henry Blackaby - Pleasing God, Pleasing Others.—Galatians 1:10 - At times you will have to make a choice between pleasing God and pleasing those around you, for God's ways are not man's ways (Isa. 55:8–9). As important as it is to strive for good relations with others, it is even more important to maintain a steadfast and obedient relationship with Christ. Disobeying God to keep peace with other people is never wise. Peace with God is always paramount. Jesus warned that obeying Him might cause division in your relationships (Matt. 10:35–36). If Paul's primary goal had been to please others, he would never have become an apostle of Jesus Christ. Paul went completely against the wishes of his colleagues in order to obey Christ. At times, obedience to God sets family members at odds with each other (Matt. 10:35–36). When you follow Jesus' Lordship, your family may misunderstand, or even oppose you, yet your obedience to God reflects your identity as His child. Jesus said that those who obey His will are His brothers and sisters (Luke 8:21). God does not intend to divide the home, but He places obedience before domestic harmony. It is important to get alone in quietness with God so that you understand what pleases Him. The world's thinking will mislead you more easily when you are not clear about what God desires. It broke Peter's heart to know that the opinion of a servant girl had mattered more to him than the approval of his Lord! If the desire to appease others tempts you to compromise what you know God wants you to do, learn from Peter's mistake. Determine that you will please your Lord regardless of the opinions of others. (Experiencing God Day by Day) James Scudder - Living Water - Devotional - Dressing Up Sin - Galatians 1:10 - A man in a beat-up Volkswagen once scraped the side of a brand-new Porsche as he got out of his car at a parking lot. Noticing several people watching, he quickly took out a piece of paper and pen and began writing a note. When he was done, he placed it on the windshield. Do you know what it said, "The people watching think that I'm writing down my name and address, but I'm really not." How many times are we more concerned with our image than with our character? We live in an age shaped by opinion polls and surveys rather than by principle. The president, before making a tough decision, calls in his advisors and asks, "What will the media say? How will the people react?" Business leaders weigh their decisions by their effect on the bottom line. There's an old saying, "Be good and you'll look good." I think that is very true. Sometimes we work so hard on the impression we're giving but ignore our real spiritual needs inside. It is important to have a good testimony, but more important to have genuine Christian character. Even if you're the best at putting on a show, the real you is eventually revealed. People and polls are not our final authority. Our main objective is to please God. When we do that, our image will not only be good, but also genuine. Character is what you are in the dark. -D. L. Moody Galatians 1:11 For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. Amplified - For I want you to know, brethren, that the Gospel which was proclaimed and made known by me is not man’s gospel [a human invention, according to or patterned after any human standard].
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Phillips comments on Paul's Damascus Road encounter with Jesus "I am Jesus!" the voice had said (Acts 9:5+). His instant response had been to enthrone Him. "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" (Acts 22:10+) He was already a saved man when he said that, saved and ready to serve his new found Lord to the end. It had all been of grace. The risen Jesus had extended unmerited favor to him, the chief of sinners. That was what had saved him! Grace and grace alone! In a flash, the light dawned. It was not law; it was grace. It was not works; it was simple faith. It was not Moses; it was Christ. It was not Sinai; it was Calvary. It was not to be earned; it was to be received. It was not trying; it was trusting. It was not by means of the rules and rituals of religion, however hedged about with both truth and tradition; it was by means of the undeserved, undiluted, undying grace of God. His gospel was received on the Damascus road "by the revelation of Jesus Christ." (Exploring Galatians: An Expository Commentary) De Haan says "How precious the song by the late Dr. James M. Gray, former president of the Moody Bible Institute. If it is not all of grace, then we are without a shred of hope or light for eternity. Naught have I gotten but what I received; Grace hath bestowed it since I have believed; Boasting excluded, pride I abase; I’m only a sinner saved by grace! Suffer a sinner whose heart overflows, Loving his Saviour to tell what he knows; Once more to tell it would I embrace— I’m only a sinner saved by grace. Noel Due - It came not through the agency of man, but through a revelation of the Man, Jesus Christ. We must allow the word ‘revelation’ to have its full force. The gospel was not apprehended by Paul’s intellect, or attained by his moral power. Rather it was a revelation, a sovereign work of God in unveiling the truth to him. (Galatians Commentary) KJV Bible Commentary on the phrase of Jesus Christ - This can mean either Christ is revealing or Christ is revealed; both interpretations make good sense....Christ revealed Himself to Paul. Christ was the subject, sum, and substance of that revelation with the result that Paul became a new man with a new message to proclaim. Paul was not a man-made apostle. He received his commission and his message from Christ. Puritan John Brown said that "Jesus Christ took him (Paul) under His own immediate tuition (instruction)." Ryken - Not surprisingly, the religions that human beings invent always end up glorifying human beings. There is some law to keep, some teaching to follow, some ritual to perform, some penance to endure, or some state of consciousness to achieve that will bring salvation. One way or another, we can climb up to heaven and reach God. Christianity is different. What distinguishes it from other world religions is that it actually comes from God. The one true gospel is not man-made, which is why it gives all the glory to God. The good news of the cross and the empty tomb could come only from God because it is about what God has done to save us through Jesus Christ. It does not teach that we can reach up to heaven; it teaches that God has come down to earth. In Christ, God has entered human history and the human heart. (Reformed Expository Commentary – Galatians) Irving Jensen has an well done summary of the sometimes confusing Chronology of Paul's "autobiography" in Galatians and the parallel passages in Acts... Click Chronological Diagram to enlarge John MacArthur's offers a caveat regarding revelation which is occasionally claimed by preachers and teachers in our day "It is one thing to claim direct revelation from God but another to prove it. Throughout the history of the church many people have falsely claimed such revelation, as many do today. But Paul was not content merely to make the claim. Nor did he expect his readers to believe him simply on the basis of personal assertions. In the next 12 verses (Gal 1:13-24), therefore, the apostle proceeds to substantiate his claim by presenting irrefutable evidence of that divine revelation and of his apostolic credentials. (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Galatians) The writer of Hebrews substantiates that there is no need for new revelation... God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, Whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.(Hebrews 1:1-2+) Swindoll - Paul asserted that Christ directly revealed redemptive truth to him (Gal. 1:11–12). Paul had instantaneous understanding of this imparted wisdom. (Understanding Christian theology) Don Anderson - In SUMMARY of the Galatians 1:11-12 then, the Apostle Paul uses the NEGATIVE and the POSITIVE approach. NEGATIVELY—we can see THREE THINGS: 1. The message which he preached is “not after man,” 2. “NEITHER DID [HE] RECEIVE IT FROM MAN,” and 3. “NOR WAS [HE] TAUGHT IT [BY MAN].” From a POSITIVE point of view: “the message which was preached by [him is] . . . THROUGH A REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST.” (Notes) In short Paul received his appointment as an apostle "through Jesus Christ and God the Father" (Galatians 1:1) and his message "through a revelation of Jesus Christ." (Galatians 1:12) John Bunyan - A little from God is better than a great deal from men. What is from men is often tumbled over and over; things that we receive at God’s hand come to us as things from the minting house. Old truths are always new to us if they come with the smell of heaven upon them. If God has called you, do not spend time Looking over your shoulder to see Who is following you. ––Corrie ten Boom Norman Harrison - The chief enemy of the Gospel is human nature. Man is proud. Especially is he proud of his own thinking. He does not want to be told what to do or believe! He dislikes having a supernatural revelation handed to him; it leaves to room for speculation. He likes to "discover truth"; then it is HIS truth, something he can be proud of. Many of us who willingly acknowledge that man's MORAL nature is perverted by sin -- the evidence is incontrovertible -- still refuse to realize that man's MENTAL processes are likewise warped, biased and undependable because of sin. The Corinthians prided themselves on their thinking. Read 1 Corinthians 1-2 for God's estimate of human thinking that set aside divine wisdom, climaxing in a statement of man's utter incapacity for spiritual things: unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1Corinthians 2:14). It is to be feared that the average preacher of our day is feeding his mind upon human thoughts; and, naturally, these mould his own thinking and preaching, when the charge is, "Preach the Word." I was in a metropolitan preachers' meeting when the visiting speaker, a popular pastor, advocated preachers reading a BOOK A DAY (preparation for book reviews). Only a sense of courtesy restrained me from asking what he would advise as to habits of reading the Bible. On a transcontinental trip I was thrown in with a preacher who had just pocketed a call to a pulpit under the eaves of an outstandingly modern university. He had with him a case containing a dozen to a score of books. From them he was busy gleaning the latest "trends" of thought. Later I came to know his ministry. His people testified that it lacked the Gospel. Human thought crowded it out. The reason men of our day repudiate Paul's theology and turn with preponderant emphasis to the teachings of Jesus is crystal clear. By ridding themselves of a supernatural interpretation of those teachings, climaxing in His death and resurrection -- an interpretation which is rigidly unsusceptible of alteration -- they leave themselves free to give their own interpretation. They are free to speculate as to what those "teachings of Jesus" SHOULD mean for "the modern mind." What Christendom needs is a renewed fear of God's anathema upon all perversions of the pure Gospel. It seems that nothing but such fear will bring us back to its unadulterated purity. (Amen!) And we, with our very best intentions, need to exercise great care lest our ministry be but Galatianizing our people, through exhorting them to a goodness of life which is not definitely the expression of an inliving Presence. (Galatians 1:11, 12, 2:2 A Revelation versus a Reasoning) TODAY IN THE WORD - Towards the end of his second term, President George W. Bush set a record for the highest disapproval rating in the 70-year history of the Gallup poll. But in his recently published memoir, the former president resolutely affirms, “I had always done what I believed was right.” Being popular and being principled don’t always go hand-in-hand. The apostle Paul realized this in the context of his own ministry. To be faithful to the call of God and the truth of the gospel would make him wildly unpopular in most places. Early on, Paul had to settle in his mind the answer to these all-important questions: Whom am I trying to please? Whose approval do I seek? As a faithful minister of the gospel, his answer had to be Christ and Christ alone. He could not simultaneously seek the approval of people and of God. He had to surrender the desire to be liked, to be understood, and to be approved. This, as we’ll see later in the letter, was not true of the false teachers. Paul’s ministry is accredited by the fact not only that he exclusively sought the approval of Christ, but also that he received a divine message and call. The gospel Paul preached is not of “human origin.” That is to say, Paul hadn’t learned the gospel secondhand from Peter or any other leaders of the early Christian church. He was not making it up to suit his own purposes, either. Paul received his commission directly from Jesus Christ, the crucified Messiah. His Damascus Road experience made him a true Apostle. If the gospel Paul had received were of human origin, it would weaken his message and his authority. The gospel would be subject to human ratification or amendment. And it would put Paul under the authority of his teachers. But because Paul received the gospel directly from Jesus, the message was guaranteed to be true. As such, it would be protected. As well, Paul could claim a divine authority in his ministry. TODAY IN THE WORD - One of the great leaders of the Protestant movement in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Russia was Ivan Prokhanov. His career in ministry was not unlike that of the apostle Paul. Ivan consciously followed Paul's "tent -making" example, earning a living as an engineer but using all of his remaining time to evangelize and teach. Like Paul, Ivan suffered persecution for his faith under both Czarist and Communist governments. And like Paul, Ivan's achievements were enormous, in areas including publishing, education, and even hymn-writing! As Paul reviews his career in ministry for the Galatians, he moves into a defense of his right to preach the gospel of grace and Christian liberty. He must clearly vindicate his apostleship before he can vindicate his message. He has already made it clear that salvation is by grace alone and that one can enjoy true Christian liberty by the power of Christ alone. As was to be very clear from Paul's experience, preaching of that sort would not please men (Gal 1:10) and would not lead to an easy life. Paul insists that his presentation of the gospel is not "something that man made up" (Gal 1:11), nor does man give the gospel its authority. Furthermore, Paul did not receive his message from man--that is, he had not learned it from human teaching as his converts had. He obtained his message by direct revelation from Jesus Christ (Gal 1:12). TODAY IN THE WORD - “You may not run in the hall!” shouted the teacher. “Says who?” the defiant ninth-grader retorted. “Says the principal, and if you don’t obey, you’ll spend time in detention!” Challenge authority, and you’ll face the consequences. We don’t know exactly what was said by those to whom Paul is responding in this epistle, but it seems likely that they were challenging his authority. We can imagine them saying something like, “Who gave Paul the authority to spread a gospel that extends salvation to Gentiles apart from obedience to the Law?” They might have added, “Isn’t Paul’s gospel just a compromise intended to please people by making salvation available without requiring them to follow the practices prescribed in the Law?” Paul’s pointed response appeals to the highest authority–he is doing what he is doing and saying what he is saying because of his direct encounter with Jesus. His radical transformation in attitude and action (he changed from one who persecuted, to one who propagated the churches of Jesus) showed beyond doubt that his appeal to the authority of Christ was genuine and not a human fabrication (Gal 1:11–12, 20–23). In the end, his encounter with Jesus resulted in praising God (Gal 1:24), a sure mark that God was at work. Paul’s appeal to Jesus is important not only because it helps him establish his authority, but also because it builds up the confidence of those who read his letter, both then and now. As Christians we are committed to the belief that God speaks in all of Scripture. We are committed to the authority and truth of what we now call the Old Testament. Yet a little reading in the Old Testament raises the issue of how Gentiles can be acceptable to God apart from obedience to the Law prescribed there. Galatians 1:13 For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; Amplified - You have heard of my earlier career and former manner of life in the Jewish religion (Judaism), how I persecuted and abused the church of God furiously and extensively, and [with fanatical zeal did my best] to make havoc of it and destroy it.
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Phillips - His behavior had been like that of a wild boar uprooting tender saplings. He was merciless. Some people he had forced to blaspheme; others had been martyred while he cheered on those who hurled the stones. (Exploring Galatians: An Expository Commentary) The church (ekklesia) of God - Prior to his conversion Paul's sole purpose in life had been to destroy Christianity which he now willingly recognizes as the church of God. "The possessive genitive (the theou) points out strongly the sinfulness and audacity of his career (Ed: because it was the possession of God he was attacking!)." (Eadie) 1Cor 15:9+ For I am the least of the apostles, who am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. Martin Luther This passage does not contain doctrine. Paul adduces his own case for an example. “I have,” says he, “at one time defended the traditions of the Pharisees more fiercely than any of your false apostles. Now, if the righteousness of the Law had been worth anything I would never have forsaken it. So carefully did I live up to the Law that I excelled many of my companions. So zealous was I in defense of the Law that I wasted the church of God.” (Galatians 1 Commentary) Beyond measure (kata huperbole) (5236)(huperbole from hupér = above + bállo = cast, put) means literally a throwing beyond and figuratively expresses an extraordinary degree (amount, quality) of anything (2 Cor 4:7, 17); superiority, excellence, preeminence. BDAG - "a state of exceeding to an extraordinary degree a point on a scale of extent (the context indicating whether in a good or a bad sense)." Paul used huperbole in 2 Corinthians 1:8 of the afflictions which he suffered at the hands of others. Paul confesses that what he did to the Church was “beyond all reason," that he was unreasonable in the things he did. Eadie - What the apostle says of himself is abundantly confirmed—Read Acts 8:3;Acts 9:1; Acts 9:2; Acts 9:21; Acts 22:4; Acts 22:19; Acts 26:10-11. No wonder, then, that he uses those two verbs (persecute and destroy), and prefixes to the first beyond measure kata huperbole, one of his favorite phrases. Ro 7:13; 1Co 12:31; 2Co 1:8; 2Co 4:17. It was no partial or spasmodic effort, either feeble in itself, or limited and intermittent in operation. It was the outgrowth of a zeal which never slept, and of an energy which could do nothing by halves, which was as eager as it was resolute, and was noted for its perseverance no less than for its ardor. And he distinctly sets before his readers the heinousness of his procedure, for he declares the object of his persecution and fierce devastation to have been the church of God...The object of this statement is to show that the apostle, during his furious persecution of the church, could not be in the way of learning its theology from any human source; its bloody and malignant enemy could not be consorting with the apostles as a pupil or colleague. (Eadie) Destroy (wreaking havoc) (4199)(portheo) means to attack and cause complete destruction. To pillage, devastate, wreak havoc or annihilate. Portheo applied not only to cities, walls, fields, lands and persons (Acts 9:21+). Portheo was used in secular Greek of besieging and a town or of soldiers ravaging. Paul uses the imperfect tense which speaks of continuous attempt by Paul not just to ravage but to ruin and utterly destroy the Church. Although Acts 22:4+ does not use portheo it does portray the effect Paul sought ("to the death" for the "Way" = Christians). Portheo - 3x in NT - destroy(2), destroyed(1). Acts 9:21+ All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, "Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?" Galatians 1:13 For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; Galatians 1:23 but only, they kept hearing, "He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy." Lightfoot says: ‘My early education is a proof that I did not receive the Gospel from man. I was brought up in a rigid school of ritualism, directly opposed to the liberty of the Gospel. I was from age and temper a staunch adherent of the principles of that school. Acting upon them, I relentlessly persecuted the Christian brotherhood. No human agency therefore could have brought about the change. It required a direct interposition from God.’ William