Galatians teaches us that Paul was taught by the revelation of Jesus Christ for three years. What does that mean? Jesus personally taught Paul, bringing forth powerful revelations of His Word in preparation for the ministry he was called to. When Paul’s time was complete, he launched out in ministry.
Imagine for a moment what it was like for Paul. For three years Jesus came and taught him from the scriptures he’d known his whole life, revealing Himself in the scriptures:
“Here Paul, do you see where I came and I spoke to Abraham? I gave him My covenant promise that he shall have a son, not just a son, but that he would be the father of nations? Do you see here, where I talk about the Seed (Gen 17), that a Seed that shall come forth from his loins. His wife was barren, and he was an old man, but this was My promise to him? ‘You shall have a son.’ This is the covenant promise as it would come through Abraham. Look again, because you know My scriptures, you have been taught in My scriptures. Paul, read through this: ‘His seed shall crush the head of the serpent!’ You understand that the seed refers to Isaac, but the Seed really refers to Me. My Father promised Abraham that I would come forth through his loins.”
He’d continue: “Do you see how Abraham and Sarah, so hungry to see my promises fulfilled, brought in Hagar? ‘Take my maid and she shall bear you a son, Abraham!’ (as though the promises of the Father could be altered.) Do you see how they stepped out of My will? I have a reason for all of this; it is in the scripture for a reason, because I want you to teach the people what it means to wait for My promises to come. Teach them to live their lives by the Spirit, waiting for the promises, rather than stepping into the flesh, because look what happened as a result? Look at the life-long battle with Ishmael, child of the flesh. I want you to teach the people what it means to live by the Spirit and live by the flesh. Use this, Paul…
“Abraham, His son of the flesh; Isaac, His son of the Spirit—look at the wars their descendants held against one another. Look what happens when you step outside of My Spirit. Look what happens when you do not wait upon Me. I need you to help people understand this, Paul. What it means to walk in the flesh, like Abraham did with Ishmael, with Hagar and Sarah in agreement. Hagar was of the flesh. The child born to Sarah is the one I promised—he was born of the Spirit. Things of the Spirit cannot be accomplished by man; things of the Spirit cannot be manufactured, they cannot be prompted, they cannot be expedited by man...
“I need you to help My people understand. Do you see here, Paul? I need you to understand My covenant promise. The people will come to know Me, Jesus, as their Savior through this promise. They cannot obtain salvation by anything they do. It must come by the work of the Spirit, it must come by faith. When that faith is ignited, it becomes a flame inside their hearts that cries out, “I Am that faith,” faith that was imparted into them at conception! That is the faith that will lead them and guide them. It will become a fire within them and it will begin to burn away the world out of their souls, out of their spirits, out of their flesh! That faith, ignited, will burn the world out of their flesh.”
After sitting under the divine revelation of Jesus Christ for three years, Paul met with Peter on the issue of circumcision. The elders discussed this issue at length as it was a key element of the covenant, a sign of separation of the Jews from the heathen nations. The debate was intense, but the bottom line is what the scripture says in Galatians, it was too great a burden for the Gentiles. Salvation is not about our flesh or what we can accomplish in our flesh. Salvation is by faith, and faith alone. Peter sent Paul and Barnabas off with a letter. (Acts 15, Galatians 1 and 2).
Now Paul was a man who truly understood the relationship between God and His chosen people because he was taught by Divine revelation. The understanding of everything that he knew leading up to that point was combined with the revelation that Jesus Himself brought to Paul as He stood over his shoulder and showed him scripture after scripture of how He had fulfilled the law through His life and His death on the cross.
“Paul, look here, you could not do this: ‘Honor the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, thy mind and thy soul.’ You cannot do that without Me; as a man, you are going to fail. ‘Thou shalt not lie.’ You cannot do that without Me either, because your flesh, your need for self-preservation, is going to get in the way and you will lie and it is going to take my Spirit within you for you to stand strong. As you feed My Word into your heart, as you pray, I will increase in you. I will begin to burn within you like a fire, the heat so intense that you will no longer care about preserving your flesh and the truth will come forth out of your mouth. ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery.’ It seems like a simple task, but what does My Word say? If you lust after another woman, you have committed adultery. You are human, you will lust, but it is My Spirit that is in you, in every cell of your being, that will burn away your fleshly desires as you nurture your spirit. As you feed it the Word, as you pray to Me, My fire will burn until it has so consumed the worldly ways within you that what your focus is centered on is Me. That lust is incinerated and you will not desire anyone other than your wife because you have filled every cell of your body with Me. Do you see what I am saying? ‘Thou shall not steal.’ ‘Thou shall not say the name of the Lord thy God in vain.’ The more I indwell you, the holier My Name becomes until you will not, you cannot say the Father’s name without complete reverence and honor.”
Command after command, Jesus imparted to him a deeper and deeper understanding.
In other sessions, Jesus went through the temple and showed Paul more: Do you see these pieces and how they represent Me? Do you see how the final piece—the mercy seat—that is Me? I am your Mercy Seat! The Ark of the Covenant—the Ark contained the Law! Aaron’s rod that budded. What did it do? It budded life! And it was not even attached to the earth; life came from death, only My Father could do that. Paul, tell the people, tell Jew and Gentile alike what I have done for them. The Ark contained the covenant, the holiness of My Father. This is something that man was incapable of achieving on his own, were it not for the Father’s love in sending Me, the Mercy Seat, that My blood might cover you, otherwise you could never enter into the Holy of Holies and achieve intimacy with Him.”
When I study these passages, I see the intimacy God was craving with His creation. I can see the fulfillment of the Covenant Promises through His Son. This is why it is so crucial that we study the Word of God. The Divine revelation of the scriptures to Paul by the Lord Jesus Himself brought us into a Kingdom understanding that we’d never be able to achieve without his letters.
To be continued next week…
Blessing & Love,
Ricci Wilson
