Galatians 1:1-2

"Paul an apostle".

Paul is an apostle. He is not, for us, a human leader. He is not self appointed. He is sent from God. And this God is not to be identifed with any of out own ideas or preconceptions or hopes or traditions. This God, the Father, is revealed through Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God in relation to the Father. This God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Any interpretation of this letter which does not begin and end with the fact that God the Father and the risen Christ, Son of God, is approaching us through his appointed emissary, is in relation to this God and his Church, effectively meaningless.

Paul is not writing as a fallible human, fearing the questioning of his authority because of conflict with Peter. He may be such a human, but his writing cannot be reduced to this. This letter is not a witness to a local dispute in a religious group which took place long ago. It is the Word of God.

Nor is the relevance of this text to be restricted to analagous situations in our comtemporary situation. In fact, this text is not relevant. This text does not meet our need. This text tranforms all our expectations, fears and hopes.

This means that all our expectations must be checked. All our hopes and fears cannot control or restrict that which Paul brings to us. Paul brings to us the one who sets us free from the present evil age. If our age is evil, we too are evil and can at no point claim to be free of its influence. Evil affects ethics yes, but also epistemology. God himself must come from out side of us and our culture. Through this text our need and its solution is revealed.