For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God?
Galatians 1:10 Do you fully give your life to the Lord, or split your service between making others happy and serving God?
Roman slaves working in the home of a nobleman. Image generated by Dall-E 3 AI.
“For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”
Galatians 1:10 NASB1995
The Apostle Paul had his priorities straight. In this, his epistle to the churches of Galatia (present-day Turkey, an area in Biblical times populated by Celts), Paul is telling the Galatians that he’s not really interested one bit in pleasing his fellow man. Who would you rather please — the Creator of everything, or a group of people who seem bent on ignoring the one true gospel? God definitely is the focus of Paul’s attention, as He should be!
As Paul teaches his gospel, he’s not trying to please his fellow men. He wishes first and foremost to please God with his words. He’s not going to rewrite the truth of the gospel to make his audience happy; he wants God to be pleased with his teaching.
Although we don’t know specifically what was being taught by other early Christians, Paul is quick to point out that the “different gospel” is focused on pleasing man. It’s still happening today — as an example, think of the rise of prosperity theology and televangelism throughout the world in the past century, and you’ll find that many pastors (and even denominations) wish to steer away from the true gospel of Christ.
Australian theologian Leon Morris said:
“There have always been preachers who have sought popular acclaim above all else, and there are some still. It is part of fallen human nature that even those charged with the responsibility of proclaiming the gospel can fall into the trap of trying to be popular rather than faithful.”1
Paul knew that he could not both please men and please Jesus Christ. He described himself as a bond-servant of Christ. The ancient Greek word δοῦλος (doulos) is used in the original texts, translated as:
a slave
metaph., one who gives himself up to another's will those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men
devoted to another to the disregard of one's own interests
I think one of the best explanations of Paul’s usage of doulos in this verse came from 20th Century Biblical scholar George Duncan, who was quoted in the Morris text as saying:
Servant is perhaps not the best translation here; it may be better translated slave. “It is unfortunate that… our English translations should so consistently fail to give this word its true meaning, thereby encouraging the false conception of Christian ‘service’ (as something essentially voluntary and part-time) so characteristic of modern religious idealism. The ‘bond-servant of Christ’ is not free to offer or withhold his ‘service’; his life is not his own, but belongs entirely to his Lord.”
Very eloquently put, Mr. Duncan!
This description of Paul’s willing servitude to Christ not only gives more impact to Paul’s epistle, but is worth further consideration from all who call themselves Christians. Do you fully give your life to the Lord, or (like most of us, even those who consider themselves fervent followers of Christ) split your service between making others happy and serving God?
Paul wasn’t exactly trying to make everyone in Galatia happy, not by a long shot. His epistle had the goal of stirring things up, labeling those who wished to please the Jewish community (by bringing back Mosaic legalism) in the region as deceivers. They were deliberately downplaying the saving work of Christ on the cross.
Paul definitely wasn’t pleasing man; he had the sole goal of pleasing his Lord, Jesus Christ. Later in Galatians, he would expand on his explanation that our salvation is by grace alone, not by fulfilling the law.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Lord, thank You for sending Jesus to free all believers from the legalistic rituals and practices that clouded man’s view of You as the loving creator of all. In our time, we need Your help in sharpening our discernment and understanding of the true gospel so that we can reject false doctrine. We pray this in the name of our savior Jesus Christ, AMEN.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org.
Morris, Leon "Galatians: Paul's Charter of Christian Freedom" (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1996)