Date Posted:17:12:22 10/11/04 Mon Author: Joe Subject: Re: finally answered In reply to:
Joe
's message, "Re: finally answered" on 16:55:51 10/11/04 Mon
>Shane, for those of us who don't know, what position
>was/is John Kwon in?
Already answered that question for me. Thanks, Shane.
>>>It is a Biblical *principle* to welcome a leader as
>if
>>>they were an angel of God or even God himself. Some
>>>people welcomed Apostle Paul as if he were Jesus
>>>Christ himself. Galatians 4:14 says, "Even though my
>>>illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with
>>>contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I
>>>were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus
>>>himself."
>
>What a
rel=nofollow target=_blank >href=http://voy.com/60734/8460.html>disturbing
>stretch it is to take Galatians 4:14 and turn it into
>a *principle* to "welcome" (welcome = absolutely
>obey?) a leader as if he were God himself. In fact,
>the Galatians were just practicing a principle that
>Christ himself gave long before Paul (Mt. 25:34-40), a
>principle, incidentally, that UBF does not practice.
It's also interesting to look at the context of Galatians 4:14. In verses 13-14, Paul writes, As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.
So Paul could hardly be considered their "leader" when they welcomed him when he was ill. He had just met them!
The whole context of Galatians 4 has nothing to do with UBF-style "spiritual order," but is rather an admonition to throw off the influence of the Judaizers who were taking away the Galatians' liberty in Christ. But let's not get into that here.
