Galatians 1:11,12 -- "But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ."

Before questioning any precept found in the pages of God's Word, one needs to stop and think: "What would I say to this if God had spoken it to me directly?" This is a serious question, given the lack of respect shown for God's Word today. In the Scripture cited above, Paul certified that the gospel, which he preached, did not originate in the mind of man. Though he did hear Stephen preach {Acts 7:59-8:1} and had personal contact with Ananias and Barnabas {Acts 9:10-18,27}, he was in no way indebted to them for his knowledge of the gospel. Paul also affirmed that he did not receive the gospel by means of some course of instruction. The apostle received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

What did Paul mean by the phrase "revelation of Jesus Christ"? The term "revelation" as used in the Scriptures means a disclosure, an uncovering, ... unveiling something hidden, so that it may be seen and known for what it is.{ISBE} Thus, we are to understand that what Paul preached was disclosed or made known to him by Jesus Christ. There could be no higher source than the One Who declared that "All authority in Heaven and on earth" had been given unto Him {Matthew 28:18}.

In Acts 1:8, Luke records Jesus saying to the apostles: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." This was the fulfillment of what He had promised them in John 14:26: "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you" and also in John 16:13-15: "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own {authority}, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare {it} to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare {it} to you." Christ promised the apostles that the Holy Spirit would guide them into ALL TRUTH - and that the things He told them, would in fact come from the FATHER (i.e., God's Word)!

Although Paul was not with the other apostles when this promise was given, he identifies himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ, and claims the same source for the gospel, which he preached. In Ephesians 3:3-5 Paul reminds them "how that by revelation {God} made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets." Paul's knowledge of the mystery of Christ was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit, just as it had been revealed to the other apostles and prophets. Though he received no instruction from the other apostles, when he met them, his gospel agreed exactly with theirs. {Galatians 1:17-24}

It is upon the revelation of God's Word that we base our understanding of the authority, which resides in the written Word today. It is not authoritative because of its antiquity, but because of its origin. Paul commended the brethren in Thessalonica for the way in which they received the preaching of the Gospel. (1 Thessalonians 2:13) "For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe." There can be no doubt that Paul believed his preaching to be the Word of God - and not the word of men.

Whenever we read from the pages of the Bible, we are hearing the voice of God. With this in mind, we need to approach the Bible with the same reverence due God. When the Law was found, and Ezra opened it upon the pulpit of wood, we are told in Nehemiah 8:5 "And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up." This they did out of respect for the One Who gave the Law. Merely standing up, however, does not show all of the respect due that which comes from above. We must also set our hearts to do what God says. After the reading of the Law by Moses, he told Israel: "Set your hearts on all the words, which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children to be careful to observe -- all the words of this law." {Deuteronomy 32:46} Ezra had the proper approach to God's Word. We are told in Ezra 7:10 that "For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel."

Once again, when you are reading from the Bible and find something that you really don't like, stop and ask yourself: "What would I say to this if God had spoken it to me directly?" Would you try to reason what He said away? Would you try to pretend you didn't hear? Would you try to twist what He said in order to make it suit you? Be serious now! What would YOU do? In all honesty, you would probably fall flat on your face in His presence, and willingly do anything He commanded of you, without reservation or hesitation! The same should be true whenever we hear Him speak today through His Word, the Bible. We need to be ready to obey Him with the faith of Abraham, which caused him to offer up his only begotten son when God said DO IT! We need to obey Him with the persistence of Noah, who spent 120 years building an ark for a flood that God said would come - when there was no reason for anyone to believe that it would ever happen! We need to obey Him with the love that motivated David to say in Psalm 40:8 "I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart." David had a deep reverence for God's word. "Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding, that I may know Your commandments." {Psalm 119:73} "Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." {Psalm 119:104,105} "Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The entrance of Your words give light; it gives understanding to the simple." {Psalm 119:129,130} May our desire always be to appreciate God's revealed word and do our best to follow it's every precept!