Have you ever felt like you need to prove yourself to someone? They judge you based on some preconceived notion they have, and you feel like you have to prove that you’re good enough, that you’re qualified.
I’ve felt that way. For the past few years, I’ve felt that people underestimate me because of my age. I feel like people think I’m underqualified because I’m young. Even as I’m starting this blog, I wonder if I’m too young to teach the Bible and if others won’t respect me as a writer because of my age (I’m 18, by the way). So, I sometimes feel like I have to prove myself to others.
The Apostle Paul felt this way, too. He had traveled throughout Galatia planting churches and preaching the gospel. Later, He discovered that some people (called Judaizers) were convincing the Christians in Galatia that they needed to obey the Jewish Law (circumcision, etc.) to truly be justified or saved. This was not the gospel Paul had preached them! He had preached the true gospel to them – we are justified by faith alone, not by obeying the Law. In Galatians 1, Paul is trying to convince the Galatians that the gospel he had preached was the true gospel because he received it from God, not from man. He says:
“But when He who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to me, in order that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;” Galatians 1:15-16, ESV
Paul is communicating in these verses that the gospel he preaches is from God, not from any man. In fact, he proclaims that God had set him apart before he was even alive on this earth and called him to preach this gospel. Pretty convincing stuff!
These verses in Galatians 1 teach us two very important things. First, Christians have been set apart as children of God before they were born. Psalm 139 is a beautiful psalm of David that mentions God creating us in the womb and knowing the number of our days before we take our first breath (Psalm 139:13-16). The book of Jeremiah teaches a similar concept:
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
Just as God set apart Paul to preach the gospel before he was born, He set apart Jeremiah to be a prophet to Judah before he was in the womb. And He had set us apart to be His children before we were born, too. Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians that He chose us and predestined us to be His adopted children and to live in holiness even before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-5)!
We, as Christians, were set apart by God to be His children before we were born, before we were in the womb, before the beginning of the world. He has always loved us, cared for us, and had a good plan for us.
The other important truth found in Galatians 1 is that God has called us, His children, by grace to do His work. Paul was called to spread the gospel to the Gentiles, but He wasn’t qualified for it. He had been a murderer! Of Christians (Acts 8:1-3)! But God showed Paul grace and worked through him, and many have come to know Jesus through his ministry.
Moses was called to free the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, but He wasn’t qualified for it. He had also been a murderer, and he couldn’t speak well (Exodus 3-4). But God showed Moses grace and worked through him, and the Israelites were able to escape from Egypt and later enter their Promised Land (Exodus 12-14, Joshua 1).
Gideon was called to defeat the Midianites (enemies of Israel), but He wasn’t qualified for it. His family worshipped idols, and he was a fearful, doubting, weak person. But God showed Gideon grace and worked through him, and the Midianites were so afraid that they basically ended up defeating themselves (Judges 6-7)!
God has called you to obey His Word and serve Him in some way, shape, or form. You may not feel qualified, but guess what? God has not called the qualified; He qualifies the called (I saw this quote for the first time written on a bunk bed during an eighth-grade class trip!). God chose a long time ago to show you immeasurable grace and work through you, even though you are unqualified to serve Him. Because of His grace, you never have to prove to Him or anyone else that you are “qualified enough”. If someone thinks you are unqualified for some work of the Lord, just kick the dust off your feet and do what God has called you to do (Matthew 10:14).
God set you apart to be His child long ago, and He has called you by His grace to do His work. What has he called you to do? Start a biblical blog or podcast? Volunteer at your local church or non-profit? Lead a Bible study group? You may feel unqualified, but God will work through you and help you as you seek to serve and glorify Him. Praise God today:
“I lift my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2
