Passage Read: Galatians 1-2
Meditation Verse: 2:6
Thought
Paul knew the Gospel by direct revelation. He didn't need anyone to approve his message or ministry. Barnabas was from the original group of disciples in Jerusalem, so he knew it from being in the midst of all the events and from the teaching of the apostles, so he would have been able to add anything that Paul was missing. But they'd already been serving in the church at Antioch and had already made one preaching trip across Asia Minor. They knew their stuff. So when they came to Jerusalem to argue against the Judaizers, they didn't need the approval of those who had been personally trained by Christ or who had been in Christ long before them. But neither did they reject it. It was good to have their Gospel confirmed, to have the affirmation of these men. But Paul didn't need it. He had received the Gospel from Jesus Himself, and Jesus' approval mattered far more than that of men. So Paul could say at the beginning of this letter that anyone who brought a different Gospel should be accursed.
Application
I can know and understand the Gospel from the Word of God and by God's Spirit. Of course, I learned it from other people, but even what they taught should be subject to what the Scriptures actually teach. It is certainly helpful to learn techniques from others, but what I need most of all is a clear understanding of what the Bible actually teaches. I need to be willing and committed to adjusting my presentation according to what is recorded in Scripture. The core--Jesus, fully God and fully Man, crucified and raised--should be the same, but how I present it may vary from what is popular. "Jesus died for you" versus "Jesus is king and we need to obey." I don't need the approval of men to present the Gospel in that way. But it wouldn't hurt to have their approval.