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A person with a bona fide Ph.D. has studied all the major issues in a given subject, has added knowledge to that subject, and can teach it with accuracy and authority. When the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Galatia, he set forth his credentials for teaching God’s word. He needed to do so because false teachers came along and contradicted his message. He wrote in Galatians 1, “Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.” Paul then set forth evidence to show his authority as Christ’s apostle. 1) He said God appointed him before he was born, just as God did other prophets. 2) He said Christ appeared to him personally after He arose from the dead. This assured him that the Messiah was not a fraud. 3) He said God changed him from a violent defender of his old religion into a passionate preacher of the Gospel. 4) He said he spent years studying the Scriptures after his conversion. 5) Even though other apostles did not teach him, they fully endorsed his teaching. 6) Finally, Paul said his message had resulted in many changed lives. Paul was qualified and authorized to be God’s spokesperson. That is one reason we accept and follow what he taught and wrote.
