1. Discipleship Principles of Paul - Part One

As we go into our study of discipleship in the writings of Paul, it makes sense to begin with Galatians – as the first letter he wrote. We have all heard that this letter was written in response to the Judaizer’s desire to bring laws and regulations into salvation by grace alone.

So what principles, related to the process of discipleship, do we find in that letter?

Obviously, to look at that question we have to break the book down into smaller sections. The first one that stood out to this author was found in Gal. 1:8-10.

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. [1]

We can begin by looking at the book of Galatians by focusing on the phrase in this chapter talking about the servanthood of Paul. But to do so, we have to address the question addressing exactly who he is addressing. Is he talking about the desire to see people become servants of God, or is he addressing the fact that he will not serve man over God – even if that means making people upset?

As we continue looking into the book we find the answer. In Gal. 2:11-13 we read:

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.[2]

While the question of audience versus his own philosophy of ministry could be addressed, it appears that he is really “killing two birds with one stone”, addressing both questions at the same time. This also allows us to address our first principle for discipleship:

The highest priority for a disciple, and for those working with other disciples, is the importance of seeing a passion for obedience.

Principle One: A Passion for Obedience

Whether you are a new disciple or someone being asked to lead another person on the journey of discipleship, the passion must be the same. That’s really what’s at the heart of what we learn from this early example of Paul’s interest in discipleship.

But there are three issues we need to address under this principle. Three parts of a passion for obedience that must be understood:

1. We must use ourselves as the example – if we are doing the discipling.

§ We cannot expect something of a learner, of the disciple we are working with, that we are not doing ourselves. We see this in verse ten. If we are not committed to the idea of becoming absolute servants of God – with everything that goes with it, in the area of obedience – we cannot ask that someone else do it. So Paul was completely absorbed with the idea of being obedient.

2. The principle of obedience must be reaffirmed from the pulpit.

§ There is every reason to believe that this letter was meant to be a circular one, moving from one assembly to the next, so it would seem appropriate to believe that this would be taught and shared by the leaders and pastors of each church. See Gal. 1:2. The subject of obedience must be at the heart of any successful commitment to discipleship by a church.

3. The principle has nothing to do with the size of ministry.

§ While we know little to nothing about the sizes of these various churches, it would seem quite likely that there were assemblies of various sizes. Obedience has nothing to do with size, but everything to do with passion.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Ga 1:8–10.

[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Ga 2:11–13.