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Chapter 1.
Greetings.
1,2. Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia.
Letters written at this period of time began with the writer identifying himself at the beginning of it, in this case Paul, the apostle. Right at the beginning of the letter he establishes that he is an apostle (special messenger), who had been given authority by God and appointed by Him through the Lord Jesus Christ and not by any man or organisation (Acts 22:14 ; Rom. 1:1). Paul uses the resurrection of Christ as the deciding evidence of his divine authority. He includes those who are helping him in the ministry at the time of writing. Galatians is the only letter Paul specifically addresses to a group of churches.
3. Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
His greetings consist of two traditional greetings, "grace" - the traditional greeting to the Gentiles, and "soul peace" the usual Jewish greeting. Although it is Paul's opening greetings to them he makes it clear that their source is God, the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
V4. Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.
Paul inspired by the greeting goes on to describe how Jesus Christ yielding Himself up to atone for our sins, to save and sanctify us. To rescue us from the present evil age and world order which is in opposition to God. This is in accordance with the plan and purpose of God (Matt. 20:28 ; 2 Tim. 2:9). This is a very important verse in the letter for by it Paul makes it very clear that there is no other name given under heaven or any other way whereby we can be saved except through Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).
5. To whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
He ends this part of his letter by bursting forth in praise to God for all that He has done for us, giving Him all the glory.
Only One Gospel.
6. I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel.
Paul does not give thanks for these churches as he did for the others he had written to, particularly the Thessalonian believers (2 Thess. 1:3) this was for a very good reason. He was completely astounded that they had so soon turned away, become renegades (defectors) from following the Lord Jesus Christ, who by His grace had called them out of darkness into light and saved them from their sins. That they had rejected the Gospel of grace and turned to another.
7. Which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
This other gospel, whatever it may have been, was in fact not another. There is and can be only one Gospel and that is the Gospel of Grace, the "Good News" of "God's free forgiveness of sinners based on Christ's death and resurrection. In grace alone is deliverance from sin possible" (Wesley). Men had crept in unawares (Jude 4) to pervert the gospel of Christ (Acts 15:1).
8,9. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
No true messenger sent from God could do such a thing. In fact he states that even if he should come, or an angel and give any other gospel message than what is the truth revealed in Christ that he would be accursed (Gr. anathema), that is cut of from God. Paul feels so strongly about this that he repeats it in verse nine.
10. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
He poses them a question - does he by his ministry seek to convince men to win their favour, or to please God? Should his main purpose be to put all his strength and effort in becoming popular with men at the expense of the gospel of truth? If this was so then he could not be a servant of Christ's (Titus 1:1).
Revelation from Christ.
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.
In order to make it quite clear to the Galatian churches that the gospel message that Paul preached was not something that he had received from any human source, or angelical being for that matter, but was a direct revelation from Jesus Christ (Eph. 3:3-5). He was not even taught it by the other apostles or by Gamaliel at whose feet he had learnt all about the Law of Moses (Acts 22:3).
13,14. For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
To support his claims Paul reminds them that before he came to know Jesus Christ as his Saviour that he excelled more than any other in the Jewish religion (Acts 26:4-5). Embracing it as the full truth, and only religion and thus he set out to destroy all who believed in Jesus Christ (Acts 22:4). Therefore it could have only been a divine revelation that had changed him and cause him to forsake his beliefs and to become a zealous Christian missionary.
15,16. To reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
It was God who had given him life, it was in God's time and by God's grace that the revelation of who Jesus Christ is, was given to him (Acts 9:1-6). It was God's plan and purpose that he should preach the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15). After his conversion he did not go to Jerusalem to confer with the twelve apostles but went into Arabia where he stayed for three years before returning to Damascus.
Going to Jerusalem.
18,19,20. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord's brother.
After this time he then went to Jerusalem in order to meet Peter. The only other apostle he saw was the Lord's brother, James. He relates all this so that he can establish beyond any shadow of a doubt that he received the revelation from Jesus Christ and that he was taught by no man but Christ alone. He calls on God as his witness that what he is saying is true.
V21 - 23. Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ.
Paul's place of birth was Tarsus which was in Cilicia, so he went home and preached the gospel there and through Syria. At this time he was unknown throughout all the of the churches in Judea as being a Christian. All that they had heard was that whereas before he persecuted the Church now he was preaching faith in Jesus Christ!
V24. And they glorified God in me.
These churches gave praise and glory to God as the One who had wrought this work of grace in his life. Amen.
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