Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians The Gospel of God’s Grace Galatians 1:1-24

The grand epistle of Galatians was written by the Apostle Paul between A.D. 49 or 55.  The book of Galatians is a sturdy defense of the Gospel that a man is justified solely by God’s grace apart from the Law.  If mankind is to be saved, he or she must appropriate God’s grace through Christ’s death and triumphant resurrection.  As we observe our text in Galatians 1:1-24, it may be outlined as follows:  I. Paul’s Certification of the Gospel Message that He Preached – Galatians 1:1-10; II. A Defense of Paul’s Authority – Galatians 1:11-24.

Paul’s Certification of the Gospel Message that He Preached – Galatians 1:1-10

In the very opening of Galatians, we are introduced to Paul, a great champion and servant of the Gospel message of God.  Formerly he was Saul,  a prominent opponent of Christianity!  However, after his life-changing experience on the road to Damascus, he immediately began proclaiming vigorously that Jesus Christ was indeed the Son of God (Acts 9:20).  Paul became an Apostle of God not because he had decided to do so; however, God chose him for the lofty task (v. 1).  The word “Apostle” literally means “one sent forth”; thus, Paul was sent forth to preach the word to the Gentiles (Acts 14:27).  Paul also labored hard to preach the word to his people, the Jews.

In writing this letter to the saints of Galatia, he extends both “grace and peace”.  The “grace and peace” enjoyed by the Galatians came from “God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ” (vv. 2-3).  Christ is identified as the One “who gave Himself for our sins” (v. 4).  One of the great tenets of our faith is the belief that “Christ died for our sins” (I Corinthians 15:3).  We also believe that God’s salvation by grace is a free gift offered to mankind through faith apart from any merit of mankind.  In this grand epistle, Paul is confronting the heretical teaching of the Judaizers, who attempted to distort the Gospel message of God’s grace!  The Judaizers claimed belief in Jesus Christ; however, they wanted Gentile converts to keep all the rules and regulations of the Mosaic Law; in essence, they wanted to Judaize the Christian faith.

In this epistle, Paul will give a sturdy and strong defense that a man is justified by God through faith in Jesus Christ apart from the law!  Reverting to verse 4, Paul also conveyed the fact that Christ came to “deliver us from this present evil world.”  This present age in which we live is characterized by evil.  Even though we presently reside in the midst of temptation and sin, we will ultimately be delivered from the very presence of sin (I John 3:2).  Because of God’s great deliverance, Paul and all believers can offer a doxology of praise to God “for ever and ever” (v. 5).

In verse 6, being in a state of great astonishment, Paul was deeply troubled in the fact that the Galatian believers were defecting from the true Gospel “so soon.”  The reference to “Him that called you into the grace of Christ” is probably a reference to God, who calls all believers to salvation through the Gospel (II Thessalonians 2:13-14).  Paul was deeply astonished because the Judaizers were actually preaching “another gospel,” as opposed to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 11:4).  The word translated “another” in Galatians 1:6 is the Greek “heteros” and means “other or different.”  In verse 7, the Judaizers had completely perverted the true Gospel message that Paul preached!  The word translated “another” in verse 7 is different from the one used in verse 6.   The word “another” in verse 7 comes from the Greek word “allos” and means “another” of the same sort (vine).  What Paul was saying was that the message proclaimed by the false teachers (Judaizers) was not just another version of the same gospel, but a completely different message!  Paul taught salvation by God’s grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8); however, the false teachers (Judaizers) taught salvation by law through works.  What the false teachers preached was not the Gospel; that is, it was not good news at all.  To add to the plan of salvation or to deny the basic facts of the gospel message is to “pervert the Gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:7).

In verses 8-9, you will find one of several severe warnings in the Bible not to alter God’s message (Deut. 4:2;12:32; Prov. 30:5-6; Matt. 5:18-19; Rev. 22:18).  To do so is to be placed under a Divine curse.  The Judaizers were adding to the Gospel by requiring circumcision and other rituals of the Mosaic law.  This was a distortion of the Gospel and so serious that Paul pronounced a curse on those who did this.  The word “accursed” is the Greek “anathema” that literally means devoted to destruction.  Paul declared to the Galatians that if he or his co-workers or even angels from heaven were to preach anything that deviated from the Gospel they had already heard from Paul, that new message must be rejected!  In verse 10, as a servant of God, Paul’s aim was to please God and not men.

A Defense of Paul’s Authority – Galatians 1:11-24

In verses 11-12, first and foremost, Paul certified that the Gospel message did not originate with man.  The Apostle Paul also declared or asserted that he did not receive the Gospel from any human.  Paul readily affirmed that he received the Gospel message by revelation from Jesus Christ.  Referring to his life before he was saved in verses 13-14, Paul disclosed how zealous he was to profit as a Pharisee in Judaism.  He spoke of he way he excelled over other Jews his own age.  Paul loved the law and was very zealous for the traditions of his fathers.  Having described the manner of his pre-conversion life (vv. 13-14), Paul now related the dramatic intervention of God in his life (vv. 15-16a).  This marvelous intervention by God in the life of Paul is described in Acts chapters 9, 22, 26.  As believers, we can all certify that we have also experienced a “But God” intervention as it relates to our salvation!

In verses 15-16a, Paul related three things God did for him:  First, God set him apart from birth; Second, God called Paul by His grace; Third, God was pleased to reveal His Son in Paul.  Paul was commissioned to preach Christ to the Gentiles.  Paul was emphasizing that both his conversion and commission were of God and not from man!  In verses 16b-17, Paul affirmed that after his conversion, that he did not consult anyone from the Jerusalem church with regard to receiving the Gospel message.  Rather, he went immediately into Arabia and was trained by the Lord.  In verses 18-20, to bolster his previous argument that he did not receive the Gospel message from the Jerusalem church, Paul asserted that he waited three years after his conversion to go to Jerusalem.  When he went to Jerusalem, he (Paul) made a personal visit that lasted only for 15 days.  Paul had a meaningful visit with Peter; however, Peter did not instruct Paul theologically nor did Peter convey any apostolic endorsement for his ministry!  Paul also met James, the Lord’s brother, who was a leader in the church at Jerusalem (Acts 12:17).

After visiting the Jerusalem church, Paul worked extensively in Syria and Cilicia, which is a great reason why he was relatively unknown to the churches of Judea (Acts 9:30; 11:25).  In verses 23-24, the churches of Judea had only heard that Paul who had once persecuted the church was now preaching the faith he had once tried to destroy.  In receiving this report, the Judean believers praised God because of Paul.