Galatians 1

Galatians 1:1-5

¹Paul, an apostle—not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— ²and all the brothers who are with me, to the assemblies of Galatia: ³Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father— ⁵to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Paul greets the Galatian churches as an apostle sent through Jesus Christ and God the Father, blessing them with grace and peace from the One who gave Himself to deliver us from this present evil age.

Galatians 1:6-9

⁶I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different “good news”, ⁷but there isn’t another “good news.” Only there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the Good News of Christ. ⁸But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any “good news” other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed. ⁹As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any “good news” other than that which you received, let him be cursed.

Paul marvels that the Galatians are so quickly deserting the One who called them in Christ’s grace for a distorted gospel, and pronounces a curse on anyone—human or angel—who preaches another gospel.

Galatians 1:10

¹⁰For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ.

Paul insists he is not a people-pleaser: if he were still seeking human favor, he would not be Christ’s servant.

Galatians 1:11-17

¹¹But I make known to you, brothers, concerning the Good News which was preached by me, that it is not according to man. ¹²For I didn’t receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹³For you have heard of my way of living in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the assembly of God and ravaged it. ¹⁴I advanced in the Jews’ religion beyond many of my own age among my countrymen, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. ¹⁵But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through his grace, ¹⁶to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I didn’t immediately confer with flesh and blood, ¹⁷nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia. Then I returned to Damascus.

Paul recounts that his gospel came by revelation of Jesus Christ, not human teaching, and that God who set him apart called him to preach the Son among the Gentiles after his former zealous persecution.

Galatians 1:18-24

¹⁸Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Peter, and stayed with him fifteen days. ¹⁹But of the other apostles I saw no one except James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰Now about the things which I write to you, behold, before God, I’m not lying. ²¹Then I came to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²²I was still unknown by face to the assemblies of Judea which were in Christ, ²³but they only heard, “He who once persecuted us now preaches the faith that he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴So they glorified God in me.

After three years Paul visits Peter briefly in Jerusalem, remains largely unknown to Judean churches, and they glorify God that the former persecutor now preaches the faith he tried to destroy.

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