Galatians 1 explained: Paul Defends Where His Message Came From

A pointed greeting (vv. 1-5)

Paul calls himself an apostle, a messenger sent with authority, and stresses that Jesus and God sent him, not any human group, because some in Galatia doubted his standing. He sums up his message in one line: Jesus gave himself for people's wrongs to rescue them from the present evil age.

Shock at a different message (vv. 6-9)

Paul skips his usual words of thanks and says he is amazed they are turning to another so-called gospel, which the rest of the letter suggests meant telling non-Jewish believers they must also be circumcised and keep the Jewish law. He says anyone preaching a different message, even Paul himself or an angel, should be under God's curse.

Not a people-pleaser (v. 10)

Paul seems to be answering a charge that he watered down his message to win followers. He replies that if pleasing people were his aim, he could not serve Christ.

From persecutor to messenger (vv. 11-17)

Paul reminds them that he was once deeply devoted to Jewish tradition and violently tried to destroy the church, until God revealed Jesus to him and called him to tell the Gentiles, meaning non-Jewish peoples. Instead of seeking training from the leaders in Jerusalem, he went to Arabia, probably the kingdom east of Damascus, though scholars are unsure what he did there.

A short visit to Jerusalem (vv. 18-24)

Only after three years did he spend fifteen days with Cephas, another name for Peter, and meet James, Jesus' brother, so he could not have learned his message from them. The churches in Judea knew him only by reputation, as the former persecutor now spreading the faith, and they praised God.

Key verse: Galatians 1:12

Where Christians differ

Christians differ on what the 'different gospel' really was: many read it as trying to earn God's favor by good works, while others read it more specifically as requiring non-Jewish believers to become Jewish in order to fully belong.

Something to think about

What would it take for you to change your mind about something you once opposed as strongly as Paul opposed the people he later joined?