Galatians 1:1

Galatians 1:1

Greeting

1 Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but ^athrough Jesus Christ and God the Father ^bwho raised Him from the dead),

2 and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:

3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,

4 ^awho gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us ^bfrom this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Only One Gospel

6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon ^afrom Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,

7 ^awhich is not another; but there are some ^bwho trouble you and want to ^cpervert the gospel of Christ.

8 But even if ^awe, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be¹ accursed.

9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you ^athan what you have received, let him be accursed.

10 For ^ado I now ^bpersuade men, or God? Or ^cdo I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Call to Apostleship

11 ^aBut I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.

12 For ^aI neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came ^bthrough the revelation of Jesus Christ.

13 For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how ^aI persecuted the church of God beyond measure and ^btried to destroy it.

14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, ^abeing more exceedingly zealous ^bfor the traditions of my fathers.

15 But when it pleased God, ^awho separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace,

16 ^ato reveal His Son in me, that ^bI might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with ^cflesh and blood,

17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

Contacts at Jerusalem

18 Then after three years ^aI went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days.

19 But ^aI saw none of the other apostles except ^bJames, the Lord’s brother.

20 (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)

21 ^aAfterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

22 And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which ^awere in Christ.

23 But they were ^ahearing only, “He who formerly ^bpersecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.”

24 And they ^aglorified God in me.

Commentaries:

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown

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SUPERSCRIPTION. GREETINGS. THE CAUSE OF HIS WRITING IS THEIR SPEEDY FALLING AWAY FROM THE GOSPEL HE TAUGHT. DEFENSE OF HIS TEACHING: HIS APOSTOLIC CALL INDEPENDENT OF MAN. (Gal. 1:1-24)

apostle—in the earliest Epistles, the two to the Thessalonians, through humility, he uses no title of authority; but associates with him "Silvanus and Timotheus"; yet here, though "brethren" (Galatians 1:2) are with him, he does not name them but puts his own name and apostleship prominent: evidently because his apostolic commission needs now to be vindicated against deniers of it.

of—Greek, "from." Expressing the origin from which his mission came, "not from men," but from Christ and the Father (understood) as the source. "By" expresses the immediate operating agent in the call. Not only was the call from God as its ultimate source, but by Christ and the Father as the immediate agent in calling him (Acts 22:15; Acts 26:16-18). The laying on of Ananias' hands (Acts 9:17) is no objection to this; for that was but a sign of the fact, not an assisting cause. So the Holy Ghost calls him specially (Acts 13:2-3); he was an apostle before this special mission.

man—singular; to mark the contrast to "Jesus Christ." The opposition between "Christ" and "man," and His name being put in closest connection with God the Father, imply His Godhead.

raised him from the dead—implying that, though he had not seen Him in His humiliation as the other apostles (which was made an objection against him), he had seen and been constituted an apostle by Him in His resurrection power (Matthew 28:18; Romans 1:4-5). Compare as to the ascension, the consequence of the resurrection, and the cause of His giving "apostles," Ephesians 4:11. He rose again, too, for our justification (Romans 4:25); thus Paul prepares the way for the prominent subject of the Epistle, justification in Christ, not by the law.

**Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing Galatians 1:1:**

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<< 2 Corinthians 13:14

Galatians 1:2 >>

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