Galatians 1

Verses 1-5

• Paul is writing as a representative of God and of Christ. Knowing that...

  • God raised Jesus from the dead,

  • God (Jesus) gave Himself for our sins,

  • God delivers us from this present evil age by freeing us from the power and the sins of the world...

• Paul says that his authority as an apostle comes the same God. He did not appoint himself. So he speaks with authority and truth from God Himself.

Verses 6-9

• The Galatians had been deceived, and were falling from their original belief in the true gospel, based on God's grace, to a performance-based gospel—a false gospel.

• Know that the gospel we have in the Bible is the only true gospel, and its teaching trumps all.

  • Even if an angel from God were to tell us a different message, reject it!

    • Never believe visions, dreams, angelic visitations, miracles, or wonders, unless they coincide with the true message of the gospel taught in the Bible.

• Cursing comes to those who preach a different gospel. False teaching is punished severely by God (James 3:1).

Verse 10

• Paul did not preach what he did to please people. He wanted to please God alone. 

• • We are not serving God if we're trying to make people happy with our message. Preach truth—what people need to hear; don't preach what people want to hear.

Verses 11-24

• While Paul was preaching, the New Testament was not yet fully written nor compiled. To reestablish the truth of his gospel, Paul shows that it came directly from God.

  • Paul was the most infamous an enemy of the Christian faith, and the last one that believers expected to be saved. 

  • But God saved him! He was called from the womb, and Christ was revealed both to Him and in him—in his life so that people saw Christ in him.

    • Understand that Christ saves us, in part, so that He will be revealed in us. God wants to show Christ to others through your life. Purpose to live like Jesus lived, and people will see Christ in you!

  • Then, over the course of three years, through visions and revelations that came directly from Jesus Christ Himself, Paul learned the gospel of God's grace. He didn't learn it from the other apostles at Jerusalem, and he didn't hear it from an angel...it came straight from God.

  • And when he eventually did go to Jerusalem and spent time with the churches in Judea, everyone came to know that God had saved and revealed Himself, along with the truth of the gospel, to him.

• Paul and the other apostles knew that his gospel came from God (2 Peter 3:15, Acts 9:26-31), and this gave his message authority. 

  • You also, know that the message of the Bible is from God, both Old and New Testament. It's not from man or from any man's personal opinion or interpretation (2 Peter 1:16-21). 

  • Have confidence in the Word and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!