Galatians (Epistle) - Chapter 1

The Apostle Paul defends his position as an apostle of Jesus Christ, explaining how he was trained under Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit for three years in Arabia. He then states how these Galatian churches have been deceived by Judaizers who came after him to discredit him. He then begins to again give these new believers the core truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Epistle to the Galatians 
Chapter 1

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Before we go into the writings of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatian churches, which was around 48 A.D., we see that in the 15 or so years since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we already had three classes of believers in Jesus with different views on what a true believer in Jesus Christ should look like.

  1. Our first class of believers were the Jews who heard the Gospel and came to believe in Jesus as their Messiah just as we read in the early chapters of the Book of Acts.  These Jews came to believe that Jesus (or Yeshua) was their true Messiah who came to be the eternal sacrifice for their sins.  They trusted in Jesus for their eternal salvation, just as the apostles of Jesus has been kpreaching.  Because they were Jewish in every respect, however, they didn't want to leave their heritage, so they continuing in the keeping of the Written Law from the Torah, which meant they continued to honor the Sabbath, the feasts and celebrations with all Jews - including all those orthodox Jews who have refused to accept Jesus as their Messiah.  In addition, these Jewish believers gathered together on the 1st day of the week to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.  We read in Acts 2:42 that they broke bread together, shared with one another as their was need, and learned to love and accept one another.  This was the beginning of the Church.

  2. Then there was a certain section of Jews who heard the Gospel and came to believe in Jesus (Yeshua) as their Messiah, but insisted on keeping both the Written and Oral Law with all of its traditions, insisting that you could not have faith without the Law - meaning the Oral Law.  They were rigid in their beliefs and regularly met together on the Sabbath to honor the Law with the orthodox and Jewish believers in Jesus.  They believed that anyone who would come to Christ had to be circumcized.  You see, to be circumcized meant you made a covenant that you would proselytize yourself into Judaism, following the Law of Moses with all of its rituals.  These rigid believers became known as the Judaizers.

  3. Now, being added to that mix were the Gentiles who came to believe in Jesus as their Savior.  They did not carry the Jewish belief that Jesus was their Messiah, but that He was their Savior who saved them from their sins and an eternity in hell.  They neither knew nor cared about the Written or the Oral Law, but simply wanted to live as a believer in Jesus for their eternal salvation and follow the teachings of the apostles of Jesus.  The teachings of the apostles, however, supported the Written Law without all of its rituals. These Gentile believers would gather together on the 1st day of the week to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.  Often, Jewish believers would join them as well.  This was the Church. 

In its beginnings, the Apostles Peter and John and the other apostles of Jesus had primarily been preaching to a Jewish audience, and that continued for several years.  The Apostle Paul, however, was called by God to preach mainly to the Gentile population who knew nothing of the Law of Moses with its sacrifices and rituals, and had no interest in following them.  They especially did not want to be circumcised to become a believer and follower of Christ.  This caused problems between both Jewish and Gentile believers.  As a result, the Apostle Paul was considered a traitor to the Jewish faith and a heretic of Christianity by orthodox Judaism, all supported by the Judaizers.

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We learned in our introduction teaching of Galatians that the Apostle Paul had established Christian churches primarily of Gentile believers in Southern Galatia (Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe) while on his first missionary journey.  When the apostle had completed his  journey, he felt confident that these churches were growing in their faith in the true Gospel of Christ.  Sometime after he left, however, certain Judaizers from Jerusalem, who strongly adhered to the Written and the Oral Law as a part of becoming a Christian crept into the cities to dispute Paul’s authority and teachings.  

This epistle (letter) to the Galatians deals with the question of whether a Gentile believer had to become circumcized, meaning they would agree to turn to Judaism and its Laws before they could become a Christian.  This letter then is a letter of protest against the Judaizers who had crept into Galatia after the Apostle Paul left his first missionary journey, who specifically came to tear down his teachings.  

The apostle wrote this letter in response to the corruption that was trying to be taken over by these Judaizers, focusing on justification by faith rather than the works of the Law.  In a spirit of anointed agitation and passion, the Apostle Paul begins his letter.

Defending His Position as an Apostle

Gal 1:1 Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), and all the brethren who are with me,

Paul is defending his position as an apostle of Jesus Christ - and plunges right into the defense of his apostolic authority and the validity of his teaching.

Paul often had to defend his position as an apostle in his travels because he was not one of the original apostles and had earlier, as a Jewish Pharisee, representing the Sanhedrin set out to kill Christians - regardless if they were Jewish or Gentile believers.  In addition, he was now hated by most orthodox Jews (unbelievers in Jesus) who knew of him because he was considered a traitor to the Jewish faith.  As such, neither Jew nor Gentile trusted him.

The Apostle Paul often used the name of Paul instead of his Hebrew given name of Saul.  While many think that God changed Saul's name to Paul, it was actually Paul who "chose" to change his Hebrew name of Saul to Paul, which was his name in Greek, when he was speaking to a Greek audience.  He then referred himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ.  When he was in front of a Jewish audience, he reverted back to his Hebrew name of Saul, referring to himself as a Jewish Pharisee and an apostle of Jesus Christ.  His purpose was always to draw his audience to Jesus Christ.

Saul - the Jewish Pharisee
Paul - the Gentile Apostle for Christ

In Paul’s introduction here, he was trying to emphasize that he was sent by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, not by any man.  As such, he was commissioned by God to be an apostle or ambassador, to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the Messiah to all mankind, even though his main ministry was to the Gentiles.  He preached that the Messiah had already come in the flesh and that Jesus was “everyone’s” eternal sacrifice

As Was His Custom


As was his custom in every city he entered, he first taught in the synagogue to a Jewish audience.  When he preached, he preached as a Jewish Pharisee because that was his open door.  He, however, preached that salvation no longer rested in adhering to all the sacrifices of the Law of Moses or their Oral traditions, but belief in Jesus as their true Messiah, as was prophesied throughout the Old Covenant.  They then were free to follow the rest of the Law as their heart dictated.  Most of the new Jewish believers remained Jewish in all respects because that is who they were.  They believed their Messiah had come, and they were now "fulfilled" Jews.

  • Paul’s doctrine remained strong in that it is through faith in Jesus Christ “alone” that righteousness and salvation are attained. He preached to everyone that mankind is sinful and cannot keep the Law - both the Law of Moses and the traditional Oral Law of the elders.  Paul taught that the Law exposes sin and mankind's only hope comes from Jesus Christ Who gave Himself to deliver everyone from the bondage of sin and the eternal separation from God.  Salvation by faith in Christ Jesus then was always God’s plan, and God’s provision for mankind. [i]

 


While many Jews converted to Christ, believing Him to be their long awaited Messiah, others were appalled.  In all cases, it didn't take long before the Apostle Paul received the "left-foot of fellowship" from whatever synagogue he was in and was escorted out the door.  When he left, however, he brought with him those who had converted to Christ.  As such, he had a small following to begin his ministry out into the Gentile population. 

  • When Paul preached to the Gentiles, however, he did not present himself as a Jewish Pharisee, as he did to the Jews in the synagogue, but as an apostle and ambassador for Christ.  He went into the market places or wherever he was led, using his Greek name of Paul.  He came against traditional Judaism claiming man’s salvation simply rested on belief in Jesus, and they did not need to follow the Law of Moses or its traditions – especially that of circumcision.  To many, both Jew and Gentile alike, it seemed like he had a conflict of interest.

Opening Benediction

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Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be is glory forever and ever. Amen.

The Apostle Paul dispensed here what would become his usual pleasant greeting of blessing and peace and replaced it with the words “grace” (Greek “charis,” meaning God’s unmerited favor) and “peace” (Greek – “eirene”), which was a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew word "shalom," meaning all that stood for the "highest good under God’s rule." This greeting was more Gentile in nature, but Paul was probably attempting to identify himself with all believers - Jews and Gentiles alike.

No other Gospel

When the apostle had left these new Christians in Galatia, they were growing in their faith.  Now, everything he had established was being corrupted by these Judaizers.  He now goes directly to his reproof with expressions of astonishment over what has occurred with these new believers.

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

A Perverted Gospel

The apostle refers to what the Judaizers were preaching as a perverted gospel - another gospel – a gospel which was destroying the grace of Christ.  This Judaizer gospel included the practice of Jewish rites and ceremonies, according to the Mosaic system and the tradition of the elders, emphasizing circumcision, and was essential in order to obtain salvation. This was not the Gospel that Jesus Christ preached, but a perversion of the truth.

The Apostle Paul stated that even if an angel came down from heaven and declared a Gospel that differed from what he had preached, they should not listen to it.  The Gospel that Jesus preached, was the True Gospel.  Paul even went so far as to firmly declare “let those who preach a different gospel be accursed or condemned,” meaning they would be destined to destruction. [ii]

Personal Application:  Whether it was the Judaizers of the 1st century or any other proclamation of the Gospel that would confront mankind then and even today that sways away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ, adding works to the plan of salvation, is fraudulent.  There are numerous Christian cults and even denominations out today that want to add works to the plan of salvation.  For instance:  Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon religion, declared he heard from an angels of God that told him something that differed from the Word of God - the very thing the Apostle Paul was warning against.  Angels do not add new doctrine to the Scriptures.  The Bible declares that it is what Jesus Christ did for us and our belief and trust in Him and what He did that brings salvation to us.  Nothing more, nothing less! 

A Gospel By the Revelation From Jesus Christ

10 For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. 14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

Here the Apostle Paul expressed a contrast between his present and his former purpose in life.  Before his conversion to Christ, his authority came from the Sanhedrin Council and he sought their and others of influence, approval. His actions were to please them and gain their good favor. 

Since coming to Christ, however, his life had changed.  Now, as a servant of Jesus Christ, he had a much higher calling and purpose.  His authority now came directly from God, and it was his goal to please and seek his Father God's favor. The Apostle Paul strongly emphasized that his knowledge of the Gospel did not come from any man, but that he received it by the revelation of Christ Jesus. 

This should be the cry of our heart - not to please or seek the approval of men, even from those of religions, but to please the Lord.  Our authority is the Word of God, and the Word of God comes from Jesus - not from any man.

The Apostle Paul had been accused by others for receiving his knowledge of the Gospel from other people since he had not personally known Jesus or been one of His original apostles while He had walked the earth in ministry.  Paul's earlier years in training and education as a Pharisee under the well-known Rabbi Gamaliel did not give any knowledge to the Messiahship of Christ Jesus.  His rabbinical training was in the history of the Jews, learning of the Torah and the traditional Oral Law of the Elders, of which many of those doctrines and customs were invented, conveyed and expanded down from one generation to another. 

Away to Arabia

Following his conversion to Christ, God led him to Arabia for three years to learn from Christ through the Holy Spirit the revelations of Christ. 

The Bible does not say whether Paul went to Mount Sinai in Arabia for three years like Moses; however, several scholars claim that the apostle went to the same place that Moses went to receive the Torah on Mt. Sinai.  

  • These three years was the same amount of time that the apostles of Jesus spent with Him on earth before He was crucified. 

While away in Arabia, the Apostle Paul took what he knew in the natural as a Jewish Pharisee in the Written Law and added the spiritual revelation he received from Christ to minister out to the Gentile world.  As such, Paul rejected the claims of the Judaizers, determining to destroy it. [III]

Personal Application:  The authority of every Christian comes directly from God through His Word and prayer.  It must always be our goal to please and seek God's favor, not the favor of man.

Set Apart and Called From Birth

15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,

God called and set apart Saul to be an important instrument in His hands all the way back to his birth. He was created and set apart to one day serve God in the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a Gentile people.  God gave Saul a personality with gifts and talents that would be conducive to the position that God would one day call him to perform.  God created him as a child of strong zeal and purpose.  As such, God placed him within a wealthy family of Jewish and Gentile roots to support his call.  His mother was Jewish and his father was a Roman citizen.

His roots were both Jewish and Gentile.  Growing up in Tarsus, which was a city of both Jew and Gentile, he was accustomed to being around both ethnic groups.   Because his mother was Jewish, and he lived in a family who could support his call from God, so Saul was given the best Jewish education available.

Saul was first trained as all Jewish boys were – in the Beit Safer and Talmud to study Judaism. (Refer to Article series “Who Will You Follow?”).  As a young man, his parents sent him to Jerusalem to study the Beit Midrash (higher Jewish education) to be a disciple under the famous Rabbi Gamaliel.  After years of study, he became a Pharisee in the House of Hilliel, having been trained to know the Old Covenant well, as well as the Oral traditions of the elders.  In other words, he knew and practiced the Written and Oral Law.  He could have been like an "intern" or very young Pharisee.  You see, for any Jew to enter into the ministry, one had to be at least 30 years of age.    

  • He was strict in his beliefs in the Torah and the Oral Law, having been one of those whom Jesus, during the three years of His earthly ministry, would have come down on because of his persistence to the traditional Oral Law.

Saul’s training in Judaism would have been equivalent today to a PhD

By the time Saul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, his personality, education and training had been deeply ingrained and established within him (Acts 9).  He truly loved God, but he loved Him according to the Laws of Judaism, and that included the Written AND the Oral Law.  By a revelatory encounter on the road to Damascus, and a profound change of heart within Saul of Whom Jesus was, Saul was ready to receive his call from God - he was ready to be set apart to be trained by Jesus to be His apostle to heathen nations of Gentile people who needed a Savior.

Being blinded by sight, Saul was escorted to Damascus by his soldier to the house of Ananias.  Ananias, a believer in Jesus  who feared Saul's tyranny had a vision from Jesus of his conversion and was prepared for Saul's coming.  There, in the house of Ananias, Saul was baptized into the Lord Jesus Christ as his acknowledgement of belief in Christ, forsaking his past, and then received his sight back and began preaching Jesus in the synagogues of Damascus. The time was about 34 A.D.

Saul spent a brief time with the disciples of Jesus – the very ones he originally came to destroy. He was, however, feared among the disciples and hated by everyone else.  After a short time, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him. They waited at the city gates to capture him. Instead, the disciples lowered him over the wall of the city in a basket during the night. He then went off into the Arabian Desert for three years to be alone with Jesus.  

Time Alone With Jesus in Arabia

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.


Saul did not learn about Jesus from His disciples or apostles.  Instead of going with the apostles back to Jerusalem, Saul departed and went off into the desert of Arabia to be alone with Jesus.  By Saul’s own words, he stated that he did not confer with flesh and blood, nor consulted with the apostles in Jerusalem, but that it was God’s choice for him to go off to Arabia to be trained in the School of the Spirit in order that he might receive greater revelations concerning the mysteries of the Gospel of the glorified Christ. [iv]. 

What does that mean?  Saul spent a lot of time in prayer and meditation, listening for the voice of the Lord.  Just as Moses heard from God on Mt. Sinai, the Apostle Paul heard from the Lord maybe on that same mountain.  There he receiving his true revelatory education straight from Jesus Christ His Messiah.  He became acquainted with the nature of Christ, His authority, and claims.  His Jewish and Gentile background, knowledge of the Old Testament, and training in Judaism under the most prestigious rabbi, along with his conversion to Christ, time alone with Jesus to learn the True Gospel, and God’s commission upon him gave him the qualifications needed for him to bring the Gospel to the world outside of Judaism. Paul had a depth of knowledge and wisdom that even far exceeded that of the original apostles of Jesus Christ.

Gospel Confirmed By the Apostles Peter and James

18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.) 21 Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. 23 But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God in me.

Saul then traveled to Jerusalem to get acquainted with the Apostles Peter, James and Barnabas.  Saul tried to join himself with the disciples around the city, but was faced with their fear because of the lack of trust of people that his conversion was genuine and that his claim to be an apostle of Jesus was false.  Barnabas, however, was able to convince many of them otherwise.  Saul then moved about freely and preached the Gospel boldly in Jerusalem for a short time.  When he talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews (Jews of Greek heritage), however, about Jesus, they tried to kill him. 

While in Jerusalem, he stayed in the home of the Apostle Peter.  After 15 days, however, it became necessary for Saul to escape Jerusalem for fear of his life.  While in the temple, Saul went to pray, and fell into a trance.  He saw the Lord tell him to make haste and get out of Jerusalem, for the people will not believe him regarding his conversion to Christ.  Believers then took him to Caesarea and sent him off by ship back to his hometown of Tarsus, located in the Roman province of Cilicia. When he landed ashore, he stopped off at different cities and visited certain brethren in Syria and then traveled back to his hometown. The time was approximately 36 A.D.  There he probably continued in the trade of his father as a tentmaker.

While Saul spent time in his home town of Tarsus (36 – 40 A.D.?), the churches throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a brief period of peace and grew in numbers.  Persecution then grew, however, which brought many Christians to flee Jerusalem and head to Antioch of Syria.  As such, the Church at Antioch became an alternative center for Christians,  and Peter, and later Barnabas, took over the Church (or group of churches) as its elder (or pastor).  In time, the Church in Antioch had grown too big for Barnabas to handle alone.  Seeking assistance, Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek help from Saul.  Saul returned with him and remained a year to help build the Church of Antioch.

The term Christian was first used in Antioch to those who believed in Jesus as the Messiah. It was, however, a derogatory term by sneering unbelievers.

A prophet called Agabus came to the Church at Antioch (of Syria) from Jerusalem prophesying that a famine would soon occur in and around the Holy City, meaning Jerusalem.  As such, Christians in Antioch began gathering food to relieve their brethren in Judea.  Food and relief (money) were sent to the “mother church” at Jerusalem by the hands of Saul and Barnabas.  Upon completing the assignment, Saul and Barnabas then returned to Antioch, bringing back with them John Mark.

Commissioned for the work of the ministry

In the Church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers of the Gospel. While in worship, and while fasting, the Holy Spirit spoke to them to separate Saul and Barnabas for the work of missionary work to the Gentiles. Hands were laid upon the two men and they were sent off to do the Lord’s work (Acts 13). Thus began Saul’s and Barnabas’s first missionary journey, of which the region of Southern Galatia was included.  John Mark also joined them.

It was during these missionary journeys that Saul began using his Greek name of Paul to better identify himself with the Gentiles.

While the journey was tough, even to the point of Paul being stoned and left for dead by adversaries, many people were still brought to Christ.  Elders (pastors) were appointed in each church and committed to the Lord.  On their return trip through Southern Galatia, on route back home to Antioch, Paul and Barnabas encouraged these new believers in their faith.  When the missionary trip was completed and the two apostles were back in Antioch, they rejoiced with the other brethren what God had done in Galatia.

It was shortly thereafter that the Judaizers came through Southern Galatia specifically to tear down the teachings of the Apostles Paul and Barnabas and dispute Paul’s authority as an apostle of Christ.  Because of that, this Letter to the Galatians was written. 

In closing, an interesting note:  If the Apostle Paul had become a believer in Jesus through the witnessing of the apostles instead of His radical encounter by Jesus on the road to Damascus, and not totally and completely changed, he could have easily become one of those Judaizers because of his strict obedience to the traditional Oral Law.  The very ones who were coming against him are the very ones he could have become.   

  • You can see why the Lord directed him to go off and be alone with the Holy Spirit in Arabia.  Not only did the Lord need to rid him of the traditions of the Oral Law that was so strong within him, the Holy Spirit had to give him revelations upon revelations of the depths of the meaning of Scriptures regarding the coming of the Messiah and how to live out life once the Messiah had come.  
  • Thus we have here the beginnings of instruction for the New Covenant believer in Christ in this foundational first written book that we know of as the Epistles to the Galatians, which was written some 1400 years after the writings of the Old Covenant.
  • Pretty amazing if you stop and think about it!

That's it for chapter one.  We will meet again in chapter 2.

The next article will cover chapter two of the Book of Galatians.

Click here for Galatians, Chapter 2
Galatians (Epistle) - Chapter 2 / Galatians (Epistle) / Bible (NT) / Believers Bible School

Pastor Joyce Erickson
Believersbibleschool.com

End Notes


[i] http://www.biblicaltheology.com/gal/gal_01_01.html
[ii] Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft
[iii] Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.
[iv] http://www.truthinhistory.org/tracing-the-steps-of-the-apostle-paul.html

Written by Pastor Joyce A. Erickson

Believers Bible School, Founder https://believersbibleschool.com/