Galatians 1: Paul an Apostle Called By God

Galatians 1 is an epistle written by Paul to the Galatian Church. From a geographical perspective, Galatia was a region in what is now central Turkey.

Here Paul continues his normal writing style, he begins with greetings and then gets to the main point of his letter. However, because the chapters were broken up, Galatians 1 ends abruptly.

I strongly suggest reading through the first few chapters and not stopping until you’re at a natural break. This way you won’t miss what Paul is telling us.

What Does Galatians 1 Mean?

Galatians 1 is an introduction to the book of Galatians. Paul tells us how he received his authority and calling. All the while he’s reminding the Galatian Church about the Gospel of Jesus.

It’s a very telling book, in the first chapter, Paul writes about how shocked he was, evidently the church is believing lies and heresies that people are pushing on them.

It’s one of the reasons we as Christians need to have a firm foundation in Christ, where we hear his voice, and understand his word.

Nobody else can do that for us, it’s our responsibility.

Galatians 1 Paul Sends His Greetings

1 This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead.

² All the brothers and sisters here join me in sending this letter to the churches of Galatia.

³ May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. ⁴ Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. ⁵ All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.

Galatians 1:1-5

By stating that God called him to do the work, he’s bolstering the gospel he is preaching. Paul is sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, and the message comes across better when he’s sent by God rather than man.

I love the story of Paul, he was a zealot for the Jewish faith, and a member of the Pharisee sect. Sometimes I wonder where he was during the Trial & Crucifixion of Jesus as he would have been in training during that time.

It’d be something cool to dig into.

Galatians 1: There Is Only One Good News

⁶ I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News ⁷ but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.

⁸ Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. ⁹ I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.

¹⁰ Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

Galatians 1:6-10

Galatians 1 makes a very important point here. There is only 1 Gospel, and that is of Jesus Christ. Jesus stated that he was the way, and without him, there was no other way to the Father.

A lot of times this is my litmus test to see where someone is at in their faith. When somebody claims Jesus is just one way to heaven, I have to ask what are the others. All the other ways don’t stand up to scrutiny. Whether you just be good, love people, or become a Buddhist. None of those things will get you to heaven.

Repentance, and following Jesus is the only way, and many people are being led astray every day because they want to believe more easily.

There isn’t one, the only easy road is the one that leads to hell.

This is why I stress reading your bible, spending time in prayer, and going to a church that preaches the word of God.

It’s the best way to protect yourself from false teachings, and people who can twist the truth making lies seem real.

Lying is a major skill in the world today.

But when you have the light in your heart, the inside light will destroy the darkness.

Galatians 1: Paul States His Message Comes from Christ

¹¹ Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. ¹² I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

¹³ You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. ¹⁴ I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.

¹⁵ But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him ¹⁶ to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.

When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being. ¹⁷ Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away to Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.

¹⁸ Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter, and I stayed with him for fifteen days. ¹⁹ The only other apostle I met at that time was James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ I declare before God that what I am writing to you is not a lie.

²¹ After that visit I went north into the provinces of Syria and Cilicia. ²² And still the churches in Christ that are in Judea didn’t know me personally. ²³ All they knew was that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!” ²⁴ And they praised God because of me.

Galatians 1:11-24

Galatians 1: How Paul Learned The Truth

I love how Paul states that he learned the truth, and all of this is backed up in the Book of Acts. Instead of running to a teacher, Paul went away and studied. He spent time in prayer listening to the Holy Spirit and correlated what he heard to what he read in the scriptures.

Eventually, he left Arabia, sure of his faith and ready to be the man God called him to be.

Almost every major player in the Bible spent time in the wilderness.

• Paul went to Arabia
• Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness.
• David was chased by Saul through the wilderness.
• Elijah ran into the desert towards Mt. Sinai.
• Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness

And the list goes on. If you find yourself all alone in a seemingly deserted place. Don’t fight it, instead ask God what you’re supposed to learn. And what he needs you to do.

This is what Paul did, and God used him to change the world for the next 2000 years (and probably longer). Heck, I believe Galatians 1 and everything else he wrote is a direct product of his time in the wilderness.

What is God calling you to do? Have you prayed and fasted about it? Maybe you should get to it.

I hope you liked my latest post on Galatians 1. Don’t forget to subscribe below and let me know in the comments what you think. Have a great day.