Paul Explains His Authority (Gal. 1:1–5)

1 Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who 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 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, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Later on in his letter, Paul will deal with the Galatians on the basis of affection; but at the outset he is careful to let them know the authority he has from the Lord. He has three sources of authority.

I. His ministry (vv. 1–2).

A. “Paul, an apostle.”

In In the early days of the church, God called special men to do special tasks. Among them were the apostles. The word means “one who is sent with a commission.” While He was ministering on earth, Jesus had many disciples (“learners”), and from these He selected 12 Apostles. Later, one of the requirements for an apostle was that he have witnessed the Resurrection.

Paul himself was neither a disciple nor an apostle during Christ’s earthly ministry, but he had seen the risen Lord and been commissioned by Him. Paul’s miraculous conversion and call to apostleship created some problems. From the very beginning, he was apart from the original Apostles. His enemies said that he was not a true apostle for this reason. Paul is careful to point out that he had been made an apostle by Jesus Christ just as much as had the original Twelve. His apostleship was not from human selection and approval, but by divine appointment.

B. Paul founded the churches in Galatia.

He was not writing to them as a stranger, but as the one who had brought them the message of life in the beginning! This letter reveals Paul’s affection for these believers. Unfortunately, this affection was not being returned to him.

Paul always had a loving concern for his converts and a deep desire to see the churches he had founded glorify Christ. He was not content to lead men and women to Christ and then abandon them. When Paul heard that false teachers had begun to capture his converts and lead them astray, he was greatly concerned. After all, teaching new Christians how to live for Christ is as much a part of Christ’s commission as winning them.

II. His message (vv. 3–4).

A. Paul clearly states the message of the Gospel.

It was this message that the Judaizers were changing. The Gospel centers in a Person-Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This Person paid a price-He gave Himself to die on the cross. Christ paid the price that He might achieve a purpose, delivering sinners from bondage.

B. Liberty in Christ.

This is the dominant theme of Galatians. The Judaizers wanted to lead the Christians out of the liberty of grace into the bondage of Law. Paul knew that bondage was not a part of the message of the Gospel, for Christ had died to set men free.

III. His motive (v. 5).

A. Such a great God merits our highest praise.

The false teachers were not ministering for the glory of Christ, but for their own glory. Like false teachers today, the Judaizers were not busy winning lost people to Christ. Rather, they were stealing other men’s converts and bragging about their statistics.

Paul’s motive was pure and godly: he wanted to glorify Jesus Christ. In His redemptive work Christ accomplished the will of … God. Further, in that obedience the Savior brought glory to God. Redeemed saints will in addition give glory to God forever because of the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.

B. This exclamation of praise is no mere formality.

To contemplate who God is and what he has done in Jesus Christ is to fall on our knees in worship, thanksgiving, and praise. We study the Bible and the great doctrines of the Christian faith not out of vain curiosity, nor merely to increase our intellect and historical knowledge but rather that we might come more fully to love and enjoy the gracious God who delights in our praise.

Forever we will praise God for his grace which saves us from both the penalty and power of sin.