Galatians 1:11-17...

Before going any further, it will be helpful to have the outline of Galatians clearly in mind.

The letter falls neatly into three sections—biography, theology, and ethics—each two chapters in length.

In the first two chapters Paul recounts his spiritual autobiography.

His life story shows that he is a true apostle who preaches the true gospel of free grace.

The first section of the letter may be summarized like this:11 "For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin. 12 "For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation of Jesus Christ.” ()

Paul understood that people had to accept his apostleship before they would accept his gospel.

The theology of the one true gospel is expounded in chapters 3 and 4.

Essentially, it is the theology of justification by faith alone in Christ alone.

A good theme verse for this section of Paul’s letter comes in the middle of the third chapter: 11 "Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith.” ()

Finally, the book concludes with two chapters of ethics.

Paul takes his theology—as he does in all his letters—and applies it to daily life, where 6 "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love.” ()

This is the logic of Galatians: live by the gospel that you can receive only by faith.

What God has done (the biography of chapters 1 and 2)

teaches us what we should believe (the theology of chapters 3 and 4) and

how we should live (the ethics of chapters 5 and 6).

PAUL: THE EARLY YEARS...

We begin with Paul’s spiritual autobiography.

At the time he wrote to the Galatians, both the apostle and his gospel were under attack.

Certain men had come from Jerusalem to correct Paul’s teaching.

They wanted to add the law of Moses to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

They taught that Gentiles had to become Jews in order to become Christians.

This was so completely different from what Paul preached that they had to say something to discredit his message.

Thus they claimed that he was a second-rate apostle with a secondhand gospel.

So the first thing that is made known about his gospel, 1 "Paul, an apostle—not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead—” ()

in our passage (v11) is reiteration: 11 "For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin.” ()

He denies making it up.

Verse 12 is Paul’s denial that his gospel was something he received from a mere human being.

12 "For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation of Jesus Christ.” ()

Nobody witnessed to Paul.

He didn’t read a tract or go forward at an evangelistic crusade.

No one explained to him the plan of salvation.

No one even discipled Paul.

He was not, he insists, “taught” the gospel ().

Nor did he consult with anyone to get it ().

16 "to reveal his Son in me, so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone.” ()

Peter and Paul...

Eventually Paul did travel to Jerusalem.

The book of Acts gives the impression that he went right after he was converted ().

However, Luke does not actually indicate when he made the trip, and

Galatians helps provide the real timetable:

18 "Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas [this is the apostle Peter], and I stayed with him fifteen days.” ()

Fifteen days with Peter—not long enough to be trained in the rabbinic style, but long enough to get to know someone.

Undoubtedly the two apostles talked about Jesus and the gospel.

The other person Paul met in those days was James the brother of Jesus

19 "But I didn’t see any of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 "I declare in the sight of God: I am not lying in what I write to you.” ()

To show how serious he was about all this, Paul took the kind of oath someone would swear in a court of law.

Paul certainly learned many things from Peter and James.

But one thing Paul definitely did not learn from Peter, James, or any of the other apostles was the gospel.

This was something he already knew.

He did not receive the good news by instruction because he had already received it by revelation.

vv21-22 completes Paul’s airtight alibi.

21 "Afterward, I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 "I remained personally unknown to the Judean churches that are in Christ.” ()

Galatians Peter and Paul

He neither invented nor inherited his gospel. He did not make it up on his own and he did not get it from anyone else—not before his conversion, not during his conversion, and not after.

He neither invented nor inherited his gospel.

He did not make it up on his own and

he did not get it from anyone else

—not before his conversion,

not during his conversion, and not after.

Where the Gospel Comes From

If Paul did not get the gospel from

his own fertile imagination, or from

Peter or the other apostles, or from

somewhere else in the church,

then where did it come from?

The answer is that the gospel came from God himself.

Paul received it “by a revelation of Jesus Christ” ().

The gospel was not an invention, or a tradition, but a revelation.

That is to say, it was something previously unknown that was unveiled by God.

Jesus was revealed to Paul {Read ].

Presumably Paul had heard some of the facts about Jesus of Nazareth before his conversion,

only to reject them because they sounded like blasphemy.

But then he saw the same Jesus who had been crucified, now disclosed as Son of God and risen Lord.

His eyes were opened, spiritually speaking.

In an instant he realized that he could never get right with God by keeping the law, but only by coming to Christ.

Therefore, Paul received the good news from Jesus himself.

Yet the origins of Paul’s gospel go further back.

His calling as a Christian and his commission as an apostle were on God’s mind

long before he was even born.

15 "But when God, who from my mother’s womb set me apart and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 "to reveal his Son in me, so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone.” ()

Galatians Where the Gospel Comes From

God claimed his life and ministry while he was still in his mother’s womb.

Many years later, when the time was right, God was pleased to call Paul “by his grace” (Gal. 1:15). Calling refers to the life events that lead a person to repentance for sin and faith in Jesus Christ.

God claimed his life and ministry while he was still in his mother’s womb.

Many years later, when the time was right, God was pleased to call Paul “by his grace” ().

Calling refers to the life events that lead a person to repentance for sin and faith in Jesus Christ.

Yet calling also refers to God’s special plan for someone’s life work.

What God had planned for Paul to do was to take the gospel to the Gentiles:

God “was pleased to reveal His Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles” ().

This is a summary of Paul’s whole life.

He preached Christ crucified and Christ risen, and

the Christ he preached

was the very same Christ that God had revealed to him.

Next time we’ll see:

How the Gospel comes to us.

What the Gospel does to us.

What the Gospel does to us.

God’s Life-Changing Gospel.

God’s Life-Changing Gospel.