The Gospel Defended

["Click here for scripure"]

The Salutation

["Click here for Galatians 1:1-5"]

The first thing Paul does is establish his credentials. He was about to lay down the "law", and he felt that they needed, as they may have forgotten, to know how he had arrived at this position. "Paul, an Apostle, called through Jesus Christ, by God the Father." You can't get any better credentials than that. Paul's commission was not given by man, but was divinely given, through Jesus Christ, by God. Note is made that he was commissioned after the resurrection of Christ.

Then he informs them that he is not alone in the writing of this epistle. "Paul, an Apostle, and all the brethren who are with me..." Now who might the "brethren" be? Sense we believe that Paul wrote this letter while he was at Ephesus, the brethren were probably Titus, Timothy, Luke, Aquilla and Priscilla.

Then Paul notes to whom he was writing. "All the churches of Galatia." Iconimun, Pasidia, Derby, Listra and Antioch, it would appear that all had become infested by Judaizers.

Then he closes this salutation with the "Apostolical Benediction, "Grace and Peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ." Grace, forgiveness and the assurance of eternal life, and the Peace that the knowledge of this should bring. How was this obtained? By the death and resurrection of Christ, according to the will of God the Father. It was God's will and it was God's plan. "Therefore," Paul says, "We should glorify Him for ever and ever."

The Problem

The problem, simply stated, was that they had turned to a different Gospel. You can tell that this disturbed Paul greatly. He was astonished that they had turned so quickly from him and probably Epaphas, who had done much work at Laodicea and Colossae, near by churches, people who had been instrumental in leading them to Christ. These two men had taught them the true Gospel, they had been easily led astray, they had showed little lasting power, little respect and short lived devotion.

Secondly, he was astonished that they would want to pervert the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They had been "called' to partake of the greatest of blessings and benefits, why would they want to give up so great a freedom and pervert God's blessings. Even today, people still think that they have to add something to God's plan of salvation, it is a perfect plan, the only one we, as sinners, can qualify for.

Thirdly, he believed that when he had left there that they were so established in the truth that even if he or an Angel from Heaven had tried to teach them a new Gospel, they would not have believed. As you can see, Paul expected a great deal from these people. People who are not well versed in the Gospel are easily led astray. These people have a void in their Christian lives and are susceptible to every wind of doctrine. We need to remember to be good Bereans and check what everyone preaches to see if it is contrary to the Gospel of Christ as taught by Paul. Teaching and preaching is a very serious profession, we must be very careful not to pervert the established truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Divine Revelation of the Gospel

Now Paul begins his defense of the Gospel. Paul's first and most important defense of the Gospel concerns its source. Have you ever wondered where Paul got all his information concerning the teachings of Jesus? Well, here's the answer. First he tells us were he did not get it. He did not get it from those who listened and or followed Christ those three years of His ministry.

He had visited with Peter once for some 15 days and had seem James, the brother of Jesus, in Jerusalem on one of his trips there, but here in verse 12, he is profound in his declaration, "I did not receive from man, nor was I taught by man, the Gospel that I preach." So, how did he receive the Gospel that he preached? It came by divine revelation from Jesus Christ. He was given the "truth" by God the Son.

There were two stages in the life of Paul. One when he sought the favor of man and another, when he sought the favor of God. When he sought the favor of man, he was extremely zealous to do those things which men find commendable. He studied under the most famous teachers in Jerusalem. He advanced in Judaism beyond others his own age. He went as far as he could go in Jewish higharchy, without getting married. He actively persecuted the Christian church and sought to destroy it. He genuinely believed that he was doing what God wanted him to do.

Then the second stage came into Paul's life. He was struck down on the road to Damascus, as Paul puts it, "When, in God's time, He was pleased to reveal His Son to me." Is it any wonder that Paul believed in the doctrine of Election? Paul says in verse 15, "I was set apart before I was born." Called by Grace, not because he was worthy, not because he sought it, but by the will of God. Paul says in Eph. 2:8, "For by Grace, through faith, are we saved, not by works, it is a gift of God." So Paul believed that he was called before he was born to preach the Gospel. Now think about it, would God have called Paul to preach and not give him the message? God spent 14 years preparing Paul to preach. We see in these verses where some of those years were spent.

When he left Damascus, friends, who helped him to escape the wrath of the Jews, let him over the wall in a basket. He then went to Arabia where he stayed for 4 years. Then he returned to Damascus where he stayed for 3 years, then went to Jerusalem for 15 days, then to Syria, Celicia and Cyprus for 7 more years. It was 14 years before Paul became useful to the Lord. At Antioch, Barnabas took Paul under his protection and went with Paul on his first Missionary Journey. All those years, Paul was known only as the one who once persecuted those who believed the very faith that he now preached. Paul's writings compose almost 50% of the New Testament, 13 of 27 books.

What we believe about Paul's writings will determine what our opinion is of the authority of scriptures in the New Testament. Do you believe that what Paul wrote was the "inspired" Word of God, or do you simply believe that God speaks through man's words? I believe that Paul was divinely inspired and taught and preached and wrote what God instructed him.

Previous Chapter

Return to Outline

Ask Questions

Next Chapter