Objectives in Studying This Chapter
TEXT: Galatians 1:1-10 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
[Galatians 1:1-5]
1Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of 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 our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.
Situation: The Departure from Grace
[Galatians 1:6-9]
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
Gospel of Grace Is Given by Divine Revelation
[Galatians 1:10-12]
10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. 11 For I would have you know, 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 I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
[Galatians 1:13-17]
13 For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; 14 and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. 15 But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased16 to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.
[Galatians 1:18-24]
18 Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 (Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ; 23 but only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they were glorifying God because of me.
Discussion Questions
What it means to “pervert the gospel of Christ”? The Greek word for the verb “pervert” can be translated “turn around.” A perverted gospel is a turned-around gospel. It is a gospel which turns the focus away from Jesus onto something else. If the gospel of grace reveals Christ alone, then a perverted gospel is Christ plus something.
Notes
Prior to Paul’s conversion to Christ, he was an extremely religious person. He was not an agnostic. He was not lukewarm or apathetic. He was not into materialism. According to this passage he was well educated and “extremely zealous for the traditions” of his Jewish ancestors. He was the kind of person who gave his all. After conversion, he channeled this same enthusiasm to building the church. He gave his all to persecuting the church, then he gave his all to building it up. Are you “extremely zealous” for the things of God?
So, what can we learn from Paul’s life?
- To understand the divine origin of Paul's apostleship.
- To appreciate the danger of twisting the gospel of Christ
TEXT: Galatians 1:1-10 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
[Galatians 1:1-5]
1Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of 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 our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.
Situation: The Departure from Grace
[Galatians 1:6-9]
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
Gospel of Grace Is Given by Divine Revelation
[Galatians 1:10-12]
10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. 11 For I would have you know, 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 I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
[Galatians 1:13-17]
13 For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; 14 and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. 15 But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased16 to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.
[Galatians 1:18-24]
18 Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 (Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ; 23 but only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they were glorifying God because of me.
Discussion Questions
- Who is responsible for Paul’s apostleship? Why is this so important? (1:1)
- Why was it the will of God our Father that his Son should sacrifice himself and die on the cross? (1:4)
- What were some people doing with the gospel of Christ? (1:6-7)
- What was Paul’s life like prior to conversion? What do we learn about Paul’s character in these verses? What motivated Paul to persecute the church? What was he zealous for? How is this similar to people who are religious? What should we be zealous for?
- What do we learn about God’s plan for Paul? When did God predestine Paul for ministry? What does this teach us about God? (1:15-16)
- What was Paul’s calling? What is your calling? Can you identify it as clearly as Paul identified his? Are you currently working toward fulfilling God’s calling on your life?
- What does Paul mean that he did not immediately consult with flesh and blood?
- Do you know of any different (or distorted) gospels today? How might you refute them?
- Have you ever been told or heard of additional requirements for salvation from parents, teachers, church leaders, or others?
- In verse 10, we see that Paul has apparently been accused of being a “people pleaser.” What is wrong with trying to win the approval of men? Do you find yourself seeking the approval of others?
- How we can make a personal application of verse 24 to our own lives.
- The Bible lists many things that can distract us from sincere and pure devotion to Christ. Can you name any?
What it means to “pervert the gospel of Christ”? The Greek word for the verb “pervert” can be translated “turn around.” A perverted gospel is a turned-around gospel. It is a gospel which turns the focus away from Jesus onto something else. If the gospel of grace reveals Christ alone, then a perverted gospel is Christ plus something.
Notes
Prior to Paul’s conversion to Christ, he was an extremely religious person. He was not an agnostic. He was not lukewarm or apathetic. He was not into materialism. According to this passage he was well educated and “extremely zealous for the traditions” of his Jewish ancestors. He was the kind of person who gave his all. After conversion, he channeled this same enthusiasm to building the church. He gave his all to persecuting the church, then he gave his all to building it up. Are you “extremely zealous” for the things of God?
So, what can we learn from Paul’s life?
- Religion can’t save you. If religion couldn’t save Paul, it can’t save anyone. Paul tried his hardest to be a moral person and follow the religious traditions, but it wasn’t good enough. Read Philippians 3:4-8.
- Focus on Christ, not external traditions. In Paul’s zealous pursuit of the traditions he grew up with, he actually ended up persecuting those who were following Christ and trying to destroy the very church Christ was building up. Even today many religious people zealously pursue certain traditions and attack those who have different traditions. Many of these people allow traditions and rituals to distract them from Christ.
- God can save anyone – If God could save Paul, then He can save anyone. You may have a relative or friend who seems beyond hope. He or she may be very hostile to the gospel. Do not give up on him. Do not stop praying for them. God can still save them.
