The Grace Commentary – Your free verse-by-verse Bible commentary Galatians 1

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Galatians 1:1

Paul, 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),

(a) Paul had two names. As a Jew he went by his Hebrew name, Saul, and as an apostle to the Gentiles he went by his Roman name, Paul (Acts 13:9). As Saul, he was a Pharisee of Pharisees and a persecutor of the church. But after a life-changing encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus, he became the apostle of grace and the author of most of the New Testament epistles.

(b) Apostle. The original word (apostolos) means a delegate or ambassador. It is someone who has been sent out as a messenger for God. Paul had been sent by God to preach the gospel of Christ to the Gentiles (Gal 1:15–16, 2:9, Eph. 3:8). Although we have all been called to proclaim the good news, those with an apostolic gifting excel in this activity and are able to train others for ministry (Eph. 4:11–12). Paul was an apostle of Christ Jesus, meaning he had been sent by Christ to speak the words of Christ (2 Cor. 5:20). See also the entry for 1 Cor. 1:1.

(c) The agency of man. Paul’s commission to preach the gospel came straight from the Lord (Acts 26:16–18; Eph. 3:2). He was not sent by men. And this short phrase is our first hint that something is rotten in the province of Galatia.

Paul has a serious problem to address: false teachers are leading the Galatians away from Christ and into the bondage of the law (Gal. 1:6, 5:1–4). Like a mother in childbirth, he agonizes over the Galatians’ spiritual immaturity (Gal. 4:19). “How could you be so foolish?” (Gal. 3:1). He reminds them that as sons of God they need to “stand firm and resist the yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1).

A brief overview of the letter is as follows: In chapter 1, Paul outlines his reason for writing – “You Galatians have bought into a distorted gospel taught by law teachers” – before explaining why he’s the man to fix it – “I heard the true gospel from Jesus himself.” In chapter 2, he recounts what happened when law teachers infiltrated the church in Antioch. “Peter was led astray, but I set him straight.” In chapter 3, he explains the difference between living under law and faith. “Be like Abraham the believer and trust God’s promises.” In chapter 4, he reminds the Galatians of their true identity. “You are sons of God, so act like it.” In chapter 5, he contrasts two ways to live. “Walk by the spirit, not the flesh.” In chapter 6, he concludes by reminding the Galatians that what really matters is they are a new creation.

(d) Jesus Christ. To refer to Jesus as Christ is to recognize that he is the prophesied Messiah or Rescuer (John 1:41). The word Christ means anointed one. Jesus is the anointed King foretold by the prophets (Ps. 2:2, Dan. 9:25–26). Paul referred to Jesus as Christ repeatedly in all his letters (Rom. 1:4, 1 Cor. 1:1, 2 Cor. 1:2, Eph. 1:2, Php. 1:2, Col. 1:1, 1 Th. 1:1, 2 Th. 1:2, 1 Tim. 1:16, 2 Tim. 2:8, Tit. 3:6, Phm. 1:3).

(e) Father. Like Jesus before him, Paul revealed a God who loves you like a Father (John 16:27). God is not just the Father of Jesus (Eph. 1:3), he is also your Father (Gal. 4:6), and the Father after whom all fathers are named (Eph. 3:14–15). Paul refers to God our Father three times in the opening verses of this letter (Gal. 1:1, 3, 4).

(f) Raised him from the dead. God’s power is a resurrecting power. The devil had a death-dealing power (Heb. 2:14), but God has a life-giving power which is far greater (Rom. 8:11). The resurrection of Jesus Christ lay at the heart of Paul’s message (1 Cor. 15:14). Paul does not preach a distant deity who rewards and punishes us for our deeds. He proclaims a God who loves us like a Father who gives life to the dead.

Galatians 1:2

and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:

(a) Brethren. When writing letters to the churches, it was Paul’s practice to pass along greetings from his traveling companions (e.g., Col. 4:10–14). Since no companions are named in this letter, we can conclude that Paul was not traveling, and that he wrote this letter from his home church in Antioch.

(b) Who are with me. The brethren who are with Paul, and who share the views expressed in this letter, are his Christian brothers and sisters in the church at Antioch.

(c) To the churches. On his first missionary trip, Paul, accompanied by his good friend Barnabas, preached the gospel in the southern Galatian cities of Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe (Acts 13:14, 51, 14:6). Paul’s preaching was so effective that the gospel “spread through the whole region” (Acts 13:49), leading to the conversion of “many disciples” (Acts 14:21). Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in the churches they had planted, and it was to these elders that this letter was sent.

After Paul left Galatia, bad teachers moved in. They added to Paul’s message and attacked Paul’s character. They told the Gentile believers, “You need to become Jewish and keep the law for God to accept you.” When Paul heard about this, he wrote the Galatians a strongly-worded letter.

We would do well to ponder Paul’s reasons for writing. It was not immorality or idolatry that prompted him, but a religion of works and rituals. Judaism is the religion of the Old Testament, but it never should be confused for the gospel of Christ. A religion that offers a pathway to God marked by good deeds and promise-keeping is a great threat to the message of grace. It may sound biblical, but it is a snare for the soul. It will cause you to rely on yourself instead of the Lord. Paul wrote to expose the sham, and to remind the Galatians that they did not need to work for what they already possessed in Christ.

(d) Galatia was a mountainous region located in the center of modern-day Turkey. Galatia was named after the Thracian Gauls who migrated there in the third century BC. Paul passed through southern Galatia at least three times on his travels; first when he visited Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, and Derbe (Acts 13:14ff), and then again on two later trips (Acts 16:6, 18:23).

Galatians 1:3

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

(a) Grace to you. Paul begins all of his letters with this gracious salutation (see entry for Rom. 1:7). Yet by Paul’s affectionate standards, this is an abrupt opening. He does not call the Galatians faithful saints, as he does with the Ephesians (Eph. 1:1) and the Colossians (Col. 1:2). Nor does he thank God for them, as he does with the Romans (Rom. 1:8), the Philippians (Php. 1:3), and the Thessalonians (1 Th. 1:2). Even the confused Corinthians received a warmer greeting than this (1 Cor. 1:4). Paul has no praise for the Galatians, and in verse six we find out why.

(b) Peace from God. Grace encompasses all the blessings of God, while peace is the fruit of receiving his grace. Someone who relies on their works instead of his grace will experience little peace, because there is always more to be done.

(d) Lord. The original word (kyrios) means the One who is supreme above all rule, authority, power, and dominion (Eph. 1:19). Jesus is not merely a teacher or historical figure. He is the exalted Son of God, and his Name is above all names (Php. 2:9). Like Paul, true preachers reveal Jesus as Lord of all. Five times in his letter Paul refers to Jesus as Lord, the One who is supreme above all (Gal. 1:3, 19, 5:10, 6:14, 18).

(e) Jesus Christ; see entry for Gal. 1:1.

Galatians 1:4-5

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, to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.

(a) Gave himself for our sins. Jesus did not give us rules to follow or steps to success. He gave himself. Whatever your need, whether it is for love, forgiveness, acceptance, or salvation, your rich supply is found in Christ (Php. 4:19). Jesus gave himself for you because he loves you (Gal. 2:20).

(b) Sins. Although Paul talks much about sin in his other letters, and especially in the middle chapters of Romans, the subject barely figures in his letter to the Galatians. Nor is salvation directly mentioned. (It is alluded to in Gal. 1:4, 2:20 and 3:13.) In this letter his focus is on faith, righteousness, and the new life that is ours in Christ.

(c) Rescue. Christ’s rescue of humanity is framed in the language of a new Exodus. Just as God rescued Israel from Egypt, the Son of God rescued us from slavery to sin. He redeemed and rescued us so that we might be adopted by faith into his family. “You were slaves. Now you are sons” (see Gal. 4:7–8).

Who rescued us? In this verse Paul credits Jesus as the Rescuer, but in Colossians he says the Father rescued us (Col. 1:13). It was a team effort. Our salvation was instigated by the Father and fulfilled in the Son (Eph. 1:3–5, 1 John 4:14).

(d) Present evil age. The present era where Satan, a.k.a. “the god of this age,” a.k.a. “the prince of the power of the air,” retains some influence (2 Cor. 4:4, Eph. 2:2). “The days are evil” because we live in dark times (Eph. 5:16). Although Satan was defeated and disarmed at the cross (Col. 2:15, Heb. 2:14), his influence persists wherever the light of the gospel does not shine. Darkness reigns in any environment characterized by fear and unbelief (1 John 5:19). The present evil age exists side by side with the kingdom age, and will end when Christ returns in glory. See entry for Matt. 12:32.

(e) The will or purpose of God. God’s rescue plan was determined in advance (Eph. 1:4).

(f) Father; see entry for Gal. 1:1.

(g) Glory. All praise, honor, majesty and splendor. See entry for Matt. 6:13.

(h) Amen, or “so be it.” In the New Testament, the word amen typically concludes expressions of praise and prayers to God (Matt. 6:13, Rev. 7:12). See also the entry for Matt. 6:13.

Galatians 1:6

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;

(a) Amazed. As their spiritual father, Paul was astonished and dismayed to learn that the Galatians were turning away from the Lord. “You have been severed from Christ” (Gal. 5:4). His heartbreak for them was matched by his anger towards those who led them astray. “May they be accursed!” (Gal. 1:8).

(b) Quickly deserting. The Galatians did not intend to desert the Lord, but this was the result of listening to a message that was not the gospel of Christ.

(c) Called. Through the gospel of Christ, God called you out of darkness and you responded (1 Pet. 2:9). God calls all of us to himself, Jew and Gentile alike (1 Cor. 1:24). Not everyone responds to his call, but those who do are known as the called of Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:6). Life is defined by our response to the call of God.

(d) Grace captures the goodwill, lovingkindness, and favor of God that is freely given to us so that we may partake in his divine life. Grace is supernatural aid that empowers you to be who God made you to be.

Grace is what makes the good news good news. A gospel without grace is no gospel at all, for it is grace that saves us (Acts 15:11, Eph. 2:8, 2 Tim. 1:9), forgives us (Eph. 1:7), justifies us (Rom. 3:24, Tit. 3:7), declares us righteous (Rom. 5:17, 2 Cor. 5:21), and raises us to new life (Eph. 2:5). In the letter to the Galatians, the manifold grace of God is portrayed at least three ways: (1) in the sacrificial love of Christ (Gal. 1:4, 2:20), (2) in our adoption into God’s family (Gal. 3:26, 4:6), and (3) in the many blessings and promises through which God empowers us to live as sons and heirs (Gal. 3:9, 29, 4:28).

(e) A different gospel is not good news. It’s any message that puts price tags on the love of God and nullifies the grace of Christ. In context, Paul is referring to the graceless message of the law. “You are seeking to be justified by law” (Gal. 5:4). Like some Christians today, the Galatians had come to God through grace, but were now embracing law. Does grace need to be balanced with law? Paul offers an emphatic answer: grace and law don’t mix. To live under law is to fall from grace (Gal. 5:4).

A different or false gospel can be contrasted with the true gospel of Christ. This is one of several contrasts Paul makes in his letter. He also contrasts; law vs faith (Gal. 2:16, 3:2, 5, 12); spirit vs flesh (Gal. 3:3, 5:16–17, 24–25, 6:8); blessed vs cursed (Gal. 3:9–10); slaves vs sons (Gal. 4:1, 7, 22–23, 31); freedom vs slavery (Gal. 5:1), spirit vs law (Gal. 5:18). Paul draws these lines to show there is no overlap between the truth of the gospel and the counterfeits we may face. Galatians is a very black and white letter because your freedom is at stake.

(f) Gospel; see next verse.

Galatians 1:7

which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

(a) Not another. There are no other gospels. There is not one gospel for Jews and another for Gentiles. There is only the gospel of Christ.

(b) Some who are disturbing you. Some teachers were telling the Galatian believers to adopt Jewish laws and customs such as circumcision (Gal. 6:12). They were adding old covenant law to new covenant grace, and leaving the believers unsettled and bound. Paul refers to these law teachers as “false brothers” (Gal. 2:4) and “the party of the circumcision” (Gal. 2:12). He has encountered their kind in Antioch (Acts 15:1) and Jerusalem (Acts 15:5), and he will meet them regularly in his travels abroad (e.g., Acts 17:13, 20:3).

(c) Disturbing you. Those who preach law leave you troubled and unsettled. They say confusing things like, “You need both grace and law,” or “You are saved by grace but kept through lawful obedience,” or “God gives us grace so that we might fulfill the law.” These muddled messages are behind much of the confusion in the church.

The call to balance grace and law is a dangerous teaching! Buy into it and you’ll curse what God has blessed. You’ll cut yourself off from Christ and fall from grace. You’ll become lukewarm like a Laodicean and loveless like an Ephesian. You cannot mix the death-dealing demands of the law with the life-giving grace of God. You cannot walk by flesh and faith. It’s one or the other, not both.

(d) Distort. The original verb (metastrephō) means to pervert or turn around. A perverted gospel will turn you away from Jesus and cause you to focus on other things such as law-keeping, dead works, manmade traditions, philosophies, myths, genealogies, conspiracies, and angels (Gal. 3:3, Col. 2:8, 18, 21–22, 1 Tim. 1:4).

Further reading: “How do we pervert the gospel?”

(e) Gospel. The original word (euaggelion) means good news or glad tidings. It does not mean bad news. By definition, any gospel that leaves you fearful of an angry and judgmental God is no gospel at all. The gospel that Paul proclaims is undiluted good news. It is the happy announcement that God loves us so much that he sent his Son to rescue and redeem us, so that we might become sons of God (Gal. 1:4, 4:5).

(f) Gospel of Christ. The gospel of Christ is the good news of the grace of Christ (see previous verse). It is the declaration of the Father’s unconditional love that comes to us through the Son. Through Jesus, God declares, “I love you, I am for you, and I want to be with you forever.”

There is only one gospel, the gospel of Christ. However, Paul had many names for the one-and-only gospel, including: the gospel of Christ (Rom. 15:19, 1 Cor. 9:12, 2 Cor. 2:12, 9:13, 10:14, Php. 1:27, 1 Th. 3:2), the gospel of God (Rom 1:1, 15:16, 2 Cor. 11:7, 1 Th. 2:2, 8, 9), the glorious gospel of the blessed God (1 Tim. 1:11), the gospel of his Son (Rom 1:9), the gospel of the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4), the gospel of your salvation (Eph. 1:13), the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15), and the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24).

See entry for The Gospel.

Galatians 1:8

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!

(a) If we. “If I were to preach something other than the gospel of Christ, ignore me.”

(b) Angel. Angels are spiritual beings whose home is in heaven (Mark 12:25).

The message is greater than the messenger. You may be listening to the world’s greatest preacher or an angel from the throne room of God, but if their message differs from the gospel of Christ, they are preaching another gospel, which is no gospel at all.

(c) Gospel contrary. A “gospel” contrary to the gospel of Christ is any message that distracts you from Jesus and his finished work. If you are hearing that you need to study more, pray more, and do more to please the Lord or earn his favor, you are hearing a contrary gospel. Heed this sort of message and you will fall from grace, lose your freedom, and become estranged from the Lord (Gal. 5:1, 4).

(d) What we have preached. Paul preached the undiluted grace of Christ (Gal. 1:6). He did not preach grace plus law or grace plus works. He preached grace alone, and this brought him into conflict with those who preached law (e.g., Acts 18:13).

(e) Accursed; see next verse.

Galatians 1:9

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!

(a) As we have said before. “Let me repeat this for emphasis.”

(b) Gospel contrary; see previous verse.

(c) Received. To receive is to believe. It’s hearing the gospel with faith, and believing it in your heart that Jesus is the Risen Lord (Rom. 10:9–10, Gal. 3:2). The chief takeaway of the new covenant is to receive or believe the gospel of Christ. “We have believed in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 2:16).

(d) Accursed. The original noun (anathema) can be interpreted as cursed, banned, or cut off. When Paul wished he could be accursed from Christ for the sake of his Jewish brothers (Rom. 9:3), he meant cut off, condemned, and doomed to destruction.

The gist of Paul’s message is plain: have nothing to do with those who preach another gospel. Don’t listen to those who mix grace with law. Don’t download their messages, read their books, or watch their videos. Don’t let anyone hinder you from obeying the truth (Gal. 5:7).

Galatians 1:10

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.

(a) Seeking the favor. “Am I trying to be popular? Am I preaching to attract followers and build my reputation? Am I trying to make a name for myself like those who are seducing you?”

(b) Please men. A true minister of the gospel serves for the pleasure of the Lord and not the praise of men. Unlike the law teachers who sought the affirmation of their peers (see Gal. 6:12), Paul served the Lord.

Although we are free in Christ (Gal. 5:1) and sons of God (Gal. 4:6), we serve in the name of Christ so that the orphans and slaves of this world might come to know their heavenly Father. Like the Son of God who took the form of a bondservant (literally a slave; Php. 2:7), we are the sons who serve. See entry for Rom. 1:1.

Galatians 1:11

For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.

(a) I would have you know. “Let me go on record.”

(b) Brethren. In the New Testament, the word brethren typically refers to Christian brothers and sisters. The true brethren can be contrasted with the false brethren who had infiltrated the church (Gal. 2:4).

(d) Not according to man. Apparently some were saying Paul heard the gospel second-hand, or that he picked it up in Jerusalem (see next verse). Paul refutes this accusation.

Galatians 1:12

For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

(a) Nor was I taught it. Paul received the gospel directly from the Lord. He did not read about it or learn it at the feet of some teacher or apostle.

Paul had an extensive education (Gal. 1:14). He was trained in the Law of Moses, and he was familiar with the Messianic prophecies. Yet none of that training helped him see Christ. It was only after his encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus that he began to understand the gospel.

(b) A revelation is when something unseen becomes disclosed or unveiled. A spiritual revelation is a truth about the character and purposes of God that is revealed to you by the Holy Spirit. All spiritual truth dawns by revelation and is received in our spirits (1 Cor. 2:14).

We speak of Paul’s Damascus Road conversion when really it was a Damascus Road revelation (Acts 9:3–6). Like every devout Jew, Paul was longing for the Messiah. On the road to Damascus, the Messiah was unveiled and his prayers were answered.

Paul had heard of Jesus before, but for as long as he lived under the law, his heart was veiled to the truth (2 Cor. 3:14–16). When Jesus confronted him on the Damascus Road, Paul cried out, “Lord,” and the veil was taken away (Acts 9:5).

Galatians 1:13

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;

(a) You have heard. Paul’s reputation as a relentless hunter of Christians was well-known. His testimony of who he was and how God changed him often served as a prelude to his preaching of the gospel (e.g., Acts 22:3ff, 26:4ff).

(b) Judaism. The Jewish faith or religion. As a Jew, Paul had pursued a kind of righteousness that was based on keeping the law (Php. 3:5–6). He abandoned this quest when he realized that no one can be justified through the law (Gal. 3:11).

(c) Persecute the church. Paul had been a blasphemer and a violent man (1 Tim. 1:13). He zealously persecuted the church, sending innocent men and women to prison and death (Acts 22:4, 26:10–11). His deeds were so evil that he considered himself the foremost, or worst, of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). Paul’s testimony is a great comfort to all who have done bad things. If God can redeem the worst of the worst, he can redeem anyone.

(d) Beyond measure. “I was excessive and merciless.” Paul was relentless in his quest to destroy the church (Acts 8:3). Nothing could stop him except the intervention of the Lord.

(e) Destroy. Those who wage religious crusades are satisfied with nothing less than the destruction of their enemies. Just as Pharaoh sought to kill the infant Moses, and Herod sought to kill the infant Jesus, Paul’s mission was to eliminate the infant church.

Galatians 1:14

and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.

(a) Advancing in Judaism. In his earlier life, Paul’s zeal for the law and persecution of the church had won him the affirmation of Israel’s religious leaders.

(b) Judaism; see previous verse.

(d) Extremely zealous. Paul was a zealous member of the Pharisees, the strictest sect of Judaism (Acts 26:5). The Pharisees sought to purge the world of godlessness and, in this pursuit, Paul had no equal. He was beyond zealous and more than ready to kill in the name of God (Acts 22:4, 26:10).

(e) Ancestral traditions. The teachings of Jewish teachers and sages that had been orally handed down from father to son. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and scribes for emphasizing these traditions over the commandment of God (see Matt. 15:3).

Galatians 1:15

But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through his grace, was pleased

(a) Set me apart. One of the accusations made against Paul was that he was ignorant of Jewish teachings. Paul responds by saying he was extremely zealous for Jewish traditions (see previous verse). To demonstrate his knowledge of Judaism, he peppers his letter with phrases lifted from the prophets. Being “set apart from his mother’s womb” comes from Isaiah and Jeremiah (Is. 44:2, 24, Jer. 1:5). When he wonders whether he had “run in vain” (Gal. 2:2), he is quoting the words of the Lord as recorded by Isaiah (see Is. 49:1–4).

(b) Mother’s womb. God’s purpose for our lives is established before we are born. It is written into our members. Every one of us has been called to reveal the grace of God in some unique way. God designed Paul to be a tireless preacher of the gospel, a man who would not quit when the going got tough or when friends abandoned him (Eph. 3:7–8).

(c) Called me. God has a holy calling or assignment for each of us. Paul was called by God to do something that had never been done – take the gospel to the Gentiles (see next verse). This calling was completely contrary to what Paul thought he should do with his life (persecute Christians).

(d) His grace. The call of God on your life does not depend on your training or performance, but rests on his own purpose and grace (2 Tim. 1:9). Many of the heroes of faith listed in Hebrews 11 were formerly murderers and adulterers.

You are neither qualified nor disqualified by your past. If God’s call was based on our merits, Paul would have been damned, for he persecuted the Lord himself (Acts 9:4). Yet God was pleased to choose Paul, the very worst sinner, to be his ambassador of grace.

(e) Was pleased. Our heavenly Father takes great pleasure in revealing his Son to us (see next verse).

Galatians 1:16

to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,

(a) Reveal his Son in me. The revelation that Jesus is the Son of God was received in Paul’s inner man, or spirit.

It was not the light from heaven that changed Paul, but the light God shone in his heart. The moment Paul believed that Jesus was Lord, he was born again. He became a new man with a new message of the new creation. “Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). God was no longer out there, but in me.

(b) Son. Jesus has many titles, but it is his relationship to God the Father that defines him; see entry for Gal. 2:20.

(d) Flesh and blood. People. At first, Paul did not tell anyone about his encounter with the Lord. He needed time with God to process the 180-degree shift in his theology. Besides, who was he going to tell? If he had gone back to his friends in the Sanhedrin, they might’ve stoned him like they had done to Stephen (Acts 7:57–58).

Galatians 1:17

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.

(a) Jerusalem was the birthplace of the New Testament church. Although many of the believers had fled Jerusalem on account of persecution, the original apostles still lived there (Acts 8:1). At first, Paul did not go and visit them.

(b) Apostles before me. Those who were apostles before Paul included the original Twelve (see Matt. 10:2) minus Judas, plus a few who had been added to their number (e.g., Matthias (Acts 1:26) and James, the Lord’s brother (Gal. 1:19)).

(c) Arabia was the Roman province of Arabia Petraea that lay south of Damascus and extended along the east bank of the Jordan down to the Sinai Peninsula (Gal. 4:25).

Paul travelled to Arabia for reasons unknown. Perhaps he wanted to visit Mount Sinai and have a long talk with God (Gal. 4:25). If so, he was retracing the path trodden by Elijah when he went to Mount Horeb, a.k.a. Mount Sinai (1 Kgs. 19:8). After an undetermined time in the desert, Paul returned to Damascus.

(d) Damascus is about 150 miles northeast of Jerusalem. It is one of the oldest cities in the world and is the capital of modern-day Syria.

Paul had left Damascus after his life was threatened (Acts 9:23–24). Why did he return? Perhaps it was because he had no place else to go. The only Christian friends he had lived in Damascus.

Galatians 1:18

Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days.

(a) Three years after he met the Lord on the Damascus Road, Paul returned to Jerusalem a changed man.

(b) Jerusalem. This was the first of at least five visits Paul made to Jerusalem after meeting the Lord (Acts 9:26). On his second visit to Jerusalem, he and Barnabas brought funds for famine relief from the church in Antioch (Acts 11:27–30). On his third visit, Paul attended the Jerusalem Council that was convened to settle the issue of whether believers needed to be circumcised (Acts 15:1–4). His fourth visit to Jerusalem came at the end of his third missionary trip (Acts 18:22), and his fifth visit resulted in his arrest and imprisonment (Acts 21:17ff).

According to Luke’s account, Paul went to Jerusalem to join the church but the terrified Christians did not want to have anything to do with him (Acts 9:26). But Barnabas, who may have had a prior acquaintance with Paul, vouched for him and took him to meet Peter and James (Acts 9:27).

(d) Cephas, which means rock, was the Aramaic name given by the Lord to Simon Peter (John 1:42). Just as Paul was known in the Jewish world by his Jewish name Saul (Acts 13:9), Peter was known in Jerusalem as Cephas. In this letter, Paul refers to Simon Peter as Cephas four times (Gal. 1:18, 2:9, 11, 14), and Peter two times (Gal. 2:7, 8).

(e) Stayed with him. Cephas, or Peter, received Paul as a brother in the Lord. This is a significant detail because the law teachers might have been claiming that Paul and Peter were rivals preaching different gospels.

(f) Fifteen days. Paul’s first visit to Jerusalem was brief but memorable. After meeting Peter and James (see next verse), he began preaching boldly about the Lord all over the city. This so angered the Greek-speaking Jews that they tried to kill him. To preserve Paul’s life, his Christian brothers took him to Caesarea and put him on a ship bound for Tarsus (Acts 9:28–30).

Galatians 1:19

But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.

(a) I did not see. At first, Paul only met two of the Jerusalem apostles, Peter and James, and then only briefly. This undermines any accusation that he had been trained by the men who had been with the Lord. Paul’s gospel was not received second hand (Gal. 1:12).

(b) Apostles; see entry for Gal. 1:1.

(c) James. In the New Testament there are three apostles named James: James the son of Zebedee and James the son of Alphaeus were part of the original Twelve (Matt. 10:2–3), but this is the apostle traditionally known as James the Just, the step-brother of Jesus (Matt. 13:55, Mark 6:3).

As a young man, James did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah (John 7:5). The risen Lord appeared to James (1 Cor. 15:7), and it seems this was a life-changing encounter, just as it was for Paul. James the unbeliever became the leader of the church in Jerusalem (see Acts 15:13–21, 21:18, Gal. 2:9). According to Josephus, James was martyred for his faith by the Sanhedrin in AD62 (Antiquities, 20.9.1).

Galatians 1:20

(Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.)

(a) What I am writing. “My testimony which I have just shared about my old way of life (verses 13–14), the revelation of Jesus Christ given directly to me by God (verses 11–12 and 15–16), and my early meetings with the apostles in Jerusalem (verses 18–19).”

(b) I am not lying. In response to any accusation that he is a false teacher, Paul declares before God that he is telling the truth.

Galatians 1:21

Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

(a) Then. Paul was forced to leave Jerusalem because the Greek-speaking Jews were conspiring to kill him (Acts 9:29–30). After leaving Jerusalem, Paul returned to his native home of Tarsus in the province of Cilicia (Acts 22:3). Paul stayed in Tarsus for about a decade before Barnabas came looking for him and brought him to Antioch in Syria (Acts 11:25–26).

(b) Syria was a Roman province located to the north of Judea. In New Testament times, its capital city was Antioch (see entry for Gal. 2:11).

(c) Cilicia was a province in south-eastern Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), located between Pamphylia and Syria. After he relocated to Antioch, Paul did not return to his native province until his second missionary journey (Acts 15:41).

Galatians 1:22

I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ;

(a) I was still unknown. On his first return to Jerusalem, Paul stayed only fifteen days (Gal. 1:18). This was not long enough for him to become personally known to the churches of Judea.

(b) Churches… in Christ. Since the original word for churches (ekklesia) can be interpreted as a public assembly (e.g., Acts 19:32, 39, 41, Heb. 12:23), Paul clarifies that he is referring to Christian assemblies (see also Rom. 16:16, 1 Th. 2:14). Most of the time when referring to the church, Paul does not make this distinction.

Galatians 1:23

but only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.”

(a) They kept hearing. The Judean Christians may not have seen Paul in the flesh, but they were abuzz with stories of his dramatic transformation. His reputation as a persecutor-turned-preacher was growing.

(b) Preaching. Paul was proclaiming the good news of Christ.

The original word for preaching (euaggelizo) is closely related to the word for gospel or good news (euaggelion). Paul uses three different words for preaching. In addition to euaggelizo, or evangelizing (Gal. 1:8, 9, 11, 16, 23, 4:13), he uses proeuaggelizomai, which means to proclaim the good news in advance (Gal. 3:8), and kerusso, which means to herald (Gal. 2:2, 5:11).

(c) “The faith” is another name for the gospel of Christ (Acts 6:7). The label refers to the faith all believers have in Christ Jesus (Eph. 1:15). Paul was encouraging people to join the household of the faith by believing in Jesus.

(d) Destroy; see entry for Gal. 1:13.

Galatians 1:24

And they were glorifying God because of me.

Glorifying God. The Judean Christians praised God for the transformation he had brought about in Paul. The world’s worst sinner and the scourge of the church had become an ambassador for Jesus, a walking, talking testimony of God’s radical grace.

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Galatians 1