1 ① From Paul, an apostle sent not by humans nor by human mediation but by Christ Jesus and by God, the Father, who raised him from the dead;
2I and all the brothers and sisters who are with me greet the churches in Galatia: 3may you receive grace and peace from God our Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord.
4He gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this evil world, in fulfillment of the will of God the Father: 5Glory to him for ever and ever. Amen.
There is no other gospel
6 ② I am surprised at how quickly you have abandoned God who called you according to the grace of Christ, and have gone to another gospel. 7Indeed, there is no other gospel, but some people who are sowing confusion among you want to turn the Gospel of Christ upside down.
8But even if we ourselves were giving you another gospel different from the one we preached to you, or if it were an angel from heaven, I would say: let God’s curse be on him! 9As I have said I now say again: if any one preaches the Gospel in a way other than you received it, fire that one. 10Are we to please humans or obey God? Do you think that I try to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Paul teaches what he received from God
11 ③ Let me remind you, brothers and sisters, that the Gospel we preached to you is not a human message, 12nor did I receive it from anyone, I was not taught of it but it came to me as a revelation from Christ Jesus. 13You have heard of my previous activity in the Jewish community; I furiously persecuted the Church of God and tried to destroy it. 14For I was more devoted to the Jewish religion than many fellow Jews of my age, and I defended the traditions of my ancestors more fanatically.
15But one day God called me out of his great love, he who had chosen me from my mother’s womb; and he was pleased 16to reveal in me his Son, that I might make him known among the pagan nations. Then I did not seek human advice 17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me. I immediately went to Arabia, and from there I returned again to Damascus. 18Later, after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to meet Cephas, and I stayed with him for fifteen days. 19But I did not see any other apostle except James, the Lord’s brother. 20On writing this to you, I affirm before God that I am not lying.
21After that I went to Syria and Cilicia. 22The churches of Christ in Judea did not know me personally; 23they had only heard of me: “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith he tried to uproot.” 24And they praised God because of me.
- Gal 1,1 Paul reminds them and stresses the fact that he has been called and sent directly by God. Speaking of apostles he does not first think of Jesus' Twelve who had been sent by him, but of others who had this title, sent by the Church and God, but in fact chosen by men. Gal 1,6 I am surprised at how quickly you have abandoned God... and have gone to another Gospel. There are many ways of preaching the Gospel and making of it a different one, no longer the Good News given by God through Jesus. Some of the Galatians who were of Jewish origin did not understand it. The style of life, in appearance more religious, that they were trying to impose on the community, was in fact a way of doubting Jesus, who alone is Savior. As I preached it to you (v. 8). Astonishing words for us who are used to receiving different points of view: was Paul then infallible? He knew he was bearer, not only of the Word of God, but of the truth of the Gospel. In fact the faith of the Church has always been the faith of the apostles: we believe in Jesus as the apostles believed, understood and taught. It is impossible to make this a subject of discussion without departing from the Christian faith. The doctrine received from the apostles and guarded by the Church is what we call Tradition. Gal 1,11 The enemies of Paul criticize his authority saying that he was not an apostle like those Jesus had chosen. Paul will then briefly recall his itinerary: see on this subject Acts 9:1-31. He revealed in me his Son (v. 16). Paul has not only seen Christ, he discovered him intimately present in himself. The risen Christ, Word and Wisdom of God, gave him in an unique illumination all the truth of faith (not all the truths which are only partial aspects which we may discover in different stages of life). The case of Paul, whom Christ called directly, is special. Yet we see that Paul did not impose himself on the Church. Christ sent him to ask Ananias for baptism. Later he saw Cephas (the Aramean name for Peter), recognized head of the Church, and James, responsible for the Church of Jerusalem. This union or communion is indispensable for acting in the name of the Church. Paul says: They acknowledged the graces God gave me (2:9): they recognized that the Spirit of God was in Paul's work. The leaders in the Church do not impose a personal policy, but they try to recognize the call of the Holy Spirit.
- Gal 1,1 Paul reminds them and stresses the fact that he has been called and sent directly by God. Speaking of apostles he does not first think of Jesus' Twelve who had been sent by him, but of others who had this title, sent by the Church and God, but in fact chosen by men. Gal 1,6 I am surprised at how quickly you have abandoned God... and have gone to another Gospel. There are many ways of preaching the Gospel and making of it a different one, no longer the Good News given by God through Jesus. Some of the Galatians who were of Jewish origin did not understand it. The style of life, in appearance more religious, that they were trying to impose on the community, was in fact a way of doubting Jesus, who alone is Savior. As I preached it to you (v. 8). Astonishing words for us who are used to receiving different points of view: was Paul then infallible? He knew he was bearer, not only of the Word of God, but of the truth of the Gospel. In fact the faith of the Church has always been the faith of the apostles: we believe in Jesus as the apostles believed, understood and taught. It is impossible to make this a subject of discussion without departing from the Christian faith. The doctrine received from the apostles and guarded by the Church is what we call Tradition. Gal 1,11 The enemies of Paul criticize his authority saying that he was not an apostle like those Jesus had chosen. Paul will then briefly recall his itinerary: see on this subject Acts 9:1-31. He revealed in me his Son (v. 16). Paul has not only seen Christ, he discovered him intimately present in himself. The risen Christ, Word and Wisdom of God, gave him in an unique illumination all the truth of faith (not all the truths which are only partial aspects which we may discover in different stages of life). The case of Paul, whom Christ called directly, is special. Yet we see that Paul did not impose himself on the Church. Christ sent him to ask Ananias for baptism. Later he saw Cephas (the Aramean name for Peter), recognized head of the Church, and James, responsible for the Church of Jerusalem. This union or communion is indispensable for acting in the name of the Church. Paul says: They acknowledged the graces God gave me (2:9): they recognized that the Spirit of God was in Paul's work. The leaders in the Church do not impose a personal policy, but they try to recognize the call of the Holy Spirit.
- Gal 1,1 Paul reminds them and stresses the fact that he has been called and sent directly by God. Speaking of apostles he does not first think of Jesus' Twelve who had been sent by him, but of others who had this title, sent by the Church and God, but in fact chosen by men. Gal 1,6 I am surprised at how quickly you have abandoned God... and have gone to another Gospel. There are many ways of preaching the Gospel and making of it a different one, no longer the Good News given by God through Jesus. Some of the Galatians who were of Jewish origin did not understand it. The style of life, in appearance more religious, that they were trying to impose on the community, was in fact a way of doubting Jesus, who alone is Savior. As I preached it to you (v. 8). Astonishing words for us who are used to receiving different points of view: was Paul then infallible? He knew he was bearer, not only of the Word of God, but of the truth of the Gospel. In fact the faith of the Church has always been the faith of the apostles: we believe in Jesus as the apostles believed, understood and taught. It is impossible to make this a subject of discussion without departing from the Christian faith. The doctrine received from the apostles and guarded by the Church is what we call Tradition. Gal 1,11 The enemies of Paul criticize his authority saying that he was not an apostle like those Jesus had chosen. Paul will then briefly recall his itinerary: see on this subject Acts 9:1-31. He revealed in me his Son (v. 16). Paul has not only seen Christ, he discovered him intimately present in himself. The risen Christ, Word and Wisdom of God, gave him in an unique illumination all the truth of faith (not all the truths which are only partial aspects which we may discover in different stages of life). The case of Paul, whom Christ called directly, is special. Yet we see that Paul did not impose himself on the Church. Christ sent him to ask Ananias for baptism. Later he saw Cephas (the Aramean name for Peter), recognized head of the Church, and James, responsible for the Church of Jerusalem. This union or communion is indispensable for acting in the name of the Church. Paul says: They acknowledged the graces God gave me (2:9): they recognized that the Spirit of God was in Paul's work. The leaders in the Church do not impose a personal policy, but they try to recognize the call of the Holy Spirit.
