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Galatians
Chapter One
I.
Content of the Chapter
Paul Defended for the Gospel
I. Greetings------the origin of Paul’s apostleship:
A. God
is the only source of his ministry of preaching (v.1).
B. He
was acknowledged by numerous believers of Christ (v.2).
C. He
wished that other believers would receive the good thing (v.3).
D. He
declared the works of Christ (v.4-5).
II. Blame------the Galatians even turned to a different
gospel:
A.
Paul marveled that they were turning away from God (v.6a).
B. The
different gospel was not another (v.6b-7).
C.
Those who preached a different gospel should be accursed (v.8-9).
D.
Those who preached the true gospel did not seek to please men (v.10).
III. Explanation------what Paul preached was from God:
A.
Before he believed in the Lord------he was zealous for the traditions of his
fathers (v.13-14).
B. The
moment he believed in the Lord------God revealed Christ in his heart (v.11-12;
15-16a).
C.
After he believed in the Lord------he had not learned anything from those who
were in the Lord before him (v.16b-21).
D. The
effect of the true gospel makes men give glory to God (v.22-24).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Gal. 1:1 “Paul, an apostle (not
from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who
raised Him from the dead),”
YLT: “Paul, an apostle --
not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father,
who did raise him out of the dead --”
Meaning of Words: “apostle”: the one
who is sent, the messenger; “Paul”: little; “from”: spring in, come from;
“through”: by reason of; “raise”: quicken.
The
Background: the early churches
always esteemed “the apostles” and kept their teachings (Acts. 2:42) and
therefore the apostles had the spiritual authority of speaking in the name of
Christ. At that time, some people defamed Paul in the churches in
Literal Meaning: Paul defended for
his qualification for his apostleship:
1) “Not from men” It indicates that he was not sent by any group
indirectly.
2) “Nor through man” It indicates that it was not brought about
by anyone (e.g. Barnabas) indirectly.
3) It is Jesus Christ who
was raised among the dead that directly appeared to him and selected him (Acts.
9:15).
4) And it was through the calling and
revelation of God the Father (Gal. 1:15-16).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The author called himself “Paul” and was willing
to be “little” (the meaning of Paul) after he was saved. God’s servants should
not be proud and should humble themselves to serve others (See Matt. 20:26-28).
2) The status of preachers is not due to abilities
or knowledge of the Bible but God’s calling and sending.
3) Nobody could make another one be the Lord’s
worker and only God could do this.
4) Every preacher should be convinced that his
ministry of preaching is from God’s commission.
5) When the proofs of apostles are mentioned in
this verse, the case that the Lord was raised from the dead was specially
mentioned and it means that preaching the gospel of Christ so as to make men be
a new creation is fully in the realm of resurrection.
Gal. 1:2 “and all the brethren who
are with me, To the churches of
YLT: “and all the
brethren with me, to the assemblies of
Meaning of Words: “with”: beside; “the
churches”: a calling out.
The
Background: at that time
Literal Meaning: “and all the brethren who
are with me” may refer to all
the fellow-workers who travelled and preached with Paul (Pill. 4:21-22). This
book was written by Paul himself, however, he added this sentence in order to
show that the contents of this book were the ideas of him and all the
fellow-workers. In addition, Paul indirectly pointed out that his
fellow-workers all accepted and approved his apostleship through this.
Gal. 1:3 “Grace to you and peace from
God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,”
YLT: “Grace to you, and
peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ,”
Meaning of Words: “grace”: gracious
love, favor; “peace”: quietness, rest, without enmity.
Literal Meaning: “grace” indicates that
God gives Himself and all that He has to men freely which men are unworthy to
receive.
“Peace” indicates the condition of
blessing after men have been reconciled to God. And the state of sereneness is
also included. It is the condition and result of men after they have enjoyed
grace. Grace is the position and peace is the reality.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When Paul was in the conflicts, struggle and
pain in the Spirit, he still focused on the benefits of the churches, preaching
the gospel and glorying God. It is the best proof that Paul’s apostleship was
from God.
2) Christians are those who have enjoyed God’s
“grace” and therefore their life is happy. The Christianity without attraction
is not the true Christianity.
3) “Grace” is a gift that men cannot gain by
themselves because men could do nothing worthy of grace.
4) “Grace” is the source of “peace” and “peace” is
the result of “grace”. It is impossible that men want to receive God’s peace if
he does not seek God’s grace first.
5) The “peace” of believers is neither related to
the objective environments nor influenced by the outside environments.
Gal. 1:4 “who gave Himself for our
sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the
will of our God and Father,”
YLT: “who did give
himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of the present evil age,
according to the will of God even our Father,”
Meaning of Words: “will”: desire,
determination; “sins”: miss the mark; “deliver”: pluck out, rescue; “age”: the
world, epoch.
Literal Meaning: this verse indicates
the four aspects of the gospel of grace:
1) The source: “according to the will of our God and
Father” The time, way and
plan are included (John. 7:6, 8, 30; 8:30; Acts. 2:23).
2) The reason: “for our sins”.
3) The nature: Christ “gave Himself”. He who knew no sin was made to be sin for us (2Cor.
5:21).
4) The aim: “that He might deliver us from this
present evil age” the aim of His
death was to deliver us from the corruptive system and power of the world.
The “age” refers to the temporary, changeable, and
valueless world which is controlled by Satan at present and we are in the
world. The world is a part of Satan’s system and Satan used it to usurp and
occupy men so as to make them depart from God and the will of God. And
therefore it is called “this preset evil age”. Christians live in the world,
however, we no long belong to the constitution of the world.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Those who cannot know the great love of Christ
who “gave Himself” are unworthy of His salvation.
2) The followers of Christ Jesus also walk on the
way of giving themselves and taking their cross (Matt. 16:24).
3) We have to do everything according to the will
of God. If it is not the will of God, though we give our body to be burned, but
have not love, it profits us nothing (See 1Cor. 13:3).
4) The salvation of Jesus Christ not only makes our
sins be forgiven but also delivers us from the power of sins.
Gal. 1:5 “to whom be glory forever
and ever. Amen.”
YLT: “to whom [is] the
glory to the ages of the ages. Amen.”
Meaning of Words: “glory”: the state
that is shown when God is present; “forever and ever”: throughout all ages,
eternal; “Amen”: verily, hope so.
Literal Meaning: the result of the
grace of the gospel is to glorify God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The greatest glory of men is temporary and it
passes away in a flash and only God’s glory lasts forever and ever.
2) The Lord’s workers all glorify God, however, the
false workers glorify themselves.
Gal. 1:6 “I marvel that you are
turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a
different gospel,”
YLT: “I wonder that ye
are so quickly removed from Him who did call you in the grace of Christ to
another good news;”
Meaning of Words: “marvel”: wonder, be
shocked; “turn away”: be transferred, remove from, change, turn, betray one’s
faith; “call”: in the original the calling is effective and it cannot be
refused; “different”: different kind, different nature; “gospel”: good news,
glad tidings.
The
Background: the churches in
Literal Meaning: “so soon” indicates
both the shortness of time and the quickness that their minds changed.
“A different gospel” It refers to another gospel and it isn’t
the gospel of Christ at all.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Please note that Paul did not say that believers
in Galatia departed from the doctrines that he preached but that they turned
away from God “who called them”. If Christians receive the heresies, they
indeed betray God.
2) The good trick of Satan is to confuse the truth
so as to make men follow a different gospel unconsciously, except enticing men
into the lusts of the flesh.
3) Believers in
4) Paul used “grace” purposely in order to declare
the contrast between grace and “a different gospel”. The former refers to
receiving freely and the latter refers to gaining by one’s merits and
achievements.
Gal. 1:7 “which is not another; but
there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.”
YLT: “that is not
another, except there be certain who are troubling you, and wishing to pervert
the good news of the Christ;”
Meaning of Words: “trouble”:
disturbing one in the heart, confuse, worry, uneasy; “want”: desire, wish
earnestly, with aim and plan; “pervert”: distort, twist, divert the emphasis to
another thing.
Literal Meaning: “not another” It is
not the gospel. It is only the trick of Judaizers and they disguised it as the
gospel. They also preached the death and resurrection of Christ, however, they
added circumcision in the beginning and keeping the law finally. The center of
the gospel was not changed. This gospel is not the gospel and it is the
distortion of the truth.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The tricky of the devil is not to overthrow
God’s truth but to increase, decrease or change God’s truth so that men are
made confused and feel hard to discern the true and false and they have to
accept the heretical teachings.
2) If we want to discern the true and false, we
cannot see the distortion unless we measure it with the standard (the straight
words in the Bible).
3) Christ’s gospel is perfect, if men want to
change it, what they can to make it worse and they cannot make it better.
4) In the age of Paul, the law is added to the
gospel and today science, philosophy, signs, spiritual giants, sects,
organizations, social charity and etc are added to the gospel.
Gal. 1:8 “But even if we, or an
angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to
you, let him be accursed.”
YLT: “but even if we or a
messenger out of heaven may proclaim good news to you different from what we
did proclaim to you -- anathema let him be!”
Meaning of Words: “any other”: aside,
over there, surpass; “be accursed”: isolate one from God to make him perish
because he is hated by God, this word is used to declare one’s excommunication
later;
Literal Meaning: in the New
Testament, the false prophets were especially accursed by God because they were
full of deceit. They were sons of the devil, the enemies of the just and they
distorted the word of God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The principle of the gospel of grace is
unswerving forever. Its reality does not lie in the authority and qualification
of the preacher but its content.
2) Paul also involved himself in, showing that
everyone is possible to change and we should not trust the spiritual ones
excessively. Unfortunately, it is easy for many people to trust the good
reputation of men more than the word of God.
3) Satan himself is transformed into an angel of
light (2Cor. 11:14).
4) It is the character of the apostle that Paul
involved himself in the curse of denying the gospel. Though they have the
authority, they do not make themselves superior to the gospel.
5) Angels and apostles are all messengers who
preach the glad tidings, however, they have no right to change the gospel.
6) Today when we receive the doctrines, we should
not pay attention to anyone or any group that preach but whether the message
that they preach is right.
Gal. 1:9 “As we have said before,
so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you
have received, let him be accursed.”
YLT: “as we have said
before, and now say again, If any one to you may proclaim good news different
from what ye did receive -- anathema let him be!”
Meaning of Words: “receive”:
accommodate just like the host welcomes the guest.
Controversial Clarification:
some people applied this verse to all the
explanations for the truth of the Bible and regard their own understanding
correct and think that all those who have the other understandings should be
accursed. Such application is quite dangerous.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) There is one gospel and if something is
different from the gospel, it is not the gospel.
2) If what we believe and preach is different from
the gospel of grace, the horrible curse would befall us.
Gal. 1:10 “For do I now persuade
men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would
not be a bondservant of Christ.”
YLT: “for now men do I
persuade, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if yet men I did please --
Christ's servant I should not be.”
Meaning of Words: “bondservant”:
slave, one sells himself as a slave.
The
Background: this verse should be
the answer to the Judaizers’ following accusations: they probably accused Paul
that he did not preach the law and circumcision because he feared it was hard
for the Gentiles to receive them and he did not declare them purposely in order
to cater for men and he loved pleasing men more than pleasing God.
Literal
Meaning: the word “for” in
the beginning of this verse connects this verse and the previous words.
“For if I still” shows that before Paul
became a bondman of Christ, he walked according to the principle of pleasing
men.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The reason why the heresies preached the
different gospel is that they loved the praise of men more than the praise of
God.
2) The bondmen of Christ should not seek men’s
approval and favor purposely and certainly should not attract others’
antipathy. However, when the favor of men conflicts with the favor of God, we
would rather seek God’s favor.
3) The essential attitude of a bondman of God is to
please God.
Gal. 1:11 “But I make known to you,
brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.”
YLT: “And I make known to
you, brethren, the good news that were proclaimed by me, that it is not
according to man,”
Meaning of Words: “make known”:
certify, declare; “according to”: on the basis of.
Literal Meaning: “is not according to man” It is not according to men’s suggestions
or adheres to men’s ideas. It is not the new doctrine grasped from all the
philosophies and theories in the world.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When Paul scathingly rebuked that believers in
2) In the church, we should walk according to the
will of God instead of the will o f men (Matt. 26:39). If we pay attention to
“the opinion of men”, we shall always put Christ into death (Matt. 26:66).
Gal. 1:12 “For I neither received it
from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus
Christ.”
YLT: “for neither did I
from man receive it, nor was I taught [it], but through a revelation of Jesus
Christ,”
Meaning of Words: “from men”: stand by
the side of men; “revelation”: lift a cover, uncover the veil.
The
Background: When the Jews
received the teachings from rabbis, the students repeated the sentence that the
teacher said. Paul was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, the Jewish rabbi
(Acts. 22:3). The last sentence of this verse probably indicates that Christ
appeared to him outside the city of
Literal Meaning: “I
neither received it from man” It indicates that
men are not the source from whom he received the gospel.
“Nor was I taught it” It indicates that men’s teachings are not
the channel through which he received the gospel.
“The revelation of Jesus Christ” Jesus Christ is both the revealer and the
content of revelation.
Here Paul stressed that the gospel that
he preached was neither gained by the religious education that he had received
nor given by the Lord’s disciples. And the gospel is the revelation that he
directly received from the Lord.
Controversial Clarification: some people, according to this scripture,
hold that Christians should neither receive the teachings from others nor
receive the knowledge of truth from men and even should not read the spiritual
books and newspapers. Such explanation is wrong. The beginning of the gospel is
undoubtedly the revelation of God, however, the gospel is preached through
men’s teachings (See Col. 1:28). And therefore we should not lightly esteem prophecies
and we should prove all things (1Thess. 5:20-21).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) All the religions in the world are of men’s
ideas and only Christianity is of God’s revelation.
2) We should bring all that we have received and
all the teachings from men to God’s light and ask Him to teach us to approve
all things (See Pill. 1:10).
Gal. 1:13 “For you have heard of my
former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the
YLT: “for ye did hear of
my behaviour once in Judaism, that exceedingly I was persecuting the assembly
of God, and wasting it,”
Meaning of Words: “conduct”:
behaviors, life style; “beyond measure”: use up one’s minds and abilities;
“persecute”: run to catch up with enmity; “destroy”: ravage and annihilation of
the troops.
The
Background: When Paul was in
Judaism, he persecuted the churches beyond measure in order to keep the law
because God’s churches do not stress on keeping the law (Acts. 8:1; 9:1-2;
26:5; Pill. 3:5-6). From this we could know the close connection between Paul
and Judaism and his faithfulness to the law. If the Lord did not appear to him,
he was the slave of the law after all.
Literal Meaning: It is mentioned in
this verse that Paul previously walked according to the principle of destroying
the churches. His great change of life here proved that the gospel that he
preached was of God.
Enlightenment in the Word: Paul persecuted the churches “beyond measure” when
he was ignorant in unbelief, however, after he had believed in the Lord, he
“greatly strived for” the churches (Col. 2:1). Whatever your hand finds to do,
do it with your might (Eccl. 9:10). The works that are done by men who are
neither cold nor hot are unacceptable to the Lord (Rev. 3:15).
Gal. 1:14 “And I advanced in Judaism
beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly
zealous for the traditions of my fathers.”
YLT: “and I was advancing
in Judaism above many equals in age in mine own race, being more abundantly
zealous of my fathers' deliverances,”
Meaning of Words: “contemporaries”: peers; “advance”: forerunner;
“traditions”: conventions.
The
Background: except the law and
ceremonies that were given by God, men in Judaism laid great stress on “the
traditions of the fathers”------the oral regulations that were handed down by
the Jews in all the past dynasties. They were the explanations and applications
of the law of Moses and were used to supplement the insufficiencies of the
letters and they had the same effect with the law. Paul was of the sect of the
Pharisees who were zealous in the traditions of their fathers (Acts. 23:6).
Literal Meaning: in this verse Paul
described that he was zealous in religion and keeping the law and ceremonies
before he believed in the Lord. Through this he wanted to prove one thing that
the gospel that he preached today was not from men and nobody could persuade
him to change him.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The religious zealousness without God’s
revelation is the most terrible thing in the world------the one who kills men
thinks that he renders service to God (John. 16:2).
2) We should not lay more stress on the traditions
of the fathers than God’s commandments (Matt. 15:6). Though many spiritual
writings in Christianity in all the past dynasties are very precious, we should
never let them replace the word of God.
Gal. 1:15 “But when it pleased God,
who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace,”
YLT: “and when God was
well pleased -- having separated me from the womb of my mother, and having
called [me] through His grace --”
Meaning of Words: “please”: regard it
good, decide, will; “separate”: set off by boundary, divide, mark.
Literal Meaning: “please” shows that
it is God’s aim and desire.
“Who
separated me from my mother's womb”
One is marked out before he was born.
“Called” It not merely mentions that
Paul was called to be a Christian and it especially refers to the gracious
calling of Paul’s apostleship (
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The zealous religious believers are proud of
their own works and the true Christians are proud of God’s works upon them and
God’s grace.
2) Grace and calling are parallel. God showed us
grace in order to call us to be channels that pass on and manifest his grace.
Gal. 1:16 “to reveal His Son in me,
that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with
flesh and blood,”
YLT: “to reveal His Son
in me, that I might proclaim him good news among the nations, immediately I
conferred not with flesh and blood,”
Meaning of Words: “the Gentiles”: the
nations, other races; “confer”: bring up.
Literal Meaning: “in me” shows that
Paul saw the risen Christ, and He had entered into the depth of his heart.
“Preach Him among the Gentiles” is to preach Him to all the non-Jews.
“Not confer with flesh and blood” It means that he did not discuss with
natural men. It shows that he already had the full assurance. God not only gave
him the authorization to preach the word but also provided him all the truth of
knowledge that he needed.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) It is God’s favor and desire in His heart to
reveal Christ His Son.
2) God is also pleased to reveal His son to us.
3) When God reveals us His son, it is not the outer
objective doctrine or vision but the inner subjective knowledge and sight.
4) Preaching is of revelation. The preaching
without revelation is in vain.
5) What we preach is not the law or ceremonies but
Christ the son of God. We not only preach the doctrines of Christ but also
preach the risen Christ.
Gal. 1:17 “nor did I go up to
YLT: “nor did I go up to
The
Background: at that time,
Literal Meaning: the first half
sentence is enough to prove that what the Judaizers said------“Paul was taught
from the apostles and his words were from men” was trumped up.
Pal went to
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “I went to
2) He did not confer with flesh and blood in the
previous verse, lest men decrease something and he did not see those who were apostles before
him, lest men add something.
Gal. 1:18 “Then after three years I
went up to
YLT: “then, after three
years I went up to
Meaning of Words: “see”: visit men and
know with them.
Literal Meaning: “after three years”
It is counted from the time when Paul was called.
“Went up to
“And remained with him fifteen days” It shows that in such a short period of
time, he could not learn the doctrine of salvation from him. Paul said so in
order to prove that his teachings were not from men but from God directly.
Gal. 1:19 “But I saw none of the
other apostles except James, the Lord's brother.”
YLT: “and other of the
apostles I did not see, except James, the brother of the Lord.”
Literal Meaning: this verse shows
that he did not see many of the leaders in the church at that time.
Gal. 1:20 “(Now concerning the
things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)”
YLT: “And the things that
I write to you, lo, before God -- I lie not;”
The
Background: the word in this
verse is the typical serious vow that a Jew makes before the judge. And it
clearly states that if he has not spoken sincerely, he shall cause God’s
judgment and anger. This verse aims to state that all the words that are
mentioned are true.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Here Paul regarded God as the witness, showing
that how he stressed on the apostleship that is not from but through God.
2) Believers should have the consciousness of
walking before God in deed and word and then we shall have good testimony.
Gal. 1:21 “Afterward I went into the
regions of
YLT: “then I came to the
regions of
The
Background: the place where Paul
grew up was
Literal Meaning: Paul specially
mentioned these two places and it seemed to state that the realm that he worked
was far away from
Gal. 1:22 “And I was unknown by face
to the churches of
YLT: “and was unknown by
face to the assemblies of
Literal Meaning: the time may not
refer to “the fifteen days” in the eighteenth verse but the several unknown
years after Paul returned to his hometown
Gal. 1:23 “But they were hearing
only, ‘He who formerly persecuted
us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.’”
YLT: “and only they were
hearing, that `he who is persecuting us then, doth now proclaim good news --
the faith that then he was wasting;'”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Paul either “persecuted” the churches or
“preached” the word. He indeed put himself in the faith that he believed
wholeheartedly.
2) What we preach must be the great change that we
have experienced by ourselves and then it shall be effective.
Gal. 1:24 “And they glorified God in
me.”
YLT: “and they were
glorifying God in me.”
Literal Meaning: from this verse, we
could know that the Jewish Christians acknowledged what Paul preached was the
truth and praised God for his change.
Enlightenment in the Word: Paul not only bore good witness in his life because
of his great change and preached the truth faithfully. Though others did not
see him, they still learned his experience and glorified God in him (v.22-24).
We should also manifest and testify Christ in our life and works so that others
may give thanks to God because of us.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
Paul’s Ministry of Apostleship
I. He was only sent by God and the Lord Jesus
(v.1,15).
II. He was acknowledged by all the fellow-workers
(v.2).
III. He was for the benefits of the churches (v.3).
IV. He preached the work that Christ had
accomplished (v.4).
V. The apostleship was for the glorification of God
(v.5).
The Gospel of Grace
II. The contents------His son Jesus Christ (v.16).
III. The message------Christ gave Himself for our
sins (v.4) and was raised from the dead (v.1).
IV. The aim------He might deliver us form this
present evil world (v.4).
V. The result------glorifying God (v.5).
The Features of the Gospel
I. It is not another
gospel (v.6).
II. It cannot be
changed (v.7).
III. It has the
incomparable authority (v.8-9):
A. it is superior to apostles.
B. it is superior to angles.
C. it is superior to anyone.
D. those who preach a different gospel
shall be accursed.
IV. It specially
pleases the will of God (v.10).
The Origin of the Gospel that Paul Preached
I. It is not from
men (v.11-12, 16):
A. it is not received from men.
B. it is not taught by men.
C. it is not conferred with men.
II. it is of the
good pleasure of God (v.15-16):
A. the procedure:
1. He separated Paul from his mother's womb.
2. He called Paul through His grace.
3. He revealed His son in Paul.
B. the content------His son Jesus
Christ.
C. the aim------He asked him to preach
Him among the Gentiles.
The Tracks after Paul Was Saved
I. He did I go up to
II. But he went to
III. And he returned again to
IV. After three years he went up to
V. Afterward he went into the regions of
Christ Is the Living Gospel
I. The meaning of
the living gospel:
A. It is not a set of doctrines (v.1,
11).
B. It is the son of God (v.1, 16).
C. The one whom Paul met (v.16).
II. The basis of the
living gospel:
A. The will of God the Father
B. The redemption of Christ.
C. The power of the Holy Spirit.
III. The obstruction of the living gospel:
A. A
different gospel (v.6).
B. Another
gospel (v.7)
C. The
perverted gospel (v.7b).
IV. The conflict of the living gospel:
A.
Conflicting with flesh and blood (v.11-12, 16b).
B.
Conflicting with the traditions (v.14).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren