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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 Galatia and accused him that he was not the true apostle and therefore what he preached was not persuasive. They said that the twelve apostles received the call from Christ directly and the ministry of Paul was through men’s calling.

   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 Galatia:

   YLT: “and all the brethren with me, to the assemblies of Galatia:”

   Meaning of Words: “with”: beside; “the churches”: a calling out.

   The Background: at that time Galatia was a province in the ancient Roman Empire and it included Iconium, Antioch in Pisidia, Lystra, Derbe and other cities. Paul once preached in that area and established many churches (Acts. 13, 16).

   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 Galatia were confused by Judaizers and were departing from Christ’s grace and turning to receive the different doctrines. And it is the main reason why Paul wrote this epistle. And therefore Paul mentioned the words of thanksgiving to God just as he did in the other epistles, however, he also stated his sadness. Judaizers cried from house-tops that the gospel that they preached was better and completer than that Paul preached.

   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 Galatia had turned away from God and they still called themselves Christians. Please note that those who call themselves Christians may pervert.

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 Galatia were perverted, he still called them “brothers” (this word is used eight times in the whole book), showing that his rebuke was of the love among brothers in the Lord.

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 Mamascus (Acts. 9:3-8). Jesus whom he once thought was dead is indeed alive. The moment he saw the living Christ, he suddenly understood the mystery of the gospel.

   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 church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.

   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 (Rom. 1:1).

   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 Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

   YLT: “nor did I go up to Jerusalem unto those who were apostles before me, but I went away to Arabia, and again returned to Damascus,”

   The Background: at that time, Jerusalem was the center of churches in the New Testament and the twelve apostles were all there. After Paul was saved, he went to Arabia and it was not mentioned in the ninth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. “Arabia” refers to the vast region from Damascus to the wilderness of Sinai (the place of origin of the law) and it was also called Nabonites Arabia. 

   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 Arabia and it is deduced that he was alone with God and examined and corrected his faith and life.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) “I went to Arabia” It means that he departed from the place where men are influenced by the Jewish culture and religion.

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 Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days.

   YLT: “then, after three years I went up to Jerusalem to enquire about Peter, and remained with him fifteen days,”

   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 Jerusalem” The word “up” is used because the land of Jerusalem was higher.

  “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 Syria and Cilicia.

   YLT: “then I came to the regions of Syria and of Cilicia,”

   The Background: the place where Paul grew up was Tarsus which was in Cilicia (Acts. 22:3). Tarsus of Cilicia was in the southern part of Turkey. Syria neighbored Cilicia and it included Lebanon today. When Paul began to preach, he preached in the area of his hometown.

   Literal Meaning: Paul specially mentioned these two places and it seemed to state that the realm that he worked was far away from Jerusalem.

 

Gal. 1:22 “And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ.

   YLT: “and was unknown by face to the assemblies of Judea, that [are] in Christ,”

   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 Tarsus.

 

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

I. The source------the will of God the Father (v.1, 15).

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 Jerusalem immediately (v.17)------he did not receive teachings from men.

II. But he went to Arabia (v.17)------he went to be alone with God.

III. And he returned again to Damascus (v.17)------he corrected his past wrongness.

IV. After three years he went up to Jerusalem (v.18)------he faced his past history.

V. Afterward he went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia (v.21)------he faced his hometown.

 

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 HuangChristian Digest Bible Commentary Series

   Translated by Sharon Ren