Galatians 1:1
Paul, an apostle--sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead--
Paul, an apostle
The opening of Galatians 1:1 begins with "Paul, an apostle," establishing the authority and identity of the letter's author. The term "apostle" comes from the Greek word "apostolos," meaning "one who is sent" or "a messenger." In the early Christian context, an apostle was someone who had been directly commissioned by Jesus Christ to spread the Gospel. Paul emphasizes his apostleship to assert his authority and the divine origin of his message, countering any claims that he was a lesser apostle compared to the original twelve. Historically, Paul’s apostleship was often questioned, especially by those who sought to undermine his teachings. By asserting his role as an apostle, Paul is not only defending his position but also the authenticity of the Gospel he preaches.

not from men nor by man
This phrase underscores the divine nature of Paul's calling. The Greek prepositions "apo" (from) and "dia" (by) highlight the distinction between human and divine commissioning. Paul insists that his apostleship is not derived from human authority or through human agency. This is crucial in the context of Galatians, where false teachers were challenging his authority. By emphasizing that his commission is not of human origin, Paul reinforces the divine legitimacy of his message and mission. This serves as a reminder that true spiritual authority comes from God, not from human institutions or endorsements.

but by Jesus Christ and God the Father
Here, Paul clarifies the source of his apostleship: "by Jesus Christ and God the Father." The conjunction "but" (Greek "alla") introduces a strong contrast to the previous phrase, emphasizing the divine origin of his calling. The mention of both Jesus Christ and God the Father highlights the unity and cooperation within the Godhead in the commissioning of Paul. This dual reference also affirms the deity of Christ, a central tenet of Christian faith. Historically, this assertion would have been significant in countering any Judaizing influences that sought to diminish the role of Christ in salvation.

who raised Him from the dead
This phrase refers to God the Father raising Jesus Christ from the dead, a foundational event in Christian theology. The resurrection is the ultimate validation of Jesus' divine nature and the truth of His teachings. The Greek verb "egeiro" (raised) signifies not just a return to life but a transformation into a glorified state. By including this statement, Paul is reminding the Galatians of the power and authority of the risen Christ, which undergirds his own apostolic authority. The resurrection is the cornerstone of the Christian faith, assuring believers of their future resurrection and eternal life.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Paul
The author of the letter, an apostle who was formerly known as Saul. He was a Pharisee and a persecutor of Christians before his conversion on the road to Damascus.

2. Apostle
A term meaning "one who is sent." In the New Testament, it refers to those who were specifically chosen and sent by Jesus Christ to spread the Gospel.

3. Jesus Christ
The Son of God, whose resurrection is central to the Christian faith. Paul emphasizes that his apostleship is directly from Jesus.

4. God the Father
The first person of the Trinity, who raised Jesus from the dead, affirming His divine authority and power.

5. Galatia
A region in modern-day Turkey where the recipients of this letter lived. The churches in Galatia were dealing with issues of false teachings and needed clarification on the Gospel.
Teaching Points
Divine Calling
Paul’s apostleship was not a human appointment but a divine calling. This underscores the importance of recognizing God’s authority in our lives and ministries.

Authority of the Gospel
The Gospel Paul preaches is not man-made but divinely revealed. We must hold fast to the true Gospel and be wary of teachings that deviate from it.

Resurrection Power
The mention of God raising Jesus from the dead highlights the power of the resurrection, which is central to our faith and hope as Christians.

Identity in Christ
Just as Paul’s identity and mission were rooted in Christ, believers today should find their identity and purpose in their relationship with Jesus.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding Paul’s divine calling as an apostle impact our view of his teachings in the New Testament?

2. In what ways can we ensure that our understanding of the Gospel remains true to its divine origin, as Paul emphasizes?

3. How does the resurrection of Jesus Christ influence your daily life and faith journey?

4. What are some modern-day challenges to the authority of the Gospel, and how can we address them?

5. How can we discern and respond to God’s calling in our own lives, similar to how Paul responded to his calling?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Acts 9
Describes Paul's conversion and calling by Jesus Christ, emphasizing that his apostleship was not from human origin.

1 Corinthians 15
Discusses the resurrection of Jesus, which is a foundational truth that Paul mentions as part of his divine commissioning.

Romans 1
Paul introduces himself similarly, highlighting his calling and the Gospel's divine origin.
Apostolic AuthorityW.F. Adeney Galatians 1:1
Apostolic Salutation and Vindication of Apostolic TeachingLuther., Richard Nicholls.Galatians 1:1
Certainty of Divine CallingLuther.Galatians 1:1
Christ the Fountain of Gospel TeachingT. Watson.Galatians 1:1
Christian Sense of Personal WorthJ. P. Lange, D. D.Galatians 1:1
Divine VocationJ. P. Lange, D. D.Galatians 1:1
Extraordinary Gifts Associated with Extraordinary VocatioW. Burkitt.Galatians 1:1
Genuine and Spurious ApostlesGalatians 1:1
God the Instructor of the ChurchCalvin.Galatians 1:1
Jesus Christ SupremeJ. P. Lange, D. D.Galatians 1:1
Necessity of a Divine CallLuther.Galatians 1:1
Paul an ApostleW. Perkins.Galatians 1:1
Paul's Insistance on His ApostleshipE. Reuss, B. A.Galatians 1:1
St. Paul's Call to the ApostleshipA. J. J. Cachemaille.Galatians 1:1
The Apostle's AttitudeJ. P. Lange, D. D.Galatians 1:1
The Apostles DefinedJ. McLean.Galatians 1:1
The Divinity of the GospelJ. Lyth.Galatians 1:1
The High Significance of the ApostolateJ. P. Lange, D. D.Galatians 1:1
The InscriptionJohn Brown, D. D.Galatians 1:1
The Name and Office of an ApostleBishop Lightfoot.Galatians 1:1
The Opening SalutationBishop Lightfoot.Galatians 1:1
The True Apostolical SuccessionH. W. Beecher.Galatians 1:1
IntroductionR. Finlayson Galatians 1:1-5
The Gospel of Self-SacrificeR.M. Edgar Galatians 1:1-5
People
Cephas, Galatians, James, Paul, Peter
Places
Cilicia, Damascus, Galatia, Jerusalem, Judea, Syria
Topics
Agency, Apostle, Christ, Dead, Paul, Raise, Raised
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Galatians 1:1

     1170   God, unity of
     2212   Christ, head of church
     5391   letters
     5408   messenger
     7707   apostles, designation
     7709   apostles, authority
     8203   character
     9312   resurrection, significance of Christ's

Galatians 1:1-5

     5328   greeting

Library
Our Manifesto
TO ME it is a pitiful sight to see Paul defending himself as an apostle; and doing this, not against the gainsaying world, but against cold-hearted members of the church. They said that he was not truly an apostle, for he had not seen the Lord; and they uttered a great many other things derogatory to him. To maintain his claim to the apostleship, he was driven to commence his epistles with "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ," though his work was a self-evident proof of his call. If, after God has
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891

Answer to Mr. W's Fifth Objection.
5. The consideration that none of these raised persons did or could, after the return to their bodies, tell any tales of their separate existence; otherwise the Evangelists had not been silent in this main point, &c. p. 32. None of these persons, Mr. W. says, told any tales of their separate existence. So I suppose with him. As for the two first: How should they? being only, as Mr. W. says, an insignificant boy and girl, of twelve years of age, or thereabouts. Or if they did, the Evangelists were
Nathaniel Lardner—A Vindication of Three of Our Blessed Saviour's Miracles

The Epistles of St. Paul
WHEN we pass from primitive Christian preaching to the epistles of St. Paul, we are embarrassed not by the scantiness but by the abundance of our materials. It is not possible to argue that the death of Christ has less than a central, or rather than the central and fundamental place, in the apostle's gospel. But before proceeding to investigate more closely the significance he assigns to it, there are some preliminary considerations to which it is necessary to attend. Attempts have often been made,
James Denney—The Death of Christ

Institutions of Jesus.
That Jesus was never entirely absorbed in his apocalyptic ideas is proved, moreover, by the fact that at the very time he was most preoccupied with them, he laid with rare forethought the foundation of a church destined to endure. It is scarcely possible to doubt that he himself chose from among his disciples those who were pre-eminently called the "apostles," or the "twelve," since on the day after his death we find them forming a distinct body, and filling up by election the vacancies that had
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

Fourth Conversation
The manner of going to God. * Hearty renunciation. * Prayer and praise prevent discouragement. * Sanctification in common business. * Prayer and the presence of God. * The whole substance of religion. * Self-estimation * Further personal experience. He discoursed with me very frequently, and with great openness of heart, concerning his manner of going to GOD, whereof some part is related already. He told me, that all consists in one hearty renunciation of everything which we are sensible does not
Brother Lawrence—The Practice of the Presence of God

Exposition of St. Paul's Words, Gal. I. 8.
Exposition of St. Paul's Words, Gal. i. 8. [21.] When therefore certain of this sort wandering about provinces and cities, and carrying with them their venal errors, had found their way to Galatia, and when the Galatians, on hearing them, nauseating the truth, and vomiting up the manna of Apostolic and Catholic doctrine, were delighted with the garbage of heretical novelty, the apostle putting in exercise the authority of his office, delivered his sentence with the utmost severity, "Though we," he
Vincent of Lérins—The COMMONITORY OF Vincent of Lérins

A Reasonable Service
TEXT: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."--Romans 12:1. There is perhaps no chapter in the New Testament, certainly none in this epistle, with which we are more familiar than this one which is introduced by the text; and yet, however familiar we may be with the statements, if we read them carefully and study them honestly they must always come to us not only in the
J. Wilbur Chapman—And Judas Iscariot

The Praise of Men.
"They loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."--John xii. 43. This is spoken of the chief rulers of the Jews, who, though they believed in Christ's Divine mission, were afraid to confess Him, lest they should incur temporal loss and shame from the Pharisees. The censure passed by St. John on these persons is too often applicable to Christians at the present day; perhaps, indeed, there is no one among us who has not at some time or other fallen under it. We love the good opinion
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII

Sudden Conversions.
"By the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain."--1 Cor. xv. 10. We can hardly conceive that grace, such as that given to the great Apostle who speaks in the text, would have been given in vain; that is, we should not expect that it would have been given, had it been foreseen and designed by the Almighty Giver that it would have been in vain. By which I do not mean, of course, to deny that God's gifts are oftentimes abused and wasted by man, which
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

So Great Blindness, Moreover, Hath Occupied Men's Minds...
43. So great blindness, moreover, hath occupied men's minds, that to them it is too little if we pronounce some lies not to be sins; but they must needs pronounce it to be sin in some things if we refuse to lie: and to such a pass have they been brought by defending lying, that even that first kind which is of all the most abominably wicked they pronounce to have been used by the Apostle Paul. For in the Epistle to the Galatians, written as it was, like the rest, for doctrine of religion and piety,
St. Augustine—On Lying

Travelling in Palestine --Roads, Inns, Hospitality, Custom-House Officers, Taxation, Publicans
It was the very busiest road in Palestine, on which the publican Levi Matthew sat at the receipt of "custom," when our Lord called him to the fellowship of the Gospel, and he then made that great feast to which he invited his fellow-publicans, that they also might see and hear Him in Whom he had found life and peace (Luke 5:29). For, it was the only truly international road of all those which passed through Palestine; indeed, it formed one of the great highways of the world's commerce. At the time
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

The Early History of Particular Churches.
A.D. 67-A.D. 500 Section 1. The Church of England. [Sidenote: St. Paul's visit to England.] The CHURCH OF ENGLAND is believed, with good reason, to owe its foundation to the Apostle St. Paul, who probably came to this country after his first imprisonment at Rome. The writings of Tertullian, and others in the second and third centuries speak of Christianity as having spread as far as the islands of Britain, and a British king named Lucius is known to have embraced the Faith about the middle of
John Henry Blunt—A Key to the Knowledge of Church History

It is Also Written, "But I Say unto You...
28. It is also written, "But I say unto you, Swear not at all." But the Apostle himself has used oaths in his Epistles. [2342] And so he shows how that is to be taken which is said, "I say unto you, Swear not at all:" that is, lest by swearing one come to a facility in swearing, from facility to a custom, and so from a custom there be a downfall into perjury. And therefore he is not found to have sworn except in writing, where there is more wary forethought, and no precipitate tongue withal. And
St. Augustine—On Lying

Easter Monday
Text: Acts 10, 34-43. 34 And Peter opened his mouth, and said: Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to him. 36 The word which he sent unto the children of Israel, preaching good tidings of peace by Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all)--37 that saying ye yourselves know, which was published throughout all Judaea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; 38 even Jesus of Nazareth,
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
Text: Colossians 3, 12-17. 12 Put on therefore, as God's elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering; 13 forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye: 14 and above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to the which also ye were called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the Word
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

Extracts No. vii.
[In this number the objector gives the whole ground of his objections, and the reasons for his doubts: which he states as follows, viz. "1. Mankind, in all ages of the world, have been, and still are prone to superstition. "2. It cannot be denied, but that a part of mankind at least, have believed, and still are believing in miracles and revelation, which are spurious. "3. The facts on which religion is predicated are unlike every thing of which we have any positive knowledge." Under the first
Hosea Ballou—A Series of Letters In Defence of Divine Revelation

Chrysostom Evades Election to a Bishopric, and Writes his Work on the Priesthood.
About this time several bishoprics were vacant in Syria, and frequent depositions took place with the changing fortunes of orthodoxy and Arianism, and the interference of the court. The attention of the clergy and the people turned to Chrysostom and his friend Basil as suitable candidates for the episcopal office, although they had not the canonical age of thirty. Chrysostom shrunk from the responsibilities and avoided an election by a pious fraud. He apparently assented to an agreement with Basil
St. Chrysostom—On the Priesthood

The Apostle's Position and Circumstances
PHILIPPIANS i. 12-20 Disloyal "brethren"--Interest of the paragraph--The victory of patience--The Praetorian sentinel--Separatism, and how it was met--St Paul's secret--His "earnest expectation"--"Christ magnified"--"In my body" St Paul has spoken his affectionate greeting to the Philippians, and has opened to them the warm depths of his friendship with them in the Lord. What he feels towards them "in the heart of Christ Jesus," what he prays for them in regard of the growth and fruit of their
Handley C. G. Moule—Philippian Studies

Epistle Xlv. To Theoctista, Patrician .
To Theoctista, Patrician [153] . Gregory to Theoctista, &c. We ought to give great thanks to Almighty God, that our most pious and most benignant Emperors have near them kinsfolk of their race, whose life and conversation is such as to give us all great joy. Hence too we should continually pray for these our lords, that their life, with that of all who belong to them, may by the protection of heavenly grace be preserved through long and tranquil times. I have to inform you, however, that I have
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Jesus' First Residence at Capernaum.
^D John II. 12. ^d 12 After this he went down to Capernaum [The site of Capernaum is generally conceded to be marked by the ruins now called Tel-Hum. Jesus is said to have gone "down" because Cana is among the hills, and Capernaum was by the Lake of Galilee, about six hundred feet below sea level], he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples [There is much dispute as to what the New Testament writers mean by the phrase the "brethren of the Lord." This phrase, found in any other than a
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Indeed in all Spiritual Delights, which Unmarried Women Enjoy...
27. Indeed in all spiritual delights, which unmarried women enjoy, their holy conversation ought also to be with caution; lest haply, though their life be not evil through haughtiness, their report be evil through negligence. Nor are they to be listened to, whether they be holy men or women, when (upon occasion of their neglect in some matter being blamed, through which it comes to pass that they fall into evil suspicion, from which they know that their life is far removed) they say that it is enough
St. Augustine—On the Good of Widowhood.

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