Galatians 1
1
Greetings from Paul
1This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead.
2All the brothers and sisters#1:2 Greek brothers; also in 1:11. here join me in sending this letter to the churches of Galatia.
3May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ#1:3 Some manuscripts read God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. give you grace and peace. 4Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. 5All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.
There Is Only One Good News
6I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ.#1:6 Some manuscripts read through loving mercy. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News 7but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.
8Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. 9I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.
10Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.
Paul’s Message Comes from Christ
11Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. 12I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.#1:12 Or by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
13You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. 14I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.
15But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him 16to reveal his Son to me#1:16a Or in me. so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.
When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being.#1:16b Greek with flesh and blood. 17Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.
18Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter,#1:18 Greek Cephas. and I stayed with him for fifteen days. 19The only other apostle I met at that time was James, the Lord’s brother. 20I declare before God that what I am writing to you is not a lie.
21After that visit I went north into the provinces of Syria and Cilicia. 22And still the churches in Christ that are in Judea didn’t know me personally. 23All they knew was that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!” 24And they praised God because of me.
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Galatians 1
1
Greeting
1Paul, an #See 2 Cor. 1:1apostle—#ver. 11, 12not from men nor through man, but #Acts 9:6; 20:24; 22:10, 15, 21; 26:16; [1 Tim. 1:1; Titus 1:3] through Jesus Christ and God the Father, #See Acts 2:24who raised him from the dead— 2and all #Phil. 4:21the brothers#1:2 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verse 11 who are with me,
To #Acts 16:6; 1 Cor. 16:1the churches of Galatia:
3 #
Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3 Grace to you and peace #1 Tim. 1:2from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4#See Matt. 20:28; Rom. 4:25; 1 Cor. 15:3who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present #[Eph. 2:2; 1 John 5:19]; See John 15:19evil age, according to the will of #Phil. 4:20; 1 Thess. 1:3; 3:11, 13our God and Father, 5to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
No Other Gospel
6I am astonished that you are #[ch. 4:13; Acts 16:6; 18:23] so quickly deserting #ch. 5:8him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to #2 Cor. 11:4; [1 Tim. 1:3]a different gospel— 7#[Acts 4:12; 1 Cor. 3:11] not that there is another one, but #ch. 5:10; Acts 15:24; See 2 Cor. 11:13there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or #2 Cor. 11:14an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, #See Rom. 9:3let him be accursed. 9As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, #[See ver. 8 above]let him be accursed.
10For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying #1 Thess. 2:4; [Rom. 2:29; 1 Cor. 10:33; Eph. 6:6; Col. 3:22] to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a #[Rom. 1:1]servant#1:10 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface of Christ.
Paul Called by God
11For #1 Cor. 15:1I would have you know, brothers, that #See Rom. 2:16the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.#1:11 Greek not according to man 12#ver. 1; 1 Cor. 11:23; 15:3; [Acts 22:14] For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it #ver. 16; See 1 Cor. 2:10; 2 Cor. 12:1through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13For you have heard of #[Acts 26:4] my former life in Judaism, how #See Acts 8:3I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely #Phil. 3:6; See Acts 21:20zealous was I for #[Jer. 9:14; 2 Tim. 1:3]; See Matt. 15:2the traditions of my fathers. 15But when he #Acts 13:2; Rom. 1:1who had set me apart #Isa. 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; Luke 1:15before I was born,#1:15 Greek set me apart from my mother’s womb and who #ver. 6called me by his grace, 16was pleased to reveal his Son to#1:16 Greek in me, in order #ch. 2:9; See Acts 9:15that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;#1:16 Greek with flesh and blood 17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
18Then #[Acts 9:22, 23]after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19But I saw none of the other apostles except James #See Matt. 12:46; Acts 12:17the Lord’s brother. 20(In what I am writing to you, #See Rom. 1:9; 9:1before God, I do not lie!) 21#[Acts 9:30; 11:25, 26; 13:1]Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22And I was still unknown in person to #1 Thess. 2:14the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24And they glorified God because of me.
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