The Table

a.   PAUL’S PREPARATION CAME FROM CHRIST (1:11-12)

b.  PAUL’S PAST: PURSUIT OF LIFE BY WORKS AND PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH (1:13-14)

c.   PAUL’S PERSONAL CALL AND INITIAL TRAINING (1:15-17)

d.  PAUL PURSUES RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER APOSTLES (1:18-20)

e.   PAUL’S PASSION AND REPUTATION BRING GLORY TO CHRIST (1:21-24)

¹¹ For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. ¹² For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

Galatians 1:11-12 (ESV)

In writing to the Galatians, the apostle Paul passionately defends his gospel for the simple reason that it is being challenged. Last week we saw in Galatians 1:7 that “there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.”(ESV) Paul is adamant that there is only one gospel – a gospel of grace – the gospel of Christ and that to deviate from the gospel of Christ is to bring upon yourself the curse of the law. So in verse 11 he restates what he opened the letter with – his apostolic calling and authority came to him personally from Jesus Christ.

Paul is very clear that the gospel “is not man’s gospel.” It did not ORIGINATE with man. It didn’t come from Paul’s head or Peter’s head – Paul didn’t sit at the feet of another man and learn the gospel. The gospel is not man’s gospel but God’s gospel. I like how Paul says it in the beginning of his letter to the church in Rome. He writes: “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God” Romans 1:1 (ESV)

The fact that Paul’s gospel is not man’s gospel also means that it doesn’t RESONATE with natural human desires. The gospel of grace is the death of human boasting and pride – it calls all men to repent of their weakness and their strength – their wickedness and their human righteousness – and wholeheartedly abandon themselves to the sufficient work and righteousness of Jesus Christ.

This is the ‘offense of the gospel’ that causes people to create and accept a “Christ +” gospel. Paul declares that this is the motivation of the Judaizers at the end of the letter when he writes:

It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Galatians 6:12-14 (ESV)

 Because the gospel does not ORIGINATE or RESONATE with man ‘Revelation’ is mandatory to INITIATE faith. The gospel is ‘received’ from God. While this doesn’t mean that we all have to have the same type of ‘Damascus Road’ encounter with the resurrected Christ it does mean that if God doesn’t speak to us we are lost. This is what Jesus meant when he declared:

⁴⁴ No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—

John 6:44-45 (ESV)

The gospel is dependent on revelation not reason alone. Faith and knowledge are not enemies but they are not the same thing. We see in the next verses just how important this revelation was to the apostle Paul. After offering his argument that his gospel did not come from man but came from God Paul puts forth his defense:

¹³ For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. ¹⁴ And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. ¹⁵ But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, ¹⁶ was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;

Galatians 1:11-17 (ESV)

Paul’s proof of his revelation from Christ is his revolutionized life. Paul has been revolutionized – totally transformed by his encounter with Jesus. This transformation needs to be explained. It is this very transformation that he offers as a proof of his apostolic authority. The Galatians had heard, and could easily verify Paul’s history from persecutor to preacher. This is a familiar theme for the apostle Paul – he beats this drum time and time again. Look with me at Acts 22. In Acts 22 Paul has returned to the city of Jerusalem – according to a revelation from the Spirit but against the wishes of his friends. While in the temple he is recognized and a mob forms instantly to kill him. Roman soldiers intervene Paul is allowed to address the crowd. This is what he says:

³ “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. ⁴ I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, ⁵ as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished. ⁶ “As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. ⁷ And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ ⁸ And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ ⁹ Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me. ¹⁰ And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ ¹¹ And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus. ¹² “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, ¹³ came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. ¹⁴ And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; ¹⁵ for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’ ¹⁷ “When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance ¹⁸ and saw him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ ¹⁹ And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. ²⁰ And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ ²¹ And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’” ²² Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.”

Acts 22:3-22 (ESV)

Paul hated the gospel when he first heard it. The response of the crowd that faith in Jesus alone was sufficient for salvation – even for the Gentiles – was a direct attack on everything they believed about the role of the law and Israel. When Paul first heard the gospel of grace he responded in the same way – but when he encountered Jesus everything changed! I can’t help but think of Paul’s words to the church in Philippi:

² Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. ³ For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— ⁴ though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵ circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. ⁷ But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—

Philippians 3:2-9 (ESV)

The heart of Paul’s gospel is that salvation is not an issue of ‘Jewishness’ or works – it’s an issue of calling by Christ. Paul’s gospel is Christocentric – Christ centered. God revealed Jesus to him. He is preaching Jesus to the Gentiles. Jesus is the gospel. This is the heart of what Jesus meant when He said to His disciples:

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:6 (ESV)

Truth is a person. He is the way truth and life. This is not simply metaphor. If we want truth – it we want to be on the right path – if we want life we NEED Jesus. If we don’t have Jesus, we don’t have anything.

So for Paul Christ is all the authority he needs or claims. After meeting Christ he wasn’t tutored or instructed by the other apostles but was taught by Christ. This is where he goes in the rest of the passage.

¹⁷ nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. ¹⁸ Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) ²¹ Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²² And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. ²³ They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴ And they glorified God because of me.

Galatians 1:17-24 (ESV)

Paul’s argument is that it is ludicrous to think that his gospel was dependent upon man – specifically the other apostles – when he didn’t interact with them for three years – and then for only 15 days. On top of that, because he returned to Damascus and then went to Syria and Cilicia the churches of Judea didn’t even know him. If Paul had been taught by the Apostles in Jerusalem as the Judaizers apparently claimed this is a significant problem. He wasn’t with them or the churches they were responsible for.

What is his point? Simply that his authority comes from Christ notwithstanding the claims of the Judaizers. The gospel the Galatians had received from Paul – the gospel of grace – the gospel of Christ – is the one and only dependable gospel.

Notice then, what he does say about the churches of Judea. He says that they knew him by reputation only and that reputation was one of radical transformation that resulted in praise to God.

Application: We have been called by His grace as well. We are also ambassadors of the gospel – called to preach Christ. The greatest preaching we will ever do is the sermon of a transformed life in Christ.

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