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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
1:10-2:21 Indirect Appeal: Paul's Career with the Gospel. Paul received the gospel directly from Jesus Christ on the Damascus road. His gospel was not derived from Peter or any other human authorities. His gospel was validated by the "pillar" apostles (2:9) in Jerusalem. The authority of Paul's gospel is evident in his rebuke of Peter when he failed to live in accord with the gospel (2:11-21).
1:10-24 Paul's Defense of Himself and the Gospel. Paul apparently is responding to criticism that he is peddling a gospel received from man, not from God, and that he is doing so simply to please man rather than God. Paul does not simply defend himself out of resentment or wounded pride but shows a pastoral concern: to reassure the Galatians that the gospel they received was the authentic one, not a false message delivered by an untrustworthy messenger (e.g., 2:5).
1:10 Paul poses two absolutely incompatible goals: pleasing man, or pleasing God. There is no possibility of combining the two.
1:12 Paul received the gospel through a revelation of Jesus Christ on the Damascus road (see Acts 9:1-19a; 22:3-21; 26:12-23).
1:13-14 Paul distances himself from his former life in Judaism, although he does not in any sense renounce his status as an Israelite (cf. Rom. 11:1). Rather, he has broken with the life of seeking righteousness through the Law of Moses. He underlines the shame of this former life by noting his persecution of the church (cf. 1 Cor. 15:9; 1 Tim. 1:13). the traditions of my fathers. This rabbinic teaching was the foundation of Jewish life in the , particularly for the Pharisees (cf. Mark 7:3-5).
1:15 set me apart before I was born. The emphasis is again on God's initiative: Paul was not called because of anything he himself accomplished.
1:16 to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles. Paul was converted in order to preach primarily to non-Jews (cf. Acts 9:15). This was revolutionary because God's dealings in the OT had been focused on Israel as his chosen nation. Now, with the coming of Christ, there was no distinction (Gal. 3:28): all must come to faith in Christ.
1:17 The journey to Arabia and back to Damascus takes place in the gap between Acts 9:25 and 9:26. On the city of Damascus, see note on Acts 9:3. Roman Arabia included much of what is modern Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and southern Syria. Therefore, while Paul may not have traveled far from Damascus here, he can also speak of distant Mount Sinai as being in Arabia (Gal. 4:25).
1:18 after three years. If Paul's conversion was in (an approximate date), then this places the first Jerusalem visit . It probably corresponds to the stay in Jerusalem in Acts 9:26-29. Cephas here is Peter.
1:19-20 None of the other apostles except James almost certainly implies that James is counted among "the apostles," even though he was not one of the original
1:21 Syria is to the north of Judea and Galilee, and Cilicia is to the north and west (cf. Acts 9:30).
1:22 Paul is presumably unknown to them because of the short and narrowly focused stay referred to in vv. 18-19. Furthermore, he refers to the province of Judea as a whole, not just Jerusalem.
1:23 The faith is the Christian faith, the message of the gospel.
