Man's Gospel (Galatians 1:11-24)
The gospel has been distorted by men in the churches of Galatia. In verse 10, we read that Paul is not trying to gain the approval of men. This implies that those who are corrupting the gospel are, and the Galatians are, but they shouldn’t be. Seeking the approval of men is a losing game. It’s hopeless because men keep changing what they want. But it’s also hopeless because in seeking to find approval among men, we will lose the approval of God.
A Revelation
Galatians 1:11 (ESV) --- 11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.
In the next verse, Paul tells us that he is not preaching man’s gospel. Wait, didn’t Paul go to seminary to learn the gospel like everyone else? Is he not well educated in commentaries of Peter? We might assume that everyone gets the gospel through a letter or from hearing Peter preach. Then, they start preaching based on that description. But Paul says that he is not learning this from men. If that were they case, he might be the one who is unknowingly distorting the gospel. But if he did not get it from men, where did it come from?
Galatians 1:12 (ESV) --- 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.
Paul answers the question, “Where did it come from?” by saying he received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. Paul’s gospel is not distorted, it was not created by men, nor was it an attempt to find man’s approval. It is pure and unadulterated, coming directly from the Lord, Jesus.
We can read about Paul’s conversion in Acts 9. There we read about Saul, Paul’s former name, on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians. While he was on the road Jesus met him and struck him with blindness. After that, we read about Paul preaching the gospel in Damascus and being the one who is persecuted.
Paul’s “Qualifications”
In the next verses, he goes on to explain the events leading up to and following this revelation in order to make the point clear.
Galatians 1:13--14 (ESV) --- 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.
At first, Paul was an ideal candidate for Jesus. He was a guy who did everything right. He was zealous for the traditions of the Jews and stood out among his peers. Doesn’t that make him the best possible candidate for a preacher? Isn’t he qualified to look at all of the evidence and come up with his own understanding of the gospel? No. Here he reveals that all of that training and work made him a persecutor of the church. He was the guy everyone was afraid of because he spent his time hurting and ruining the lives of Christians. He was not an ideal candidate. He was the worst possible candidate. If we were Christians in that time, we would have stayed far away from Saul of Tarsus (Paul).
Notice that he got this way because of his zeal for the law. He cared deeply for the traditions of his fathers. Do you know anyone like that? People like that sacrifice and suppress the truth so that they can hold on to their traditions.
But Jesus wanted him to be an apostle.
This Pleased God
Galatians 1:15--16 (ESV) --- 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;
Paul says that God had set me apart before he was born. In other words, God had providentially worked to train Paul for a special ministry. Notice the words, “Was pleased to reveal his Son to me.” Here we have a stubborn, evil persecutor of the church, and God is pleased to show him Jesus and to make him a preacher among the Gentiles. God was not pleased to leave him in the dark, or the make him suffer. He is not unwilling to forgive the self-righteous legalist.
If you don’t believe God has a sense of humor, read this and consider it again. It is humorous that God would take someone so self-righteous and steeped in Jewish religion and make him the apostle of the Gentiles. Why would God do that? All of his rebellion and evil was training him to understand the extent of God’s grace.
God wanted Paul to be an apostle for the Gentiles (that means us). He was pleased to reveal the gospel to Paul so that he could teach the Gentiles and welcome them into the body of Christ.
It Was Never About Men
Galatians 1:16--24 (ESV) --- 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; 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.
The end of this chapter tells us that Paul did not seek out wise counsel about what God has revealed to him. He doesn’t receive a revelation very clearly from God and check with the apostles. The first three years of his ministry in Damascus was not spent learning what the apostles had revealed to him. That would be appropriate for every other preacher, but not Paul. He had the message directly revealed to him from Jesus, and he was sharing that.
Notice the outcome. God was glorified because of the work of Paul. Men were hearing how he had turned from persecutor to preacher, and they glorified him.
What’s The Point?
Is the point of all of this that we need to seek a direct revelation from God like Paul? No. The first point is that Paul’s gospel can be trusted because it is not second or third hand. As we go through this text and Chapter 2, we get the impression that there aren’t going to be multiple gospels. God revealed one gospel, and men will tend to distort it.
This text also gives us a hint to what that gospel is all about. As we see Paul being transformed by the grace of God and the revelation of Jesus, we learn about the power of the gospel. God’s grace is available to all men. He is pleased to take the most evil man and make him into the brightest light of humility and righteousness in his kingdom. He desires for all the Gentiles to come to the knowledge of the true gospel and submit to it as well.
Application
So the question for us is, do we believe man’s gospel or Paul’s gospel? If your mom and dad taught you the gospel, that’s great but is it the gospel Paul taught? If you had the sweetest and funniest preacher who loved and cared for your family, that’s fantastic but where did he get his gospel from? Too many “pastors,” preachers, and priests today are relying heavily on the gospel of their mentors or the gospel of their denomination. We have to understand that the gospel men teach are all about pleasing men. This is the source of the gospel being distorted in Galatia.
Galatians 1:10 (ESV) --- 10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 4:16--20 (ESV) --- 16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. 18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, 19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.
John 5:39--44 (ESV) --- 39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. 41 I do not receive glory from people. 42 But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
Paul’s gospel is not about pleasing men. It’s about pleasing God. Men want to force Gentiles to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses. God wants men to put their faith in Christ and set their hope in him. He wants them to seek God’s will from the heart. External obedience comes out of an internal submission.
We simply need to open our Bibles and study Paul’s gospel for ourselves. It is easy to read into the Bible our erroneous beliefs when we study in a vacuum. It is also easy for us to observe the passover when what we read doesn’t match up with what we already believe. We need to stay humble, ask questions, and open our minds to other possible interpretations. We can even use a commentary to jar our senses a little. We may not understand every verse immediately, but we need to develop critical thinking skills and develop our ability to properly interpret the Bible.
Can you imagine the impact we would have on our families and the world around us if everyone of us took responsibility for our interpretation of the Bible? Some might ask, “Casey, if everyone is trying to interpret the Bible, they might disagree with what you say.” I don’t really care if you disagree with me in your interpretation of some ideas in scripture as long as you are handling the word honestly and remaining humble enough to consider other view points.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve spoken to parents of children who left the church and been given the line or at least the impression that, “The church was supposed to teach them the truth.”
Invitation
Before we close, I want to focus in on one part of this text and help you see the gospel in that section. Verse 16 tells us that God was pleased to reveal his son to Paul, an insolent persecutor of God’s people. He was pleased to make him into a follower and servant of Christ. That is a taste of the gospel. Please read your Bibles and see this for yourselves, but the gospel Paul preaches is that every sinner can please God by turning from their sin and committing their lives to God’s service. God offers each of us the forgiveness of sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and you can be joined to Jesus in your own death and resurrection this very night. Will you be immersed into Christ? You will find in your studies that water immersion with faith in God’s powerful working is God’s plan for you and everyone who wants to submit to Christ. If there is anything we can do to help you with that, please let us know. It can be tonight, next week, next month, or next year, but when you make the decision to submit to Christ let us know so we can help you receive the salvation as God intended for you to.