Galatians 1: Only One True Gospel

Read Galatians Chapter 1

Introduction: The first chapter of Galatians is a reminder to the church to keep the purity of the gospel message and the importance of remaining steadfast in the faith that has been delivered to the church. Paul is amazed that the Galatians are turning away from the true gospel to a different one, which was no gospel at all. He points out his authority as an apostle through Jesus Christ and God the Father, letting them know where his message came from.  The key message in Galatians is the call to faithfulness to the original gospel, Paul’s apostolic authority, and the life changing power of the gospel message.

I. Opening and Blessing (Galatians 1:1-5)
In the first five verses, Paul introduces himself as an apostle with authority from God, not humans, and greets the Galatians with grace and peace. He points out the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins. We read in Romans 1:1, like here Paul declares his apostleship through Jesus Christ. Many times in the Bible we read of Paul defending his authority as an apostle. Also in Ephesians 5:2, the Bible relays the same message that Paul has here, which is Jesus Christ’s sacrifice as an act of love for the world.

II. No Other Gospel (Galatians 1:6-10)
Here, Paul shows his shock that the Galatians are so quickly deserting Christ for a different gospel, which is not another gospel but a distortion. He warns against those preaching a different gospel. The Bible points out this same message in 2 Corinthians 11:4,  Paul warns of those who preach another Jesus, which would be known as false teachers. They were there then, and they are here now, and especially now because we are living in the day of deception that comes just before the end of days. There are many warnings in the Bible about false teachings, in 1 Timothy 1:3, Paul exhorts Timothy to stop false teachings, these teachings  cause a divide in a church. In Romans 16:17 we read, believers are advised to avoid those causing divisions.

III. Paul’s Authority from Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:11-12)
In these verses, Paul makes it clear that his gospel is not of human origin but received directly from Jesus Christ, thereby backing up his authority as an apostle. Also we can read in 1 Corinthians 15:3, the Bible says that Paul  received the gospel through revelation; speaking of his encounter with Jesus Christ on the Damascus road. Andin Ephesians 3:3, Paul talks about how the mystery of Christ was made known to him by revelation, and once again he was referring to his encounter with Christ on the Damascus road, the fill with the Holy Spirit of God. 2 Peter 1:20-21 make it clear that prophets spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Paul’s authority was not in question.

IV. Paul’s Past Life and Conversion (Galatians 1:13-17)
We read in these verses, Paul recounts his previous life of persecuting the church and how God called him to preach to the Gentiles after his miraculous conversion on the Damascus road. The description of Paul’s is in Acts 9:1-19, he describes his conversion experience on the road to Damascus. Before his conversion, Paul was a blasphemer and persecutor of the faithful as we can read in 1 Timothy 1:13. A time in his life he considers later, as lost time on a lost cause, Philippians 3:6-7, he speaks of his past and how he now considers it loss for Christ.

V. Paul’s Early Ministry (Galatians 1:18-24)
In the last verses, Paul speaks about the early days of his ministry,  his visit to Peter in Jerusalem and how he was an unknown to the churches of Judea (they only knew him as a persecutor of the faithful believers). His life change, however, was celebrated among them as they praised God. In Acts 9:26-30, the Bible gives some details about Paul’s visit to Jerusalem and interaction with the apostles, they were afraid of him in the beginning, but God reassured them he was a changed man. From there he became the great Apostle Paul who reached the gentile world with the grace of God – 2 Corinthians 4:15. Also in Acts 22:17-21, we read Paul’s account of his mission from God to go to the gentile world and many churches were started. The gospel had reached outside Israel, and would later cover the entire world with the good news of the gospel. You and I are included in the Lamb’s book of life, in large part due to the Apostle Paul’s outreach ministry to the gentiles. Praise the Lord!

Conclusion: In Galatians 1, Paul passionately appeals to the Galatians to hold fast to the true gospel. He asserts his apostolic authority, insisting it comes directly from divine revelation rather than the world of men. Paul’s personal transformation from persecutor to preacher underlines the power of God’s call and the authenticity of his message. As Paul’s life displays the radical change that comes from an encounter with Jesus Christ, he calls the Galatians and us to recognize and reject any distortion of the gospel. Ultimately, this chapter moves us to reflect on the origins of our faith, the authority of the messages we follow, and the life changing power of the true gospel of Jesus Christ.