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Galatians 1

Paul defends the gospel’s divine source and confronts the Galatians’ departure from the grace of Christ.

Paul writes to the assemblies of Galatia because they are turning toward a distorted gospel. He begins by grounding his apostleship in Jesus Christ and God the Father, then warns that anyone preaching a different message stands under a curse. To explain the source of his gospel, Paul recounts his former persecution of the church, God’s call, and his travels before and after a brief visit with Peter in Jerusalem.

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1Paul, an apostle—not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—
2and all the brothers who are with me, to the assemblies of Galatia:
3Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,
4who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father—
5to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
6I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different “good news”,
7but there isn’t another “good news.” Only there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the Good News of Christ.
8But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any “good news” other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed.
9As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any “good news” other than that which you received, let him be cursed.
10For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ.
11But I make known to you, brothers, concerning the Good News which was preached by me, that it is not according to man.
12For I didn’t receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ.
13For you have heard of my way of living in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the assembly of God and ravaged it.
14I advanced in the Jews’ religion beyond many of my own age among my countrymen, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
15But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through his grace,
16to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I didn’t immediately confer with flesh and blood,
17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia. Then I returned to Damascus.
18Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Peter, and stayed with him fifteen days.
19But of the other apostles I saw no one except James, the Lord’s brother.
20Now about the things which I write to you, behold, before God, I’m not lying.
21Then I came to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
22I was still unknown by face to the assemblies of Judea which were in Christ,
23but they only heard, “He who once persecuted us now preaches the faith that he once tried to destroy.”
24So they glorified God in me.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Galatians 1:4Christ’s self-giving for sins establishes the rescue at the heart of the gospel the Galatians are abandoning.
Galatians 1:10Paul’s allegiance to Christ explains his refusal to soften the warning for the sake of human approval.
Galatians 1:15God’s purpose and gracious call explain how the church’s persecutor became a preacher of the Son among the Gentiles.
Where this chapter reaches

Acts shares the account of Paul’s persecution of the church, his encounter with Jesus, and his commission to the Gentiles. Ephesians shares the theme of redemption through Christ’s self-giving, while 1 Thessalonians also describes gospel service as seeking God’s approval rather than human approval.

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After reading the whole chapter

What does Paul’s warning about a distorted gospel lead you to examine in the teaching you trust?

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Where does Paul’s contrast between pleasing people and serving Christ touch a choice you face?

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Questions people ask about Galatians 1

Why does Paul say there is no other gospel in Galatians 1?

Paul says the message troubling the Galatians distorts the Good News of Christ. Leaving that gospel means deserting the God who called them through Christ’s grace. His warning applies even to himself or an angel: a messenger’s status cannot make a changed gospel true.

Why did Paul go to Arabia in Galatians 1?

Paul says he went to Arabia after God revealed his Son in him, then returned to Damascus. He does not explain what he did there or how long he stayed. The point of this account is that his gospel came through revelation of Jesus Christ before his visit to Peter.

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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).