The True Gospel is Reaffirmed to the Galatians Volume 3

Paul defends his Ministry and the Gospel

Galatians 1:11-24

Despite Paul’s immediate rush to dive into the very meat of his message and his grief over the Churches in Galatia, notice the very first words from his lips here in this section “brethren”, why? Because Paul, knew from his witnessing the true gospel to these people and seeing their conversion out of darkness into the light of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were his brothers despite their gullibility or to be specific their tendency to believe too readily and therefore to be easily deceived. A sincere earthly Father or Mother does not abandoned or disown their son or daughter as theirs because they are persuaded or swayed by some of their friends or associates to cut school, or steal from the store, or fight in school or any number of things that are clearly wrong and not the Father and Mothers wish or desire for their child. Likewise, Paul despite his harsh language at the beginning of his letter still recognizes them as his brothers. What Paul does is again reaffirm to them the origin or the source of the Gospel message that he preached to them when he first came to them. Paul wants to remove every ounce of doubt that has been cultivated in their hearts and minds by the false teaching Judaizing men, so he reiterates once again what he said at the very top of his letter (Galatians 1:1) speaking there of himself and now he speaks the same of the source of his Gospel message.

Paul wants them to know that his Gospel is Holy Divine unlike the message being taught them by the Judaizing men. It is Paul’s sincere desire that he did not preach to them “in vain” (Galatians 4:11). This is why Paul wants them to be able to distinguish the false gospel of these men from the true Gospel of Christ that he received directly from our Resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. Paul defends his own ministry by declaring his history to them before his encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul wrote of his unworthiness and his being unsuitable without merit and value to be an Apostle of Jesus Christ and how he was a top flight Pharisee in the Jewish religion, but how our Lord Jesus Christ showed him unfathomable or impossible to come to understand or beyond human measure divine grace and mercy that proceeded from our Lord Jesus’ love for this persecutor of Him. Paul wrote of his wonder and gratitude to our Lord Jesus Christ in this manner to Timothy when he said, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:12-16).

Our Lord Jesus Christ not only saved the persecuting Pharisee (Saul) and made him a Christian through the new birth, but Christ also changed his name to Paul and made him the 12^th Apostle. Paul will be one of the Apostles our Lord Jesus referred to when He said, “You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:28-30). Paul’s entire aim was to proclaim the truth of the Gospel to every man’s conscience that men would be brought into the obedience of God and not of men and their man made religion or traditions. Paul’s defense of his ministry and the purity of the Gospel message he preaches is based on the fact that he was not looking for Christ, but instead Christ sought him out. It was God the Father who made Christ known to Paul on the Damascus Road and God the Holy Spirit “revealed” Christ and the power of His resurrection in Paul or the Greek word apokalupto which means to take off the cover or to disclose. The cover of spiritual darkness and blindness was removed from Paul’s heart as he declared to the Corinthian Church in this manner, “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

The moment Christ was manifested or evident “in him” Paul needed not to get confirmation or authority to preach Christ from any human being (even the first Apostles, Peter, James, or John) in Jerusalem, but instead Paul was directed by God the Holy Spirit to go into Arabia for three years. Whether Paul was during this three year period receiving the revelations from Christ that would make up the rest of his writings and teachings or he was there only preaching the Gospel of Christ is not clear, but what Paul does make clear is that he was commissioned by the resurrected Christ and given the Gospel he declared to them. Paul was fully at peace that his calling was directly from God and that he did not need to take counsel from any of the prominent Apostles. Paul declares that he never even met the Apostle Peter until after he had spent his three years in Arabia.

Paul wants them to know that everything he has written to them thus far is the truth he declares before God and not just to them, for God knows it is the truth and that gives Paul comfort and assurance. Note: “Syria, in the narrower sense, of the district of which Antioch was the capital: not the whole Roman province of Syria, including Galilee and Judaea. This district was the scene of Paul’s first apostolic work among the Gentiles. Cilicia was the southeasterly province of Asia Minor, directly adjoining Syria, from which it was separated by Mt. Pierius and the range of Amanus. It was bordered by the Mediterranean on the south. It was Paul’s native province, and its capital was Tarsus, Paul’s birthplace.” (According to Vincent’s Word Studies). When Paul went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia he was unknown there by the believers “in Christ” but they had gotten wind of or gotten word of how this formerly vicious, malicious, and savage Jewish Pharisee was now converted to Christ and the faith he once was determined to destroy, he was now declaring as the truth to all. Therefore, in so doing they rendered all honor, majesty, and glory to God for Saul, now Paul’s miraculous transformation.

My own Personal Note: The fact that Paul needed to be blunt with his language in this epistle never dampened his great affection for these Churches despite his grief and even anger that they allowed false teachers to steer or direct them away from the path of simplicity “in Christ” as he declared also to the Corinthian Church with these words, “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3). For Paul it was all and only about devotion or feelings of strong and intense love for our Lord Jesus Christ and he so wanted the Galatians to be reawakened to this fact and reality.

“If he be a dangerous man in the Church who introduces Jewish or human ceremonies which God has not appointed, how much more is he to be dreaded who introduces any false doctrine, or who labors to undermine or lessen the influence of that which is true? And even he who does not faithfully and earnestly preach and inculcate the true doctrine is not a true pastor. It is not sufficient that a man preach no error; he must preach the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” Adam Clarke

“God often, if not always, has purposes in regard to people from their very birth. He designs them for some important field of labor, and endows them at their creation with talents adapted to that. It does not follow that because a young man has gone far astray; and has become even a blasphemer and a persecutor, that God has not destined him to some important and holy work in His service. How many people have been called, like Paul, and Newton, and Bunyan, and Augustine, from a life of sin to the service of God? God is often training up people in a remarkable manner for future usefulness. His eye is upon them, and He watches over them, until the time comes for their conversion.” Albert Barnes

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…