Galatians 1

This is the first chapter of Galatians. In Paul's other letters a thanksgiving commonly follows the greeting, but this chapter has none. Once the greeting is finished, Paul immediately rebukes the believers for following another gospel and defends the source of his own gospel.

Outline

• Verses 1–5 Paul states that he became an apostle not through man but through Jesus Christ and God the Father. He then greets the churches of Galatia and closes with a doxology.
• Verses 6–10 He marvels that the believers are so soon following another gospel. He declares twice that anyone who preaches another gospel, whether he himself or an angel from heaven, is to be accursed.
• Verses 11–12 He states that the gospel he preached was not learned from man but received by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
• Verses 13–17 While in Judaism he persecuted the church severely, but God called him. Afterward he did not go up to Jerusalem but went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus.
• Verses 18–20 After three years he went up to Jerusalem and stayed with Cephas fifteen days. He states that at that time he saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother.
• Verses 21–24 He then went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. The churches of Judea, hearing that their former persecutor was now preaching the faith, glorified God.

Key Verses

• Galatians 1:8 "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you … let him be accursed" — a declaration that the content of the gospel cannot be changed, no matter who preaches it.
• Galatians 1:10 "For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ" — frequently cited with regard to the motives of those in ministry.
• Galatians 1:12 "But by the revelation of Jesus Christ" — the central claim of the chapter.

People and Places

• Paul — the apostle who wrote the letter. His calling is discussed in the article Conversion of Paul.
• Cephas — the Aramaic name of Peter.
• James the Lord's brother — appears again in chapter 2 as one of the pillars of the Jerusalem church.
• Galatia — the name of a region in central Asia Minor (modern Türkiye) and of a Roman province.
• Arabia — the region southeast of Damascus, commonly identified with the territory of the Nabataean kingdom.
• Damascus, Jerusalem
• Syria and Cilicia — regions comprising Syria and southeastern Asia Minor. Cilicia included Paul's hometown, Tarsus.

Points to Consider

• Another gospel: Chapter 1 does not specify its content. The later chapters (Galatians 5:2; 6:12) reveal that it was the teaching of those who required Gentile believers to be circumcised.
• Arabia: The text does not say what Paul did there. Both the view that it was a period of meditation and preparation and the view that he preached there are inferences. Acts 9 does not mention a stay in Arabia, and scholars differ in how they harmonize the two accounts.
• The Lord's brother: Protestants generally regard James as a son of Joseph and Mary. Roman Catholic tradition regards him as a relative such as a cousin, and Orthodox tradition regards him as a son of Joseph by a previous wife.

In the Korean Church

Verses 8–9 are frequently cited in sermons and teaching that warn against heresy.