Galatians · 24 verses
Galatians 1
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Paul’s gospel comes with an unusually stern perimeter fence: not even an angel from heaven may replace it. Then Paul tells how, after persecuting the church, he received the gospel by revelation, went to Arabia, returned to Damascus, and only later visited Jerusalem.
A gospel with a curse attachedvv. 1–10
Paul writes to the churches of Galatia with the brothers beside him, naming Jesus Christ and God the Father as the source of his apostleship. He is astonished that the Galatians are turning so quickly to something calling itself a gospel while being no gospel at all. The warning is repeated for emphasis: a contrary message is cursed, whether it comes from a troublesome person, Paul himself, or an angel from heaven. Paul’s question is blunt enough to leave the furniture trembling: is he seeking human approval, or serving Christ?
Paul’s former life and his very selective itineraryvv. 11–24
Paul insists that the gospel he preached was not devised or taught by man, but came by revelation from Jesus Christ. His former life had been marked by severe persecution of the church and fierce devotion to the traditions of his fathers. When God revealed His Son in him so that he might preach among the Gentiles, Paul did not consult flesh and blood or hurry to Jerusalem: he went to Arabia and returned to Damascus. Three years later he spent fifteen days with Cephas, saw James and no other apostle, then went through Syria and Cilicia. The churches of Judea did not know him personally; they knew the astonishing report that the persecutor was now preaching the faith he had tried to destroy, and they glorified God because of him.
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Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Names the Hebrew and Greek put in the verse link to the person, place or people they name; the address beside each verse is a link to that verse, which is what a reader copies and shares.
Gal 1:1Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead—
Gal 1:2and all the brothers with me, To the churches of Galatia:
Gal 1:3Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
Gal 1:4who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
Gal 1:5to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Gal 1:6I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—
Gal 1:7which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ.
Gal 1:8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse!
Gal 1:9As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse!
Gal 1:10Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Gal 1:11For I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached was not devised by man.
Gal 1:12I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
Gal 1:13For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how severely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.
Gal 1:14I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
Gal 1:15But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was pleased
Gal 1:16to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not rush to consult with flesh and blood,
Gal 1:17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to the apostles who came before me, but I went into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.
Gal 1:18Only after three years did I go up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days.
Gal 1:19But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.
Gal 1:20I assure you before God that what I am writing to you is no lie.
Gal 1:22I was personally unknown, however, to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.
Gal 1:23They only heard the account: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”
Gal 1:24And they glorified God because of me.
01 — Also here
Who else the chapter reaches
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02 — Read alongside
Where this is echoed
Readers' own connections, from OpenBible's crowd-voted cross-references — agreement about relevance, and not scholarly confidence. 370 passages were voted onto 24 verses of this chapter; the 16 shown lead on votes, and each is listed at the verse it was voted onto most strongly.
- 101 Thessalonians 2:4Instead, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, not in order to please men but God, who examines our hearts.
- 10Acts 5:29But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men.
- 10Ephesians 6:6And do this not only to please them while they are watching, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.
- 10James 4:4You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.
- 62 Corinthians 11:4For if someone comes and proclaims a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the One you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it very easily.
- 82 Corinthians 11:13–14For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.
- 4Matthew 20:28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
- 10Matthew 22:16They sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are honest and that You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You seek favor from no one, because You pay no attention to external appearance.
- 15Jeremiah 1:5“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
- 10Colossians 3:22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only to please them while they are watching, but with sincerity of heart and fear of the Lord.
- 6Galatians 5:7–8You were running so well. Who has obstructed you from obeying the truth?
- 102 Corinthians 5:9–11So we aspire to please Him, whether we are at home in this body or away from it.
- 4Romans 4:25He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification.
- 8Galatians 1:9As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse!
- 8Revelation 22:18–19I testify to everyone who hears the words of prophecy in this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.
- 10Romans 2:29No, a man is a Jew because he is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise does not come from men, but from God.
Onward