# Galatians 01 đź“–: No Other Gospel
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> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#đź“ś Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#đź“– Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#🧠Chapter Summary]]
> [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#🔎 Key Observations / 🛟 Life Application]]
> [[#đź’¬ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#đź”— Related Passages]]
> [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#đź“‚ Internal Notes]]
## đź“ś Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### Salutation
**Principle**: Jesus is the hero of the story.
[[#Verse 01.]] From Paul, an apostle (not from men, nor by human agency, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead)Â
[[#Verse 02.]]Â and all the brothers with me, to the churches of Galatia.Â
[[#Verse 03.]] Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,Â
[[#Verse 04.]]Â who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father,Â
[[#Verse 05.]]Â to whom be glory forever and ever! Amen.
### No Other Gospel
**Principle**: The Gospel is exclusive. No other way.
[[#Verse 06.]] I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are following a different gospel—Â
[[#Verse 07.]] not that there really is another gospel, but there are some who are disturbing you and wanting to distort the gospel of Christ.Â
[[#Verse 08.]] But even if we (or an angel from heaven) should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be condemned to hell!Â
[[#Verse 09.]]Â As we have said before, and now I say again, if any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be condemned to hell!Â
[[#Verse 10.]] Am I now trying to gain the approval of people, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ!
### Paul’s Vindication of His Apostleship
**Principle**: The Gospel is from God, not a human invention.
[[#Verse 11.]] Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin.Â
[[#Verse 12.]] For I did not receive it or learn it from any human source; instead I received it by a revelation of Jesus Christ.
[[#Verse 13.]] For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I was savagely persecuting the church of God and trying to destroy it.Â
[[#Verse 14.]] I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my nation, and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.Â
[[#Verse 15.]] But when the one who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace was pleasedÂ
[[#Verse 16.]] to reveal his Son in me so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did not go to ask advice from any human being,Â
[[#Verse 17.]] nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before me, but right away I departed to Arabia, and then returned to Damascus.
[[#Verse 18.]] Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and get information from him, and I stayed with him fifteen days.Â
[[#Verse 19.]] But I saw none of the other apostlesexcept James the Lord’s brother.Â
[[#Verse 20.]] I assure you that, before God, I am not lying about what I am writing to you!
[[# verse 20]] I assure you that, before God, I am not lying about what I am writing to you!Â
[[#Verse 21.]]Â Afterward I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.Â
[[#Verse 22.]] But I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.Â
[[#Verse 23.]] They were only hearing, “The one who once persecuted us is now proclaiming the good news of the faith he once tried to destroy.”Â
[[#Verse 24.]] So they glorified God because of me.
## đź“– Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
###### Verse 21.
###### Verse 22.
###### Verse 23.
###### Verse 24.
## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. Galatia was a Roman province in central Asia Minor (modern Turkey). Scholars debate whether Paul wrote to churches in the northern region or to the southern cities he visited in Acts 13-14, such as Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.
2. Galatians is the only one of Paul's letters to churches with no thanksgiving after the greeting. He moves straight to his concern (1:6).
3. Paul opens by insisting his apostleship came not from people or through human agency, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father (1:1).
4. In 1:6-7 Paul uses two different Greek words: they turned to a "different" (*heteros*) gospel, which is not "another" (*allos*) gospel at all.
5. The Greek word *anathema* (1:8-9) referred to something handed over to God for destruction, that is, placed under a curse.
6. Paul says he was advancing in Judaism beyond many of his peers and was extremely zealous for the traditions of his ancestors (1:14).
7. "Arabia" (1:17) most likely refers to the Nabatean kingdom near Damascus, ruled by King Aretas (2 Corinthians 11:32).
8. Paul visited Cephas in Jerusalem for fifteen days, three years after his conversion (1:18).
9. "Cephas" is the Aramaic form of Peter's name. Both names mean "rock" (John 1:42).
10. Paul's language of being set apart from his mother's womb (1:15) echoes the calls of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5) and the Servant of the Lord (Isaiah 49:1).
## 🧠Chapter Summary
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the Lord who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age (1:4). He personally revealed the gospel to Paul, and He still calls sinners by His grace (Acts 9:3-6).
## 🔎 Key Observations / 🛟 Life Application
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đź’¬ Discussion Questions
1. Paul was amazed that the Galatians were so quickly turning to a different gospel (1:6-7). What "different gospels" compete for our attention today?
2. Paul says that if he were still trying to please people, he would not be a slave of Christ (1:10). Where do you feel the pull to please people more than God?
3. People glorified God because of the change in Paul's life (1:23-24). How has God's grace changed your story, and who has noticed?
## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember
- đź“– verses 6-7: Paul is astonished that they are deserting the One who called them by grace for a different gospel, which is really no gospel at all.
- đź“– verses 8-10: Paul refuses any other gospel, even from an angel, because he serves Christ and not human approval.
- đź“– verses 11-12, 15-16: Paul received the gospel by revelation from Jesus Christ, and God set him apart from birth to proclaim His Son among the Gentiles.
## đź”— Related Passages
- đź”— [[Acts 09#Verse 03.|Acts 9:3-6]] - The risen Jesus appears to Saul.
- đź”— [[2 Corinthians 11#Verse 04.|2 Corinthians 11:4]] - Receiving a different Jesus or a different gospel.
- đź”— [[1 Thessalonians 02#Verse 04.|1 Thessalonians 2:4]] - Speaking to please God, not people.
- đź”— [[Jeremiah 01#Verse 05.|Jeremiah 1:5]] - Called before birth.
- đź”— [[Acts 09#Verse 19.|Acts 9:19-27]] - Paul in Damascus and his first visit to Jerusalem.
- đź”— [[Titus 02#Verse 14.|Titus 2:14]] - He gave Himself to redeem us.
## 🙏 Devotional Reflection
đź“ť SOAP: [[Galatians 01 - SOAP|Play for the Coach, Not the Crowd]]
## đź“‚ Internal Notes