Larry A. Smail's Blog

The following is from my Bible study class featuring Galatians 1.

Galatians 1 (Distortion of gospel of grace, and the gospel)

Paul, immediately, proclaimed in this letter to the gospel believers of Galatia, he is an APOSTLE NOT SELECTED BY OR THROUGH MAN BUT THROUGH JESUS CHRIST…WHOM GOD RAISED FROM THE DEAD (The Gospel is mentioned again!) Paul continued …Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us… (Paul has already alluded to the gospel twice in the introduction! The gospel of salvation can be found in 1 Corinthians 15: 1-4, and Romans 10: 9-10.)

Paul was in awe that the Gentile believers at the Galatia churches were so quickly forgetting about the Gospel of Grace doctrine he had preached to them. He is angry! Jewish, Jesus-believers were distorting Paul’s preached gospel with legalism, and Mosaic Law. The people were falling for their talks. (These Gentiles, recently out of paganism, no doubt, were very confused with all these new teachings from Paul followed by the Jesus-believing, but law-keeping, Jews.)

PAUL STATED IF A MAN OR ANGELS FROM HEAVEN PREACH ANOTHER GOSPEL OTHER THAN WHAT HE PREACHED THEY ARE ACCURSED!!! PAUL GOES ON TO DOUBLE CURSE THESE PEOPLE!! WOW!…This shows the severity and importance of the gospel message of 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 and other sites. What is that gospel that Paul preached? The gospel for salvation is located in 1 Corinthians 15: 1-4, and Romans 10: 9-10, and elsewhere.

Here is the gospel of grace for salvation Paul always preached:

BELIEVING WITH FAITH THAT CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SCRIPTURES, THAT HE WAS BURIED, AND THAT HE WAS RAISED ON THE THIRD DAY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SCRIPTURES!

Paul exclaimed to these people that the GOSPEL HE PREACHED IS NOT OF MAN. PAUL WROTE HE DID NOT RECEIVE THE GOSPEL FROM MAN NOR WAS TAUGHT IT BY MAN, BUT THROUGH THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST!!!! Paul, as he often does, told of his former life of that zealous Jew with the power to arrest Jewish-Jesus believers, and even have them killed. (Remember in our Acts studies we had much discussion of Paul being a Pharisee with power.) Paul then goes on writing about how God had called him unto this service before he was born, and now revealed His son to him. (This was in part, Paul’s Damascus experience of Acts 9.)

IMPORTANT

Notice, Paul was “CHOSEN, and the RISEN CHRIST REVEALED” to him that he was to be a minister to the Gentiles. Paul DID NOT CONFER WITH MAN NOR GO TO THE APOSTLES AT JERUSALEM!! (One would think Paul would want to go the Apostles to seek what they knew about Jesus. God needed to alienate Paul from the kingdom doctrine of Peter to the Jews (Early ACTS) and reveal to him the Gospel of Grace. This gospel could not be until after Jesus died, and was raised to life, and after the Jews final rejection of accepting Christ as their Messiah at Stephen’s murder found  murder found in Acts 7!) Again God needed to alienate Paul from the apostle’s message of the kingdom. Paul went to Arabia, then after three years came back to Damascus. (Paul, no doubt, received the revelations from Christ while in Arabia, just as Moses received the law. It could take a long time to remove all the years of Jewish indoctrination, and come to understanding grace, and forgiveness over Law, especially after all the terrible things Paul had done.)

After three years Paul went to see Peter for 15 days. (At this stage Peter, no doubt, had great difficulty believing what this man Paul was saying. This is the reason for the Acts 10 visit with Cornelius. God was planting seeds into Peter’s thoughts …salvation would come to the Gentiles!) Paul, also, saw Jesus’ brother, James.

Paul expressed that he was not lying! Paul mentioned how the people marveled at his turnabout, and this glorified God, and the grace freely given! This converted Paul was still unknown to the Jewish-Jesus assemblies of Judea. However, they knew of his past against those Jewish believers of Jesus.

NOTE: Paul, after his Damascus experience, spent three years in Arabia. The original 12 apostles spent three years with Christ, Could this have any scriptural importance? I believe it does. People could NOT say that Paul only knew Christ for a short time.