Galatians 1:11-24 Lesson 359

Galatians 1:11-24
Lesson 359

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

The Gospel comes from God, not man.

Why listen to Paul and not the Judaizers?
This lesson, through verse 2:21 (lesson 361), contains the
first of three topics in Galatians, Paul's defense of his apostolic credentials.

James and Peter.

By the Flemish Baroque artist Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640).

Who was -

Peter -
Peter was the oldest of the twelve disciples. He was also called Simon Peter (2 Peter 1:1), Simeon (Acts 15:14), Simon Bar-jona (Matthew 16:17), meaning Simon, son of Jonah (Matthew 1:42), or just Simon (Matthew 10:2). The Greek translation for Peter is Petros (rock), the Aramaic is Cephas (John 1:42), and the Latin is Petrus. Peter was born in Bethsaida (John 1:44) on the northern coast of the Sea of Galilee. His father, Jona, was also called Jonah or Jonas (Matthew 21:15-17), and his younger brother was the disciple Andrew (John 1:40; 6:8). Peter was a simple fisherman in Capernaum (Matthew 4:18; Mark 1:16) and partners with James and John (Luke 5:10) when he met Jesus. Bold but uneducated (Acts 4:13), Peter (and Andrew) were the first disciples (Matthew 4:18-20; Mark 1:16-18) and part of Jesus' inner circle. Whenever Jesus was in Galilee, He used Peter's home as His base. Peter wrote the First and Second Epistles of Peter (1 Peter 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1). He walked on water (Matthew 14:28-31), performed the miracle at the Beautiful Gate (Acts 3:1-10), witnessed the Transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:1-13; Luke 9:28-36; 2 Peter 1:16-18), the resurrection of Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:37-42), and Jesus praying in Gethsemane as He waited to be arrested (Mark 14:32-34). Peter rose before the mob to resist Jesus' arrest (John 18:10-13), yet within hours, he denied even knowing Him three times (Matthew 26:69-75). After the crucifixion, Peter became the rock on which Jesus built His church (Matthew 16:16-19) and helped spread the Gospel from Jerusalem to Rome. Whenever the Bible lists the twelve disciples/apostles, Peter is always listed first (Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19), and Roman Catholics call him their first Pope. Peter was married (Matthew 8:14; Mark 1:30; Luke 4:38) and brought his wife on his missionary journeys (1 Corinthians 9:5). Although Jesus told Peter he would be crucified when he "shalt be old" (John 21:18-19), the Bible gives no details of his death. However, the Christian writers Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus (AD 160-220) and Origen Adamantius (AD 185-254) report that Peter was crucified upside down by Emperor Nero in Rome about AD 70, approximately three years after writing 2 Peter.

James -
James was a common name in biblical times. Counting two of Jesus' disciples, there are five James mentioned in the New Testament. This James was Jesus' half-brother (Mark 6:3; Galatians 1:19). James was not one of the original twelve disciples (Matthew 10:2-4). In fact, he did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah at first (John 7:5). James converted after the crucifixion and became one of the "pillars" in the Jerusalem church (Acts 12:17; 21:18; Galatians 2:9). He eventually succeeded Peter as its leader. He is also the author of "The General Epistle of James," written between AD 40-49, one of the earliest books in the New Testament. James was nicknamed "camel knees" due to his heavy calluses from praying. Known for his conservative religious views, he was called "James the Just," and he had the honor of a private meeting with the resurrected Christ (1 Corinthians 15:7). As a member of the council at Jerusalem, James sided with Paul and helped put an end to the Judaizer's debate which threatened to tear the young church apart (Acts 15:13-29; 21:18-24). Historian Flavius Josephus records that the Jewish high priest Ananus ben Ananus had James put to death in AD 62. James was dragged to the top of the Temple in Jerusalem and thrown off. He was severely injured but survived the fall. An angry mob then stoned him until a fuller (launderer) stepped out of the crowd and clubbed him to death with a pole used to beat dirty laundry.

Study Tip:

Put difficult passages into your own words.
This gives you a better understanding of the verse and helps you retain it longer.

The Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Galatians

The King James Bible

Galatians 1:11-24
Called by Jesus Christ

11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.

12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:

14 And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.

15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,

16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:

17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.

18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.

19 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.

20 Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.

21 Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;

22 And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ:

23 But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.

24 And they glorified God in me.

Margin notes:

"I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man." (1:11) - Paul is affirming that the Gospel wasn't written by men, but by God.

"I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it." (1:12) - Paul didn't receive and wasn't taught the Gospel by men.

"But by the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1:12) - Paul received the Gospel by a revelation from Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 2:10; Ephesians 3:3).

"Ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion." (1:13) - 'You've heard that in the past I lived the life of a Jew."

"I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it." (1:13) - Before his conversion to Christianity, Paul hunted Christians and dragged them from their homes (Acts 8:3; 9:1-2).

"And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals." (1:14) - "And succeeded in the Jewish religion more than many of my peers."

"Exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers." (1:14) - Paul was the son of a Pharisee, raised a Jew, became a strict Pharisee (Acts 26:4-5), and knew the Jewish traditions well.

"But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace." (1:15) - "But when It pleased God, who set me apart before I was even born, He called me to His grace." God chose Paul to be an apostle (Romans 1:1).

"To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen." (1:16) - Paul was going to Damascus to find Christians when Jesus revealed Himself to him (Acts 9:1-9).

"Jerusalem." (1:17) - Jerusalem is Hebrew for "foundation of peace." Jerusalem is also called Mount Zion, David's city, Ariel (Isaiah 29:1), Salem, Jebus (Judges 19:10), and the Holy City.  It is located fourteen miles west of the Dead Sea and thirty-three miles east of the Mediterranean and sits in the Judaean Mountains, approximately 2,500 feet above sea level.  Surrounded by valleys on three sides, Jerusalem dominated the area and, in Jesus' time, was the epicenter of Jewish life, government, and religion. The ancestral home of Israel's King David, ancient Egyptian texts mention the city going back to the 19th century BC. It is first mentioned in the Bible under the name Salem (Genesis 14:18) and is first called Jerusalem in Joshua 10:1. The original city covered only about eight acres but was continually rebuilt and expanded. Many early Christians had to flee Jerusalem or face persecution. Through the centuries, Jerusalem has been occupied by Assyria, Egypt, Babylon (2 Kings 25), Persia, Greece, and Rome (who destroyed the city and murdered its citizens in AD 70). Rome rebuilt the city, renamed it Colonia Aelia Capitolina, banned Jews, and constructed a temple to the pagan god Jupiter. In AD 614, the Persians captured the city and again Jerusalem's citizens were killed. The European Crusaders occupied Jerusalem in 1099 and later the Turks. Today, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and holds religious significance for Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

"Arabia."(1:17) - In Biblical times, Arabia was the desert area immediately east of Palestine. It did not include the peninsula area between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

"Abode with him fifteen days." (1:18) - "Stayed with him for fifteen days."

"Save James." (1:19) - "Except James."

"Syria." (1:21) - Syria was a Roman province in New Testament times. It extended from Mount Taurus in the north, to Tyre in the south, and from the Mediterranean Sea on the west, to the Tigris River six hundred miles to the east. The principal cities in Syria were Antioch (the capital), Seleucia, Apamea, Epiphania, Tripolis, Sidon, and Tyre. Christianity came to Syria around AD 45 thanks to Paul (Galatians 1:21) and the believers who fled to Syria after Stephen's murder (Acts 11:19).

"Cilicia." (1:21) - A Roman Province in southeast Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) famous for its manufacture of goat hair cloth called cilicium. Cilicium was a course material, sometimes called sackcloth, used to make crude clothes and tents.  The apostle Paul's birthplace of Tarsus was in Cilicia (Acts 22:3).  Paul learned the tent-making trade here.

"Was unknown by face." (1:22) - They didn't know Paul by sight.

"The faith." (1:23) - Christianity.

New Living Translation

Galatians 1:11-24
Paul's Message Comes from Christ

11 Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning.

12 I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

13 You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion-how I violently persecuted God's church. I did my best to destroy it.

14 I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.

15 But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him

16 to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.

When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being.

17 Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.

18 Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter, and I stayed with him for fifteen days.

19 The only other apostle I met at that time was James, the Lord's brother.

20 I declare before God that what I am writing to you is not a lie.

21 After that visit I went north into the provinces of Syria and Cilicia.

22 And still the Christians in the churches in Judea didn't know me personally.

23 All they knew was that people were saying, "The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!"

24 And they praised God because of me.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. What made Paul more credible than the Judaizers?

Study the word of God daily; the Bible has much to teach us.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. Paul had more credibility than the Judaizers because of his Jewish background (1:13-14), and his teachings came from Christ (1:12). Not only was Paul approved by the original apostles (1:18;2:1-9), he was recruited by Jesus Himself to share the Gospel with Gentiles (1:16; Acts 9:1-9). What Judaizer could say that?

Application thought for the day:

Knowing who Paul would be, God chose him to be His messenger before he was even born (1:15).

God also knew who you were before you were born, even before your parents were born (Psalm 139:1-18; Jeremiah 1:5).
How can you serve God?
As a role model to family and friends?
As an active member of the Church?
Seek comfort in God's love and strive to learn the plan He has for your life.
Let those around you see a new person emerge as Christ changes your heart, remakes your spirit, and turns you into the person you were meant to be.

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2022 evolke

Subscribe for Free Bible Lessons