About the Author

Paul, originally named Saul, was born in the city of Tarsus in Cilicia, a prominent Roman city with Greek cultural influence. He was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, trained as a Pharisee under the respected teacher Gamaliel, and he held Roman citizenship, which later proved significant for his missionary travels and legal protections. Before his conversion, Saul was a zealous persecutor of the early church, actively seeking out and imprisoning Christians, believing he was defending the purity of Judaism.

His life changed dramatically on the road to Damascus, where the risen Christ appeared to him in a blinding light. This encounter, described in Acts 9, transformed him from a persecutor into one of the most influential missionaries in Christian history. After a period of instruction and preparation, including time in Arabia and Damascus, Paul began his ministry, eventually undertaking several missionary journeys throughout Asia Minor, Greece, and beyond, planting churches and mentoring young believers, including in the region of Galatia.

Paul wrote Galatians to address a serious theological crisis. After his initial missionary work in the region of Galatia, certain Jewish Christian teachers, often called Judaizers, began influencing the new Gentile believers, insisting that they must follow Jewish law, particularly circumcision, in order to be truly saved and accepted by God. This teaching threatened to distort the gospel of grace that Paul had preached, replacing faith in Christ with reliance on legal observance.

The audience was primarily Gentile converts in the region of Galatia, likely including cities such as Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, which Paul had visited during his missionary journeys as recorded in Acts. Paul wrote with urgency and passion to correct this error and reaffirm that justification comes through faith in Christ alone, not through works of the law.

Introduction

Galatians Chapter 1 opens Paul’s letter to the churches of Galatia, a region he had personally evangelized. This chapter is marked by a strong, urgent tone as Paul defends both his apostolic authority and the authenticity of the gospel he preached. He expresses deep concern that the Galatian believers are turning away from the true gospel of grace toward a distorted teaching that adds requirements, such as adherence to the Mosaic Law, to salvation through faith in Christ.

Paul emphasizes that his calling as an apostle came directly from Jesus Christ and God the Father, not from human appointment. He recounts his dramatic conversion from a zealous persecutor of the church to a preacher of the gospel, highlighting that this transformation was the result of divine revelation rather than human teaching or influence. This chapter sets the stage for Paul’s broader argument throughout the letter that justification comes through faith alone, not through works of the law.

Chapter 1 (BBE)

Important Verses

• Galatians 1:6-7 Paul expresses astonishment that the Galatians are so quickly turning away from the gospel of grace to a different, false gospel, warning that some are perverting the true message of Christ.
• Galatians 1:8-9 Paul issues a strong warning, stating that anyone who preaches a gospel contrary to what he originally taught should be accursed, emphasizing the seriousness of doctrinal purity.
• Galatians 1:11-12 Paul asserts that the gospel he preaches did not originate from human sources but came directly through a revelation of Jesus Christ, establishing the divine authority of his message.
• Galatians 1:15-16 Paul describes his calling by God from before birth to reveal Christ to the Gentiles, underscoring that his apostleship was part of God’s sovereign plan rather than a personal ambition.
• Galatians 1:23-24 The chapter closes with a testimony of how those who once heard of Paul’s persecution of the church now glorify God because of the transformation in his life, illustrating the powerful evidence of genuine conversion.