Galatians 1:1-24 (NLT)
1 This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead.
2 All the brothers and sisters here join me in sending this letter to the churches of Galatia.
3 May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
4 Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.
5 All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.
6 I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News
7 but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.
8 Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.
9 I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.
10 Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.
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 churches in Christ that are 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.
What Paul was teaching was far more than interesting pontifications from the Word. He was sharing revelation he had received directly from Jesus—truth carrying a purpose far greater than the mere tickling of ears. His heart was not to build a ministry or expand a following, but to transform lives into true representations of Christ. Any dilution or diversion from knowing and emulating Christ was, to Paul, a corruption of the seed he had planted.
A single hearing of Paul’s revelation was only the opening door to its purpose. To truly become the image of Christ required remaining in that revelation and allowing it to interpret every other expressed truth. Yet it doesn’t take long, when drawn away by impressive personalities and charisma, to abandon what is necessary for what is trivial. As soon as devotion to Paul’s truth was replaced with alternative entertainments, the transforming process was paused. Paul’s résumé did not aid in their reception of him as the messenger of revelation, but the power of the Spirit within his message transcended any lofty human reasoning.
Paul faced hindrances to the impact of his teaching through alternative teachers in his own day. Today, however, there is an unlimited barrage of alternatives—complete with branding, technology, and carefully tailored personalities. Remaining in the truth that truly transforms now faces overwhelming opposition, even from voices that appear to present valid content from the Word.
It may seem that the abundance of accessible teaching offers a great advantage, promising increased knowledge and even increased faith. Yet the less focus given to the revelation of Christ Himself, the more its transforming effect is delayed. This is especially true when shareable quotes and appealing messages subtly stray from the Truth that reveals and magnifies His glory and its power to change us.
It is far better to remain anchored in the power that brought salvation and to submit to its ongoing work, even amid the distractions of enticing and attractive alternatives.