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Sermon Summary
This sermon uses Galatians 1:11-24 to illustrate Paul’s unwavering proclamation of a gospel received through divine revelation, not human teaching. The text explains Paul’s dramatic conversion from persecutor to preacher, emphasizing the transformative power of God’s grace. The sermon analyzes Paul’s actions and motivations, contrasting his past zeal for Jewish traditions with his newfound faith in Jesus. It connects Paul’s experience to the modern believer, encouraging a direct relationship with God and emphasizing that past sins do not preclude future service. Finally, the sermon highlights the historical significance of Paul’s conversion, even from a secular perspective.
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Sermon Text
Galatians / Galatians 1:11–24
Main Idea
Paul’s gospel, given through divine revelation, is authenticated by the transformative power of God’s grace in his life.
Have you ever had to write a research paper and document your sources? Imagine for a moment that you are writing a paper about George Washington. As you gather your sources, would you rather get your information from a 13-year-old blogger, a seasoned historian, or draw directly from an autobiography written by George himself? Paul has given a message, and he doesn’t have to cite secondary or tertiary sources. He can confidently say that he was given the message directly from the primary source.
As we discussed previously, Paul spends the bulk of these first two chapters defending his authority against his accusers. So, as I was studying, I constantly asked myself, “How do we frame this?” Part of my job is to preach what God’s word says. Another part is to preach what it means. But the third purpose is to show you how to apply it. If you already accept Paul’s authority, you might be tempted to gloss over this text. Still, because all scripture is God-breathed and acceptable for teaching, rebuking, and training in righteousness, I want to give you the text today through two different lenses.
1. The motivation beyond Paul’s words and why it mattered to the Galatian believers. This will be a straightforward exposition of the text.
2. The impact on your life and the acceptance of Paul’s authority and doctrine from modern-day scholarship.
Passage
Galatians 1:11–24 CSB
For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin. For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation of Jesus Christ.
For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism: I intensely persecuted God’s church and tried to destroy it. I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. But when God, who from my mother’s womb set me apart and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me, so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone. I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who had become apostles before me; instead I went to Arabia and came back to Damascus.
Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days. But I didn’t see any of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. I declare in the sight of God: I am not lying in what I write to you.
Afterward, I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. I remained personally unknown to the Judean churches that are in Christ. They simply kept hearing, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith he once tried to destroy.” And they glorified God because of me.
I – Revelation, Not Consultation (vv. 11-12)
An elaboration
After a harsh greeting designed to grab their attention, Paul now greets them more warmly as brothers and sisters. Now, in a softer tone, he backtracks to elaborate on what he said in the letter’s opening, “Paul an apostle, not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father,” and encourages them to see how he received the undistorted gospel he preached to them. For you superhero buffs, this is the origin story of Paul’s reception of the gospel message.
So, how did he get it?
Well, for starters, he didn’t receive it by consulting with other Christian leaders or teachers. He didn’t get it from Ananias in Damascus or other believers there. He didn’t receive it via messenger pigeon from the apostles in Jerusalem. He was not taught the gospel message by a human being at all. The good news was given to Paul by direct revelation from Jesus Christ himself. It began when the risen Christ blinded Paul, knocked him off his high horse on the Damascus road and continued from that day forward, the form of which Paul explains some, and some of which he doesn’t.
We’ll see the timeframe and explanation in just a bit.
II – Judaism’s Traditions (vv. 13-14)
Paul’s fame
Paul was the head of his class in Judaism. He had many classmates back then and excelled beyond all of them as a Pharisaical prodigy. He had the best of the best as his mentor (Gamaliel). He was at the top of his game and envied by most. His way of life was accepted and revered by the Jews.
Paul’s zeal
His zeal for their Jewish traditions fueled his rage-filled persecution. Notice, however, that his zeal is for the traditions of his ancestors, not the Jewish scriptures. Paul would have fallen in line with all the other Pharisees that Jesus often rebuked. Their fidelity was to man-made traditions and regulations that were not only built on top of scripture but almost always obscured one’s view of them.
Takeaway: As you grow, you must consistently check your assumptions and traditions against scripture.
Traditions can be wonderful things … if they enhance and highlight scripture, not obscure it.
Paul’s covenant standing
Old Covenant. Think about this for a moment. Paul was a Jew to his core. It was his only identity. Circumcision was the sign of being in a covenant relationship with God, and a Jew would remain in right standing with Him by abiding by His law. If they broke a law, they would be in sin, which breaks fellowship, and to repair it, they had to offer a sacrifice that would atone for that particular sin. In the Old Covenant, ethnic Israel was God’s chosen people, or at least that is what they thought. Paul will go on to explain Abraham’s offspring in more detail, but that is another sermon for another time. The point for today is that Paul was operating under the impression that he was representing God and defending God’s people when he persecuted followers of Jesus.
New Covenant. The irony is that Paul was on the outside of God’s New Covenant People, attacking God’s church (ekklesia in Greek, which refers to the universal church worldwide that is Christ’s body)! Paul was trying to destroy the very thing he thought he was! The gospel he preached to the Galatians didn’t come from his Judaic studies. The people of God are not Abraham’s physical descendants (ethnic Israel) but people from every tribe and nation. There are no ethnic boundaries. Through faith in Jesus, anyone can be grafted into the olive tree that was planted in ethnic Israel.
This is a vital backdrop to Paul’s arguments moving forward and a crucial hinge point in modern-day scholarship. For the sake of Paul’s argument, he was the poster boy for works-based righteousness and knew the law thoroughly. Yet, that did not qualify him as part of God’s ekklesia. Righteousness does not come through the Law of Moses. That comes by God’s grace through faith in Jesus as the promised Messiah.
Takeaway: You cannot obtain righteousness and right standing with God by what you do. The only way to have that is by God’s grace through faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Concerning modern-day scholarship, Paul’s radical conversion is proof of Jesus’ resurrection and the gospel’s transformative power. Even secular scholars cannot deny historically that Paul was an ardent enemy of the church who became one of its most passionate preachers. They may not believe that Jesus’ resurrection was real, but they cannot deny that Paul thought it was real and that faith in this risen Jesus radically changed the trajectory of his life.
III – Judaism’s Messiah (vv. 15-17)
Two key elements are at work in this section.
God’s sovereign will
Paul’s past was a part of God’s sovereign plan for his future. How? He was set apart before birth, called by God’s grace. Remember that the grace of God gives us peace with God, and His grace had an effectual call on Paul’s life (meaning, God’s sovereign power will bring about His desired result in a person’s life). And if God calls, who can resist? Just because Paul acted on the misplaced zeal in his darkened heart doesn’t mean he has thwarted God’s plan. He was set apart from the womb. Before Paul did anything, right or wrong, he was God’s chosen instrument to carry His gospel to the Gentiles. This means that even his rampage was being used by God for an intended purpose. For most in the 1st century, this radical change persuaded them that Paul was playing on their team now. And, as mentioned earlier, it still has a purpose today: to prove the truthfulness of Jesus’ resurrection.
We don’t know what impact our circumstances will have. I’m sure that the people who were persecuted under Paul’s misplaced zeal wouldn’t have wanted to experience it, and many died because of it. But it served a purpose. Their hardship made a difference in God’s grand plan, and we are still impacted by it today. God doesn’t salvage our bad experiences; He purposes them.
Takeaway: Like Paul, all who have faith in Christ have been called by God’s grace for His purposes.
God’s Son is revealed
Despite his zeal for man-made traditions, God revealed His Son to Paul, which means he did not have the Son the entire time that he was a zealous and dedicated Jew.
TO vs. IN. Jesus was not just revealed to Paul (as He was on the Damascus road), but God revealed His Son IN Paul. There is a massive difference. Anyone can sit in a church and have Jesus revealed to them… meaning they can be given information about him. In this case, you can accept or reject Him because what you have is more information. This can lead you to see Jesus for who He is and transform you, but it can also lead you nowhere. Your life doesn’t change because you have Jesus presented to you or because you follow Bible rules. You are made new because Jesus is in you. The outward call of the gospel is linked with the inward, effectual call of God. He has replaced a heart of stone with a heart of flesh that knows him, and you are made new. If you are IN Christ, you are a new creation!
Because God had set Paul apart from the womb, it was His good pleasure to reveal Jesus to Paul by the inward illumination of his heart by His Spirit. Once Jesus was revealed to Paul, his life was set on a specific course – to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles. But, Paul had to walk this road in a particular way and, at least initially, he could not have any traveling companions. I’m sure it would have been tempting to go to Jerusalem and discuss theology with the 12 Apostles, but that wasn’t God’s plan. He didn’t want Paul to get the gospel from anyone else. Instead, He would give it to Paul directly. So, instead of taking the road to Jerusalem, he took the road to Arabia and learned at the feet of the Master. This fuels Paul’s argument that he is the one with divine authority to declare the gospel message to be the only true gospel. His gospel is not a doctrine from man but from the one it testifies about. He got the information first-hand, not from secondary sources.
Today, we can see this decision and use it as a reminder to pay attention to who we listen to. Do I find myself gaining scriptural knowledge mainly from pastors and teachers, or do I go directly to the source? What keeps you from going directly to God?
Takeaway: We have direct access to the author of the book and the author of our faith.
IV – Comparing Notes (vv. 18-20)
After three years
Three years had passed since Paul’s conversion, and he finally traveled to Jerusalem. During that time, whether in Arabia or upon his return to Damascus (or likely both), Paul received the revelation from the Master Teacher himself.
A brief stay
When he arrived in Jerusalem, he hung out with Peter for fifteen days, only briefly seeing Jesus’ brother James during that time. He didn’t visit with any of the other original disciples. Doesn’t it make you wonder what they talked about? While Paul doesn’t explicitly, one could guess that they compared notes. How could they not? If I were Peter, I would want to know what Paul had been preaching, and if I were Paul, I would want to know how my revelation aligned with Peter’s. At the very least, this would be a time for Peter to confirm Paul’s legitimacy and trustworthiness. Still, I believe there is an element of discerning Paul’s theology, or else Paul wouldn’t be so adamant about proving it. Evidently, this might be hard to believe, so Paul declares it with God as his witness. And, as we will see next week during Paul’s second visit, there was undoubtedly a theological discussion.
We’ll leave it here for now.
V – A New Creation (vv. 21-24)
Paul’s travel plans – where he goes and where he doesn’t go – reveal an amazing truth.
Travel plans
After meeting with Peter, Paul journeyed north to Syria and Cilicia. He did not venture south of Jerusalem to visit the Judean churches.
The Judaean churches
The churches there were likely comprised, at least in part, of believers who fled from Jerusalem during Paul’s intense persecution. This means Paul already had a nasty reputation among them. Many likely experienced his indignation first-hand or secondhand, though they didn’t know him personally. He was not a popular guy.
Yet, despite his dark past, his reputation as the destroyer of God’s church is not what is circulating, but his reputation as a faithful gospel preacher of the same faith he once tried to destroy. His new nature was being made known, not his old nature. Instead of fighting against God, Paul’s new life in Christ brought glory and honor to God.
This is a powerful reminder for us today. We all have checkered pasts, and if we focus on what we once were, we can believe the lie that we are useless in the church today. Have you ever felt that way: that the sins of your past disqualify you from serving in God’s church today? If that is you, let me ask you a question. Have you ever murdered other Christians? No? Well, then, you are likely not as far gone as Paul once was!
Takeaway: It is never too late to live a redeemed life. Your past sins do not define your future purpose. God does.
Questions to Consider
How does Paul’s Jewish background (his zeal for traditions) contrast with his new mission to preach to Gentiles? Why is this significant?
How does Paul’s transformation encourage you about God’s ability to redeem your past?
Are you relying more on human teachers or directly on Scripture and the illumination of the Holy Spirit to understand the gospel?
Why is it important that Paul received his gospel directly from Jesus rather than from human teachers? What does this say about the authority of his message?
FAQs
FAQ on Galatians 1:11-24
- How did Paul receive the gospel message he preached?
- Paul asserts that he did not receive the gospel from any human source, whether through direct teaching or consultation with other Christian leaders. Instead, he received it through a direct revelation from Jesus Christ Himself, starting with his transformative experience on the road to Damascus and continuing from that day forward. This divine origin is crucial to his claim of apostolic authority and the authenticity of his message.
- What was Paul’s life like before his conversion?
- Prior to his encounter with Christ, Paul was a devout and zealous Jew, excelling as a Pharisee and intensely persecuting the early Christian church. He was deeply committed to the traditions of his ancestors, even to the point of trying to destroy the church. His zeal, however, was not based on the scriptures themselves but rather man-made traditions and regulations that often obscured the true meaning of the scriptures.
- Why does Paul emphasize that he didn’t consult with others after his conversion?
- Paul emphasizes this point to underscore the divine source of his gospel. He did not learn from the other apostles in Jerusalem, nor from other believers in Damascus, but directly from Christ. This direct revelation highlights the uniqueness of his calling and the fact that the gospel he preaches is not a human construct. He emphasizes that his gospel is not from a secondary source, but from the primary source: Jesus Christ Himself.
- How does Paul’s past fit into God’s plan?
- God had a sovereign plan for Paul from before his birth, setting him apart for a specific purpose. Even Paul’s past as a persecutor was used by God to fulfill that purpose. This radical transformation provides proof of Jesus’ resurrection and the transformative power of the gospel, demonstrating that even the most hardened opponents can become the most passionate advocates of the faith. This serves as an encouragement to others because they can be assured that their past doesn’t define their future purpose.
- What is the difference between Jesus being revealed “to” Paul and “in” Paul?
- The text distinguishes between Jesus being revealed to Paul, an external experience like the vision on the road to Damascus, and Jesus being revealed in Paul, meaning a deeper, inward transformation through the Holy Spirit that replaces a heart of stone with a heart of flesh that knows Him. The revelation “in” Paul signifies a new creation and signifies that Paul is not merely informed about Jesus but transformed by His presence. This inward transformation is essential for a genuine, lasting faith.
- Why did Paul go to Arabia and not directly to Jerusalem after his conversion?
- Instead of immediately consulting the apostles in Jerusalem, Paul went to Arabia and learned directly from God. This choice was intentional, allowing Paul to deepen his understanding of the gospel apart from the influence of others. This reinforces the idea that Paul’s gospel message came from divine revelation, not human instruction.
- What does Paul’s visit to Jerusalem three years after his conversion reveal about his relationship with the other apostles?
- Paul’s brief 15-day visit with Peter in Jerusalem, and his passing acknowledgement of meeting James, suggests a time of comparing notes and theological alignment. It seems Peter is discerning Paul’s theology, and thus this visit serves to confirm that Paul’s gospel message and ministry were in agreement with the earlier established leadership of the church in Jerusalem. This also demonstrates the credibility of Paul’s claim.
- How does Paul’s transformation impact the understanding of one’s own past?
- Paul’s transformation highlights that a person’s past does not disqualify them from serving in God’s kingdom. His dramatic change from persecutor to preacher demonstrates that it is never too late to live a redeemed life and that God uses even past mistakes for His purposes. This is especially encouraging for those who struggle with the sins of their past and feel unworthy of service within the church today. Like Paul, all who have faith in Christ have been called by God’s grace for His purposes and it is never too late for someone to become a new creation in Christ.