Read Gal 1:1 – 1:5
1:1 “From Paul, an apostle” Apostle is from the Greek apostolos, meaning “one who is sent".
"[B]ut regularly in the NT he is one who has received a special commission from Christ" (Bruce, 72). So, Paul is writing as one sent out by Christ; commissioned by Him to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles.
"not from men, nor by human agency"
"We should probably be right in inferring from Paul's emphatic language that his Galatian converts had been given a different account of his apostleship--an account which maintained that he had no commission apart from what he had received from men who had been Christian leaders before him ..." (Bruce, 72).
Paul will defend himself several times throughout this letter, against men who claim his authority is only from men. In reality, it is these men who only have authority from men. The are spreading a false gospel, while Paul is proclaiming true gospel.
"but by Jesus Christ" This is a reference back to Paul's experience on the Damascus road, which is found in Acts 9:1-22. Here, Ananias is specifically told that Saul was the Lord's chosen instrument to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles, to rulers, and to Israel (v. 15).
"[T]his prescript may be intended to establish that Paul is not a mere 'apostle' of churches, an agent sent out by a church such as the Antioch church on a mission of a specific nature and limited duration and with humanly derived authority, but rather an apostle of Christ with an enduring commission and authority" (Witherington, 71).
"and God the Father who raised him from the dead" Paul's authority does not merely come from Jesus but also from the Father.
We are reminded that it was the Father who raised Jesus the Son. This important event is what all of our faith hinges on. Later, in 1 Corinthians 15:14 Paul proclaims, "And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is futile and your faith is empty." Paul is reminding the Galatians of the gospel, even here in the salutation.
On this Calvin says,
1:2 “and all the brothers with me” Paul doesn’t list those with him, but the Galatians would have known at least some of them, if not all.
Why do you think that Paul would refer to these others? (Perhaps Paul is saying something like, “My message came from God, but I am not the only messenger! Remember all these others. I will not name anyone specifically, because we all proclaimed the same message!”)
Why did Paul not refer to Barnabas? Especially if this letter were written directly after the First Missionary Journey, the Galatians would have been quite familiar with him.
"There had been a falling out between Paul and Barnabas as a result of the incident at Antioch and now, while Paul was not alone, he was not able to cite other apostles or prominent co-workers who agreed with him and would co-write this letter with him" (Witherington, 74).
"to the churches in Galatia" This does not identify where the churches are in the region of Galatia, but it is likely that Paul had only planted churches in southern Galatia at this time.
1:3 “Grace and peace to you”: this is a uniquely Christian greeting possibly originating with Paul. It is found in Rom 1:6, 1 Cor 1:3, 2 Cor 1:2, Eph 1:2, Phil 1:2, Col 1:2, 1 Thes 1:1, 2 Thes 1:2, Tit 1:4, and Phil 1:3. It is found as “Grace, mercy, and peace” in 1 Tim 1:2, and 2 Tim 1:2.
Notably, this greeting is missing from the beginning of Hebrews. This is one of the reasons that many believe the book of Hebrews was not written by Paul. He was definitely able to write it, though.
“Grace”: a common Greek greeting was chairein, “joy to you.” Paul uses a similar sounding word, charis, meaning “grace.” But the implications of grace are far beyond those of joy.
“Peace”: a common greeting among the Jews. The Hebrew shalom is represented here by the Greek eirene, which also means “peace.” To the Jews, though, the idea went deeper than just an absence of conflict. It also imparts the idea of wholeness and blessing.
Combined, these are a prayer that the Galatians truly be God’s friends and to have every good thing, especially God Himself.
"from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ" The grace and peace that Paul's desires for the Galatians issues from God.
"But Paul is not simply offering perfunctory greetings for he makes clear that the source of what he is conveying here is God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, Paul is talking about some of the benefits the Galatians have and can continue to receive from God if they continue to 'walk according to the Spirit'. The greeting is especially pointed here as it is precisely the matters of grace and peace that are at issue in the Galatian assemblies" (Witherington, 75-6).
1:4-5 "who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever! Amen."
This is a reminder of the gospel, which Paul is soon going to defend.
I can imagine Paul saying, “Remember Jesus? He’s the one who died for you! Remember the gospel that I taught you?”
This is an amplification of the salutation, and is probably part of an early confession of faith.
“of our God and Father to whom be glory forever and ever!” This is a reminder of what we owe to God, but it is also more. Here, Paul is reminding the Galatians whom they are offending by turning from the gospel to the Law.
Bruce, F. F. The Epistle to the Galatians. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982.
Witherngton III, Ben. Grace in Galatia. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998.
The resurrection of Christ is the commencement of his reign, and is therefore closely connected with the present subject. It was a reproach brought by them against Paul that he had held no communication with Christ, while he was on the earth. He argues, on the other hand, that, as Christ was glorified by his resurrection, so he has actually exercised his authority in the government of his church. The calling of Paul is therefore more illustrious than it would have been, if Christ, while still a mortal, had ordained him to the office. And this circumstance deserves attention; for Paul intimates that the attempt to set aside his authority, involved a malignant opposition to the astonishing power of God, which was displayed in the resurrection of Christ; because the same heavenly Father, who raised Christ from the dead, commanded Paul to make known that exertion of his power."The raising of Christ, moreover, was specially relevant to Paul's commissioning, for it was his Damascus-road experience that simultaneously confronted him with the risen Christ, thereby convincing him that God had indeed raised Christ from the dead, and brought home to him the call of the risen Christ to be his apostle to the Gentile world" (Bruce, 73).
1:2 “and all the brothers with me” Paul doesn’t list those with him, but the Galatians would have known at least some of them, if not all.
Why do you think that Paul would refer to these others? (Perhaps Paul is saying something like, “My message came from God, but I am not the only messenger! Remember all these others. I will not name anyone specifically, because we all proclaimed the same message!”)
Why did Paul not refer to Barnabas? Especially if this letter were written directly after the First Missionary Journey, the Galatians would have been quite familiar with him.
"There had been a falling out between Paul and Barnabas as a result of the incident at Antioch and now, while Paul was not alone, he was not able to cite other apostles or prominent co-workers who agreed with him and would co-write this letter with him" (Witherington, 74).
"to the churches in Galatia" This does not identify where the churches are in the region of Galatia, but it is likely that Paul had only planted churches in southern Galatia at this time.
1:3 “Grace and peace to you”: this is a uniquely Christian greeting possibly originating with Paul. It is found in Rom 1:6, 1 Cor 1:3, 2 Cor 1:2, Eph 1:2, Phil 1:2, Col 1:2, 1 Thes 1:1, 2 Thes 1:2, Tit 1:4, and Phil 1:3. It is found as “Grace, mercy, and peace” in 1 Tim 1:2, and 2 Tim 1:2.
Notably, this greeting is missing from the beginning of Hebrews. This is one of the reasons that many believe the book of Hebrews was not written by Paul. He was definitely able to write it, though.
“Grace”: a common Greek greeting was chairein, “joy to you.” Paul uses a similar sounding word, charis, meaning “grace.” But the implications of grace are far beyond those of joy.
“Peace”: a common greeting among the Jews. The Hebrew shalom is represented here by the Greek eirene, which also means “peace.” To the Jews, though, the idea went deeper than just an absence of conflict. It also imparts the idea of wholeness and blessing.
Combined, these are a prayer that the Galatians truly be God’s friends and to have every good thing, especially God Himself.
"from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ" The grace and peace that Paul's desires for the Galatians issues from God.
"But Paul is not simply offering perfunctory greetings for he makes clear that the source of what he is conveying here is God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, Paul is talking about some of the benefits the Galatians have and can continue to receive from God if they continue to 'walk according to the Spirit'. The greeting is especially pointed here as it is precisely the matters of grace and peace that are at issue in the Galatian assemblies" (Witherington, 75-6).
1:4-5 "who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever! Amen."
This is a reminder of the gospel, which Paul is soon going to defend.
I can imagine Paul saying, “Remember Jesus? He’s the one who died for you! Remember the gospel that I taught you?”
This is an amplification of the salutation, and is probably part of an early confession of faith.
“of our God and Father to whom be glory forever and ever!” This is a reminder of what we owe to God, but it is also more. Here, Paul is reminding the Galatians whom they are offending by turning from the gospel to the Law.
The NET Bible was used in quotes here. It can be found online, here
Bruce, F. F. The Epistle to the Galatians. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982.
Calvin, John. Commentary on Galatians and Ephesians.
Witherngton III, Ben. Grace in Galatia. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998.
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