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Introduction

¹ Paul, ^(C1)an apostle (^(C2)not commissioned and sent from men nor through the agency of man, but ^(C3)through Jesus Christ—the Messiah—and God the Father, who ^(C4)raised Him from the dead),

² and all ^(C1)the brothers who are with me, To ^(C2)the churches of Galatia:

^3 (C1)Grace to you and peace inner calm and spiritual well-being from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,⁴ who ^(C1)gave Himself as a sacrifice to atone for our sins to save and sanctify us so that He might rescue us from ^(C2)this present evil ^(F1)age, in accordance with the will and purpose and plan of ^(C3)our God and Father—^5 (C1)to Him be ascribed all the glory through the ages of the ages. Amen.

Perversion of the Gospel

⁶ I am astonished and extremely irritated that you are so quickly shifting your allegiance and deserting ^(C1)Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a ^(C2)different even contrary gospel;⁷ which is really not another gospel; but there are obviously ^(F1)some people masquerading as teachers who are ^(C1)disturbing and confusing you with a misleading, counterfeit teaching and want to distort the gospel of Christ twisting it into something which it absolutely is not.⁸ But even if we, or ^(C1)an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we originally preached to you, let him be ^(C2)condemned to destruction!⁹ As we ^(C1)have said before, so I now say again, ^(C2)if anyone is preaching to you a gospel different from that which you received from us, let him be ^(C3)condemned to destruction!

¹⁰ Am I now ^(F1)(C1)trying to win the favor and approval of men, or of God? Or am I seeking to please someone? If I were still trying to be popular with men, I would not be a ^(C2)bond-servant of Christ.

Paul Defends His Ministry

¹¹ For ^(C1)I want you to know, ^(F1)believers, that the gospel which was preached by me is ^(C2)not man's gospel it is not a human invention, patterned after any human concept.¹² For indeed ^(C1)I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a direct ^(C2)revelation of Jesus Christ.

¹³ You have heard of ^(C1)my career and former manner of life in Judaism, how I ^(C2)used to hunt down and persecute ^(C3)the church of God extensively and with fanatical zeal ^(C4)tried my best to destroy it.¹⁴ And you have heard how I ^(C1)surpassed many of my contemporaries among my countrymen in my advanced study of the laws of Judaism, as I was extremely loyal to the ^(C2)traditions of my ancestors.¹⁵ But when God, who had chosen me and set me apart before I was born, and ^(C1)called me through His grace, was pleased ^(VR1)16 to reveal His Son in me so that I might ^(C1)preach Him among the Gentiles as the good news—the way of salvation, ^(C2)I did not immediately consult with ^(F1)(C3)anyone for guidance regarding God's call and His revelation to me.^17 (C1)Nor did I even go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia and stayed awhile, and afterward returned once more to ^(C2)Damascus.

¹⁸ Then ^(C1)three years later I did go up ^(C2)to Jerusalem to get acquainted with ^(C3)Cephas (Peter), and I stayed with him fifteen days.¹⁹ But I did not see any other apostle except ^(C1)James, the half brother of the Lord.²⁰ (Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you as if I were standing ^(C1)before God that I am not lying.)²¹ Then ^(C1)I went into the regions of ^(C2)Syria and ^(C3)Cilicia.²² And I was still unknown by sight to ^(C1)the churches which were ^(C2)in Christ in Judea (Jerusalem and the surrounding region);²³ they only kept hearing, "He who used to persecute us is now preaching ^(C1)the good news of the faith which he once ^(C2)was trying to destroy."²⁴ And they ^(C1)were glorifying God as the Author and Source of what had taken place and all that had been accomplished in me.