Galatians 1

The reading is a little doubtful. Thesentence may be construed to read: "From that Christ that called you intograce"; or it may be construed to read: "From God that called you intothe grace of Christ." I prefer the former for it seems to me that Paul'spurpose is to impress upon us the benefits of Christ. This reading alsopreserves the implied criticism that the Galatians withdrew themselves from thatChrist who had called them not unto the law, but unto grace. With Paul we decrythe blindness and perverseness of men in that they will not receive the messageof grace and salvation, or having received it they quickly let go of it, inspite of the fact that the Gospel bestows all good things spiritual: forgivenessof sins, true righteousness, peace of conscience, everlasting life; and all goodthings temporal: good judgment, good government and peace.

Why does the world abhor the glad tidings ofthe Gospel and the blessings that go with it? Because the world is the devil's.Under his direction the world persecutes the Gospel and would if it could nailagain Christ, the Son of God, to the Cross although He gave Himself into deathfor the sins of the world. The world dwells in darkness. The world is darkness.

Paul accentuates the point that the Galatianshad been called by Christ unto grace. "I taught you the doctrine of graceand of liberty from the Law, from sin and wrath, that you should be free inChrist, and not slaves to the hard laws of Moses. Will you allow yourselves tobe carried away so easily from the living fountain of grace and life?"

VERSE 6.Untoanother gospel.

Note the resourcefulness of the devil.Heretics do not advertise their errors. Murderers, adulterers, thieves disguisethemselves. So the devil masquerades all his devices and activities. He puts onwhite to make himself look like an angel of light. He is astoundingly clever tosell his patent poison for the Gospel of Christ. Knowing Satan's guile, Paulsardonically calls the doctrine of the false apostles "anothergospel," as if he would say, "You Galatians have now another gospel,while my Gospel is no longer esteemed by you."

We infer from this that the false apostleshad depreciated the Gospel of Paul among the Galatians on the plea that it wasincomplete. Their objection to Paul's Gospel is identical to that recorded inthe fifteenth chapter of the Book of Acts to the effect that it was not enoughfor the Galatians to believe in Christ, or to be baptized, but that it wasneedful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses, for"except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot besaved." As though Christ were a workman who had begun a building and leftit for Moses to finish.

Today the Anabaptists and others, finding itdifficult to condemn us, accuse us Lutherans of timidity in professing the wholetruth. They grant that we have laid the foundation in Christ, but claim that wehave failed to go through with the building. In this way these perverse fanaticsparade their cursed doctrine as the Word of God, and, flying the flag of God'sname, they deceive many. The devil knows better than to appear ugly and black.He prefers to carry on his nefarious activities in the name of God. Hence theGerman proverb: "All mischief begins in the name of God."

When the devil sees that he cannot hurt thecause of the Gospel by destructive methods, he does it under the guise of correcting and advancing the cause of the Gospel. He would like best ofall to persecute us with fire and sword, but this method has availed him littlebecause through the blood of martyrs the church has been watered. Unable toprevail by force, he engages wicked and ungodly teachers who at first makecommon cause with us, then claim that they are particularly called to teach thehidden mysteries of the Scriptures to superimpose upon the first principles ofChristian doctrine that we teach. This sort of thing brings the Gospel intotrouble. May we all cling to the Word of Christ against the wiles of the devil,"for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, againstspiritual wickedness in high places."

VERSE 7.Whichis not another; but there be some that trouble you.

Here again the apostle excuses the Galatians,while he blames the false apostles for disturbing their consciences and forstealing them out of his hand. How angry he gets at these deceivers! He callsthem troublemakers, seducers of poor consciences.

This passage adduces further evidence thatthe false apostles defamed Paul as an imperfect apostle and a weak and erroneouspreacher. They condemn Paul, Paul condemns them. Such warfare of condemnation isalways going on in the church. The papists and the fanatics hate us, condemn ourdoctrine, and want to kill us. We in turn hate and condemn their curseddoctrine. In the meanwhile the people are uncertain whom to follow and which wayto turn, for it is not given to everybody to judge these matters. But the truthwill win out. So much is certain, we persecute no man, neither does our doctrinetrouble men. On the contrary, we have the testimony of many good men who thankGod on their knees for the consolation that our doctrine has brought them. LikePaul, we are not to blame that the churches have trouble. The fault lies with theAnabaptists and other fanatics.

Every teacher of work-righteousness is atrouble-maker. Has it never occurred to you that the pope, cardinals, bishops,monks, and that the whole synagogue of Satan are trouble-makers? The truth is,they are worse than false apostles. The files apostles taught that in additionto faith in Christ the works of the Law of God were necessary unto salvation.But the papists omit faith altogether and teach self-devised traditions andworks that are not commanded of God, indeed are contrary to the Word of God, andfor these traditions they demand preferred attention and obedience.

Paul calls the false apostles troublers ofthe church because they taught circumcision and the keeping of the Law asneedful unto salvation. They insisted that the Law must be observed in everydetail. They were supporters in this contention by the Jews, with the resultthat those who were not firmly established in faith were easily persuaded thatPaul was not a sincere teacher of God because he ignored the Law. The Jews wereoffended at the idea that the Law of God should be entirely ignored by Paul andthat the Gentiles, former idol-worshippers, should gratuitously attain to thestation of God's people without circumcision, without the penitentiaryperformance of the law, by grace alone through faith in Christ Jesus.

These criticisms were amplified by the falseapostles. They accused Paul of designs to abolish the law of God and the Jewishdispensation, contrary to the law of God, contrary to their Jewish heritage,contrary to apostolic example, contrary to Paul's own example. They demandedthat Paul be shunned as a blasphemer and a rebel, while they were to be heard astrue teachers of the Gospel and authentic disciples of the apostles. Thus Paulstood defamed among the Galatians. He was forced to attack the false apostles.He did so without hesitation.

VERSE 7.And would pervert the gospel ofChrist.

To paraphrase this sentence: "Thesefalse apostles do not merely trouble you, they abolish Christ's Gospel. They actas if they were the only true Gospel-preachers. For all that they muddle Law andGospel. As a result they pervert the Gospel. Either Christ must live and the Lawperish, or the Law remains and Christ must perish; Christ and the Law cannotdwell side by side in the conscience. It is either grace or law. To muddle thetwo is to eliminate the Gospel of Christ entirely."

It seems a small matter to mingle the Law andGospel, faith and works, but it creates more mischief than man's brain canconceive. To mix Law and Gospel not only clouds the knowledge of grace, it cutsout Christ altogether.

The words of Paul, "and would pervertthe gospel of Christ," also indicate how arrogant these false apostleswere. They were shameless boasters. Paul simply had to exalt his own ministryand Gospel.

VERSE 8.Butthough we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than thatwhich we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

Paul's zeal for the Gospel becomes so ferventthat it almost leads him to curse angels. "I would rather that I, mybrethren, yes, the angels of heaven be anathematized than that my gospel beoverthrown."

The Greek word anathema, Hebrew herem, means to accurse, execrate, to damn. Paul first (hypothetically) curseshimself. Knowing persons first find fault with themselves in order that they mayall the more earnestly reprove others.

Paul maintains that there is no other gospelbesides the one he had preached to the Galatians. He preached, not a gospel ofhis own invention, but the very same Gospel God had long ago prescribed in theSacred Scriptures. No wonder Paul pronounces curses upon himself and uponothers, upon the angels of heaven, if anyone should dare to preach any other gospel thanChrist's own.

VERSE 9.Aswe said before, so say I now again. If any man preach any other gospel unto youthan that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Paul repeats the curse, directing it now uponother persons. Before, he cursed himself, his brethren, and an angel fromheaven. "Now," he says, "if there are any others who preach agospel different from that you have received from us, let them also beaccursed." Paul herewith curses and excommunicates all false teachersincluding his opponents. He is so worked up that he dares to curse all whopervert his Gospel. Would to God that this terrible pronouncement of the Apostlemight strike fear into the hearts of all who pervert the Gospel of Paul.

The Galatians might say: "Paul, we donot pervert the Gospel you have brought unto us. We did not quite understand it.That is all. Now these teachers who came after you have explained everything sobeautifully."

This explanation the Apostle refuses toaccept. They must add nothing; they must correct nothing. "What youreceived from me is the genuine Gospel of God. Let it stand. If any man bringsany other gospel than the one I brought you, or promises to deliver betterthings than you have received from me, let him be accursed."

In spite of this emphatic denunciation somany accept the pope as the supreme judge of the Scriptures. "TheChurch," they say, "chose only four gospels. The Church might havechosen more. Ergo the Church is above the Gospel." With equal force onemight argue: "I approve the Scriptures. Ergo I am above the Scriptures.John the Baptist confessed Christ. Hence he is above Christ." Paulsubordinates himself, all preachers, all the angels of heaven, everybody to theSacred Scriptures. We are not the masters, judges, or arbiters, but witnesses,disciples, and confessors of the Scriptures, whether we be pope, Luther, Augustine, Paul,or an angel from heaven.

VERSE 10.Fordo I now persuade men, or God?

With the same vehemence Paul continues:"You Galatians ought to be able to tell from my preaching and from the manyafflictions which I have endured, whether I serve men or God. Everybody can seethat my preaching has stirred up persecution against me everywhere, and hasearned for me the cruel hatred of my own people, in fact the hatred of all men.This should convince you that by my preaching I do not seek the favor and praiseof men, but the glory of God."

No man can say that we are seeking the favorand praise of men with our doctrine. We teach that all men are naturallydepraved. We condemn man's free will, his strength, wisdom, and righteousness.We say that we obtain grace by the free mercy of God alone for Christ's sake.This is no preaching to please men. This sort of preaching procures for us thehatred and disfavor of the world, persecutions, excommunications, murders, andcurses.

"Can't you see that I seek no man'sfavor by my doctrine?" asks Paul. "If I were anxious for the favor ofmen I would flatter them. But what do I do? I condemn their works. I teachthings only that I have been commanded to teach from above. For that I bringdown upon my head the wrath of Jews and Gentiles. My doctrine must be right. Itmust be divine. Any other doctrine cannot be better than mine. Any otherdoctrine must be false and wicked."

With Paul we boldly pronounce a curse uponevery doctrine that does not agree with ours. We do not preach for the praise ofmen, or the favor of princes. We preach for the favor of God alone whose graceand mercy we proclaim. Whosoever teaches a gospel contrary to ours, or differentfrom ours, let us be bold to say that he is sent of the devil.

VERSE 10.Or do I seek to please men?

"Do I serve men or God?" Paul keepsan eye on the false apostles, those flatterers of men. They taught circumcisionto avoid the hatred and persecution of men.

To this day you will find many who seek toplease men in order that they may live in peace and security. They teachwhatever is agreeable to men, no matter whether it is contrary to God's Word ortheir own conscience. But we who endeavor to please God and not men, stir uphell itself. We must suffer reproach, slanders, death.

For those who go about to please men we havea word from Christ recorded in the fifth chapter of St. John: "How can yebelieve, which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that comethfrom God alone?"

VERSE 10.Forif I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

Observe the consummate cleverness with whichthe false apostles went about to bring Paul into disrepute. They combed Paul'swritings for contradictions (our opponents do the same) to accuse him ofteaching contradictory things. They found that Paul had circumcised Timothyaccording to the Law, that Paul had purified himself with four other men in theTemple at Jerusalem, that Paul had shaven his head at Cenchrea. The falseapostles slyly suggested that Paul had been constrained by the other apostles toobserve these ceremonial laws. We know that Paul observed these decora out ofcharitable regard for the weak brethren. He did not want to offend them. But thefalse apostles turned Paul's charitable regard to his disadvantage. If Paul hadpreached the Law and circumcision, if he had commended the strength and freewill of man, he would not have been so obnoxious to the Jews. On the contrarythey would have praised his every action.

VERSES 11, 12.But I certify you,brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For Ineither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation ofJesus Christ.

This passage constitutes Paul's chief defenseagainst the accusations of his opponents. He maintains under oath that hereceived his Gospel not from men, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

In declaring that his Gospel is not afterman, Paul does not merely wish to state that his Gospel is not mundane. Thefalse apostles made the same claim for their gospel. Paul means to say that helearned his Gospel not in the usual and accepted manner through the agency ofmen by hearing, reading, or writing. He received the Gospel by specialrevelation directly from Jesus Christ.

Paul received his Gospel on the way toDamascus when Christ appeared to him. St. Luke furnishes an account of theincident in the ninth chapter of the Book of Acts. "Arise," saidChrist to Paul, "and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thoumust do." Christ did not send Paul into the city to learn the Gospel fromAnanias. Ananias was only to baptize Paul, to lay his hands on Paul, to committhe ministry of the Word unto Paul, and to recommend him to the Church. Ananiasrecognized his limited assignment when he said to Paul: "Brother Saul, theLord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sentme, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the HolyGhost." Paul did not receive instruction from Ananias. Paul had alreadybeen called, enlightened, and taught by Christ in the road. His contact withAnanias was merely a testimonial to the fact that Paul had been called by Christto preach the Gospel.

Paul was forced to speak of his conversion tocombat the slanderous contention of the false apostles to the effect that thisapostleship was inferior to that of the other apostles.

If it were not for the example of the Galatian churches I would never havethought it possible that anybody who had received the Word of God with sucheagerness as they had, could so quickly let go of it. Good Lord, what terriblemischief one single false statement can create.

The article of justification is fragile. Notin itself, of course, but in us. I know how quickly a person can forfeit the joyof the Gospel. I know in what slippery places even those stand who seem to havea good footing in the matters of faith. In the midst of the conflict when weshould be consoling ourselves with the Gospel, the Law rears up and begins torage all over our conscience. I say the Gospel is frail because we are frail.

What makes matters worse is that one-half ofourselves, our own reason, stands against us. The flesh resists the spirit, oras Paul puts it, "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit." Therefore weteach that to know Christ and to believe in Him is no achievement of man, butthe gift of God. God alone can create and preserve faith in us. God createsfaith in us through the Word. He increases, strengthens and confirms faith in usthrough His word. Hence the best service that anybody can render God isdiligently to hear and read God's Word. On the other hand, nothing is moreperilous than to be weary of the Word of God. Thinking he knows enough, a personbegins little by little to despise the Word until he has lost Christ and theGospel altogether.

Let every believer carefully learn theGospel. Let him continue in humble prayer. We are molested not by puny foes, butby mighty ones, foes who never grow tired of warring against us. These, ourenemies, are many: Our own flesh, the world, the Law, sin, death, the wrath andjudgment of God, and the devil himself.

The arguments which the false apostlesadvanced impress people to this day. "Who are you to dissent from thefathers and the entire Church, and to bring a contradictory doctrine? Are youwiser than so many holy men, wiser than the whole Church?" When Satan,abetted by our own reason, advances these arguments against us, we lose heart, unless wekeep on saying to ourselves: "I don't care if Cyprian, Ambrose, Augustine,Peter, Paul, John, or an angel from heaven, teaches so and so. I know that Iteach the truth of God in Christ Jesus."

When I first took over the defense of theGospel, I remembered what Doctor Staupitz said to me. "I like itwell," he said, "that the doctrine which you proclaim gives glory toGod alone and none to man. For never can too much glory, goodness, and mercy beascribed unto God." These words of the worthy Doctor comforted andconfirmed me. The Gospel is true because it deprives men of all glory, wisdom,and righteousness and turns over all honor to the Creator alone. It is safer toattribute too much glory unto God than unto man.

You may argue that the Church and the fathersare holy. Yet the Church is compelled to pray: "Forgive us ourtrespasses," I am not to be believed, nor is the Church to be believed, orthe fathers, or the apostles, or an angel from heaven, if they teach anythingcontrary to the Word of God. Let the Word of God abide forever.

Peter erred in life and in doctrine. Paulmight have dismissed Peter's error as a matter of no consequence. But Paul sawthat Peter's error would lead to the damage of the whole Church unless it werecorrected. Therefore he withstood Peter to his face. The Church, Peter, theapostles, angels from heaven, are not to be heard unless they teach the genuineWord of God.

This argument is not always to our advantage.People ask: "Whom then shall we believe?" Our opponents maintain thatthey teach the pure Word of God. We do not believe them. They in turn hate andpersecute us for vile heretics. What can we do about it? With Paul we glory inthe Gospel of Jesus Christ. What do we gain? We are told that our glorying isidle vanity and unadulterated blasphemy. The moment we abase ourselves and givein to the rage of our opponents, Papists and Anabaptists grow arrogant. TheAnabaptists hatch out some new monstrosity. The Papists revive their old abominations. What to do? Let everybody becomesure of his calling and doctrine, that he may boldly say with Paul: "Butthough we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than yehave received, let him be accursed."

VERSES 13, 14.Forye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how thatbeyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: And profited inthe Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation.

This passage does not contain doctrine. Pauladduces his own case for an example. "I have," he says, "at onetime defended the traditions of the Pharisees more fiercely than any of yourfalse apostles. Now, if the righteousness of the Law had been worth anything Iwould never have forsaken it. So carefully did I live up to the Law that Iexcelled many of my companions. So zealous was I in defense of the Law that Iwasted the church of God."

VERSE 14.Beingmore exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.

Speaking now of the Mosaic Law, Paul declaresthat he was wrapped up in it. To the Philippians he wrote: "As touching thelaw, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching therighteousness which is in the law, blameless." He means to say, "I cancompare myself with the best and holiest of all those who are of thecircumcision. Let them show me if they can, a more earnest defender of theMosaic Law than I was at one time. This fact, O Galatians, should have put youon your guard against these deceivers who make so much of the Law. If anybodyever had reason to glory in the righteousness of the Law, it was I."

I too may say that before I was enlightenedby the Gospel, I was as zealous for the papistical laws and traditions of thefathers as ever a man was. I tried hard to live up to every law as best I could. I punished myself with fasting, watching,praying, and other exercises more than all those who today hate and persecuteme. I was so much in earnest that I imposed upon my body more than it couldstand. I honored the pope as a matter of conscience. Whatever I did, I did witha single heart to the glory of God. But our opponents, well-fed idlers that theyare, will not believe what I and many others have endured.

VERSES 15, 16, 17.But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called meby his grace.

To reveal his Son in me, that I mightpreach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:

Neither went I up toJerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, andreturned again unto Damascus.

Here Paul relates that immediately upon beingcalled by God to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, he went into Arabia withoutconsulting a single person. "When it had pleased God," he writes,"I did not deserve it. I had been an enemy of Christ. I had blasphemed HisGospel. I had shed innocent blood. In the midst of my frenzy I was called. Why?On account of my outrageous cruelty? Indeed not. My gracious God who shows mercyunto whom He will, pardoned all mine iniquities. He bestowed His grace upon me,and called me for an apostle."

We also have come to the knowledge of thetruth by the same kindness of God. I crucified Christ daily in my cloisteredlife, and blasphemed God by my wrong faith. Outwardly I kept myself chaste,poor, and obedient. I was much given to fasting, watching, praying, saying ofmasses, and the like. Yet under the cloak of my outward respectability Icontinually mistrusted, doubted, feared, hated, and blasphemed God. Myrighteousness was a filthy puddle. Satan loves such saints. They are hisdarlings, for they quickly destroy their body and soul by depriving them of the blessingsof God's generous gifts.

I tell you I stood in awe of the pope'sauthority. To dissent from him I considered a crime worthy of eternal death. Ithought of John Huss as a cursedheretic. I counted it a sin even to think of him. I would gladly have furnishedthe wood to burn him. I would have felt I had done God a real service.

In comparison with these sanctimonioushypocrites of the papacy, publicans and harlots are not bad. They at least feelremorse. They at least do not try to justify their wicked deeds. But thesepretended saints, so far from acknowledging their errors, justify them andregard them as acceptable sacrifices unto God.

VERSE 15a.Whenit pleased God.

"By the favor of God I, a wicked andcursed wretch, a blasphemer, persecutor, and rebel, was spared. Not content tospare me, God granted unto me the knowledge of His salvation, His Spirit, HisSon, the office of an apostle, everlasting life." Paul speaking.

God not only pardoned our iniquities, but inaddition overwhelmed us with blessings and spiritual gifts. Many, however, areungrateful. Worse, by opening again a window to the devil many begin to loatheGod's Word, and end by perverting the Gospel.

VERSE 15.Whoseparated me from my mother's womb.

This is a Hebrew expression, meaning tosanctify, ordain, prepare. Paul is saying, "When I was not yet born Godordained me to be an apostle, and in due time confirmed my apostleship beforethe world. Every gift, be it small or great, spiritual or temporal, and everygood thing I should ever do, God has ordained while I was yet in my mother'swomb where I could neither think nor perform any good thing. After I was bornGod supported me. Heaping mercy upon mercy, He freely forgave my sins,replenishing me with His grace to enable me to learn what great things are ours in Christ. To crown it all, He called me to preach theGospel to others."

VERSE 15.Andcalled me by his grace.

"Did God call me on account of my holylife? Or on account of my pharisaical religion? Or on account of my prayers,fastings, and works? Never. Well, then, it is certain God did not call me onaccount of my blasphemies, persecutions, oppressions. What prompted Him to callme? His grace alone."

VERSE 16.Toreveal his Son to me.

We now hear what kind of doctrine wascommitted to Paul: The doctrine of the Gospel, the doctrine of the revelation ofthe Son of God. This doctrine differs greatly from the Law. The Law terrorizesthe conscience. The Law reveals the wrath and judgment of God. The Gospel doesnot threaten. The Gospel announces that Christ is come to forgive the sins ofthe world. The Gospel conveys to us the inestimable treasures of God.

VERSE 16.ThatI might preach him among the heathen.

"It pleased God," says the Apostle,"to reveal himself in me. Why? For a twofold purpose. That I personallyshould believe in the Son of God, and that I should reveal Him to theGentiles."

Paul does not mention the Jews, for thesimple reason that he was the called and acknowledged apostle of the Gentiles,although he preached Christ also to the Jews.

We can hear the Apostle saying to himself:"I will not burden the Gentiles with the Law, because I am their apostleand not their lawgiver. Not once did you Galatians hear me speak of therighteousness of the Law or of works. My job was to bring you the Gospel.Therefore you ought to listen to no teachers of the Law, but the Gospel: notMoses, but the Son of God; not the righteousness of works, but the righteousnessof faith must be proclaimed to the Gentiles. That is the right kind of preaching for Gentiles."

VERSE 16.ImmediatelyI conferred not with flesh and blood.

Once Paul had received the Gospel fromChrist, he conferred with nobody in Damascus. He asked no man to teach him. Hedid not go up to Jerusalem to sit at the feet of Peter and the other apostles.At once he preached Jesus Christ in Damascus.

VERSE 17.Neitherwent I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went intoArabia, and returned again unto Damascus.

"I went to Arabia before I saw any ofthe apostles. I took it upon myself to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles withoutdelay, because Christ had called me for that purpose." This statementrefutes the assertion of the false apostles that Paul had been a pupil of theapostles, from which the false apostles inferred that Paul had been instructedin the obedience of the Law, that therefore the Gentiles also ought to keep theLaw and submit to circumcision.

VERSES 18, 19.Thenafter three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with himfifteen days. But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord'sbrother.

Paul minutely recounts his personal historyto stop the cavil of the false apostles. Paul does not deny that he had beenwith some of the apostles. He went to Jerusalem uninvited, not to be instructed,but to visit with Peter. Luke reports the occasion in the ninth chapter of theBook of Acts. Barnabas introduced Paul to the apostles and related to them howPaul had met the Lord Jesus on the way to Damascus, also how Paul had preachedboldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. Paul says that he saw Peter and James,but he denies that he learned anything from them.

Why does Paul harp on this seemingly unimportant fact? To convince the churchesof Galatia that his Gospel was the true Word of Christ which he learned fromChrist Himself and from no man. Paul was forced to affirm and re-affirm thisfact. His usefulness to all the churches that had used him as their pastor andteacher was at stake.

VERSE 20.Nowthe things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.

Was it necessary for Paul to go under oath?Yes. Paul is reporting personal history. How else would the churches believehim? The false apostles might say, "Who knows whether Paul is telling thetruth?" Paul, the elect vessel of God, was held in so little esteem by hisown Galatians to whom he had preached Christ that it was necessary for him toswear an oath that he spoke the truth. If this happened to Paul, what businesshave we to complain when people doubt our words, or hold us in little regard, wewho cannot begin to compare ourselves with the Apostle?

VERSE 21.AfterwardsI came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

Syria and Cilicia are adjacent countries.Paul traces his movements carefully in order to convince the Galatians that hehad never been the disciple of any apostle.

VERSE 22, 23, 24.Andwas unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ: But theyhad heard only, that he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth thefaith which once he destroyed. And they glorified God in me.

In Syria and Cilicia Paul won the indorsementof all the churches of Judea, by his preaching. All the churches everywhere,even those of Judea, could testify that he had preached the same faitheverywhere. "And," Paul adds, "these churches glorified God inme, not because I taught that circumcision and the law of Moses should beobserved, but because I urged upon all faith in the Lord Jesus Christ."