03 - Galatians 1:11-14

Bible Study Time Galatians
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:open_book: Let’s read Galatians 1:11-14 (NLT)

Paul’s Message Comes from Christ

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.

Verse 11

There was a group called the Judaizers who were teaching a false gospel—one that required new believers to follow the laws established by Moses in order to be saved. They accused Paul of not being a “real” apostle of Jesus.

It’s true that he wasn’t one of the original 12 disciples, so the people in Galatia were like, “Maybe the Judaizers are right… :thinking:” Thus, Paul uses the rest of chapter 1 to establish his authority as a genuine apostle—not someone who’s invented his own gospel.

Verse 12

Paul defends his authority as a teacher of God’s truth by affirming that he learned the good news via a personal, direct revelation from Jesus Himself.

Verse 13

To add more weight to his testimony, Paul reminds them of what he was like before he met Christ. He was known for his cruelty to Christians. His whole goal in life at the time was to destroy the church of God no matter what it took—even if it required violence (Acts 26:9-11).

Verse 14

Since the Judaizers were accusing Paul of being fake and comparing their religious dedication to his, Paul emphasizes that they had nothing on him.

He was a Pharisee who had studied and mastered all the same scriptures and texts they had. He started out right where they were in their beliefs, but it wasn’t in Jerusalem that he learned the true gospel.

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:red_question_mark: Questions: Galatians 1:11-14

  1. Have you every been extremely passionate about something and then found out that it was actually the wrong thing to do or believe? What’s the story there?
  2. When have you ever experienced a failure, rejection, or mistake that God turned around for your own good?
  3. Why is it an important distinction to say that “doing good” doesn’t actually make God love us or save us, but that we are saved by God’s grace alone?

:thinking: Things to Think About

Do you feel like Paul’s story sounds prideful or like he’s bragging? How do you respond when someone says that God gave them a special mission or message?

Paul had reputation for his violent persecution of Christians before he had a complete 180 change. How would you respond to such a person—one who had an evil reputation who later claimed to have a complete change of heart?

:speech_balloon: Share your thoughts on any of the questions above or add your own insights!