Gal 1.1-23 tells us about Paul’s calling; his amazement of the Galatians for following a different teaching and a distortion of the truth given by God; Paul proves that his message did not come from man.
v 1…Paul, an apostle (shaliach=sent one) not from men, nor through the agency of man (not sent by a human organization), but through Jesus (Yeshua) Christ (ha Mashiach=the anointed one; it wasn’t his free will that knocked Paul to the ground in Acts or caused him to be blinded or caused him to “seek after God”, it was determined by God on what day and hour that Yeshua was revealed to him), and God the Father (God our Father), who raised him from the dead,
v 2… and all the brethren (brothers) who are with me, to the assembly (congregations; kehilat) of Galatia:
v 3… Grace (chen-an attribute of God) to you and peace from God the Father (literally God our Father), and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah,
v 4…who gave himself for our sins (not for mankind or the Jews or the apostles, but for his elect, his sheep, his Kahal-Matt 20.28 and Eph 1.4….as opposed to those from the world) that he might deliver us out of this present evil age (the Olam ha Zeh=6000 year period leading to the Lord’s Day, the Sabbath of God, the Messianic Kingdom) according to the will of our God and Father (his plan is not subject to our enslaved will to “pick up” where he leaves off because “it is finished”, nothing can be added or subtracted from it)
v 5… to whom the glory (kivod) forever (L’Olam Vaed). Amen (so be it, certainly true; related to the word “emunah”=confidence, faith).
v 6…I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting him who called you by the grace (chessed) of Messiah for a different gospel (something distorted and different in quality; involving works)
v 7… which is not another; only there are some who are disturbing you (believers from the School of Shammai and their oral laws) and want you to distort (salvation and redemption is the work of God. To “distort” means they added to the grace of God alone, by faith alone, and in Yeshua alone by telling the Galatians that they needed to be ritually circumcised, to become Jewish to be saved) the gospel (good news) of Messiah.
v 8… But even though we, or an angel from heaven (an angel or a teacher of religion-Mal 2.7; Num 20.16; Gal 4.4; 1 Tim 2.5) should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed (he petitions heaven for a severe, divine discipline. He does not do this for minor infractions).
v 9… As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.
v 10…For am I now seeking the favor of men (a flatterer) or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Messiah.
v 11… For I would have you know, brethren (brothers =3.15; 4.12,19; 4.28,31; 5.11,13; 6.1,18; he is making a point by using this) that the gospel which was preached to me is not according to man (man-made doctrines like Beit Shammai).
v 12… For I neither received it from man (proving that Yeshua was not merely a man), nor was taught it, but through a revelation of Jesus Christ (directly by him).
v 13…For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism (he was a Pharisee trained in the School of Hillel -Phil 3.5; Acts 22.3; Acts 23.6; they were opposed to the school of Shammai on over 350 different issues), how I used to persecute the kahal of God beyond measure, and tried to destroy it;
v 14… and I was advanced in Judaism (zealous for the traditions of his fathers taught by the sect of Pharisee’s from the school of Hillel; there was no “Judaism” of the first century but “Judaisms” made up of many sects, with the believers of the “Way” being one of them-Acts 9.2; 19.9,23; 24.14,22) beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions (Paul’s credentials-Phil 3.4-6).
v 15… But when he who had set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me (election) through his grace was pleased (all God’s timing-John 1.13)
v 16…to reveal his son in me (leading to repentance), that I might preach him among the Gentiles (Paul was a great teacher, and the Gentiles needed a great teacher because they were never taught the doctrines of God and the Torah), I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood (other people),
v 17… nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles (shaliachim=sent ones) before me; but I went away to Arabia (possibly Sinai, like Moses before him to receive instruction) and returned once more to Damascus (where he was teaching and preaching).
v 18…Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas (Peter) and stayed with him fifteen days.
v 19… But I did not see any other of the apostles (shaliachim=sent ones) except James, the Lord’s brother (Mark 6.3-his actual name was “Ya’akov” or Jacob, the Nasi of the believers in Jerusalem and probably knew of each other, being Pharisees).
v 20…Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.
v 21… Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia (to preach and teach, many Jews lived there)
v 22…and I was unknown by sight to the assemblies (kehilat) of Judea which were in Messiah (because of me; on his account, they had never seen him before);
v 23… but only, they kept hearing “he who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.”
v 24… And they were glorifying God in me (on his account; in what God did for him).
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