Galatians 1:1-5

Galatians 1, 2 (roughly). Paul Vindicates his Independence.

Galatians 1:1. Paul's apostleship, denied by his enemies, is due neither to human initiative nor human mediation, but directly to God and Christ, the latter being viewed in accordance with the fundamental doctrine of Christianity as the risen One. Greetings are sent not from any church but from a group of friends; possibly Paul wrote while on a journey. The supreme greeting proceeds from God and Christ, but the latter is now viewed as the crucified One; behind externals, Paul feels that the Atonement itself is challenged by Judaizing. These introductory verses state the doctrine of atonement in vague outline; Galatians 2:20; Galatians 3:13; Galatians 4:4; Galatians 5:24; Galatians 6:14 do something towards defining it further.