INTRODUCTION TO GALATIANS 1 This chapter contains the inscription of the epistle, the apostle's usual salutation of the persons he writes to, and the charge he brought against them for their fickleness and inconstancy, in showing any manner of disposition towards a removal from the Gospel; the trut... [ Continue Reading ]
PAUL AN APOSTLE, NOT OF MEN, NEITHER BY MAN,.... The writer of this epistle, Paul, puts his name to it, as to all his epistles, excepting that to the Hebrews, if that be his, being neither afraid nor ashamed to own what is herein contained. He asserts himself to be "an apostle", which was the highes... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ALL THE BRETHREN WHICH ARE WITH ME,.... Meaning either the brethren of the church where he was when he wrote this epistle, who were children of the same Father, regenerated by the same grace, belonged to the same family and household of God, and were heirs together of the grace of life; or else... [ Continue Reading ]
GRACE TO BE YOU,.... After the inscription above, in which the writer of the epistle, and the persons joined to him, are described, and the churches to whom it is written, follows the salutation in these words, and which is common to all the epistles of this apostle; of the sense of which, Romans 1:... [ Continue Reading ]
WHO GAVE HIMSELF FOR OUR SINS,.... The antecedent to the relative "who, is our Lord Jesus Christ", Galatians 1:3 and the words are an illustration of the good will of God the Father, and of the grace and love of Christ, in the gift of himself, for the sins of his people: he did not merely give, "sua... [ Continue Reading ]
TO WHOM BE GLORY FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN. That is, either to Christ, who gave himself to expiate the sins of his people, on the account of which all honour and glory are due to him from them; or to God the Father, according to whose will of purpose and command Christ gave himself, for which glory ou... [ Continue Reading ]
I MARVEL THAT YE ARE SO SOON REMOVED,.... The apostle now enters on the subject matter of this epistle, and opens the occasion and design of it, which were to reprove the Galatians for their instability in the Gospel; and, if possible, to reclaim them, who were removed, or removing from the simplici... [ Continue Reading ]
WHICH IS NOT ANOTHER,.... It is no Gospel, no joyful sound, no good news, and glad tidings; the doctrine which attributes justification to the works of the law, or mixes grace and works in the business of salvation, which was the doctrine of these false teachers, is no Gospel; not truly so, however... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THOUGH WE, OR AN ANGEL FROM HEAVEN,.... The apostle, in order to assert the more strongly the truth, purity, and perfection of the Gospel, as preached by him; and to deter persons from preaching another Gospel, and others from receiving it, supposes a case impossible; and, in such a case, denoun... [ Continue Reading ]
AS WE HAVE SAID BEFORE, SO SAY I NOW AGAIN,.... Either when he first preached the Gospel among them; or rather referring to what he had just now said, which he repeats with some little alteration; as if any, men, or angels, be they of what name, figure, rank, or office whatever, PREACH ANY OTHER GO... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR DO I NOW PERSUADE MEN, OR GOD?.... To "persuade", is to teach; see Acts 18:4 the sense of which, with respect to men, is easy, but, with regard to God, difficult; and indeed cannot be applied to him, consistent with his divine perfections; and therefore something must be understood, and which ma... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT I CERTIFY YOU, BRETHREN,.... Though the Galatians had gone such lengths with their false teachers, yet the apostle still calls them "brethren"; as hoping well of them, that they were born of God, did belong to his family, and were heirs of the grace of life; and this he the rather makes use of,... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR I NEITHER RECEIVED IT OF MAN,.... Not from Gamaliel, at whose feet he was brought up; he received the law from him, and knowledge in the Jews' religion, and in the traditions of the elders, but not a whit of the Gospel; on the contrary, he received prejudices against it from him, or was strength... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR YE HAVE HEARD OF MY CONVERSATION IN TIME PAST,.... His manner and course of life, in his state of unregeneracy, how diametrically opposite his education and behaviour, his principles and practices, were to the Gospel; which show that he had not received it, nor was he taught it of men. This they... [ Continue Reading ]
AND PROFITED IN THE JEWS' RELIGION,.... Or "in Judaism"; and the more he did so, or was versed in, and wedded to their principles, the more violent a persecutor he was. He was under a very considerable master, Gamaliel, a Rabbi of great note among the Jews; and he himself a youth of uncommon natural... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT WHEN IT PLEASED GOD,.... Here begins his account of his conversion, and call to the ministry; all which he ascribes entirely to the sovereign good pleasure, and free grace of God: WHO SEPARATED ME FROM MY MOTHER'S WOMB. By his "mother" is meant, not in an improper and figurative sense, the Jewi... [ Continue Reading ]
TO REVEAL HIS SON IN ME,.... This clause stands in connection with that in the preceding verse, "but when it pleased God"; the revelation of Christ in the apostle being the mere fruit and effect of God's will and pleasure: some versions read it "by me", making the apostle to be the instrument and me... [ Continue Reading ]
NEITHER WENT I UP TO JERUSALEM,.... That is, immediately, as soon as he was converted, not till three years after, as follows; though by the account which Luke gives of him, Acts 9:23 and by that which the apostle gives of himself, Acts 22:17 it looks as if he went to Jerusalem some little time afte... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN AFTER THREE YEARS I WENT UP TO JERUSALEM,.... Not three years after his return to Damascus, but after his conversion; and now it was that he moved to become a member of the church at Jerusalem; but they did not care to admit him, fearing that he was not a disciple, till such time that Barnabas... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT OTHER OF THE APOSTLES SAW I NONE,.... This is observed to show, that as he did not receive the Gospel from Peter, so neither from any of the other apostles, whom he did not so much as see, much less converse with; SAVE JAMES THE LORD'S BROTHER; not James the son of Zebedee, the brother of John,... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW THE THINGS WHICH I WRITE UNTO YOU,.... Concerning his education, his religion, his principles and practices before conversion; concerning his call by the grace of God, the revelation of Christ in him, and his preaching of him among the Heathen; concerning his travels to several places for this p... [ Continue Reading ]
AFTERWARDS I CAME INTO THE REGIONS OF SYRIA AND CILICIA. For having disputed against the Grecians at Jerusalem, and being too hard for them, it so irritated them, that they were going to murder him; which being known to the brethren there, they got him out of the way, and had him down to Caesarea, a... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WAS UNKNOWN BY FACE,.... Or "in person". This is said to prevent what might be objected, that though the apostle had not received the Gospel he preached from any of the apostles at Jerusalem; yet he might have had it from the churches that were in the land of Judea, and from some of the principa... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THEY HAD HEARD ONLY,.... What they knew of the apostle was only by hearsay; they had never seen him, nor heard him preach, nor conversed with him, only had it reported to them; THAT HE WHICH PERSECUTED US IN TIMES PAST; some few years ago, and not them personally, but such as were of the same f... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY GLORIFIED GOD IN ME. Or "for me"; on his account; for the wonderful grace bestowed on him and wrought in him; for the surprising change that was made in him, that of a persecutor he should become a preacher, which they ascribed, as he himself did, to the abundant grace of God; they were gre... [ Continue Reading ]