27 September 2020 (am) – Galatians 1:11-24

Andy Bruins preaching from Galatians on Sunday 27th September 2020.

Galatians 1:11-24
In the second half of the first chapter, Paul is continuing his argument about where his gospel came from. A great summary is verses 11-12.
By giving a short testimony, Paul establishes:

V13-14: His gospel did not have a human origin – it was completely opposed to the way of salvation that he used to believe
V15-20: Neither was it passed onto him by men – Paul didn’t consult anyone about the message that he had received because he had received it from God. It was 3 years before he even met any of the other Apostles.
V21-24: And right from the start, all the reports about him that got back to the church in Judaea were that he was preaching the exact same faith that he used to hate!

Big Idea: Paul’s gospel is authentic because it came direct from God. And as such it is the plumb line by which we can assess any other “gospel”.

Q What’s the connection between v1 and v11-12? Can you spot similarities? What’s the new point that Paul is making in v11-12?

Q What do we know about Paul’s former life (before his conversion)? Why does Paul give his testimony in v13-14? (Think about how it connects with v11)

Q Read v15-20. What did Paul do after his conversion? When did he meet Peter? Why is this an important part of his argument? (Think about how it connects with v12)

Q Read v21-24. Where is Judea? What was the report that got back to the churches there? What was their view of the ministry of Paul?

Q Why is it so important to the Apostle that we allow no contamination into the gospel message? What are some ways that this can happen?