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CHPATER 1Preachers of false gospels are accursed—Paul received the gospel by revelation—He believes, is taught, and preaches to the Gentiles. |
Paul explains his calling as an Apostle to
the Galatian Saints of Gaul—He states precisely how he was called
by the Father and Son, and commissioned by Peter in association with
James the Lord's brother as a true Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ—He
testifies that the gospel he preaches is the one and only true and
authorized gospel of Jesus Christ
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1 PAUL, an
aapostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus
Christ, and God the Fathera, who
raised him from the dead;)
2 And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:
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1a but by Jesus Christ, and God the
Father Paul's calling and conversion was that of an exceptional
event. He had been called by Jesus Christ himself. Though Paul would proceed
through the channels of the church, Paul was called by personal visitation
of the Savior. And like the original Apostles before him, he was chosen
specifically by the Lord. Now there is an order in the church of the
chosing and anointing of apostles as exemplified in Acts and the selection of
Barnabas by lot of the members of the Twelve. Whether in the course of the
early church, with various Aposltes preaching the gospel in various lands,
that it was possible to so vote the full councel upon the selection of each
of the additional appointed Apostles or whether some were of necessity
selected by the voice of the presiding First Presidency is not known. In
this letter Paul seems to point out that it was by two of the then First
Presidency that his Apostleship was confirmed and bestowed. That is by Peter
and the Lord's brother, James. James the brother of John was an early martyr of the church and his position in the First Presidency seems to have been filled by one of the newer Apostles as it is by the choice of the presiding Prophet and President of the Church that the members of the First Presidency are selected to be counselors to the President. James the Lord's brother may have actually been called to the Apostleship upon the death of James the brother of John. in any event James the Lord's brother along with Peter and John seem to be the properly constitued First Presidency after the death of James the brother of John. |
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3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
4 Who agave himself for our sins, that he might bdeliver us from this present evil world, according to the cwill of God and our Father: 5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. |
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6 I marvel that ye are so soon
aremoved from him that called you into the grace of Christ
unto another bgospel:
7 Which is not another; but there be some that atrouble you, and would bpervert the cgospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an aangel from heaven, preach any bother cgospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be daccursed. |
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9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any
man preach any other agospel unto you than that ye
have received, let him be baccursed.
10 For do I now apersuade men, or God? or do I seek to bplease men? for if I yet cpleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. 11 But I acertify you, brethren, that the gospel which was bpreached of me is not after man. |
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12 For I neither received it aof
man, neither was I taught it, but bby the
crevelation of Jesus Christ.
13 For ye have heard of my aconversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I bpersecuted the church of God, and cwasted it: 14 And aprofited in the Jews' religion above many bmy equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly czealous of the dtraditions of my fathers. |
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15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my
mother's womb, and called me by his agrace,
16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the aheathen; immediately I conferred not with bflesh and blood: 17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. |
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18 Then after three years I went up to
aJerusalem to see
Petera, and abode with him fifteen
days.
19 But other of the aapostles saw I none, save bJames the Lord's cbrothera. |
18a after three years I went up to
Jerusalem to see Peter Paul does not state it specifically, but
it seems to be that the Lord Jesus Christ as even particularly directed by
God the Father (see verse one), had directed Paul to seek out Peter, the
Senior Chief Apostle and President of the Church in Jerusalem. With the lack
of modern communications and travel modes, the full quorum of the Twelve
as not likely able to meet upon the selection of each of the new Apostles
every time the need arose for the next Apostle to be selected and anointed.
Not only had Paul's conversion been by the visitation of the Lord, but now
his calling to the twelve seems specifically to have been communicated to
him as he returns from Arabia after three years specifically seeking out
Peter. Of course Peter would have been so informed also that Paul had been
selected as the next replacement Apostle of the Lord. But only Peter and
the Lord's brother James of the twelve and likely of the First Presidency was
present at Jerusalem when Paul's calling to the twelve apostles was so
processed.
19a other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother This is an actual brother of Jesus Christ, a son of Mary and Joseph. Through the attrition of the apostleship caused chiefly by the persecution of the church, a number of 'new' apostles had to be called. James the Lord's brother was one such new apostle, perhaps the actual replacement called to replace James the brother of John the beloved. This James, the Lord's brother is the writer of the Book of James found in the New Testament today. It is that book which inspired the prophet Joseph Smith to seek his answer from God concerning which church to join. It seems at this particular time only Peter and James the Lord's brother were at Jerusalem, presumably acting as the First Presidency of the Church. The Apostle John the beloved, the other member of the First Presidency and the others of the twelve would have been about the Lord's business throughout various lands preaching the gospel. |
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20 Now the things which I awrite
unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.
21 Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia; 22 And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ: |
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23 But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.
24 And they glorified God in me. |
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