In this message we return to the book of Galatians and examine the true origin of the gospel Paul preached. The letter, written around AD 49 to assemblies in the region of Galatia (modern-day Turkey), confronts believers who were quickly turning from the grace of Christ to a different message. Paul exposes how some were bringing in a “gospel alongside” the true one—mixing law, Jewish traditions, and human effort with the good news that Christ died for sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day. This corruption changes the very form of the gospel and undermines the believer’s position in the new creation.
We then trace Paul’s own history: his persecution of the church, his role in driving Christians out of Jerusalem, his advanced training under Gamaliel, and his zeal for the traditions of his fathers. From the Damascus Road encounter to his time in Arabia, Paul did not receive his gospel from men, nor was he taught it by the other apostles. Instead, it was revealed directly by the risen Christ, who commissioned him as apostle to the Gentiles. The lesson is clear: the gospel is not designed to please people or to add law-based requirements such as circumcision, ritual observances, or “accepting Jesus into your heart” as a work. It is entirely of grace, rooted in what God has provided in Christ, and it calls believers to live out that new-creation reality apart from the bondage of law.
