Galatians 1

Ver. 1.—[not of men, neither by man,] For I received not my call or my commission to that office from man, nor was I chosen to it by man, as Matthias was. Dr. Whitby.

This is resumed ver. 11; “neither preach I any doctrine devised or taught me by man; nor received I authority or calling from any man to preach the Gospel, neither from the whole college of the Apostles, as Matthias; nor from some of them, as Barnabas and Silas; and as Timotheus and Titus from me.” Therefore that imposition of hands upon him, Acts xiii. 3, was not an election or consecration of him to the Apostleship; but

with me, unto the churches of Galatia:

— into the grace of Christ] That is, the covenant of grace in Christ. Dr. Wells.

Galatians 1:2

2. And all the brethren which are with me,] The word “brethren” here seems to denote those that accompanied St. Paul in his travels, and assisted him in preaching the Gospel. Thus in Phil. iv. 21, 22, “the brethren which are with me” seem to be distinguished from “all the saints,” or believers in general. Dr. Hammond.

Galatians 1:4

4.—[that he might deliver us from this present evil world,] To redeem us from the punishment and condemnation that is justly to fall upon the vicious and obstinate unbelievers of the present age. The sense is the same with that of Acts ii. 40, “this untoward generation.” Pyle.

—[according to the will of God and our Father:] Or, ‘of our God and Father.’ Dr. Hammond. Who wills our sanctification, 1 Thess. iv. 3; Heb. x. 5—9; and that it should be brought about by our Lord Jesus Christ, Heb. x. 10. Dr. Wells.

Galatians 1:6

6. I marvel that ye are so soon removed &c.] Most of his Epistles he begins with thanksgiving, but being to chide these Galatians, he alters his style; not calling them saints, elect, or churches of God, but he first sets down the main proposition, that by Christ alone, and by His death, chap. ii. 21, without obeying the law, are we justified; and delivered both from the evil consequences and power of sin; not that we should sin more freely, but that we should forsake the evil customs and conversations of worldly men, and live according to the will of God. Bp. Fell.

—[from him that called you] That is, from God: for the Apostle ascribes this work, not to himself, but

The Galatians’ unfaithfulness reproved. GALATIANS. What Paul was before his calling, Anno DOMINI 11. the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

6, 7. — unto another gospel: Which is not another;] Uuto another doctrine, concerning the conjoining of the law with Christ, which is by the teachers thereof called a gospel; but, in truth, it is no gospel at all, neither can there be any other Gospel besides that truth of God, which ye have received from us. Bp. Hall.

Galatians 1:8

8. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach &c.] St. Paul does not suppose it possible for an angel from heaven, or an Apostle upon earth, to preach any thing contrary to the true Gospel; but he supposes an impossibility only for the confirmation of what he had before affirmed. Burkitt.

Galatians 1:9

9. — let him be accursed.] Though we may look upon the repetition of the anathema here, to be for the adding of force to what he says, yet we may observe, that by joining himself with an angel in the foregoing verse, he as much as tells them, that he is not guilty of what deserves it, by skilfully insinuating to the Galatians, that they might as well suspect an angel might preach to them a gospel different from his, that is a false gospel, as that he himself should: and then, in this verse lays the anathema wholly and solely upon the Judaising seducers. Locke.

Galatians 1:10

10. For do I now persuade men, or God? &c.] In order to prove his own sincerity in preaching the true Gospel of Christ, the Apostle says that he needs but to put these questions to the Galatians. “Do I now,” in the execution of my Apostleship, “persuade,” that is, endeavour to gain the favour of “men, or God? or,” to speak more plainly, “do I seek to please men?” Concerning this meaning of the word “persuade,” compare Matt. xxviii. 14; Acts xii. 20. Dr. Wells. In the latter passage, the phrase “having made Blastus their friend,” is literally ‘having persuaded Blastus;’ that is, to befriend them. Dr. Macknight.

— for if I yet pleased men,] If I made this the scope and drift of my labours. Bp. Hall. If I did so “yet,” that is, as before my conversion. Dr. Wells.

The words “now” and “yet” cannot be understood without a reference to something in St. Paul’s past life; what that was, which he had then particularly in his mind, we may see by the account he gives of himself, in what immediately follows, namely, that before his conversion he was employed by men in their designs, and made it his business to please them, as

may be seen, Acts ix. 1, 2. But when God called him he received his commission and instruction from Him alone, and set immediately about it, without consulting any man whatsoever, preaching that, and that only, which he had received from Christ. So that it would be senseless folly in him, and no less than the forsaking of his Master Jesus Christ, if he should now, as was reported of him, mix any thing of men’s with the pure doctrine of the Gospel, which he had received immediately from Jesus Christ, to please the Jews, after he had so long preached only that; and had, to avoid all appearance or pretence to the contrary, so carefully shunned all communication with the churches of Judea; and had not, until a good while after, and that very sparingly, conversed with any, and those but a few, of the Apostles themselves, some of whom be openly reproved for their judaising. Thus the narrative, subjoined to this verse, explains the “now” and “yet” in it, and all tends to the same purpose. Locke.

Galatians 1:11

11. But I certify you, brethren, &c.] The Apostle here obviates an objection, that, not being one of Christ’s immediate followers, he had received the Gospel from men and not from Christ, and therefore might be thought to have made some change in it. He therefore declares that the Gospel preached by him had a more than human authority, and was not to receive prejudice from the lateness of his calling. Dr. Hammond.

Galatians 1:12

12. For I neither received it of man, &c.] The meaning of the Apostle is plainly this, that he did not receive his commission from, that is, by the mediation of, men, but immediately from God. And if Christ were not more than man, and considered as such in this passage, the Apostle’s words cannot be made consonant. Leslie.

Galatians 1:13

13. For ye have heard of my conversation &c.] The argument is, that it could not well be supposed that a person, so bigoted as he was to the Jewish religion, should be converted at all to the Gospel, much less turn an Apostle of it, by any but extraordinary means. Pyle.

Galatians 1:14

14. And profited in the Jews’ religion] Or, ‘made proficiency’ in it. Dr. Wells. This does not signify the religion originally taught by Moses, but that which was practised among the Jews at this time, being much of it built on the traditions of the elders. Dr. Doddridge.

— above many my equals in mine own nation,] Above many Jews of the same age with myself. Dr. Whitby.

— of the traditions of my fathers.] Those oral traditions, which the Pharisees so highly valued, even

and what he did presently after it. Anno DOMINI 58. A. D. 58. separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace,

Galatians 1:15

15. — who separated me] As He had formerly done Jeremiah to be “a prophet unto the nations,” Jer. i. 5. Dr. Whitby. Who in design separated me from my mother’s womb, and in His due time actually called me by His grace. Dr. Wells.

Galatians 1:16

16. To reveal his Son in me.] Rather, ‘by me.’ Dr. Hammond. Or, ’to me.’ Dr. Whitby. — immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:] That is, with any man, so as to receive any mission for that work, or any instructions how to perform it. Dr. Whitby. This, and what he says in the following verse, is to evidence to the Galatians the full assurance he had of the truth and perfection of the Gospel, which he had received from Christ by immediate revelation: and how little he was disposed to have any regard to the pleasing of men in preaching it, that he did not so much as communicate or advise with any of the Apostles about it, to see whether they approved of it. Locke.

Galatians 1:17

17. — I went into Arabia.] Of this journey into Arabia, St. Luke not being with him says nothing in the Acts of the Apostles. Dr. Whitby. His departure into Arabia, presently upon his conversion, before he had consulted with any body, is made use of, to shew that the Gospel, which he had received by immediate revelation from Jesus Christ, was complete, and sufficiently instructed and enabled him to be a preacher and an Apostle to the Gentiles, without borrowing any thing from any man, in order thereunto; no not from any of the Apostles, no one of whom he saw until three years after. Locke.

Galatians 1:19

19. — James the Lord’s brother.] The kinsman or cousin-german of Christ. Bp. Hall. See the introduction to the Epistle of St. James.

Galatians 1:20

20. — behold, before God, I lie not.] A revelation of the facts and doctrines of Christianity immediately from Jesus Christ Himself, without the assistance of any human teacher, so wonderfully agreeing in all its branches with that which Christ had taught on earth both before and after His resurrection, was so extraor-

Galatians 1:24

24. And they glorified God in me.] The Apostle mentions the thanksgiving of the churches of Judea for his now preaching the faith, which formerly he destroyed; because it implied, that they believed him a sincere convert, and were persuaded that his conversion would be an addition to the proofs of the divine original of the Gospel. Dr. Macknight. Besides, this testimony of the Jewish Christians was a confirmation of his doctrine; for if they could have found any just exception against it, they would not have glorified God for his preaching it. Dr. Whitby. Chap. II. The Apostle proceeds farther to clear himself of the imputation of ever having preached up the necessity of circumcision and the ceremonial law; and to vindicate his Apostolical commission: proving both those points from his next journey to Jerusalem, his management of Titus, his reception from the Apostles, his behaviour there, and at Antioch with St. Peter, and from the inconsistency of supposing he should preach such a doctrine. Pyle. Ver. 1. — and took Titus with me also.] Titus being a Gentile by birth, and an uncircumcised person, this was an instance of the Apostle’s not being ashamed to assert even at Jerusalem, that circumcision was not now necessary to the believing Gentiles. Dr. Wells. This is the earliest mention that we meet with of Titus; for he is no where mentioned by St. Luke in the Acts; and what we read of him in 2 Cor. ii. 13; vii. 6, 14; viii. 6; as well as in 2 Tim. iv. 10; was later by Paul sheweth why he went up again to Jerusalem. Anno DOMINI 58. Or, severally.