Groundbreaking revelation

Galatians 1:11-24

¹¹ Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. ¹² I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

¹³ You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. ¹⁴ I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.

¹⁵ But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him ¹⁶ to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.

When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being. ¹⁷ Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.

¹⁸ Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter, and I stayed with him for fifteen days. ¹⁹ The only other apostle I met at that time was James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ I declare before God that what I am writing to you is not a lie.

²¹ After that visit I went north into the provinces of Syria and Cilicia. ²² And still the churches in Christ that are in Judea didn’t know me personally. ²³ All they knew was that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!” ²⁴ And they praised God because of me.

Paul is at pains to make it clear that the gospel he preached is of God, not a man-created philosophy. This was because the Galatians were being corrupted by the Judaizers, who were preaching salvation based on rules. But our salvation is based on grace.

This gospel of grace was also crucially for all – not just Jews (Rom 16:25-26). Simeon the priest praised God for this gospel when he described Jesus as “ a light of revelation to the Gentiles” in Luke 2:32.

Revelation shows something not previously known. Revelation of the gospel flows from a personal encounter with God not through following rules (rules like good deeds, regular church attendance). Paul’s personal encounter with Jesus left him blind and stopped him in his tracks. These verses and reflecting on Paul’s experience remind me that encounters with our God are like that – they change our hearts and minds to be more like His.

This revelation given to Paul by God was ground breaking because it was a revelation of salvation by grace, not law, and it was for Jew and Gentile – everyone. I am so grateful for his grace.

What groundbreaking revelation does God have for me today?

Dear Lord, thank you for salvation by grace through Jesus. Please continue to reveal yourself to me. Open my heart and mind to your revelation today. I am expectant.  Amen

Written by Claire Moore