10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. 11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me. (Galatians 1:10–24)
The book of Acts tells the story of Paul's conversion three times. He was a persecutor of the church and was on his way from Jerusalem in Israel to Damascus in Syria to imprison and kill Christians when Jesus appeared to him in a bright light, knocked him down, and confronted him with the truth. And Paul believed!
Pauline theology and doctrine permeate every aspect of the Christian faith and what we believe about all matters pertaining to salvation.
Beyond his influence on the church, and because the church has gone out into the world, Paul's words have also affected modern society significantly. His teachings on subjects like human depravity (that we are broken in sin), human sexuality, gender roles, the role of government, marriage and family, behavioral ethics (what is right and wrong), racism and classism, what leads to a successful life, and countless other subjects have altered our modern world. None of our modern influencers will ever have the influence Paul had—and still has—on this world.
Yet sometimes, Paul's influence is questioned. It is not uncommon for a modern person, believer or not, to read something in Paul's New Testament letters that confuses, angers, or flusters them. And some wonder, "Why do I need to listen to Paul? He was not one of Jesus' original disciples. Why does he get to be such a significant voice in Christianity? When I read the gospels and consider the life and words of Jesus, I don't see Paul's theology at all. Perhaps I'll embrace a Jesus-only Christianity. Paul is too complex, confrontational, argumentative, and narrow, but Jesus is simple, loving, kind, and accepting. He’s the one I will heed, but I’ll dispense with Paul."
This is similar to the challenge Paul faced in the Galatian churches. False teachers had troubled them, likely telling them Paul was not authoritative and had invented his teachings and doctrines in his mind. When he told the Galatian believers they did not need to keep the Old Testament Law, the false teachers said he was out of step with the accepted practices of the church and had devised these doctrines on his own.
So, Paul retold his story to the Galatians to help them understand that his gospel is the gospel—the legitimate gospel.
1. Because He Received it from Jesus
Why is Paul's gospel legitimate? The first reason is that Paul received the message from Jesus. He alludes to this in multiple ways.
First, he said he did not preach man's gospel (11). This means he did not receive the gospel he preached from any human and was not even taught the gospel he preached but received it directly through a revelation of Jesus Christ (12).
Do not miss the gravity of this claim. Paul is saying that not only did Jesus stop him dead in his tracks one day, shine as a bright light upon him, and personally lead him to believe, but also that Jesus directly revealed himself to Paul in the years after his conversion (Acts 9:1-22). No one taught Paul except for Jesus. Through three-plus years of time with Jesus, the other apostles received directly from the Lord. So did Paul—he spent time with the resurrected and ascended Christ.
A second clue that Paul received his message directly from Jesus is that he did not preach a message any human would, or even could, design. At the beginning of this passage, he asked, "Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ" (10). With these rhetorical questions, Paul highlights how his gospel message was not one that mankind would approve of or find pleasing (10). It was (and is) a confrontational message that first condemns all under sin and demands the blood of Jesus as the only thing that can cleanse us.
Humans make messages that cater to extremes or try to find a middle ground, but the gospel does neither. Instead, it embraces truths on both sides. For instance, it says humanity is irreparably separated from God (extreme). But it also says humanity is incredibly loved by God (extreme). It says we are sinners, but it also says we can be cleansed from our sins. It says we are lost but that we can be found. It both tears us down to the studs, telling us we are reprobate and dead in sin, but also says we are the crown jewel of God's creation. It is not a message people would construct. It was not a message that sought the approval of man—another piece of evidence that Paul had received it, not from humanity, but from heaven.
A third clue that Paul received the message directly from Jesus is that he was not at all prone to receive it. His former life in Judaism was one filled with persecution of the church and extreme zeal for the traditions of his fathers (13-14). He advanced in Judaism more rapidly than many of his own age (14). Who had any chance of evangelizing Paul? He was staunchly, decidedly, and concretely against the message of Jesus. He was not prone to receive it until Christ broke through and revealed himself directly to the man.
And one final clue that Paul received the gospel directly from Jesus is found in what he said happened to him after his conversion. He did not immediately consult with anyone (16). Rather than head straight to Jerusalem for a period of instruction at the feet of the apostles or at least some Bible classes at the church in Damascus, Paul went into the far reaches of Arabia for some time alone with the Lord (17).[1] It was not until three years later, after some ministry in Damascus, that Paul went to Jerusalem to visit the church leaders (17-18).
Those three years were a time of great revelation from Christ to Paul. I envision those years as a replacement for the three years the other disciples got to walk and talk with Jesus. Throughout that time away, Paul saw in the light of Christ the Scriptures he had learned as a Pharisee. For three years, Paul's mind and soul were on overdrive, Jesus was speaking, and New Testament doctrine was forming. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John would eventually write the accounts of Jesus' life, teaching, death, and resurrection. However, in Arabia, Paul seems to have received the implications of Jesus' life, teaching, death, and resurrection. Paul's teachings would explain the significance of what Jesus did on the cross to all future generations.
2. Because Jesus' People Received Him
These points of evidence that Paul received the gospel directly from Jesus are not the only reasons we can say Paul's gospel is legitimate. According to this passage, a complementary and vital reason is that not only did Paul receive the message directly from Jesus, but Jesus' people also received and acknowledged Paul.
In this passage, Paul said that once he finally did go up to Jerusalem, he went so he could visit—the word indicates relationship building—Cephas (Peter, 18). Remember, Paul had been saved and had been forming his doctrine for three years at that point (18). You might think Paul went to Jerusalem to get a badge or a certificate from all the apostles, verifying his ministry was legitimate. Not on his first trip there—on this first visit, Paul was there merely to get to know Peter (18). And while there, he also met James, Jesus' younger brother and a leader in the Jerusalem church (19). Note that there was no word of correction, challenge, or rebuke from Peter or James to Paul. They accepted Paul. The first apostle and the brother of our Lord accepted Paul and his gospel as legitimate.
After he departed from Peter and James, Paul went to Syria and Cilicia, including his hometown of Tarsus, where he ministered and studied for years (21). While he was there, the church back in the Jerusalem area—Judea—rejoiced at all the reports they heard about Paul (22-23). Paul seems so happy when he writes: And they glorified God because of me (24). All of this means Paul was accepted not only by the original apostles but also by the original church.
When someone today reads back into the life of Christ and decides that Paul's doctrine or gospel does not jibe with Jesus' life and words, they must understand that they are in disagreement with the very people who lived with Jesus. To say you cannot agree with Paul because you do not think he agrees with Jesus is to ignore the apostles and witnesses in the first century who agreed with Paul precisely because they thought he agreed with Jesus. It would be like looking at archived photographs of Abraham Lincoln preserved by the Library of Congress and deciding that even though all the photos depict him with a beard, you do not think he had one. Paul claimed to have received his gospel (and even training) directly from Jesus, and the apostles and early church all believed those claims and accepted Paul as being consistent with the Jesus they knew; therefore, we should receive Paul and his theology as well.
[1] Campbell, Donald K. 1985. “Galatians.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, 2:592. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.