Paul begins his letter by identifying himself as one "sent" by Christ himself and not from any mere man or group of men, thereby bearing the authority and endorsement of God himself. He therefore does not need any group of men (i.e. from Jerusalem) to verify that his gospel is true. These words are amazingly bold when considered against the backdrop of the occasion for this letter. Paul wrote this either just before or just after the Jerusalem meeting in which Peter, John, and James (the brother of Jesus) all gave their approval to Paul's position that Gentiles are not obligated to be circumcised. But these words sound like a man who cares very little for the approval of men, and indeed if he wrote this letter after the letter from the Twelve in Jerusalem, then the fact that Paul never refers to it gives even greater force to his point. His authority comes not from men but from Christ Himself.

Paul then skips the customary introductions and jumps immediately into reprimanding them for "deserting the one who called (them) and turning to a different gospel"(1:6). For Paul, "the gospel" was not limited to the elementary truths of forgiveness of sins through Christ, but also included everything which is essential to the Christian life. He calls a serious curse down on anyone (even if it be him) who tampers with the gospel of grace which Paul had preached to them from the beginning. Remember again that they had indeed received a gospel of grace in the first place. They responded in faith to the declaration of Paul and Barnabas when they heard that Christ had been crucified for their sins and raised from the dead in victory over every power. They had heard from Paul that Christ had now indwelt them by the Spirit and that they are "in Christ." But since that glorious visit other men had come and told them that they still lacked fulfillment in their Christian lives, and that they needed to take upon them the yoke of the Law of Moses.

Paul's words are shocking: "These men can all go to hell!" Now does that sound like someone who is trying to please men? Absolutely not. Paul says that if he were trying to please men by preaching a popular gospel he would no longer be a servant of God (1:10). May the Lord make us men and women who will care nothing for the opinions of men.

Paul spends the rest of Chapter One narrating his relationship to those in Jerusalem. After his conversion he "did not consult any man," but went into the wilderness to learn from the Lord and the Old Testament Scriptures who this Messiah is, and what he has done. Undoubtedly he learned that this was the promised seed of Genesis 3:15 who would crush the head of the serpent forever. Likewise he learned that God declared Abraham righteous not because he lived a good life (just read the record for yourself– he wasn't that great), but because he simply believed God's claim that He could make Sarah's barren womb fruitful (at age 90!). Paul would have reread the story of Pharaoh and his army being swallowed up by the retreating Red Sea, destroying the very captors from whom Israel had just escaped. Learning from the Spirit that these were all pictures of what Christ would accomplish in His death and resurrection, Paul applied this to the life of a believer. Anyone who believes in this promised Seed goes with Him into death, only to come out again victorious on the other side. We are now free from everything which once bound us!

Paul mentions one other visit to Jerusalem during which he spent two weeks getting to know Peter, meeting only James besides him (1:18-19). Obviously, Paul implies, he felt no need to seek validation from the rest of the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. Paul perhaps skips mentioning one other visit to Jerusalem (see Acts 11:27-30) because the imprisonment of Peter and the death of King Herod (Acts 12) prevented Paul and Barnabas from spending much time there beyond what was needed to deliver the grain they had brought from Antioch.

Finally Paul explains in Chapter Two why he went to Jerusalem again "fourteen years later." Whether that number represents the duration of time following his conversion or following the last visit he mentioned, we do not know. Either way, that puts this visit very close to the time of the Jerusalem meeting mentioned in Acts 15. Paul says he went this time "because of a revelation, to set before them the gospel I preach to the Gentiles"(2:2). This indeed set him apart as an apostle and caused him to write this letter in the first place: He had a revelation of Christ, of who he was, and of what he had truly accomplished on the cross.

Paul would one day tell the Christians in Corinth that he had spent 18 months with them "resolving to know nothing except Christ and him crucified"(1 Cor.2:2). For Paul every truth in our faith is concentrated there, on the cross, and he could spend a year and a half speaking on nothing except Christ and his cross! There must be more there than we have ever known, and like Paul we need the eyes of our hearts opened to see what incredible riches are hidden in Christ (Eph.1:17-18). There is nothing else that we need.

Paul explains that the Jews put no pressure on either him or Titus, his uncircumcised traveling companion, to conform to that standard which was now being put on top of the Galatians. In fact the only opposition came from a group of men Paul refers to as "false brethren" (compare with Acts 15:1-5). He says that these men were "trying to make us slaves," but that he did not give in to them in the slightest (2:4-5). He met with only approval from those who really knew anything, although Paul reiterates once again, "those who seemed important, whoever they were, makes no difference to me. . . they added nothing to my message"(v.6). He did not receive his gospel from men, and whoever told the Galatians otherwise is just lying through his teeth.

Those in Jerusalem had nothing to say (according to Paul) except to remind him to continue to consider those experiencing the famine which was spreading throughout Palestine at that time, and which Agabus the prophet had foretold in Acts 11, prompting perhaps an earlier visit from Paul and Barnabas.