"Paul an apostle, not from man or through man but rather through Jesus Christ and God [the] Father, the [One] having raised Him out of [the] dead...and all the brothers with me, to the assemblies in Galatia..."
-So Paul is writing this letter, of that there is no dispute among Bible-believing Christ followers. We know much of Paul from both his many letters which comprise the bulk of the New Testament, as well as from the significant amount of biographical information contained in the chronology of the early church which was compiled by one of Paul’s proteges, in fact (Luke), known as the Acts of the Apostles, or simply Acts.
-Paul identifies himself as an apostle, a sent one. Many are sent, but a few - twelve by most reckonings - were chosen out by Jesus Christ Himself. This band actually did begin as twelve (Luke 6.13), lost one who was subsequently replaced (Acts 1.25-26) - these were the ones who, after the risen Lord Jesus ascended back to heaven, provided the much-needed leadershp for the fledgling church in Jerusalem during much of the first half of Acts (Acts 2.42, 5.12, 8.1, 9.27). After that things appear to get just a bit fuzzy for apostles. Two others are called apostles in Acts 14.4 (Paul and Barnabas - Acts 14.14), altho they are not necessarily grouped with the twelve, who are still functioning albeit alongside a group of elders in Acts 15 (Acts 15.2, 15.22, 16.4). As important as they clearly were to the birth and expansion of the church, after that Jerusalem council, we literally never hear from the twelve again. Except for their letters. These are what now comprise our New Testament. It was the authority invested in these apostles by the Lord Jesus Himself, these ones who were literal witnesses of His resurrection and specifically chosen out by Him, which - along with the clear inspiration of the Holy Spirit - allowed their writings to attain to the level of Scripture. That is the authority which Paul claims for himself here and which he will substantiate later in this first chapter.
-But apostles are sent out ones, literally, and that is exactly what Paul (and Barnabas) were, sent out by almighty God Himself. Acts 13.2, check it out. God Himself called them to go, and go they did - to Galatia. Passing thru Cyprus, they came to Perga and Pisidian Antioch and Iconium and Lycaonia and Lystra and Derbe (Acts 13.4-14.27). Itinerant preaching, church-planting at its first and finest. This was the famous first missionary journey, but that word, "missionary", does not actually appear anywhere in Scripture. This was in fact Paul’s first apostolic journey, where he and Barnabas did and performed all the works of an apostle - they witnessed what they knew and had seen about Jesus (Acts 13.30-31), with God bringing the increase and working, performing signs and wonders through them (Acts 13.48-49, 14.1, 14.3, 14.8-10, 14.21, 14.23, cf 2Corinthians 12.11). They were the first recorded church-planters, with clear gifts of evangelism, teaching, encouragement, and miracles.
-But we see here that Paul is writing back to those assemblies he and Barnabas were privileged to plant on that first apostolic journey. And there is some bit of disagreement on when he actually wrote this letter. Was it from Antioch after he and Barnabas returned from their first journey to Galatia (Acts 14.27-15.1), and did that visit from Peter to Antioch (mentioned here in Galatians 2.11) occur in Acts 15.1 (or possibly earlier, while arnabas and Paul-then-Saul were ministering there - cf Acts 11.22-26 12.24-13.1)? Or did Paul write a bit later, perhaps after the famous Jerusalem council of Acts 15.2ff (possibly mentioned here in Galatians 2.1-10? Or did Paul & Co’s time in Jerusalem and Peter’s subsequent visit take place during one of those earlier periods?)? But so, perhaps Paul wrote this letter in Acts 15.35 before his second visit to Galatia? Or did he write sometime after his 2nd visit, after he had glimpsed how they were faring? Regardless, this letter is regarded as one of the first letters Paul wrote, if not the first, so it should come as no surprise that we see him go to a greater length in reasserting the authority he has to instruct them in the Way, the authority which was given to him not from man, not from his sending church in Antioch, but rather straight from God Himself. We would all do well to pay attention. Let’s listen up...
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