Chapter 1

1:3  Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,

Grace

Grace (in salvation). Galatians 1:6 Galatians 1:15 ; 2:21 ; Romans 3:24 . (See Scofield "John 1:17") .

1:4  Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

sins

Sin. (See Scofield "Romans 3:23") .

1:6  I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

grace

The test of the Gospel is grace. If the message excludes grace, or mingles law with grace as the means of either of justification or sanctification Galatians 2:21 ; 3:1-3 or denies the fact or guilt of sin which alone gives grace its occasion and opportunity, it is "another" gospel, and the preacher of it is under the anathema of God Galatians 1:8 Galatians 1:9 .

1:10  For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

For now do

The demonstration is as follows:

(1) The Galatians know Paul, that he is no seeker after popularity Galatians 1:10 .

(2) He puts his known character back of the assertion that his Gospel of grace was a revelation from God ( Galatians 1:11 Galatians 1:12 ).

(3) As for the Judaizers, Paul had been a foremost Jew, and had forsaken Judaism for something better ( 1:13 1:14 ).

(4) He had preached grace years before he saw any of the other apostles ( Galatians 1:15-24 ).

(5) When he did meet the other apostles they had nothing to add to his revelations Galatians 2:1-6 .

(6) The other apostles fully recognized Paul's apostleship. Galatians 2:7-10 .

(7) If the legalizers pleaded Peter's authority, the answer was that he himself had claimed none when rebuked ( Galatians 2:11-14 ).

1:13  For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:

Jews' religion

The new dispensation of grace having come in, the Mosaic system, if still persisted in, becomes a mere "Jews' religion."

1:14  And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.

religion

In verses 13 and 14 the Greek word for "the Jews' religion" is Ioudaismos (Judaism). In Acts 26:5 ; James 1:26 James 1:27 threskeia--religious service--is translated "religion," and in Colossians 2:18, "worshipping." Excepting James 1:27, "religion" has always a bad sense, and nowhere is it synonymous with salvation or spirituality.