Gal 1 | HCSB | STEP | Paul , an apostle – not from men or by man , but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead

Galatians 1

Galatians

Greeting

1 Paul, ^a an apostle – not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father ^b who raised Him from the dead ^c – 2 and all the ^{▼▼brother(s): The Greek word adelphoi can be used as a reference to males only or to groups that include males and females. It is the context of each usage that determines the proper meaning.}brothers who are with me:To the churches of Galatia. ^{▼▼A Roman province in what is now Turkey
,} ^f

3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord ^{▼▼Other mss read God our Father and the Lord} Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins ^h to rescue us from this present evil age, ⁱ according to the will of our God and Father. ^j 5 To whom be the glory forever and ever. ^{▼▼Amen: The transliteration of a Hebrew word signifying that something is certain, valid, truthful, or faithful; it is often used at the end of biblical songs, hymns, and prayers.}Amen.

No Other Gospel

6 I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from Him who called ^l you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – 7 not that there is another gospel, ^m but there are some ⁿ who are troubling you and want to change the good news ^{▼▼Or gospel} about the ^{▼▼Messiah: Or the Christ; the Greek word Christos means "the anointed one".}Messiah. 8 But even if we or an angel ^q from heaven should preach to you a gospel other than what we have preached to you, ^r a curse be on him! ^{▼▼Or you, let him be condemned, or you, let him be condemned to hell; Gk anathema} 9 As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone preaches to you a gospel contrary to what you received, ^t a curse be on him!

10 For am I now trying to win the favor of people, or God? ^u Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a ^{▼▼slave: The strong Greek word doulos cannot be accurately translated in English by "servant" or "bond servant"; the HCSB translates this word as "slave," not out of insensitivity to the legitimate concerns of modern English speakers, but out of a commitment to accurately convey the brutal reality of the Roman empire's inhumane institution as well as the ownership called for by Christ.}slave of Christ.

Paul Defends His Apostleship

11 Now I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel preached by me is not based on human thought. ^{▼▼Lit not according to man} 12 For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation ^x from Jesus Christ. ^y

13 For you have heard about my former way of life ^z in Judaism: ^aa I persecuted ^ab God’s church to an extreme degree and tried to destroy it. 14 I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. ^ac 15 But when God, who from my birth set me apart and called ^ad me by His grace, was pleased 16 to reveal His Son ^ae in me, so that I could preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone. ^{▼▼Lit flesh and blood} 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem ^ag to those who had become apostles ^ah before me; instead I went to Arabia ^ai and came back to Damascus. ^aj

18 Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem ^ak to get to know ^{▼▼Cephas: The Aramaic word for rock; it is parallel to the Greek word petros from which the English name Peter is derived; Jn 1:42; 1 Co 1:12.}Cephas, ^{▼▼Other mss read Peter
,} ^an and I stayed with him 15 days. 19 But I didn’t see any of the other apostles except James, ^ao the Lord’s brother. 20 Now I am not lying in what I write to you. God is my witness. ^{▼▼Lit Behold, before God}

21 Afterward, I went to the regions of Syria ^aq and Cilicia. ^ar 22 I remained personally unknown to the Judean churches in Christ; 23 they simply kept hearing: “He who formerly persecuted ^as us now preaches the faith ^at he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.