1 Paul, an apostle, neither from men nor through a man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him up from the dead, 2 and all the brothers with me, to the congregations of Ga·la´ti·a:
3 May you have undeserved kindness and peace from God our Father and [the] Lord Jesus Christ. 4 He gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from the present wicked system of things according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
6 I marvel that you are being so quickly removed from the One who called you with Christ’s undeserved kindness over to another sort of good news. 7 But it is not another; only there are certain ones who are causing you trouble and wanting to pervert the good news about the Christ. 8 However, even if we or an angel out of heaven were to declare to you as good news something beyond what we declared to you as good news, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said above, I also now say again, Whoever it is that is declaring to you as good news something beyond what you accepted, let him be accursed.
10 Is it, in fact, men I am now trying to persuade or God? Or am I seeking to please men? If I were yet pleasing men, I would not be Christ’s slave. 11 For I put you on notice, brothers, that the good news which was declared by me as good news is not something human; 12 for neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught [it], except through revelation by Jesus Christ.
13 You, of course, heard about my conduct formerly in Ju´da·ism, that to the point of excess I kept on persecuting the congregation of God and devastating it, 14 and I was making greater progress in Ju´da·ism than many of my own age in my race, as I was far more zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called [me] through his undeserved kindness, thought good 16 to reveal his Son in connection with me, that I might declare the good news about him to the nations, I did not go at once into conference with flesh and blood. 17 Neither did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles previous to me, but I went off into Arabia, and I came back again to Damascus.
18 Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to visit Ce´phas, and I stayed with him for fifteen days. 19 But I saw no one else of the apostles, only James the brother of the Lord. 20 Now as to the things I am writing you, look! in the sight of God, I am not lying.
21 After that I went into the regions of Syria and of Ci·li´cia. 22 But I was unknown by face to the congregations of Ju·de´a that were in union with Christ; 23 they only used to hear: “The man that formerly persecuted us is now declaring the good news about the faith which he formerly devastated.” 24 So they began glorifying God because of me.
2013 © Copyright Free. We thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the Good News about Christ.