(REFLECTIONS ON Galatians 1:11-17)

11 I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

Revelation in the Greek means to uncover or unveil. It is like a covered pot cooking on a hot stove with the contents hidden from us. However, when the chef reveals his masterpiece by removing the cover, that is revelation. The Greek word for revelation in English form is apocalypse.

Paul’s experience with the Gospel is indeed an unique experience. Whereas many of us were exposed to Christianity because of someone sharing the Gospel with us, whether it was a friend, family member, or a stranger on the street, usually our knowledge of Jesus first begins with a caring person that is fulfilling God’s command to share the Gospel.

However, for Paul, Jesus revealed Himself to him on the road to Damascus as Paul was in the midst of persecuting the church of God in an effort to destroy it. It was in this work of destruction, that the cover was removed and the revelation of God was revealed to Paul from Jesus Christ.

Paul’s authority as he states in Galatians 1:1 is as “an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.”

Although we may receive the Gospel in different ways, let us know that it isn’t any less amazing than Paul’s own experience. Today’s Scripture is a reminder that what we believe is not a philosophy, is not psychology, is not a made up story, but is a revelation. If we believe, although it may have been from words we received from people, it is because the work of the Holy Spirit is working in our hearts to unveil the truth of the Gospel to us.

We all have received a revelation, the lid uncovered regarding the mysteries of God, and it is in this revelation that led us to believe in the words of the people sharing the Gospel with us. Sharing the Gospel thus is a two-fold movement, one in the sharing of the word, the other is the Holy Spirit’s revelation, uncovering to us that these words are the words of God and that Jesus Christ is His Son.

15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.

May we not live in doubt any longer, because if we have believed, it is more than a human work with human words, but it is a revelation from the Holy Spirit, is an act of grace, so that we can preach Him to those that do not yet believe and to live in the eternal life that we have been given. We don’t need to search after other believers to confirm our belief, but may we take the grace bestowed upon us, and the revelation of Christ and live out our lives for Him.

Go, therefore and share this revelation with the world!

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Galatians 1