Galatians 1: The Gospel Is Its Own Credential
"### Galatians 1: The Gospel Is Its Own Credential
1 Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
1. An Apostle Without Credentials
From the opening lines of Galatians, Paul defends his apostleship with an almost combative urgency. By worldly standards, his résumé is unimpressive. He has no letter of appointment from a credible institution like the Jerusalem church, no history of walking alongside Jesus like the twelve disciples. The only credential he offers is a personal conviction: the risen Christ himself appointed me. At first glance, this self-authentication may appear disturbingly similar to the self-proclamations of cult leaders who deify themselves today. But between the two lies an unbridgeable chasm. The difference is that their lives prove their words. The lives of self-appointed cult leaders follow the pattern of the theology of glory (Theologia Gloriae)—building themselves into heroes, accumulating wealth, and destroying communities. Paul's life, by contrast, was the theology of the cross (Theologia Crucis) incarnate—beaten, hungry, persecuted, and ultimately martyred. Which theology did Jesus embody—glory or the cross? Paul's life was the most powerful evidence of the gospel of the cross he preached, a living credential that no one could counterfeit.
2. A Confession of Faith More Powerful Than Credentials
Why did Paul need to defend his authority so vigorously? The false teachers troubling the Galatian church wielded human authority—Jerusalem and the original apostles—as their credential, their weapon against Paul. Their strategy was to undermine Paul's authority (Who?) in order to discredit the content of the gospel he preached (What?). Against this cunning attack, Paul completely reframes the debate. Rather than descending into a mud-slinging match over credentials, he shifts the standard of judgment from persons to the gospel itself. Paul even declares that if he himself or an angel from heaven should preach a different gospel, let them be under God's curse (18-9). This is a declaration that the authority of the gospel stands above the messenger. Paul offers a concise confession of faith in verse 4 as the touchstone of the gospel ""who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father."" This is the standard. Not a person's background or relationship with Jerusalem, but the content of this pure confession of faith is the sole credential for determining the authenticity of any teaching.
3. The Fatal Temptation: Gospel Plus Alpha (α)
What was the essence of the ""different gospel"" the false teachers brought? It was the fatal temptation to add something to the pure gospel—Gospel + Alpha (α). The alpha they promoted—circumcision—became a spiritual rank insignia creating distinctions and hierarchies among believers. A community of grace became divided between those who possessed this badge and those who didn't, instantly transforming into an arena of discrimination and competition. This spiritual rank insignia becomes the most effective tool for giving power to those who issue and control it. While the gospel of verse 4 declares that salvation is entirely God's gift based on Christ's self-sacrifice, the addition of alpha whispers, ""That's not enough—your works must be added."" This temptation, exploiting humanity's inherent anxiety about grace and spiritual pride, has a long and persistent history. Paul understood with piercing clarity that this alpha was not merely an add-on but poison aimed at the heart of the gospel. That's why he pronounced a curse without compromise (v. 9), fighting to preserve the singular and complete gospel of grace through the cross alone."