Galatians 1:1-12

The theme of Galatians 1:1-5 is that of salutation or greeting, emphasizing the divine commission of Paul. The address, which is usually little more than our "Greetings," has become an extended greeting that emphasizes the divine commission of Paul, and therefore the divine source of his apostleship. In addition, Paul stresses that Christ is the source of their liberation; he set them free. These two emphases prove to be an outline of the letter, as Chapters 1-2 defend his apsotleship, and Chapters 3-4 defend the gospel of Christian liberty, and Chapters 5-6 show the benefits of these people accepting the correction Paul is bringing to them. His appeal is to Christian tradition, as he refers to God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. He then identifies as the one who gave himself for our sins in order to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of God, to whom we owe praise. The appeal to such tradition is an appeal to the shared knowledge that Paul hopes will bind his readers to him. John Calvin points out that a false prophet could make the claims Paul makes here. In fact, both Luther and Calvin stress that all ministers of the gospel need to witness to the divine authorization of their ministry. In verse 4, we need to note that when Paul says that Christ "has set us free," he points us to a dimension of personal liberation upon which Paul is asking us to reflect.

The theme of Galatians 1:6-10 is that Paul is astonished that these people so quickly turn from the gospel to something that is no gospel at all. Paul is offering a warning by means of a rebuke and curse. When he refers to them “deserting” the image in mind may come out of the military. He says there is no other gospel. Who is Paul that he dares to represent himself as the preacher of the only gospel? He expresses his disgust in order to get them to reconsider their position. As Aristotle notes in his Poetics, sometimes the speaker has to change the frame of mind of his listeners in order to persuade them to a course of action. In this case, he wants them angry with his opponents, and even angry with themselves, for having turned away so quickly, from what Paul taught them. As Calvin notes on verse 6, there is no "right time" to revolt from Christ. The surprise of Paul is that they have left their freedom so quickly. “Another gospel” refers to something other than the grace of God in Christ. In verse 7, Paul claims to represent Christian orthodoxy. In verses 8 and 9, the use of “accursed,” or “anathema” is puzzling. Some commentators refer to excommunication, as later Christian tradition would use the word. For example, the Roman Catholic Church placed an “anathema" upon Luther, and recently removed it. Yet, it may simply mean, as Calvin suggests, that it should never have gotten a hearing. The word could simply mean a "curse" upon the people to whom Paul refers. In verse 10, the accusation is that Paul is doing nothing more than pleasing people, that is, Gentiles, by making it easier for them to be Christians. He makes it clear that salvation is apart from the Law and does not require circumcision from the men. Has he done this simply to please people?

Paul answers his question in verses 11-12 in that he received the gospel in an experience of revelation from Jesus Christ. He will describe that revelation in the following verses. As he will describe it, while he has certainly talked with the leaders in Jerusalem, the gospel does not come from them.