Saturday in the Word | Galatians

Roughly six weeks ago, I started a deeper dive into the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians. In that post, we examined verses 1-10 of chapter one of his letter to the churches of South Galatia.

In Paul’s day, Galatia was a region in north-central Anatolia settled by the Celtic Gauls. We know that area as the country of Turkey today.

First described by the Romans, Gaul was a territory in Western Europe that covered the modern countries of France, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, and Northern Italy.

The Apostle Paul was battling false teachers throughout various regions including Galatia.

Today, we will look at Galatians 1:11-24 (NLT).

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¹¹ Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. ¹² I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

¹³ You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. ¹⁴ I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.

¹⁵ But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him ¹⁶ to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.

When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being. ¹⁷ Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.

¹⁸ Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter, and I stayed with him for fifteen days. ¹⁹ The only other apostle I met at that time was James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ I declare before God that what I am writing to you is not a lie.

²¹ After that visit I went north into the provinces of Syria and Cilicia. ²² And still the churches in Christ that are in Judea didn’t know me personally. ²³ All they knew was that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!” ²⁴ And they praised God because of me.

Galatians 1:11-24 (NLT)

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God transforms lives.

The Lord is, and always has been, in the transformation business. He doesn’t leave you the same once you encounter Him.

Paul’s dramatic transformation from a persecutor of Christians to a devoted apostle and herald of the Gospel is a powerful testament to the life-changing power of God’s grace.

Paul’s journey underscores the truth that no one is beyond the reach of God’s transformative love. No one. Paul’s transformational experience illuminates the fact that our past does not define us; rather, it is through God’s calling and our subsequent response that our true identity and purpose are revealed.

That’s POWERFUL!

The heart of Paul’s message in this passage is the divine origin of the Gospel he preached—a Gospel not taught by human wisdom but revealed directly by Jesus Christ. This revelation led to a radical reorientation of Paul’s life, shifting his allegiance from the traditions of his fathers to the living Christ. This shift was not just a change in belief but a complete transformation that involved his identity, purpose, and mission. God totally flipped the script of Paul’s life just like He has done in millions of lives, including my own.

Have you had such a life-changing encounter with Christ?

Paul’s transformation serves as an encouragement and a challenge to us. It encourages us by reminding us of the depths of God’s grace—that no matter our past, we are candidates for God’s transformative work. It challenges us to remain open to the radical ways God can work in and through our lives, often in ways we least expect.

Are you open to God changing your life?

Scripture teaches us that we can all become benefactors if God’s mercy and grace. Salvation isn’t a result of our work, but God’s.

⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT)

If you will realize that you are a sinner in need of God’s love mercy and grace, you can cry out to Him and confess that you have fallen short of His standard of holiness.

If you confess your sinfulness and repent—turn from your present life and step into your new one—God, through His son, Jesus, will redeem you.

In your new life as a follower of God, the Holy Spirit will transform you into a more Christlike being.

God loves you.

He will forgive you of your trespasses and create a new creation in you—one that exceeds anything you could ever imagine.

Know you are loved.

Rainer Bantau —The Devotional Guy™