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SEPTEMBER 23
And for a belt with which he girds 11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the
himself continually. gospel which was preached by me is not
Let this be the LORD’s reward to my according to man. For I neither received it
20 12
accusers, from man, nor was I taught it, but it came
And to those who speak evil against my through the revelation of Jesus Christ.
person. 13 For you have heard of my former conduct
in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of
Proverbs 26:1
God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.
26 As snow in summer and rain 14 my contemporaries in my own nation, being
And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of
in harvest,
So honor is not fitting for a fool. more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of
my fathers.
Galatians 1:1–24
15 But when it pleased God, who separated
Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through me from my mother’s womb and called me
1 man, but through Jesus Christ and God the through His grace, to reveal His Son in me,
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Father who raised Him from the dead), and that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I
2
all the brethren who are with me, did not immediately confer with flesh and
blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those
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To the churches of Galatia:
who were apostles before me; but I went to
3 Grace to you and peace from God the Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
4
Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusa-
Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us lem to see Peter, and remained with him fif-
from this present evil age, according to the teen days. But I saw none of the other apos-
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will of our God and Father, to whom be glory tles except James, the Lord’s brother. (Now
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forever and ever. Amen. concerning the things which I write to you,
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon indeed, before God, I do not lie.)
from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, 21 Afterward I went into the regions of Syria
to a different gospel, which is not another; but and Cilicia. And I was unknown by face to the
7
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there are some who trouble you and want to churches of Judea which were in Christ. But
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pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, they were hearing only, “He who formerly perse-
or an angel from heaven, preach any other cuted us now preaches the faith which he once
gospel to you than what we have preached to tried to destroy.” And they glorified God in me.
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you, let him be accursed. As we have said
before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches
any other gospel to you than what you have
received, let him be accursed. 1:17 Jerusalem…Arabia,…Damascus. Rather
10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do
I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, than immediately travel to Jerusalem to be
instructed by the apostles, Paul instead went
I would not be a bondservant of Christ. to Nabatean Arabia, a wilderness desert that
stretched east of Damascus down to the Sinai
peninsula. After being prepared for ministry
by the Lord, he returned to minister in nearby
Damascus.
1:12 neither received it from man,nor was I
taught it. In contrast to the Judaizers, who
received their religious instruction from rab- 1:18 three years. The approximate time from
binic tradition. Most Jews did not study the Paul’s conversion to his first journey to
actual Scriptures; instead they used human Jerusalem. During those years he made a visit
interpretations of Scripture as their religious to Damascus and resided in Arabia, under the
authority and guide. Many of their traditions instruction of the Lord.This visit is discussed in
not only were not taught in Scripture but also Acts 9:26–30. up to Jerusalem. Travelers in
contradicted it (Mark 7:13).through the reve- Israel always speak of going up to Jerusalem
lation. This refers to the unveiling of some- because of its higher elevation. see. Better
thing previously kept secret—in this case, translated, “to become acquainted with.”
Jesus Christ.While he knew about Christ, Paul Peter. The apostle who was the personal com-
subsequently met Him personally on the road panion of the Lord and the most powerful
to Damascus and received the truth of the spokesman in the early years of the Jerusalem
gospel from Him (Acts 9:1–16). church (Acts 1–12).
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