Galatians 1:11
But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.
Truth to Learn
The gospel truth is not of man or angel, it is divinely given.
Behind the Words
The words “make known” are translated from gnōridzō which is here expressed in the present tense, active voice, and indicative mood, indicating present, continuous action. Hence, it could be translated, “I am making known.”
Meaning Explained
Paul has been teaching the Christians of Galatia that they should not be swayed to believe any gospel message if it is different than what Paul and the other apostles taught. The false teachers who had crept into the churches in that region had been teaching that Christians were to keep the requirements of the Law of Moses in order to be truly saved. These teachers very likely had been brought up in the Jewish religion and truly believed that Christianity was simply another sect of Judaism. They may have been quite sincere in their beliefs but Paul says they were sincerely wrong.
Apparently, some even claimed that they had received revelation from angels of heaven regarding the false teachings they were promoting. But back in verse 8 Paul told the Galatians that even if an angel from heaven delivered a different message that what Paul had taught that angelic messenger was to be accursed. Notice, that Paul did not say an angel from God, but an angel from heaven. If you study the Bible carefully you will see that there are good angels (angels from God) and bad angels, or fallen angels, who follow their leader Satan. These are angels from heaven but they are not from God and they are not to be believed.
Paul warned the believers in Corinth about false teachers like this who do not follow the truths of God, but make themselves to be just as authoritative as the apostles of Christ. And he points out that it is not surprising that they present themselves as something other than what they really are, since their leader, Satan, also makes himself appear as an angel of light.
But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:12-14)
In the current verse Paul tells the Galatians that the gospel message that he has preached to them did not come from the mind of man or from an angel. In the following verses he will substantiate this claim and demonstrate that it is a message from Jesus Christ himself. His point is that any good news about salvation which is different from the good news of Christ is not really good news at all. It is deception and we need to guard ourselves from believing that kind of message.
Application
Fewer and fewer churches today have ministers who preach the pure truth of God’s Word. This is partly because fewer and fewer people want to hear the truth. Instead, they want to hear “feel good” messages.
Do you want to hear from God or man?
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2007 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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