Galatians 1:1

Introduction. Salutation and ascription of praise

1. Paul, an apostle In the opening of this Epistle, as of those to the Corinthians, Ephesians, Colossians and Timothy, St Paul designates himself an Apostle. Elsewhere he either adds no descriptive epithet to his name, or he is a bondservant of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:1), or of God (Titus 1:1), or a prisoner of Christ Jesus (Philemon 1:1). In the present instance the addition is not without reference to the circumstances under which he wrote. His authority had been impugned, and a great fundamental doctrine of the Gospel perverted. The former must be asserted, that the latter may be maintained.

an apostle Lit. -a messenger". The title was given by our Lord Himself (Luke 6:13) to twelve chosen by Himselfout of the number of His disciples. The qualifications for the office are (1) a Divine call (Luke 6:13; John 15:16; Acts 1:2; Acts 1:24); (2) a personal knowledge of the Lord Jesus, as the RisenSaviour (Acts 1:21-22; 1 Corinthians 9:6); (3) the inspiration and infallible teaching of the Holy Ghost (John 14:26; John 16:13); (4) a Divine commission (Acts 22:21; Acts 26:16-18). On the wider use of the term see Bp. Lightfoot, Gal. pp. 91 97.

not of men, … the dead -Not of men", rather, not from men. Unlike the false apostles, he did not go forth commissioned by men, as their messenger, or as deriving his authority from them; nor again was he sent -by man" (abstract, not concrete; as in John 2:25). Paul commissioned others, because himself not commissioned by other men.

but by Jesus Christ A clear proof of the proper Deity of the Lord Jesus. As Jesus was the source from which, so was He also the channel through which St Paul derived his authority. The occasion on which he received this authority was doubtless his miraculous conversion. It is however instructive to observe that even this Divine call and appointment did not supersede the outward commission and -investiture" -through the medium of the Church" (Acts 13:2). The latter, while owing all its value to the former, is distinctly stated to have taken place by the express direction of the Holy Ghost.

"The Apostles are both -from Christ" and -through Christ;" their disciples (and all regular teachers of the Church) are -from Christ," but -through man;" the false teachers are -from men" and -through man." Paul's call was just as direct as that of the Twelve; but the Judaizers, in their tendency to overrate external forms and secondary causes, laid great stress upon the personal intercourse with Christ in the days of His flesh, and hence they were disposed either to declare Paul a pseudoapostle, or at least to subordinate him to the Twelve, especially to Peter and James." Dr Schaff.

and God the Father … dead It may at first sight surprise us that St Paul should thus closely unite God the Father with Jesus Christ, as the channelor agencyby which he received his commission. But the difficulty is removed by the addition of the words, - Who raised Him from the dead." Christ was "declared to be the Son of God with power … by" i.e. as the result of "the resurrection from the dead". The hypostatic union of the Father and the Son is presupposed (John 10:30). "He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father." If then St Paul had received his apostolic commission -by" the Risen Christ who "appeared to him on the way", he might truly be said to have received it -by" God the Father. Luther ascribes the addition of these words to St Paul's "burning desire to set forth even in the very entry of his epistle, the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to preach the righteousness of God". "He was raised again for our justification," Romans 4:25.