Not Man’s Gospel

“For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother. (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only were hearing it said, "He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." And they glorified God because of me.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭1:11-24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Many, today, think of the gospel as the teaching of man. They think of the Bible as the teaching of man. They believe it was authored because of the desire and intention of man.

For this reason, they believe the Bible to be flawed. The men who wrote the Bible, after all, were sinners like the rest of us. And it stands to reason that, just as we can’t do anything perfectly, just as we can’t do anything without our sin becoming apparent, neither could they.

For this reason, it’s also believed that it was a sinful motivation that led to the preaching of the gospel. They believe that it was a desire for power and control that led to its proclamation. They believe that a desire to overturn the regime of the day led to its proclamation. They believe that a desire for personal gain led to its proclamation.

However, as Paul makes clear above, the gospel he proclaimed was not his own. It wasn’t his own message. Nor was it the message of any other man.

He tells us that he didn’t receive this message from any man. It wasn’t taught to him by man. And, as he set out to proclaim this message, he didn’t consult with anyone.

Paul had received this message by a revelation of Jesus Christ. In other words, this message was given to him by Christ himself. He proclaimed only the message that Christ himself had shared with him.

Knowing that this message was given by Christ, sin is removed from the equation.  As Christ is perfect, so too is his Word. There are no mistakes or flaws to be found within it.

Paul also makes it clear that he had no sinful motives in proclaiming this message. He had, in fact, opposed this message at the outset. He was very zealous for the Jewish faith and for the traditions of his people. And, for this reason, he’d rapidly advanced among them.

He also mentions how he’d violently persecuted the church of God. He’d sought to destroy it. But, then, Jesus graciously revealed himself to Paul.

This tells us, unequivocally, that he had nothing to gain by the proclamation of the gospel. In fact, he’d surrendered everything that could benefit him. He renounced everything that could lead to his personal advancement.

Paul’s point, in this passage, is that the gospel is trustworthy. It’s completely reliable. It’s detached in every way from the sin and wicked intentions of man.

For this reason, we can hear this message with confidence. And, for this reason, we can proclaim this message with confidence. We can hear and proclaim it for what it truly is: the Word and Gospel of Jesus Christ.