A special Apostle: (1:11-24):
Apostle Paul lays some of the features how God has chosen as one of the special apostle to Gentiles.
- Paul’s Gospel was a revelation: (1:11-12): The Gospel he received did not originate with man and so Paul’s message too. He didn’t receive from human source or through some course of instruction and somebody imparted the knowledge. But he received the Gospel from the highest authority i.e. through the Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians cannot question his authority and his message.
- His pre-conversion activities: (1:13-14): Paul had been one of the most religious Jews of his day, scrupulously keeping the law and relentlessly persecuting Christians (Acts.9:1-2). He persecuted Christians. He was more zealous for the law than the Judaizers. God deliberately kept Paul separated from the Twelve so that no one could accuse Paul of borrowing his message. Nobody could accuse Paul of inventing his message or copying someone else, because he had been a persecutor of the church. His life was radically changed after he met Christ on the road to Damascus.
- His post conversion activities: (1:15-17): God was guiding Paul and chose him much before his anti-Christian activities. After his Damascus experience, God clearly made known to him the kind of life he has to undergo. Paul’s ministry was specially for Gentiles and other disciples ministry was for Jews.
The Twelve disciples received their call from Christ on earth because their message presented the hope of Israel’s earthly kingdom but Paul received his call from heaven, because his message presented the heavenly calling of the church in Christ. There were twelve apostles, associated with the twelve tribes. Paul a Jew with Gentile citizenship representing the one body in Christ. Paul did not confer with men after he received his calling. If he had met immediately with the Twelve apostles, people could have said that he borrowed his message and received his authority from them. Instead, God sent Paul to Arabia for a time of meditation and investigation (1:17). Someone has said, “Paul went to Arabia with the Law and the prophets and came out with Romans and Galatians!” Like Moses and Elijah before him, Paul went to the desert to wrestle with God’s program and plan for his life. Then he went back to Damascus where he had first witnessed for Christ.
- The churches acknowledged Paul: (1:18-24): Paul’s visit to Jerusalem as a Christian is recorded in (Acts.9:26-30). In fact the believers were afraid of Paul. The believers there were actually afraid of Paul; and were it not for Barnabas, Paul would never have been accepted. This fact in itself proved that Paul had never leaned on the Jerusalem church for approval. After this visit, he went to Syria (Antioch). His ministry there is recorded in (Acts 11:22-30); but he was personally unknown to the believers in Judea. However, the churches there heard the wonderful news of Paul’s conversion and glorified God.
Paul’s changed life had brought praise from those who saw him or heard about him. His new life had influenced others. They praised because God had turned this zealous Judaizers into a humble Christian who was ready to face all the persecution for the sake of the Gospel. All the people praised God saying that “the man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.