Some decisions are not that important. For example, it probably won’t make much difference what color of shirt you decide to wear today. On the other hand, what we decide in regard to salvation is of extreme importance. How tragic it would be to stand before God at the judgment only to find out that we have not done what He wanted us to do. A wrong choice in this life will result in being separated from God forever. This is why the Apostle Paul became so upset at those who taught a different message than the one he preached.
Some men came to the churches which Paul had established in the Roman province of Galatia and taught that following Christ is not sufficient to obtain salvation. They said that it was also necessary to obey the Law of Moses. In a letter to these churches, Paul stressed that to accept a different gospel, that is a different message about salvation, than the one he had taught would bring God’s condemnation.
But how can we know that the gospel which Paul preached is the correct one? How do we know that he did not teach some doctrine of salvation invented by man? In answer to these questions Paul writes in chapter 1, verses 11 through 24 of his letter: “But I make known to you, brothers, concerning the Good News which was preached by me, that it is not according to man. For neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my way of living in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the assembly of God, and ravaged it. I advanced in the Jews’ religion beyond many of my own age among my countrymen, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me through his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I didn’t immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up
to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia. Then I returned to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Peter, and stayed with him fifteen days. But of the other apostles I saw no one, except James, the Lord’s brother. Now about the things which I write to you, behold, before God, I’m not lying. Then I came to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. I was still unknown by face to the assemblies of Judea which were in Christ, but they only heard: “He who once persecuted us now preaches the faith that he once tried to destroy.” And they glorified God in me.”
In this passage Paul gives three reasons why we can trust the gospel message which he preached. The first is that it is not of human origin. In other words, it is not based on man’s thought or philosophy.
Another reason we can trust what Paul taught is that he did not receive the gospel from another man. In other words, there was no opportunity for the message to be changed or distorted by someone before Paul heard it.
A third reason to trust the gospel which Paul preached is that he was not taught it. On the contrary, Paul received the gospel directly from Jesus Christ. In verse 1 of this letter Paul wrote that he was sent as an Apostle by Christ. It is fitting that one sent by Christ should receive his message directly from Christ as well.
The false teachers were saying that Paul, and the message he preached were inferior to the other Apostles and the gospel they preached because he was not one of those who had been with Christ during His earthly ministry. But Paul not only received the gospel from Christ, he received it by means of revelation just as the other Apostles had.
To assure the churches of the truth that he had received the gospel directly from Christ, and not from one of the other Apostles, Paul tells them something of his personal history. Paul was not always a follower of Christ. On the contrary, he was an enemy of all who were. In another place he said, “I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.” (Acts 26:9-11 NIV)
Not only was Paul an enemy of the followers of Christ, he was extremely zealous about following the Law of Moses and the traditions of the Jewish people. If anyone would have advocated that someone should follow the Law, it was Paul. The reason he persecuted the followers of Christ was that he felt that they were turning away from the Law to falsehood. It was only upon meeting the risen Christ that Paul realized that it was he, and not the followers of Christ, who was wrong. Upon realizing his mistake and himself becoming a follower of Christ, Paul began to preach the faith that he had tried to destroy. But instead of going to Jerusalem to see the Apostles, Paul preached in Damascus where he had been converted and also went to Arabia. At this point in history, Arabia controlled regions near Damascus and, presumably, this is the part of Arabia Paul visited.
It is significant that Paul had no contact with any of the other Apostles until three years after his conversion. The fact that he did not consult with, nor received training from the other Apostles, proves that he received the gospel from Christ, Himself. When Paul did go to Jerusalem, it was not for training, but to become acquainted with Peter. After only 15 days he left for Cilicia and Syria. Obviously, 15 days was not enough time to obtain the extensive knowledge of the gospel which Paul had. This again proves that Paul did not receive the gospel from a man.