Paul continues his defence that he was not under the influence or teaching of the Jerusalem church. After three years in Arabia (Gal 1:17) he finally went up to Jerusalem. But there he only stayed with Peter (Cephas) for fifteen days and didn’t see any of the other apostles. The only other leader of the church he saw was James, Jesus’ [half] brother. He considers this so important that he gives an oath before God that what he is saying is true. His final proof that he was not under the influence of the Jerusalem church was that none of the believers in Judea knew him personally. But they were all aware of his conversion and change because they heard that the one who used to persecute them was no preaching the faith he had set out to destroy. For that they all gave God the glory.

Paul’s defence covered yesterday and today is interesting because he is going out of his way to distance himself from the Jerusalem church and the apostles. Why? The most logical thing for him to have done was to immediately go to Jerusalem and sit under the teaching of the apostles and those who had been “in Christ” before him. But God had set him apart specifically as a preacher to the Gentiles. As Paul preached to the Gentiles, the gospel he presented was completely free from the religious restrictions of Judaism.

The gospel is beautiful in its simplicity, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). That’s it! Believe in Jesus for your salvation and it’s yours—free. That same simple gospel is the power of salvation for all who believe (Rom 1:16) and it is the gospel that has the power to change a man from a persecutor of the church to a preacher of what he tried to destroy. How has the gospel changed your life?