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.
Galatians 1:15-18
Galatians 1 [10.] For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ. 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.
Galatians 1 [15.] 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.
Galatians 1 [20.] 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.
Meaning:
Some teachers in Galatia questioned Paul’s authority. He replies that his message did not come from human teachers but “through revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11-12). He then recalls his past and his call, giving his own summary of events Luke describes in Acts 9.
- “who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me through his grace”
Paul describes his calling in the language of the prophets. God told Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you … I have appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5), and the Servant in Isaiah says, “Yahweh has called me from the womb” (Isaiah 49:1). God had a purpose for Paul long before he knew it. The call came “through his grace,” not by merit.
- “to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles”
On the Damascus road the risen Jesus revealed himself to Saul (Acts 9:3-9), and the Lord told Ananias that Saul was “my chosen vessel to bear my name before the nations” (Acts 9:15).
- “I didn’t immediately confer with flesh and blood … but I went away into Arabia”
Paul did not seek the apostles’ approval first but went to Arabia, the Nabataean kingdom east and south of Damascus. Luke does not mention this journey, and its purpose is debated. Some think Paul began preaching there, which may explain why the governor of King Aretas later tried to arrest him (2 Corinthians 11:32). Others think he went for prayer and reflection, perhaps like Elijah, who travelled to “Horeb, God’s Mountain” (1 Kings 19:8); Paul himself speaks of “Mount Sinai in Arabia” (Galatians 4:25).
- “Then I returned to Damascus”
This matches Acts, where Saul preaches in Damascus until a plot forces him to escape over the wall (Acts 9:22-25).
- “after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Peter, and stayed with him fifteen days”
The word translated “visit” suggests getting to know someone and learning from him. Peter could tell him firsthand about Jesus’ life and teaching. Acts describes how Barnabas brought Saul to the apostles when the disciples were afraid of him (Acts 9:26-27).
The Significance of Galatians 1:15-18
- God’s call and preparation
God’s purpose for Paul began before his birth and unfolded through years of preparation. God is often at work in our lives before we see it.
Cross-References:
Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” The prophet’s calling before birth.
Acts 9:15: “He is my chosen vessel to bear my name before the nations.” The Lord’s words about Saul.
Acts 9:26-27: “But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles.” Saul’s first visit to Jerusalem in Acts.
Conclusion: Paul explains that God set him apart from birth, called him by grace and revealed his Son in him so that he would preach to the Gentiles. He did not go first to the apostles but to Arabia and back to Damascus, and only after three years did he visit Peter in Jerusalem for fifteen days. His account complements Luke’s story of his conversion in Acts 9.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible