By the Grace of Christ

Summary: Paul makes it known that the gospel he preached was not something he received from people, nor was he taught it by human instruction; rather, it came to him through a revelation of Jesus Christ. He points to his past to underscore this claim: they had heard how he once lived in Judaism, how he intensely persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it, and how he advanced beyond many of his contemporaries, being extremely zealous for the traditions handed down from his ancestors. But when God - who had set him apart even from his mother’s womb and called him through grace - was pleased to reveal His Son in him so that Paul might proclaim Him among the Gentiles, Paul did not immediately consult with anyone. He did not go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before him; instead, he went away to Arabia, and then returned again to Damascus.   Teaching: God chose Paul in order to proclaim His Son, Jesus Christ, to the Gentiles. Here, “Gentiles” means the whole world—God’s purpose is to spread the gospel to all nations. In the same way, the reason God has chosen us is also so that we may win people through proclaiming the gospel—nothing else. It is the work of preaching the gospel and gaining people. In Galatians, “the grace of Christ” is a key phrase. The grace of Christ was already at work within Paul. It is the same for us: even before we started going to church, the grace of Christ was already within us, and then, at the appointed time, it was revealed. Paul’s transformation - his “before and after” - was not the result of his own will or decision, but a change brought about by the grace of Christ. And because he had faith, he responded through that faith. Therefore, for us as well, it depends on how we respond according to our faith. Excerpt from the sermon by Pastor Lee, Feb 16, 2026 Galatians 1:11-17