Introduction
Galatians 1:1-5 introduces the letter Paul wrote to all the churches of Galatia. He starts right off declaring that it was Jesus Christ who appointed him to be an apostle. He didn't do so by popular acclaim of man nor at the instruction of man. He and all of the Christian brothers with him in Rome wished the churches there grace and peace both from God and from Jesus who was their Savior. He then praised Jesus and wished Him glory for all time for what He had done.
That's the way we should consider Jesus Christ. He isn't a swear phrase. He's our boss. Those living in monarchies get the title of Lord a bit better than the rest of us do.
Warning Against Believing False Teaching
Then, in Galatians 1:6-10, Paul digs right into the reason for his letter. Paul had heard things. He was stuck in Rome, so he couldn't do like God and go down and check out Sodom and Gomorrah personally to see if it was as bad as the reports were that were coming in (Genesis 18:16-22). Hence the letter was written to let the churches know that Paul was amazed that in the short time since the church was founded, they had strayed away from what he had taught them.
He goes so far as to declare that they were preaching something other than the grace of Christ as a means of salvation from the way it is worded. He objects strenuously, saying that even if some angel from heaven comes down and preaches some other gospel than what Paul preached, that angel should be accursed. After condemning angels preaching falsehood, he made it clear that any man who did so should be accursed as well.
Over the last two thousand or so years, Christianity has divided and subdivided over many issues. Sometimes the issues were about sin in the leadership like selling indulgences. Some big ones were on papal authority, followed by priestly celibacy and what women were allowed to do in the church. Faith versus works for salvation reared its ugly head. Methods of baptism and church structure broke people apart further. Kings let politics enter in to split the church apart further when the church didn't do what the king wanted. The nature of the Holy Spirit and His work is a more recent dividing point. Finally, in the last few years, sin issues, namely homosexuality has been another dividing point.
That's a brief list. But for most all of those, the actual gospel message didn't change. It's only been with the more recent splits over homosexuality that what it means to be a Christian has had much conflict with the Bible. The core means of salvation (other than the faith and grace versus works) debate has remained fairly intact.
But as the modern church has drifted away from core principles, we need to keep this passage in mind. God is the ultimate arbiter of His truth. Whether or not we agree is immaterial. If you haven't accepted Christ as Savior (The Gospel Message), then you won't have a defensive lawyer pleading your case in heaven. You'll be on your own. The facts will be established by God and if there is no blood covering, you're out of luck. His law and the facts are set in stone. You can yell, but it won't get you anywhere.
The gospel message is all that stands between you and eternal punishment. That's why it is so important to read the Bible and try to follow the life of Christ in word, deed, and thought, to the best of your ability, and accept Him as your Savior. Paul was pretty emphatic that if men or an angel came down and presented a different gospel, they would be accursed.
I've thought about this verse many times in thinking of where many denominations are today, and in particular when thinking of Moroni and Joseph Smith. There are many concepts that formed the LDS church that don't line up with any other flavor of Christianity. It seems like this strong warning might have been directed at the early 1900s in America as well as the Galatian church. It's something to think about.
Why do these divisions happen? Well, basically, someone wasn't listening to the Holy Spirit very well. The splits have in common some major thing that was wrong with either the church or the people who didn't like the way the church was then. Sometimes one group was right and the church was wrong and should have changed. Sometimes the break away group wanted to condone sin and it was wrong and the church was right. But the key thing is that in any breakup, someone wasn't listening to God.
The Source of His Sermons
Paul goes on to clarify in Galatians 1:11-14 that what he taught came straight from God and wasn't influenced by men. Would that every word I write or teach in person filled that category and there wasn't anything of me in it. God will judge for sure some day. I'm sure there are many judging both for good and for bad today, but one day all will be illuminated. One of the reasons that I separate some of the hot topics out to awmach.com is that they are more my musings than something I would teach. I do believe them, fully, but I won't argue their points. Most of the stuff I've posted on the awmach.net site, though, I'd argue pretty solidly about.
Paul had started out steeped in the Old Testament, was Jewish to his core, and was out trying to wipe out all of Christianity. Then he met Jesus on the Damascus road, was filled with the Holy Spirit shortly afterwards, and those encounters changed his life completely.
Although he was an expert on the Old Testament, there wasn't anyone to teach him about Christianity. He was able to see how Jesus was the culmination of all prophecy about the messiah in the Old Testament, but he received the truth to teach and the words to say from Jesus via the Holy Spirit. Just like Peter in defending himself against the charges in front of the Jewish leaders, Paul relied on the Holy Spirit for guidance in speech and where to go and what to do (Acts 1:8 was key for both).
His Travels
The remainder of Galatians 1:15-24 recounts Paul's travels in spreading the word of God about Christ to the gentiles. After his conversion to Christianity, he spent three years in the area around it. According to Dake this region had seen a big influx of Christianity, due, ironically, to Paul's persecutions in other places. It was during this time that Jesus set clear what he was to preach.
After the three year period, he returned to Jerusalem. When he arrived, the disciples were afraid of him still (Acts 9:23-27). He saw Peter and James, but didn't take any more time there before heading out once again. It would be a long time before he returned again. Some of the churches knew of his past, and glorified God that Jesus had saved such an oppressor as Paul had been.
No matter who you are and no matter what you've done, once you become a Christian, your testimony means something to someone. Listen to God for when, where, and to whom, you should share portions of your life. If you were brought up in the church, glory to God if you have stayed true to God. If you grew up out of the church and later became a Christian, let God use your life before and after to let people know just how much better your life now is.
Everyone has a story. I don't know how much of Paul's history he gave to each of the churches he visited, but in many cases his reputation preceded him. It can be a great testimony to see how much you have changed. If you've had a major miracle in your life, like Paul being blinded by the presence of Jesus and then having his sight restored, don't be afraid to share that as well. Every story matters.