Galatians 1:1-5 Address

I invite you to get our your New Testament and read this passage. The address, which is usually little more than our "Greetings," becomes an extended greeting that emphasizes the divine commission of Paul, and therefore the divine source of his apostleship. In addition, Paul stresses that Christ is the source of their liberation, he set them free. This emphasis proves to be an outline of the letter, as 1-2 defend his apsotleship, 3-4 defend the gospel of Christian liberty, and Chapters 5-6 show the benefits of these people accepting the correction Paul is bring to them. Note that his appeal is to Christian tradition, and therefore to shared knowledge that Paul hopes will bind his readers to him. John Calvin points out that a false prophet could make the claims Paul makes here. In fact, both Luther and Calvin stress that all ministers of the gospel need to witness to the divine authorization of their ministry. In verse 4, we need to note that when Paul says that Christ "has set us free," there is a dimension of personal liberation upon which Paul is asking us to reflect.