The Gospel That Came Straight from Heaven: Galatians 1:11-12

Galatians 1:11–12 (LSB)

Text (Legacy Standard Bible) 11 Γνωρίζω γὰρ ὑμῖν, ἀδελφοί, τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τὸ εὐαγγελισθὲν ὑπ’ ἐμοῦ ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν κατὰ ἄνθρωπον· 12 οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐγὼ παρὰ ἀνθρώπου παρέλαβον αὐτό, οὔτε ἐδιδάχθην, ἀλλὰ δι’ ἀποκαλύψεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.

Translation (very close to LSB) 11 For I make known to you, brothers, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but (I received it) through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

1. Literary Context

• Immediate context: Galatians 1:11–2:14 is Paul’s vigorous defense of the divine origin and independence of his apostleship and gospel.

• After greeting (1:1–5) and expressing astonishment at their quick desertion (1:6–10), Paul immediately launches into autobiographical proof that his message did not come through human channels.

• Verses 11–12 serve as the thesis statement for everything that follows until 2:14.

2. Structure of vv. 11–12

• v. 11 – Positive declaration + ὅτι clause stating what Paul wants them to “know for certain” (γνωρίζω γάρ).

• v. 12 – Double explanation introduced by explanatory γάρ:

  • Negative: “I neither received it from man nor was I taught it”

  • Positive: “but through a revelation of Jesus Christ”

3. Key Word Studies and Grammar

γνωρίζω γάρ (gnōrizō gar)

• “For I make known to you” – emphatic, almost judicial language (“I certify,” “I declare as a fact”). Paul is putting them under oath-like notice.

ἀδελφοί (adelphoi)

• “brothers” – warm familial address, reminding them they still belong together even while he rebukes.

τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τὸ εὐαγγελισθὲν ὑπ’ ἐμοῦ

• Article + participle construction emphasizes “the gospel that was preached by me” (not just any gospel).

ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν κατὰ ἄνθρωπον

• κατὰ ἄνθρωπον = “according to man” → idiomatic for “human in origin, merely human, according to human standards.” Same phrase appears in 3:15 for purely human covenants.

παρέλαβον / ἐδιδάχθην (parelabon / edidachthēn)

• Technical rabbinic terms for receiving and being taught tradition (cf. 1 Cor 11:23; 15:3). Paul deliberately uses the very language of Jewish tradition transmission to deny that his gospel came through that channel.

οὐδὲ … οὔτε … ἀλλὰ

• Strong triple negation + sharp ἀλλά contrast: not A, not B, but the exact opposite.

δι’ ἀποκαλύψεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ

• διὰ + genitive = instrumental (“through, by means of”).

• Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ is subjective genitive: “revelation consisting of/of Jesus Christ Himself” (not just revelation about Him). The risen Christ personally disclosed Himself and the gospel content to Paul (cf. Acts 9, 22, 26; Gal 1:15–16).

4. Theological and Rhetorical Force

Paul is combating the Judaizers’ claim that his gospel is secondary, derived from the Jerusalem apostles, and therefore incomplete (needing circumcision and law-observance added). By vv. 11–12 Paul asserts:

• His gospel is not a human invention or tradition.

• It is not mediated through any human authority (not even the Twelve).

• It came by direct, apocalyptic revelation from the risen Jesus — the same Jesus who called the Twelve.

This makes Paul’s gospel equal in authority to anything the original apostles taught, and it makes any addition or alteration an act of rebellion against Christ Himself.

5. Old Testament and Jewish Background

• The language of “revelation” (ἀποκάλυψις) echoes prophetic call narratives (Isa 6; Jer 1; Ezek 1), especially Isaiah 49:1–6 and Jeremiah 1:5, which Paul will quote in 1:15.

• Paul presents his Damascus-road encounter as a prophetic/apostolic commissioning directly parallel to Isaiah’s vision in the temple.

6. Canonical Connections

• Acts 9:3–9, 22:6–11, 26:12–18 – Luke’s three accounts of the same revelation event.

• 1 Corinthians 9:1; 15:8 – Paul insists he has “seen the Lord,” placing him in the same category as the other apostles.

• Ephesians 3:3 – Paul again claims the mystery was “made known to me by revelation.”

Summary Statement

In Galatians 1:11–12 Paul stakes the entire argument of the letter on one foundational claim: the gospel he preaches is not a human product handed down through ecclesiastical tradition or derived from the Jerusalem leadership. It is the direct, unmediated disclosure of the risen Jesus Christ Himself on the Damascus road. Therefore, to reject Paul’s gospel is to reject a message that carries the full authority of the glorified Lord.

This is why Paul can pronounce anathema even on angels or himself if they preach a different gospel (1:8–9). The stakes could not be higher.

1.     According to Galatians 1:11, what does Paul want the Galatian believers to “know for certain” (γνωρίζω γάρ ὑμῖν) about the gospel he preaches?

2.     What two specific ways does Paul explicitly deny receiving his gospel in verse 12? (Name both verbs or actions he rejects.)

3.     In verse 12, what is the sole positive source Paul gives for how he received his gospel message?

4.     Explain the meaning of the phrase κατὰ ἄνθρωπον (“according to man”) in Galatians 1:11. What is Paul ruling out?

5.     Why does Paul use the technical rabbinic terms παρέλαβον (“I received”) and ἐδιδάχθην (“I was taught”) in verse 12 only to deny them?

The Gospel That Came Straight from Heaven

Read slowly: “For I make known to you, brothers, that the gospel which I am proclaiming as good news is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Gal 1:11–12, LSB)

Paul is not being arrogant here; he is being protective. He knows that if the Galatians believe his message is merely human in origin, they will feel free to edit it, add to it, or walk away from it. But if the gospel came straight from the risen Jesus, then to alter it is to disobey the living Lord Himself.

Think about that for yourself today.

The gospel you first believed (that Jesus died for your sins, was buried, and rose again; that by trusting Him you are forgiven and adopted forever) did not originate in a church committee, a pastor’s opinion, or even your own heart. It was delivered to you from heaven. It came with the authority of the One who spoke galaxies into existence and who now speaks peace into guilty consciences.

That means three freeing truths:

1. You don’t have to supplement it. Nothing you add (religious performance, moral perfection, spiritual experiences) can make God love you more than He already does in Christ.

2. You don’t have to fear losing it. A gospel that depends on your grip will slip away. A gospel that came by revelation from Jesus will be guarded by Jesus.

3. You don’t have to defend its source. When someone says, “That’s just Paul’s opinion” or “That’s your interpretation,” you can quietly reply, “No, this came from the risen Lord Himself.”

Prayer Lord Jesus, thank You for breaking into history (and into my life) with a message too good to be man-made. Forgive me for the times I have treated Your gospel as advice instead of revelation, as a suggestion instead of a declaration from the throne. Anchor me again today in the glorious fact that You personally revealed Yourself and Your saving love to me. Let that truth silence every voice that tries to add or subtract from what You have already perfectly done. I am Yours because You first revealed Yourself to me. Amen.

Hold this verse in your heart all day: “I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” Not through effort. Not through tradition. Through Jesus Himself. That is still how He gives His gospel—person to person, heart to heart, heaven to earth.

Rest there. Rejoice there. Live there.