Galatians 1
International Children’s Bible
The Only Good News
1 From Paul, an apostle.
I was not chosen to be an apostle by men. I was not sent from men. It was Jesus Christ and God the Father who made me an apostle. God is the One who raised Jesus from death.
2 This letter is also from all the brothers who are with me.
To the churches in Galatia.[a]
3 I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will be good to you and give you peace. 4 Jesus gave himself for our sins to free us from this evil world we live in. This is what God the Father wanted. 5 The glory belongs to God forever and ever. Amen.
6 A short time ago God called you to follow him. He called you by his grace that came through Christ. But now I am amazed at you! You are already turning away and believing something different than the Good News. 7 Really, there is no other Good News. But some people are confusing you and want to change the Good News of Christ. 8 We preached to you the Good News. So if we ourselves, or even an angel from heaven, preach to you something different than the Good News, he should be condemned! 9 I said this before. Now I say it again: You have already accepted the Good News. If anyone tells you another way to be saved, he should be condemned!
10 Do you think I am trying to make people accept me? No! God is the One I am trying to please. Am I trying to please men? If I wanted to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Paul’s Authority Is from God
11 Brothers, I want you to know that the Good News I preached to you was not made by men. 12 I did not get it from men, nor did any man teach it to me. Jesus Christ showed it to me.
13 You have heard about my past life. I belonged to the Jewish religion. I hurt the church of God very much and tried to destroy it. 14 I was becoming a leader in the Jewish religion. I did better than most other Jews of my age. I tried harder than anyone else to follow the old rules. These rules were the customs handed down by our ancestors.
15 But God had special plans for me even before I was born. So he called me through his grace that I might 16 tell the Good News about his Son to the non-Jewish people. So God showed me about his Son. When God called me, I did not get advice or help from any man. 17 I did not go to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was. But, without waiting, I went away to Arabia and later went back to Damascus.
18 After three years I went to Jerusalem to meet Peter and stayed with him for 15 days. 19 I met no other apostles, except James, the brother of the Lord. 20 God knows that these things I write are not lies. 21 Later, I went to the areas of Syria and Cilicia.
22 In Judea the churches in Christ had never met me. 23 They had only heard this about me: “This man was trying to hurt us. But now he is preaching the same faith that he once tried to destroy.” 24 And these believers praised God because of me.
Footnotes
- 1:2 Galatia Probably the same country where Paul preached and began churches on his first missionary trip. Read the book of Acts, chapters 13 and 14.
Galatians 1
New King James Version
Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but (A)through Jesus Christ and God the Father (B)who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me,
To the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 (C)who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us (D)from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Only One Gospel
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon (E)from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 (F)which is not another; but there are some (G)who trouble you and want to (H)pervert[a] the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if (I)we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be [b]accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you (J)than what you have received, let him be accursed.
10 For (K)do I now (L)persuade men, or God? Or (M)do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
Call to Apostleship(N)
11 (O)But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For (P)I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came (Q)through the revelation of Jesus Christ.
13 For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how (R)I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and (S)tried to destroy it. 14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, (T)being more exceedingly zealous (U)for the traditions of my fathers.
15 But when it pleased God, (V)who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16 (W)to reveal His Son in me, that (X)I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with (Y)flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
Contacts at Jerusalem(Z)
18 Then after three years (AA)I went up to Jerusalem to see [c]Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But (AB)I saw none of the other apostles except (AC)James, the Lord’s brother. 20 (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)
21 (AD)Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which (AE)were in Christ. 23 But they were (AF)hearing only, “He who formerly (AG)persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they (AH)glorified God in me.
Footnotes
- Galatians 1:7 distort
- Galatians 1:8 Gr. anathema
- Galatians 1:18 NU Cephas
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.