Jesus Himself Gave Paul His Message

¹¹ For^[a] I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin. ¹² For I did not receive it from a man, nor was I taught it, but it was revealed to me by Jesus the Messiah.^{[b] 13} For you have heard about my earlier life in Judaism—how I kept violently persecuting God’s church and was trying to destroy it. ¹⁴ I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries, because I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.

¹⁵ But when God, who set me apart before I was born and who called me by his grace, was pleased ¹⁶ to reveal his Son to me so that I might proclaim him among the gentiles, I did not confer with another human being^[c] at any time, ¹⁷ nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see^[d] those who were apostles before me. Instead, I went away to Arabia and then came back to Damascus.

¹⁸ Then three years later, I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas,^[e] and I stayed with him for fifteen days. ¹⁹ But I did not see any other apostle except James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ (Before God, what I’m writing to you is the truth.)^{[f] 21} Then I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²² But the churches of the Messiah^[g] that are in Judea did not yet know me personally. ²³ The only thing they kept hearing was this: “The man who used to persecute us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy!” ²⁴ So they kept glorifying God for what had happened to^[h] me.