Galatians 1:10-12 - Is our motivation to please men or God?

Setting – Paul explains where his gospel came from

Content – Now that Paul states that no one should deviate from the gospel that he gave to the Galatians, he defends its origin. Paul’s life as a devoted Jew, he followed the teaching from men (Judaism teachings are primarily oral). His encounter with the risen Christ, provided him the gospel that he preached to the Galatians (v. 12), “For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but {I received it} through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Now that he is providing the gospel of Christ, he is no longer working to please men (Jews training), but God (v. 10), “…If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”

Application – The gospel we have is from God to man, through Christ. We don’t please men in what we do, but God. Ultimately, we are accountable to God in the final judgment and no man will plead our case, only Christ. Even though many non-believers don’t agree with the gospel, we have to decide if we will be motivated to please men or God.

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