I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
Galatians 1:11-12 NIV
Apart from Jesus, Paul is likely the most influential person in the history of Christianity. And he is also among the most unlikely. In the verses that follow this passage, he expressed how intensely he had persecuted the church. Paul had made it his mission in life to destroy what he considered to be a heretical sect of the Jewish faith. Until Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus, and then his life was transformed.
The Mystery Revealed
Paul was already well steeped in the Old Testament and was one of the most promising men of his generation. But he was missing something. Once Paul recognized Jesus as Lord, he went into the desert of Arabia (Gal. 1:17). He needed to go back to school.
Paul made it clear that the gospel he proclaimed was not something he derived himself. Nor was it something passed down to him by others. Instead, he received it by direct revelation from Jesus. And Jesus revealed to him the mystery hidden from past generations (Eph. 3:2-6). The mystery that believing Gentiles were heirs together with believing Jews in the promises made to Israel.
And Paul went out from that time and began to turn the world upside down, proclaiming the good news of Jesus. That all who would believe in Jesus, whether Jew or Gentile, could experience His salvation and have life eternal.
