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Verse

Galatians 1:12

ESV For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
NIV I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
NASB For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
CSB For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation of Jesus Christ.
NLT I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.
KJV For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
NKJV For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

What does Galatians 1:12 mean?

Paul's authority was under attack. Paul is writing to Galatian Gentiles who initially received the gospel as he taught it to them. Afterwards, a group called the Judaizers came along to claim Paul was wrong. According to these false teachers, it wasn't enough to just receive God's grace through faith in Christ; you had to follow the law of Moses to truly be saved.

The Judaizers apparently argued that Paul was not one of the original 12 apostles trained by Jesus during his time on earth. Paul is defending himself, insisting that he received the truth of the gospel in a direct revelation from Jesus as well.

In the previous verse, he said that what he taught the Galatians about Jesus was not a man-invented religion. Now he goes on: I didn't hear it from another person. I wasn't taught about it by someone else, as the Galatians were taught about it by him. Paul did not back down: He received this gospel truth that he taught to them straight from Jesus Himself through special revelation.
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