Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Galatians 1:15

"But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me, [even] from my mother`s womb, and called me through his grace," — Galatians 1:15 (ASV)

No one with such a personality and with such zealous persecution of the church is about to be converted by another person or by human testimony. Only God himself could accomplish such a conversion. This is precisely what happened to Paul. Thus, Paul begins to speak of his conversion, stressing that God did it entirely apart from any human agent. The reference is to Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus (22:1–16; 26:9–18). The contrast in subjects between vv.13–14 and vv.15–16 is interesting. In the first section Paul himself is the subject (cf. “I”). In the second section, “God” is the subject, and his grace is emphasized.

There are three things Paul says God did for him. (1) God set him apart “from birth.” Paul’s words parallel Jeremiah’s description of his own calling (Jeremiah 1:5) and may consciously reflect it. Paul emphasizes God’s grace in electing him to salvation and to the apostleship. (2) God called Paul “by his grace.” This is a reference to his conversion, the moment in which Paul became aware of God’s work in him. (3) God “reveal[ed] his Son in [Paul]” (v.16). This phrase probably refers to the sudden realization of what God had done in Paul’s life by placing the life of the Lord Jesus Christ within Paul. God did this in order that he might become the apostle to the Gentiles.

God’s revelation of Jesus in Paul was essentially an inner revelation concerning who Jesus was and what his life, death, and resurrection meant. This became so much a part of him, even at this early stage of his Christian experience, that he immediately began to make the revelation of Christ known to others. What grace this demonstrates! Paul, the chief opponent of Christianity in the apostolic era, now turned preacher of what he once tried to destroy! Was this change accomplished by a human being? No! Hence, even in his conversion (as in the period before his conversion) Paul could not have received the Gospel that he preached from other people.