Galatians 1:1-24
Today we begin the Epistles – as an interruption to the Acts narrative, but chronologically consistent with Acts. That is, scholars maintain that Paul wrote to the Galatian churches (Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe) sometime after his first missionary journey (Acts 13-14) and before his second missionary journey (which begins at Acts 15:36). But even for those who agree with that chronology, there is ample discussion as to whether Paul wrote Galatians before or after the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15). Our Chronological Bible has Galatians after the Jerusalem Council, but I would argue that we should have read it before Acts 15, in that nowhere in Galatians does Paul mention the four restrictions set forth by the Council, that (Gentile) believers …abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. (Acts 15:29) But we have what is laid out before us, so we move on.
…but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. (v. 7b) This verse supports my comment above that Galatians was written before the Jerusalem Council. If Paul wrote Galatians after the Jerusalem Council I would imagine that he would have referred to those restrictions (cited above) in challenging the Judaizers who were arguing for circumcision of all believers. But as I said above, we read on.
Paul recounting his own conversion: I did not immediately consult with anyone, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. (vv. 16b-19) You might want to re-read Acts 9 for the details of Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus.
I would encourage you to read the comments in the links below that I wrote last year, primarily because those comments might help us to understand Paul’s mindset as we read through Galatians and the rest of his epistles.
See also: March 2 / Galatians 1:1-10; March 3 / Galatians 1:11-24