Today, we continue our series entitled “Living the Grace Life,” where we will learn to embrace and walk in God’s unmerited, unearned, and often undeserved favor throughout 2025.
As part of this series, I am teaching a verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Galatians. Let’s get into it.
Key scriptures for this year:
2 Corinthians? ?9?:?8? ?TPT??
“Yes, God is more than ready to overwhelm you with every form of grace, so that you will have more than enough of everything—every moment and in every way. He will make you overflow with abundance in every good thing you do.”
??
??Galatians? ?5?:?4? ?TPT??
“If you want to be made right with God by fulfilling the obligations of the law, you have cut off more than your flesh—you have cut yourselves off from Christ and have fallen away from the revelation of grace!”
Romans? ?6?:?14? ?ERV??
“Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law. You now live under God’s grace.”
??
1 Corinthians? ?15?:?10? ?NIV??
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”
Scripture(s) we will study today:
Galatians 1:1-2 NIV
“Paul, an apostle–sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead– and all the brothers and sisters with me, To the churches in Galatia:”
Galatians 1:1-2 TPT
“I, Paul, write to you as an apostle, not appointed by men nor by any human means, but by Jesus, the Messiah, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead. I and all the brothers and sisters with me decree over the churches of Galatia.”
Galatians 1:1-2 ERV
“Greetings from Paul, an apostle. I was chosen to be an apostle, but not by any group or person here on earth. My authority came from Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Jesus from death. Greetings also from all those in God’s family who are with me. To the churches in Galatia.”
Galatians 1:1-2 NLT
“This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead. All the brothers and sisters here join me in sending this letter to the churches of Galatia.”
Setting the Stage:
As we dive deeper into our study of Galatians, I want us to pay close attention to how Paul begins this powerful letter. Unlike his other epistles, where he often starts with warm greetings and thanksgiving, here Paul immediately establishes his apostolic authority. Why? Because the false teachers who had infiltrated the Galatian churches weren’t just attacking the message of grace–they were attacking the messenger.
These false teachers likely claimed Paul wasn’t a “real” apostle since he wasn’t one of the original twelve who walked with Jesus during His earthly ministry. They suggested his message of grace wasn’t authentic because his authority wasn’t authentic. Paul’s response? He makes it crystal clear that his apostleship came directly from Jesus Christ and God the Father, not from any human appointment or approval.
This matters tremendously for us today because if Paul’s authority is undermined, the message of grace he preached could be dismissed as well. That’s why Paul doesn’t waste a single word before establishing that his apostleship (and his gospel of grace) came straight from heaven, not from Jerusalem.
So, what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Divine Selection Overrules Human Approval.
Paul begins by stating his apostleship came “not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father.” He’s making a critical distinction between human-appointed and divinely-selected authority.
How this applies to you:
— When God chooses you, human validation becomes secondary. Your divine selection and purpose don’t require a committee’s approval or popular vote–they require you to have confidence in who and what God called you to be.
— Just as Paul didn’t need Jerusalem’s permission to be an apostle, you don’t need others’ permission to be who God has chosen you to be.
— The world’s system trains us to seek human approval for our identity and purpose, but grace teaches us to find our validation in God’s deliberate selection of you. External validation has a place, but the point I am making today is that you must know God chose, whether He uses others to confirm it or not.
— Many believers live frustrated lives because they’re waiting for human authorization to walk in what God has already chosen and authorized them to do.
— God often selects people for assignments that their peers, pastors, or family members don’t understand or approve of initially. This happened to me. I am a witness.
— Like Paul, you may face opposition or questioning about your divine selection from those who can’t recognize what God is doing in your life.
— When you know God has specifically chosen you, you can stand confidently even when others question it, because over time (after you develop into your calling), God’s hand on your life will become evident to all. Once again, this is what happened in my life. Those in my family who initially questioned my beliefs and my calling all honor it today. I could not allow their questioning or doubt in who I was or what I was called to do to keep me from walking in my purpose.
— Paul was a terrorist against Christianity before coming to Jesus, so it is obvious why people questioned his calling. But in the end, like Paul, you must know what God CHOSE you to do, and you cannot be moved by anyone else.
2. Chosen By God: The Source of Genuine Authority.
Paul emphasizes that his apostleship wasn’t just self-declared. He was specifically selected and appointed directly by Jesus Christ and God the Father. This divine choosing gave him unshakable confidence in his calling and message.
How this applies to you:
— True spiritual authority doesn’t come from titles, positions, or credentials–it comes from being specifically chosen by God for a divine purpose.
— When God selects you, He also anoints you with the grace needed to fulfill that selection. Being chosen and being equipped go hand-in-hand. Whatever God expects you to do, He equips you to do. And whatever God equips you to do, He expects you to do.
— Many believers struggle with imposter syndrome in their calling because they put too much emphasis on what other people think, instead of resting in the fact that God CHOSE THEM!
— Authority flows from being chosen for an assignment–when you’re operating in what God specifically selected you to do, you’ll walk with supernatural authority in that area.
— Society teaches us that authority comes from working our way up, but the Kingdom teaches that authority comes from being chosen through God’s sovereignty.
— God doesn’t select the qualified; He qualifies those He selects. Your perceived inadequacies don’t disqualify you from what God has specifically chosen you to do. So, please, do not put a “NO,” where God put a “YES” in your life. You may not qualify in your own self, but Jesus qualified you. That’s grace!
— Don’t judge your future by your past! Paul went from persecutor to apostle. So, your past doesn’t determine your purpose, God does!
3. The Confidence of the Chosen: Standing Without Human Validation.
Throughout Galatians, Paul repeatedly emphasizes that he didn’t receive his gospel or his calling from the apostles in Jerusalem–he received it directly from Jesus Christ. This freed him from the need for human validation because he knew he was divinely chosen.
How this applies to you:
— When you are fully persuaded that God chose you, you’re freed from requiring human approval to move forward in what God has selected you to do.
— God often bypasses human systems and hierarchies when choosing His vessels, just as He did with Paul. Being chosen by God transcends human selection processes. Of all the people in the Middle East at the time, Paul was probably that LAST person anyone would have CHOSEN to lead a Christian movement, but God CHOSE him from the foundations of the world. Don’t let anyone cause you to question your purpose. God chooses the unlikely to do the improbable. That’s grace!
— Many believers never step into their full purpose because they forget they’ve been divinely selected, waiting instead for someone else to affirm what God has already confirmed.
— The validation you’re seeking from others may be the very thing keeping you from walking boldly in the authority that comes with being chosen by God.
— Freedom comes when you care more about being chosen by heaven than being approved by men.
— When you stand before God someday, He won’t ask if others approved of your selection. He will want to know if you did what He sent you to this planet to do, regardless of what others thought about it.
4. Walking in Authority as God’s Chosen Ambassador of Grace.
Paul’s insistence on his divine selection wasn’t about ego. He was establishing the legitimate authority behind his message of grace.
How this applies to you:
— Understanding that your selection comes from grace, not works, helps you to extend that same grace to others. Recipients of grace are to become extenders of grace.
— When you know you didn’t earn your selection or purpose, you’re less likely to “lord” your authority over others. Instead, you serve others with confidence and out of gratitude, becuase you know you never qualified in the first place.
— Many leaders become controlling because they’re insecure about their authority. When you know God chose you, you can lead with confidence and humility. You don’t have to attempt to force anyone to do anything. You lead with love and grace, and others are compelled to follow your leadership.
— Paul used his authority as God’s chosen apostle not to control the Galatians but to redirect them back to grace with divine conviction.
— The ultimate purpose of any spiritual authority God gives His chosen vessels is to advance His Kingdom and to help others discover who they are in Christ Jesus. This makes our authority and leadership about God and not us! This is all part of living THE GRACE LIFE!
I will leave you today with this thought: When you know who chose you, you won’t be moved by who opposes you. You will stand firm in grace!
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You that my identity comes from my calling,. I know who I am and what I am called to do!
I declare that I am who You say I am because You specifically chose me for Your purposes, regardless of whether others recognize it yet.
I choose to find my validation in Your divine selection rather than in human validation or recognition.
I will walk confidently in the authority You’ve given me as Your chosen ambassador, not out of pride but out of secure knowledge of who I am in Christ.
I am confident and humble at the same time. I walk in the authority You have given me, and I seek to serve others out of humility and grace.
Grace has come TO ME and now it flows THROUGH ME!
I am called, appointed, and anointed. Therefore, I shall not be moved by the opinions of others.
I am living THE GRACE LIFE because You chose me, and GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!
I declare this by faith, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and prosper!
