The Gospel According to Paul (Galatians 1)

In this kickoff episode of the Galatians Challenge for Mormons, we dive into chapter 1 of Paul’s letter to the Galatians—a bold defense of the one true gospel. Paul says even if an angel preaches another message, let him be cursed. Sound familiar? We explore the striking parallels between Paul’s warning and Joseph Smith’s claims about receiving the “fullness of the gospel” from the angel Moroni.

We also examine Paul’s background as a Pharisee, how the early church responded to his conversion, and why that response stands in stark contrast to Joseph Smith’s rejection of all existing churches. This episode challenges listeners to consider: Are you following the gospel revealed by Jesus—or a different one?

📖 Bible Text: Galatians 1

📚 LDS References: Joseph Smith—History 1:19; Moroni’s message (1838 account)

🔍 Key Questions:

• What does Paul say about authority and grace?
• How should we respond to “new” gospels, even from angels?
• Why did the early church praise God for Paul—but Joseph Smith denounced them?

✅ Perfect for:

LDS truth-seekers, former Mormons, and anyone wanting to understand the unchanging gospel of grace.

🔗 Learn more: PursueGOD.org/galatians-mormons

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Welcome to Galatians Challenge for Mormons—a Bible study series for Latter-day Saints who are ready to explore the message of grace straight from Scripture. In this first lesson, we dive into Galatians chapter 1 and confront a question that rocked the early church... and still matters today:

“What is the true gospel?”

Galatians 1:1 (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.

• Paul wastes no time making something clear—his message isn’t secondhand, and it didn’t come from church leaders or tradition. It came straight from Jesus Christ.
• 🧠 Evangelical View:
• True spiritual authority comes from God’s direct calling—not priesthood succession or church offices. Paul's authority didn’t come from Peter or James—it came from Christ alone.
• 👀 Mormon Viewpoint:
• The LDS Church teaches that priesthood authority was lost and restored through Joseph Smith. But Paul says his authority didn't come through men at all—challenging the idea that authority must be passed through earthly hands.
• 🔍 Challenge Question:
• If Paul wasn’t ordained by men, what does that say about the necessity of priesthood succession for gospel authority today?

Galatians 1:2-5 (NLT) 2 All the brothers and sisters here join me in sending this letter to the churches of Galatia.3 May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. 4 Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. 5 All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.

• There’s the gospel in simple terms!
• It’s all about Jesus

Galatians 1:6-7 (NLT) 6 I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News 7 but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.

• Context: Judaizers
• The earliest Christians were Jews. Jesus was Jewish. The apostles were Jewish. And in the beginning, the movement was seen as a sect within Judaism. But then Gentiles started coming to faith—and that’s when things got messy.
• Some Jewish Christians believed that faith in Jesus was not enough. They insisted Gentiles had to become culturally Jewish too—especially by being circumcised and keeping dietary laws and Sabbath observance (see Acts 15:1, Galatians 2:3-5).
• These were the Judaizers.
• They weren’t outsiders. They were part of the early church—but they were promoting a hybrid gospel: Jesus as the Messiah, yes, but only for those who also accepted the yoke of Moses.
• This tension reached a boiling point in Acts 15—the Jerusalem Council. 
• Acts 15:1 (NLT) 1 While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers: “Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
• The apostles debated: Do Gentiles have to become Jews to follow Jesus?
• And the answer was a firm no. Peter said:
• “Why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear?” (Acts 15:10)
• Paul's letters, especially Galatians and parts of Romans and Philippians, go on the offensive against this distorted gospel. To Paul, the Judaizers weren’t just slightly off—they were undermining salvation itself.
• Paul warns the Galatians that a new, “improved” gospel is actually no gospel at all. Even if an angel from heaven preached it—it should be rejected.
• ⚖️ Evangelical View: The gospel is about grace—salvation by faith in Christ alone. Adding works, laws, or ordinances twists the good news into something dangerous.
• 📜 Mormon Application:
• Joseph Smith claimed to restore the gospel through an angel (Moroni), including new ordinances and covenants. But Paul says even angels can't change the gospel of grace.
• 📣 “Let him be accursed!”—Paul doesn’t mince words about altering the gospel.
• 🔍 Challenge Question:
• If someone brings a gospel that adds temple rituals or priesthood ordinances to faith in Jesus—how does Paul say we should respond?
• Galatians 1:8-9 (NLT) 8 Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. 9 I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.

Galatians 1:10-12 (NLT) 10 Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant. 11 Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. 12 I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

• Interesting: this was Joseph Smith’s claim as well! 
• Here’s the difference: 
• Paul’s revelation aligned with
• Existing scripture
• Existing structure (apostles)
• More on this in chapter 2
• Joseph Smith’s revelation went against
• Existing scripture
• Existing structure (churches)
• Joseph Smith’s revelations changed the gospel over time—first emphasizing the Book of Mormon, then expanding into temple rites and eternal progression. Paul, on the other hand, stuck with one gospel from the very beginning.
• 🔍 Challenge Question: Is your gospel rooted in a changing tradition—or in the unchanging revelation of Jesus Christ?

Paul finishes the chapter by bearing his testimony:

Galatians 1:13-24 (NLT) 13 You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. 14 I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.

• Paul, formerly known as Saul of Tarsus, was a highly trained Pharisee before his conversion to Christianity. He was born into a Jewish family and was a Roman citizen by birth. Paul studied under the famous rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem (Acts 22:3), which means he was thoroughly educated in the Hebrew Scriptures and the traditions of the Pharisees—one of the most strict and devout Jewish sects.
• As a Pharisee, Paul was zealous for the law and deeply committed to maintaining Jewish purity and tradition. He described himself in Philippians 3:5-6 as:
• "Circumcised the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless."
• His zeal led him to become a fierce persecutor of early Christians, believing them to be heretics. But after a dramatic encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), Paul’s life was radically transformed. He went from persecutor to preacher—turning his deep knowledge of the Law into a powerful foundation for proclaiming the gospel of grace.

15 But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him 16 to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.

• Notice: grace
• Paul is not about Paul anymore. He’s all about Jesus.

When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being. 17 Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus. 18 Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter, and I stayed with him for fifteen days. 19 The only other apostle I met at that time was James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I declare before God that what I am writing to you is not a lie.

• Again, revelation directly from Jesus. 
• But: Paul was willing to submit to existing leadership
• This is amazing to me!!

21 After that visit I went north into the provinces of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And still the churches in Christ that are in Judea didn’t know me personally. 23 All they knew was that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!” 24 And they praised God because of me.

• ✅ Biblical Pattern:
• Paul didn’t oppose or replace the existing church—he joined it. His message matched theirs, and his conversion encouraged them.
• 🚫 LDS Contrast:
• Joseph Smith, on the other hand, claimed that all existing churches were wrong. In his 1838 First Vision account, he said: “I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong... their creeds were an abomination in his sight.” (Joseph Smith—History 1:19)
• 📣 Key Difference:
• Paul was embraced by the church because his gospel aligned with theirs. Joseph Smith rejected all churches, claiming they had fallen away and needed restoring.
• 🔍 Challenge Question:
• When someone claims to preach the true gospel—do they unite with the body of Christ, or declare all others to be false?