During the Acts, the apostles and ministers of the Circumcision wrote seven epistles, namely, 1 and 2 Peter; 1, 2

and 3 John; James and Jude. During the Acts, Paul also wrote seven epistles, namely, Galatians; Hebrews;

1 and 2 Thessalonians; 1 and 2 Corinthians and Romans. In these epistles there are fundamental doctrines, true for

all times and dispensations, such as `All have sinned and come short of the glory of God' which is as true under the

present dispensation of the Mystery as it was in the early ministry of Paul, or in Old Testament times. `The Jew

first' however was true at the time of writing, but is not true today, for Israel is now temporarily set aside by God.

Perhaps the most important of these epistles of Paul is the one to the Romans, but it does not seem right to attempt to

crowd into the space available an examination of its wonderful contents. We have therefore suggested the epistle to

the Galatians, which, like Romans, stresses the doctrine of Justification by Faith, as the epistle to be read by a young

believer first.

It may strike the reader at first as strange, that while the ostensible reason for writing this epistle was to enforce

the doctrine of justification by faith apart from the works of the law, that the Apostle should occupy so much space

(Gal. 1:1-23; 2:1:15) in establishing his own independent Apostleship and demonstrating the distinct Apostleship of

himself and Barnabas to the Uncircumcision or Gentile, over against the Apostleship of Peter, James and John to the

Circumcision. Yet so has the inspiring Spirit ordained.

The opening verse is a challenge:

`Paul, an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ' (Gal. 1:1).

The key words are `not, neither, but', which are repeated in verses 11,12, which refer to the Gospel, and in

verses 15-17, which refer to the Apostle's commission. The whole passage is as follows:

Paul's APOSTLESHIP Not from men

Neither through man

But through Jesus Christ

No change in gospel - `Ye have received'

A 1:11,12 Paul's GOSPEL

Not according to man

Neither from man, nor by

But by revelation of

Jesus Christ

B 1:13,14 His past attitude - `Ye have heard'

A 1:15-17 Paul's AUTHORITY  Not flesh and blood

But into Arabia

B 1:18-24 His present attitude `They had heard'.

One of the special features of this epistle to the Galatians is the place given to the cross by Paul. It at first sounds

incredible to be told that `The Cross', the Greek word stauros, is never used by Peter, either in the Acts or in his

epistles, although he does use the verb stauroo `crucify' in Acts 2:36 and 4:10. Peter, being the minister of the

Circumcision, avoids the Roman `cross' and uses the Hebrew `tree' when he speaks of the Saviour's death:

`Whom ye slew and hanged on a tree' (Acts 5:30).

`Whom they slew and hanged on a tree' (Acts 10:39).

`Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree' (1 Pet. 2:24).

In the epistle to the Galatians, both aspects of the death of Christ are exhibited, and the death by hanging on a

tree as one under the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13), the Hebrew punishment, is placed side by side with the death of

the cross, the Gentile punishment, so that the sins of all men may find their expiation in that one Offering.