IN EPIST. AD GALAT.

12 For neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

13 For you have heard how I lived formerly in Judaism, namely, that I persecuted the Church of God exceedingly, and destroyed it.

14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions which I had received from my fathers.

He proves from the history of his own conversion that he received the Gospel from Christ through revelation. The history exists in Acts 9 and 26. Heavenly power appears there immediately from Christ. For although he is baptized by Ananias, and it is signified to him what he ought to do, nevertheless, he had already received the Gospel from Christ before that. 1. Heavenly power appears in the very fact that he who was persecuting is converted so that he preaches. Then, he who burned with zeal for his own righteousness now considers it as stercora dung. Such great and sudden things were done, not by the power of men, but by the power and voice of Christ.

1. Observe the candid confession of Paul, that he denies himself and gives glory to Christ. Thus also, true ministers should deny themselves and their own honors, so that Christ may be glorified.

2. Observation. He considers his own righteousness of the Law as an abomination: in Philippians 3, he considers as dung what he had previously valued highly. And yet, externally, these things seemed to be good works according to the Law, but while he places confidence in them, they are dung. And truly, for this reason above all, the doctrine of gratuitous justification ought to be certain to us as most true, because it strips away all praise of righteousness from man and extols only that of Christ, so that He may be glorified. For if we consider how dangerous it is to attribute something to one's own righteousness, we shall say that the righteousness of Christ alone is the true righteousness. Luke 16: "Whatever is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God."