In his effort to regain the confidence of his brethren in Galatia, Paul ably vindicated his position as an apostle of Christ. He declared himself to be an apostle, "not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead." Not from men, but from the highest Authority in heaven, had he received his commission. And his position had been acknowledged by a general council at Jerusalem, with the decisions of which Paul had complied in all his labors among the Gentiles. 388

Under sine bestræbelser for at genvinde sine galatiske brødres tillid hævdede Paulus klogt sin egen stilling som Kristi apostel. Han erklærede, at han var apostel, "ikke udsendt af mennesker, men ved Kristus Jesus og Gud Fader, som opvakte ham fra de døde." Det var ikke fra mennesker, men fra Himmelens højeste myndighed, at han havde modtaget sit kald. Og hans stilling var blevet anerkendt på fællesmødet i Jerusalem, hvis afgørelser Paulus havde rettet sig efter under hele sit arbejde blandt hedningerne.