A soldier without a commander is dangerous. A servant without a master is useless. A Christian without Christ at the center is lost. Your life will always be shaped by whoever you are trying to please. And until you settle who your Master is, you will spend your life chasing the approval of everyone else.
This is what Paul had in mind when refuting the accusations of the Judaizers in Galatia. They called him a man-pleaser who watered-down the gospel to win the favor of those seeking salvation from God. Undermining Paul was just a means to an end. They knew that if they could produce doubt in the messenger, it would lead to doubt in his message. Paul got right to the point.
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:10
This is what we call a “hinge” verse. Like a door swinging back and forth on a hinge, this verse swings back and forth as a transition into his argument that his gospel comes from Jesus, his master. It swings back to conclude what he said before it, and it swings forward to introduce what he will say after it. For this reason, it is important for us to understand the context that surrounds it.
In the previous verses, Paul hammers a prophetic warning for all people. He says, “If anyone preaches a distorted gospel, he has positioned himself for divine judgment” (Gal. 1:8-9, paraphrased). This is anything but accommodating. It lacks even a hint of flattery. It is an uncompromising and unflinching truth, absent of any softened words, that separates those who serve God and those who serve man. It is not the way to win friends or draw crowds.
You are not working for God’s approval—you are working from it.
In the verses that follow, Paul begins his argument after driving a stake in the ground with an even stronger thesis: his gospel comes from Jesus Himself, not man. He will argue from his impossible conversion, his apostolic confirmation, and his shocking confrontation. He will say with no hesitation that his gospel “is not man’s gospel” (Gal. 1:11) and that he “received it through a revelation from Jesus Christ” (Gal. 1:12). He will show with no uncertain terms that everything about his ministry comes from God’s design, intervention, and empowerment.
Here in this hinge verse, Paul points to his master. Although the word “master” is never used in Galatians 1:10, it is clearly delineated in the verse. There are three different words that emphasize this: approval, please, and servant. Paul teaches us to seek the approval of the master, aim for the pleasure of the master, and live as a soldier of the master.
Seek the Approval of Your Master
Swinging back to reflect on his prophetic warning, Paul asks a rhetorical question, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?” (Gal. 1:10). The word “now” appears at the beginning in the original language, so it might be better translated, “Now, I am seeking the approval of man or of God?” Of course not, that is the right answer.
Paul is making the point that he is not trying to persuade others of his worthiness for their acceptance. He is satisfied with the approval of God. To the Thessalonians, he wrote, “We have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel” (1 Thess. 2:4). If God has approved you and entrusted you with the gospel, then your task is not to earn approval but to be faithful with what you’ve been given. Therefore, preaching the gospel he was entrusted with is the rightful response. This is why he adds, “We never came with words of flattery” (1 Thess. 2:5). Flattery belongs to those seeking approval. Faithfulness belongs to those who already have it.
A gospel keeper understands this. He is not trying to impress people. Instead, he is striving to be faithful to God. Children seek the approval of their parents. Students seek the approval of their teachers. Christians seek the approval of God.
Aim for the Pleasure of Your Master
Paul follows up with a second rhetorical question, “Am I trying to please man?” (Gal. 1:10). It’s short and straightforward. And, like the question before it, the right answer is—of course not. Writing to the believers in Corinth, Paul describes the Christian life as aiming to please God, because one day we will appear before Him to be judged and receive what is due (2 Cor. 5:9-10). We will have to give an account for what we did in this life which is essentially determined by who we seek to make happy.
The problem with trying to please people is that people are constantly changing. What satisfies one person offends another. What gains approval today may bring criticism tomorrow. Someone once said, “I don’t know the secret of success, but I do know the secret of failure—try to please everybody.” Trying to please everyone is both exhausting and impossible.
And when that mindset creeps into the gospel, the message begins to shift. We soften it. We adjust it. We reshape it to fit the audience. And in doing so, we lose the very thing we are trying to preserve. A gospel keeper refuses to do that. He doesn’t shape the gospel around people. He shapes his life around God to put the gospel on display. Workers strive to please their bosses. Players strive to please their coaches. Christians strive to please God who is the boss and coach of their lives.
Live as a Servant of Your Master
Abandoning the rhetorical questioning, Paul makes a summative and obvious statement. “If I were trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Ga. 1:10). Here, the “master” motif is most evident. The word “servant” is the Greek word doulos—a slave or bondservant. It describes someone whose life is fully bound to a master. A slave does not divide his loyalty. He does not negotiate his obedience. He belongs to one master.
Paul’s reasoning was consistent with what Jesus Himself taught, “No one can serve two masters” (Matt. 6:24). If he aims to please man, then his master would be man. If his master was man, then he would not be a slave of Christ. However, Paul’s master was Christ, which he will argue in the upcoming verses, so he was not a slave to man.
In the same breath, Paul indirectly swings at the Judaizers. The little word “still” implies that at one time, Paul was in fact trying to please man. This is a reference to his pre-conversion life as a keeper of Jewish rituals and regulations. In other words, he was just like the very people who were accusing him of man-pleasing. Unlike him, they are still keepers of Jewish law. So, technically, they are man-pleasing, not him. Paul was a Christ-pleaser.
If you don’t live for Christ, you will spend your life chasing the approval of everyone else.
All who belong to Christ are, like Paul, called “servants of Christ” (Gal. 1:12). We have been purchased by Him. We belong to Him. And we are called to live for Him. That means our allegiance is settled. We seek his approval. We aim to please Him. We live as His servants.
Christ has already secured your acceptance before God. You are not working for approval. You are working from approval. You are free to serve Him without fear. The question is simple: Who is your master? If you don’t live for Christ, you will spend your life chasing the approval of everyone else.
A gospel keeper knows his Master. And because he knows his Master, he keeps the gospel pure. But knowing is not enough. A gospel keeper must also know his message. That is where Paul turns next.
