Paul was chosen by the risen Lord Jesus Christ to be an apostle of God's grace to the Gentiles. Paul was given the message of grace, liberty, and salvation through the cross. Enemies of the cross challenged both Paul's authority and his message. Paul reminds his audience that the gospel that they learned from Paul was given directly from the risen Lord Jesus Christ.
Through Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, believers are brought into grace, peace, and a new position in Christ. Because salvation is entirely the work of God and not the result of human effort, all glory belongs to Him alone. Galatians begins by directing our glorying away from ourselves and back to the cross.