Galatians -- Chapter One

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Galatians Chapter One

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   A FAMILY, executing their carefully planned escape at midnight, dashing for the border...a man standing outside prison walls, gulping fresh air, awash in the new sun...a young woman with every trace of ravaging drug gone from her system...they are FREE! With fresh anticipation, they can begin life anew.
   Whether fleeing oppression, stepping out of prison, or breaking a strangling habit, freedom means life. There is nothing so exhilarating as knowing that the past is forgotten and that new options await. People yearn to be free.
   The book of Galatians is the charter of Christian freedom. In this profound letter, Paul proclaims the reality of our liberty in Christ-freedom from the law and the power of sin, and freedom to serve our living Lord.
   Most of the first converts and early leaders in the church were Jewish Christians who proclaimed Jesus as their Messiah. As Jewish Christians, they struggled with a dual identity: their Jewishness constrained them to be strict followers of the law; their newfound faith in Christ invited them to celebrate a holy liberty. They wondered how Gentiles (non-Jews) could be part of the kingdom of heaven.
   This controversy tore the early church. Judaizers-an extremist Jewish faction within the church-taught that Gentile Christians had to submit to Jewish laws and traditions in addition to believing in Christ. As a missionary to the Gentiles, Paul had to confront this issue many times.
   Galatians was written, therefore, to refute the Judaizers and to call believers back to the pure gospel. The Good News is for all people-Jews and Gentiles alike. Salvation is by God's grace through faith in Christ Jesus and nothing else. Faith in Christ means true freedom.
   After a brief introduction (1:1-5), Paul addresses those who were accepting the Judaizer's perverted gospel (1:6-9). He summarizes the controversy, including his personal confrontation with Peter and other church leaders (1:10-2:16). He then demonstrates that salvation is by faith alone by alluding to his conversion (2:17-21), appealing to his readers' own experience of the gospel (3:1-5), and showing how the Old Testament teaches about grace (3:6-20). Next, he explains the purpose of God's laws and the relationship between law, God's promises, and Christ (3:21-4:31).
   Having laid the foundation, Paul builds his case for Christian liberty. We are saved by faith, not by keeping the law (5:1-12); our freedom means that we are free to love and serve one another, not to do wrong (5:13-26); and Christians should carry each other's burdens and be kind to each other (6:1-10). In 6:11-18, Paul takes the pen into his own hand and shares his final thoughts.
   As you read Galatians, try to understand this first-century conflict between grace and law, faith and deeds, but also be aware of modern parallels. Like Paul, defend the truth of the gospel and reject all those who would add to or twist this truth. You are free in Christ-step into the light and celebrate!

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Vital Statistics

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Purpose:
To refute the Judaizers (who taught that Gentile believers must obey the Jewish law in order to be saved) and to call Christians to faith and freedom in Christ

Author:
Paul

To Whom Written:
The churches in southern Galatia founded on Paul's missionary journey (including Iconium, Lystra, Derbe) and Christians everywhere

Date Written:
About A.D. 49, from Antioch, prior to the Jerusalem council (A.D. 50)

Setting:
The most pressing controversy in the early church was the relationship of new believers, particularly Gentiles, to the Jewish laws. This was especially a problem for the converts and for the young churches that Paul had founded on his first missionary journey. Paul wrote to correct this problem. Later, at the council in Jerusalem, the conflict was officially resolved by the church leaders.

Key Verse:
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (5:1).

Key People:
Paul, Peter, Barnabas, Titus, Abraham, false teachers

Key Places:
Galatia, Jerusalem

Special Features:
This letter is not addressed to any specific body of believers and was probably circulated to several churches in Galatia.

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The Blue Print

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1) Authenticity of the gospel (1:1-2:21)
2) Superiority of the gospel (3:1-4:31)
3) Freedom of the gospel (5:1-6:18)

   In response to attacks from false teachers, Paul wrote to defend his apostleship and to defend the authority of the gospel. The Galatians were beginning to turn from faith to legalism. The struggle between the gospel and legalism is still a crisis. Many today would have us return to trying to earn God's favor through following rituals or obeying a set of rules. As Christians, we are not boxed in, but set free. To preserve our freedom, we must stay close to Christ and resist any who promote subtle ways of trying to earn our salvation.

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Megathemes

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Theme:
Law

Explanation:
A group of Jewish teachers insisted that non-Jewish believers must obey Jewish law and traditional rules. They believed a person was saved by following the law of Moses (with emphasis on circumcision the sign of the covenant), in addition to faith in Christ. Paul opposed them by showing that the law can't save anyone.

Importance:
We can't be saved by keeping the Old Testament law, even by the Ten Commandments. The law served as a guide to point out our need to be forgiven. Christ fulfilled the obligations of the law for us. We must turn to him to be saved. He alone can make us right with God.

Theme:
Faith

Explanation:
We are saved from God's judgment and penalty for sin by God's gracious gift to us. We receive salvation by faith-trusting in him-not in anything else. Becoming a Christian is in no way based on our initiative, wise choice, or good character. We can be right with God only by believing in him.

Importance:
Your acceptance with God comes by believing in Christ alone. You must never add to or twist this truth. We are saved by faith, not by the good that we do. Have you placed your whole trust and confidence in Christ? He alone can forgive you and bring you into a relationship with God.

Theme:
Freedom

Explanation:
Galatians is our charter of Christian freedom. We are not under the jurisdiction of Jewish laws and traditions, nor under the authority of Jerusalem. Faith in Christ brings true freedom from sin and from the futile attempt to be right with God by keeping the law.

Importance:
We are free in Christ, and yet freedom is a privilege. We are not free to disobey Christ or practice immorality, but we are free to serve the risen Christ. Let us use our freedom to love and to serve, not to do wrong.

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(1) Authenticity of the gospel

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   Paul and Barnabas had just completed their first missionary journey (Acts 13:2-14:28). They had visited Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, cities in the Roman province of Galatia (present-day Turkey). Upon returning to Antioch, Paul was accused by some Jewish Christians of diluting Christianity to make it more appealing to Gentiles. These Jewish Christians disagreed with Paul's statement that Gentiles did not have to follow many of the religious laws that the Jews had obeyed for centuries. Some of Paul's accusers had even followed him to those Galatians cities and had told the Gentile converts they had to be circumcised and follow all the Jewish laws and customs in order to be saved. According to these men, Gentiles had to first become Jews in order to become Christians.
   In response to this threat, Paul wrote this letter to the Galatian churches. In it, he explains that following the Old Testament laws or the Jewish laws will not bring salvation. A person is saved by grace through faith. Paul wrote this letter about A.D. 49, shortly before the meeting of the Jerusalem council, which settled the law versus grace controversy (Acts 15).

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1) Who was Paul sent by, who is Paul writing to, why did the Lord Jesus Christ give himself for our sins, and according to whose will did Jesus give himself?

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   Paul was called to be an apostle by Jesus Christ and God the Father. He presented his credentials at the very outset of this letter because some people in Galatia were questioning his authority.
   In Paul's time, Galatia was the Roman province located in the center section of present-day Turkey. Much of the region rests on a large and fertile plateau, and large numbers of people had moved to the region because of its favorable agriculture. One of Paul's goals during his missionary journeys was to visit regions with large population centers in order to reach as many people as possible.
   God's plan all along was to save us by Jesus' death. We have been rescued from the power of this present evil age-a world ruled by Satan and full of cruelty, tragedy, temptation, and deception. Being rescued from this evil age doesn't mean that we are taken out of it, but that we are no longer enslaved to it. You were saved to live for God. Does your life reflect your gratitude for being rescued? Have you transferred your loyalty from this world to Christ?

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No Other Gospel

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2) Who did Paul say the church was deserting, what did he say the church was turning to, and what did Paul say this different gospel was?

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   Some people were preaching "a different gospel." They were teaching that to be saved, Gentile believers had to follow Jewish laws and customs, especially the rite of circumcision. Faith in Christ was not enough. This message undermined the truth of the good news that salvation is a gift, not a reward for certain deeds. Jesus Christ has made this gift available to all people, not just to Jews. Beware of people who say that we need more than simple faith in Christ to be saved. When people set up additional requirements for salvation, they deny the power of Christ's death on the cross (see 3:1-5).

3) What did Paul say some people were throwing the church into, what did he say these people were trying to pervert, what does Paul say will happen to them or an angel from heaven who preaches a gospel other than the one Paul preached to them, and who would Paul not be a servant of if he tried to please men?

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   There is only one way given to us by God to be forgiven of sin-through believing in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. No other person, method, or ritual can give eternal life. Attempting to be open-minded and tolerate, some people assert that all religions are equally valid paths to God. In a free society, people have the right to their religious opinions, but this doesn't guarantee that their ideas are right. God does not accept man-made religion as a substitute for faith in Jesus Christ. He has provided just one way-Jesus Christ (John 14:6).
   Those who had confused the Galatian believers and perverted the gospel were zealous Jewish Christians who believed that the Old Testament practices such as circumcision and dietary restrictions were required of all believers. Because these teachers wanted to turn the Gentile Christians into Jews, they were called Judaizers. Some time after the letter to the Galatians was sent, Paul met with the apostles in Jerusalem to discuss this matter further (see Acts 15).
   Most of the Galatian Christians were Greeks who were unfamiliar with Jewish laws and customs. The Judaizers were an extreme faction of Jewish Christians. Both groups believed in Christ, but their life-styles differed considerably. We do not know why the Judaizers may have traveled no small distance to teach their mistaken notions to the new Gentile converts. They may have been motivated by (1) a sincere wish to integrate Judaism with the new Christian faith, (2) a sincere love for their Jewish heritage, or (3) a jealous desire to destroy Paul's authority. Whether or not these Judaizers were sincere, their teaching threatened these new churches and had to be countered. When Paul called their teaching a perversion of the gospel, he was not rejecting everything Jewish. He himself was a Jew who worshiped in the temple and attended the religious festivals. But he was concerned that nothing get in the way of the simple truth of his message-that salvation, for Jews and Gentiles alike, is through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
   A twisting of the truth is more difficult to spot than an outright lie. The Judaizers were twisting the truth about Christ. They claimed to follow him, but they denied that Jesus' work on the cross was sufficient for salvation. There will always be people who pervert the Good News. Either they do not understand what the Bible teaches, or they are uncomfortable with the truth as it stands. How can we tell when people are twisting the truth? Before accepting the teachings of any group, find out what the group teaches about Jesus Christ. If their teaching does not match the truth in God's Word, then it is perverted.
   Paul strongly denounced the Judaizers' perversion of the gospel of Christ. He said that even if an angel from heaven comes preaching another message, that angel should be "eternally condemned." If an angel came preaching another message, he would not be from heaven, no matter how he looked. In 2 Corinthians 11:14, 15, Paul warned that Satan masquerades as an angel of light. Here he invoked a curse on any angel who spreads a false gospel-a fitting response to an emissary of hell. Paul extended that curse to include himself if he should pervert the gospel. His message must never change, for the truth of the gospel never changes. Paul used strong language because he was dealing with a life-and-death issue.
   Do you spend your life trying to please everybody? Paul had to speak harshly to the Christians in Galatia because they were in serious danger. He did not apologize for his straightforward words, knowing that he could not serve Christ faithfully if he allowed the Galatian Christians to remain on the wrong track. Whose approval are you seeking-others' or God's? Pray for the courage to seek God's approval above anyone else's.

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Paul Called by God

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4) What did Paul say is not something that man made up, and how did Paul receive the gospel he preaches?

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   Why should the Galatians have listened to Paul instead of the Judaizers? Paul answered this implicit question by furnishing his credentials: his message was received directly from Christ (1:12); he had been an exemplary Jew (1:13,14); he had had a special conversion experience (1:15,16; see also Acts 9:1-9); he had been confirmed and accepted in his ministry by the other apostles (1:18,19; 2:1-9). Paul also presented his credentials to the Corinthian and Philippian churches (2 Corinthians 11; 12; Philippians 3:4-9).
   We do not know the details of this revelation. Paul is referring to something other than his experience on the road to Damascus. His point is that words are more than his own speculations or ideas.

5) What did Paul say he did intensely in his previous way of life in Judaism, what did Paul say he was advancing in beyond many Jews of his own age, and what was Paul extremely zealous for?

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   Paul had been one of the most religious Jews of his day, scrupulously keeping the law and relentlessly persecuting Christians (see Acts 9:1,2). Before his conversion Paul had been even more zealous for the law than the Judaizers. He had surpassed his contemporaries in religious knowledge and practice. Paul had been sincere in his zeal-but wrong. When he met Jesus Christ, his life changed. He then directed all his energies toward building up the Christian church.
   The word Judaism refers not only to nationality but also to religion. To be fully Jewish, a person must have descended from Abraham. In addition, a faithful Jew adhered to the Jewish laws. Gentiles (1:16) are non-Jews, whether in nationality or religion. In Paul's day, Jews thought of all Gentiles as pagans. Jews avoided Gentiles, believing that contact with Gentiles brought spiritual corruption. Although Gentiles could become Jews in religion by undergoing circumcision and by following Jewish laws and customs, they were never fully accepted.
   Many Jews had difficulty understanding that God's message is for Jews and Gentiles alike. Some Jews thought that Gentiles had to become Jews before they could become Christians. But God planned to save both Jews and Gentiles. He had revealed this plan through Old Testament prophets (see, for example, Genesis 12:3; Isaiah 42:6; 66:19), and he had fulfilled it through Jesus Christ; he was proclaiming it to the Gentiles through Paul.

6) When did Paul say God set him apart, how did God call Paul, why did God reveal his Son in Paul, who did Paul say he did not consult, and who did he not go up to Jerusalem to see?

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   Because God was guiding his ministry, Paul wasn't doing anything that God hadn't already planned and given him power to do. Similarly, God told Jeremiah that God had called him, even before he was born, to do special work for God (Jeremiah 1:5). God knows you intimately as well, and he chose you to be his even before you were born (see Psalm 139). He wants you to draw close to him and to fulfill the purpose he has for your life.
   Paul tells of his conversion to show that his message came directly from God. God commissioned him to preach the Good News to the Gentiles. After his call, Paul did not consult with anyone; instead he spent three years in Arabia. Then he spoke with Peter and James, but he had no other contact with Jewish Christians for several more years. During those years, Paul preached to the Gentiles the message God had given him. His Good News did not come from human insight; it came from God.

7) After three years, who did Paul go to Jerusalem to get acquainted with, who was the only other apostle did Paul see, what did Paul assure the Galatians of, who was Paul personally unknown to, what report did they hear about Paul, and why did the churches praise God?

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   This was Paul's first visit to Jerusalem as a Christian, as recorded in Acts 9:26-30.
   Because of opposition in Jerusalem (see Acts 9:29, 30), Paul had gone to Syria and Cilicia. In those remote areas, he had no opportunity to receive instructions from the apostles.
   Paul's changed life had brought praise from those who saw him or heard about him. His new life had astonished them. They had praised God because only God could have turned this zealous persecutor of Christians into a Christian himself. We may not have had as dramatic a change as Paul, but still our new lives should honor God in every way. When people look at you, do they recognize that God has made changes in you? If not, perhaps you are not living as you should.

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Answers Galatians Chapter One

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1) Jesus Christ and God the Father and all the brothers with me...the churches in Galatia...to rescue us from the present evil age...the will of our God and Father
2) the one who called you by the grace of Christ...a different gospel...no gospel at all
3) confusion...the gospel of Christ...let him be eternally condemned...of Christ
4) the gospel I preached...by revelation from Jesus Christ
5) persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it...Judaism...for the traditions of my fathers
6) from birth...by his (God's) grace...that Paul might preach him (Jesus) among the Gentiles...any man...those who were apostles before he was
7) Peter...James, the Lord's brother...what I am writing you is no lie...the churches of Judea that are in Christ..."The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy."...because of me (Paul)

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Taken from The NIV Life Application Study Bible, Zondervan Publishers