Galatians 1

Texts:
Galatians 1:1-10, Acts 13:13 - 52

Galatians 1:1-5 KJVS
Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the
dead;) [2] And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia: [3] Grace be to you and peace
from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, [4] Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us
from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: [5] To whom be glory for ever and ever.
Amen.

To understand the book of Galatians it is key to understand it's historical setting. After Paul and Barnabas were
commissioned by the Church of Antioch in Acts 13, they went to about four or five cities in the region called
Galatia and delivered the message of the gospel with significant results. Churches were planted in these cities.
However, unlike the churches planted in the revival of Acts 9 - 12, this was the first time 100% gentiles became
believers and members of the church. Prior to these only Jews or gentile proselytes had ever become Christians
because the message was only preached to these. Of course they were a few examples like the Ethiopian Eunuch
or Cornelius - but both of these were gentiles with Jewish convictions. The revival of Acts 13 - 14 brought into
the church for the first time complete total pagans! Idol worshippers. Full-fledged depraved, immoral,
debauched people worshiping in temples of Zeus and Hermes all of a sudden became "Christians"! These guys
had zero knowledge of laws of Moses - they knew nothing about Sabbath, circumcision or the other 600 laws of
Judaism. To them that was as strange as another funny, foreign religion from Egypt, India or wherever.

But the bible says in Acts 13 - 14 that people from these groups, pagans, were believing and getting saved. They
were becoming Christians. Uncircumcised pagans! The best analogy I can give in modern times to help us get
the gravity of this is for you to just imagine that a branch of your church has recently launched by several
homosexuals in San Francisco, California! But Luke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit testifies that these
people heard the gospel, believed it and were saved and so they were indeed Christians (Acts 13, 14). It is
therefore important to note what gospel exactly Paul and Barnabas preached to them as this is the gospel Paul
says "I preached to you" (Gal. 1:8). So what exactly did Paul preach?

In Acts 13:16 - 41, the Holy Spirit was kind enough to have recorded for us a good summary of the exact sermon
Paul preached in Antioch of Pisidia, one of the cities of Galatia. The sermon is essentially a story - a historical
account of the interaction between God and his people Israel. In effect Paul described how again and again
God's people whom he had chosen for himself out of His love for them, broke His law and broke God's heart. It
was as if God's own people just could not obey God or do God's will. But God did not promise them destruction,
instead He made them a promise of a Savior. In other words, although His people were unjust and deserving of
death and punishment, He God promised to send them a Savior, a King someone to come rescue them from
their sins and the effects thereof.

Paul then goes on to say that he came with a news - God has indeed sent that Savior and Deliverer and King!
His name is Jesus of Nazareth! Yes, that same Jewish rabbi whom the Jews and Romans conspired to crucify in
Jerusalem about 15 years ago (Paul was preaching this message around 50AD) was the One! And here is how
Paul said he knew Jesus was indeed that King, Savior and Deliverer - God filled Him with the Holy Spirit and
declared him "Son of God" and thus anointed by God, He Jesus went about doing good and healing the sick and
casting out demons and delivering all that were oppressed of the devil. Paul continued and said "and guess
what, you heard He was crucified right? Well I am here to tell you that He rose from the grave and ascended into
Heaven but sent His Spirit to be with us forever!" Why? Because God has sent him as that king, as that deliverer
and whom God promised will come and save God's people (32 - 34). Be it known unto you all therefore, that
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through this man Jesus, you who are full of sin are declared forgiven (Acts 13:38)! That is all your sins (all your
breaking of laws that made you a bad, wicked person, unacceptable to God) have been forgiven! All those things
by which you were condemned in the law, Jesus has declared you "justified" - just as if you never sinned!
Because of Jesus, this man Jesus, you are now 100% accepted by God and can receive that same Spirit of God
that Jesus had - whosoever you are Jews or Gentile who was previously rejected because of sin. Paul called this
"grace of God" and persuaded them to believe in and continue in that grace of God (Vs 43). Note that word
"continue in the grace of God" as it will come up again.

This is the backdrop of Vs 44 where the bible says "the next weekend, came almost the whole city to hear the
word of God". Brethren, if we announce what God has done the way Paul and Barnabas did it, with conviction
and love, the whole city will come to hear the word of God. It is this message that Paul summarized when he
opened his letter to the Galatians 1:3 - 4: Jesus gave himself for all our sins - he died once to take away all our
sins for all time - and thus deliver us from the evil we deserved - all because it was the will of God.

So what does this all mean? (Questions to deepen our understanding)
1. What about the historical setting of the book of Galatians was new to you and could help you gain a
better understanding of the book?

2. Do you feel that description of Paul's presentation of the gospel (i.e. essentially as a news or
announcement of a historical event) is fair? Why do you think the gospel is not presented more in this
manner today?

3. Why do you think that after almost 20 years of the death and resurrection of Jesus and the great
commission to go into "all nations", the apostles and the early church confined the announcement of
the good news to only Jews and gentile proselytes?

4. How is our prejudice about "Christians" who are different from us in tribe, background, culture, opinions,
dress styles the same as or different from what obtained in the days of the Apostles?

Now what do I do? (Questions to deepen our understanding)
1. If it is true that Jesus is the King God promised to come and rescue you and save you because you are
unable to save yourself, what implication does that have on how you relate with Jesus?

2. If the gospel is an announcement of what has been done for you, what then must you do for you to
benefit from what has been done for you?

3. If the grace of God is what God has done for you through Jesus, is there anything you can do to undo
what God has done for you? Under what circumstance could what God has done for you be of no value
to you?

4. What can you do to "continue in grace" i.e. continue in what God has done for you through Jesus.

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Texts: Galatians 1:1-10; Galatians 2:1-10; Acts 15:1 - 35

Galatians 1:6-9 KJVS
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: [7]
Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. [8] But though
we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let
him be accursed. [9] As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than
that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Paul is clearly very, very upset. This is the only epistle where he did not give his usual elaborate opening
greetings. He was upset that some people where "perverting" the gospel! He says " if anyone comes to announce
to you a gospel different from what we announced to you, let him be "anathema"! (Note that in the NT the
word translated "preach" is best understood as "announce like a town crier"). What was this gospel they
preached or announced? Why did Paul consider it so dangerous? How were these people able to have
succeeded in confusing these young gentile converts?

Recall what the central message of Paul's Gospel is: if you believe on what God has done for you in the Lord
Jesus Christ, you are saved. Now that you are saved, live like one who is saved ("continue in God's grace").
We see Paul expound this in many other letters he wrote. In Romans 12:1 for example he says "dear brethren,
because of what God has done for you, be transformed through the renewing of your mind. Present your bodies
as a sacrifice to God. This is the only reasonable and logical way to live if you have received God's mercies". In
Colossians 3 he would say "if you have been saved, live like worthy of your call". In all his writing, Paul never says
good works are not needed. He only says that they are a fruit of who you are not the root of who you want to
be.

However, in Acts 15:1 Luke records that "certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and
said , Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved." Essentially they told the new
gentile Christians that believing on Jesus was important but not enough. They told them they had to keep the
law, specifically the Mosaic law of circumcision, to be saved. In other words, their message was "believe on the
Lord Jesus, live like someone who has believed (keep certain laws, in this case circumcision), then you are saved."
Part of what made this message sound so credible was the fact that these people came from the headquarter
church itself and were probably influential leaders very close to James, the brother of Jesus himself! This could
attest for Paul's statement "even if an angel from heaven...". They also appeared to denigrate Paul, correctly
pointing out that Paul never saw Jesus so his claim to apostleship was bogus plus he actually killed Christians.
How could Jesus give such a person such an important task?

Paul's ink is therefore dripping with holy anger against these Jewish Christians, as he tries to undo the damage
these "brethren" had done. He calls their message toxic, dangerous stuff. He calls it bewitchment. He calls it
walking after the flesh. He calls it falling from grace. He says this message, which looks like the gospel - is NOT
the gospel! Why is this point important? Because the truth of the gospel is that we are not accepted by God on
the basis of Christ plus something we have done or do but on the basis of Christ alone. Jesus plus nothing is
everything. But Jesus plus something is nothing! 1 John 2:2 tells us, “And He Himself is the propitiation for our
sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” The word propitiation means “satisfaction.” Jesus
satisfies God. To be accepted by God, we too must be satisfied with what satisfies God. Paul said "when I
presented this message, Peter, James and John confirmed that this indeed was also what Jesus had told them
too. They added NOTHING to me!” (Gal.2:6). Beloved, today let Jesus plus nothing be enough for you and satisfy
you as it is enough for God and satisfies God! Let no one, not even an angel from heaven, compel you to do one
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more thing, in addition to your faith in what God has done for through Jesus, in other for your to receive God’s
Eternal Life!

So what does this all mean? (Questions to deepen our understanding)
1. What is the fundamental difference between the gospel as announced by Paul and the gospel as
announced by the Christian Jews from Judea?

2. In what practical ways could we today announce the gospel like the Christian Jews in Paul's day did and
not as Paul did? How could we make the gospel a "Jesus plus nothing".

3. Paul considered the Christian Jews gospel as extremely dangerous and used the strongset words to
denounce that gospel and those peddling it? What do you think was the reason for this? What makes
this gospel which seems like the gospel so dangerous?

4. Why would the Christian Jews from Judea be genuinely skeptical about this message Paul was peddling?

Now what do I do? (Questions to deepen our understanding)
1. Do a quick review of your understanding of the gospel. Where do you tend to lean towards most of the
time? Are you more of "believe on the Lord Jesus, you saved, now like someone who is saved" or do you
learn more towards "believe on the Lord Jesus, now that you believe, make sure you are doing ABC, and
then you will be saved or remain saved".

2. What can you do today to improve or increase what God has done for you through Jesus or to get God
to do more for you through Jesus?

3. What can you do today to receive more or increase your experience of what God has done for you
through Jesus?

4. Are questions 2 and 3 above the same in your life? If so how? If not, why?

5. What can you do to make sure that Jesus plus nothing is the only basis of your acceptance by God?

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Texts:

Galatians 1:1-10, Acts 13:13 - 52

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