Galatians: A Reading Guide:

 Galatians

During Paul’s first missionary journey (47-49 AD), he visited central Asia Minor in the province of Galatia. French immigrants (Gauls) populated Galatia at this time.  During his visit, many Gentiles (non- Jews) were converted to the Christian faith.  This conversion started a great controversy in the church about what it means to be a Christian.  The question is still important for Christians today.  The letter to the Galatians is Paul's answer to this problem.  Paul's response helps us understand the nature of the Christian faith to date and was key in the life of Martin Luther in his re-discovery of the gospel in the sixteenth century. 

One of the most important decisions to be made in the New Testament was the inclusion of Gentiles in the church.  First the church received national Jews, then Jews of foreign origin (Hellenists or Greek speaking Jews), and then Gentiles.  Thus began the process of transformation from a national to a global religion. 

This transformation began in Acts 2 during the day of Pentecost.  The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost began with the Galilean disciples who miraculously spoke in languages not their own.  The utterances described the wonderful works of God in the native languages of the multinational crowd.  This supernatural sensation resulted in Peter’s first gospel sermon which clarified the phenomenon and converted three thousand Jews to the Christian faith.

The second stage commenced in Acts 6 when the newly formed church appointed deacons to serve Jewish widows of Greek origin who had converted to Christianity but complained that they were being overlooked in the daily distribution (of food) to the brethren.

The next step was that Christians were dispersed (because of persecution) from Jerusalem and Judea to Samaria and elsewhere after the martyrdom of Stephen in Acts 7.

Then in Acts 8, the Word (gospel) spread to Samaria, a culturally taboo place for Jews. The gospel began jumping cultural barriers and theological walls. 

In Acts 10, we have the story of how the gospel was first preached to a Gentile, Cornelius, a Roman soldier. 

Then the gospel was received by Gentiles in Antioch.  Because the gospel was received by Gentiles as opposed to Jews, Barnabus (Acts 11) was sent from Jerusalem to check on what was happening.  Realizing the need for the Gentiles to receive proper instruction in the new faith, he sought Paul for help in teaching the new Gentile converts at Antioch.

After a year (Acts 13) the Christian assembly (the disciples being first called Christians in Antioch) sent Paul and Barnabas to share the gospel among the Gentiles.  In his first missionary journey, Paul, accompanied by Barnabus, visited Galatia.

This was the beginning of the preaching of the gospel to all nations that met the expectation of the promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 which says: 

 Go from your land, from your relatives and from your father's house, to a land that

 I will show you.  I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you.  I will bless

 those who bless you and curse him who curses you.  In you all families of the earth

 shall be blessed.

This spread of Christianity beyond the Jews caused an identity crisis in the church.  What is the basis of the salvation that we preach?  What makes one a Christian?  What must one do to be a Christian?  These questions remain important to us today.

Galatians has three players present in the drama:   
1) Paul, 
2) the Galatians, 
3), Paul’s detractors who teach another gospel.

The book of Galatians also instructs us how to read the whole Bible.  Paul is giving us an example of how to interpret the Old Testament in light of Jesus.  This gives us a model of how to interpret biblically, keeping Jesus as the center of our perspective in the process of interpretation.

Fundamental considerations Galatians 1:6-6:10

Galatians begins with a greeting to the Galatians.  Then Paul says that some in this church had abandoned the gospel of Jesus Christ for another.  You cannot abandon the gospel of Jesus because it is the only gospel there is. 

Initial salutation (Gal. 1:1-5)

As is typical, Paul begins with a greeting.  This greeting is the coldest of all Paul’s greetings because he is very upset with the progress of the gospel in this particular church.  They are not satisfied with what Jesus did, but are looking to add more.  They did not feel that Christ’s work was enough to save them.

The gospel = Faith in Christ alone

The false gospel = Faith in Christ + works

Jesus died for us

In the greeting, Paul states the theme of the letter:  Jesus, ".…gave himself for our sins to deliver us from this present evil age.” (Gal. 1:4)  The letter develops the implications of this statement.  If Christ gave himself for us, we cannot save ourselves, our observance of the law does not save us, our decisions will not save us.  There is another way that we are saved.  Jesus is the only way to the Father.  The letter to the Galatians will develop this theme.

Paul is upset with the Galatians because they have abandoned the gospel of Jesus after having believed in Him.  They have added other requirements to the gospel for believers after their conversion to Christ. You have to not only believe in him but also obey other laws.  To date, there are "believers" in Christ who have added other requirements for salvation.

The warning of Paul (Gal. 1:6-9)

The Galatians who have followed the advice of "circumcision" have abandoned the gospel of Jesus Christ.  For them salvation is not only the result of the death and resurrection of Jesus, but it is faith in Jesus plus works (our obedience to all the errands and compliance to participate in the rituals of the church) that saves us. 

Then Paul makes this statement:   (Similar to the imprecatory or curse Psalm of the Old Testament:   i.e.   Psalms 7, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 79, 109, 137 and 139), "If we (the apostles), or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!”

This statement tells us that the message is the authority and not the person, an apostle, an angel or whatever.  This gospel is defined by Jesus in Luke 24:44-5 and repeated by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-5. It has been written down.  This shows that the ultimate authority for Christians is the Scriptures.  The Scriptures are above every angel or apostle.  The written message is first.  It is not about us but about Christ. 

This leads to a very basic consideration:  How am I saved?  Am I saved by obeying the revealed God of the Scriptures or by His representatives here on earth?  What about my prayers and/or church attendance?  Am I saved by taking the sacrament at every opportunity?  Why am I safe?  These questions are still valid today. 

To the Jews it was not enough to believe in God for their salvation.  One had to obey the law.  In the end it was more important to obey than to believe.  The same is true for some of us.  If we do not obey or fail to run the race, God will punish us.  Many people believe this to be true of God today.

The consequence of this is to make religion something external to man.  As Paul says (2 Cor. 3:7) the law is written in stone, but the Spirit is written on the heart (2 Cor. 3:3).  We can see the external religion of man with the conduct of the person, but you can see if the claim of faith is believed or not by the works the faith produces. (James 2:17-8)  Concern for the outward continues today. 

The defense of the messenger and the circumstances of Galatians (Gal. 1:10 - 2:21) 

First, to defend the gospel of Jesus, Paul had to defend his own person and ministry.  One way they tried to cause people to reject Paul was to say he was a rebel minister who had no authority to preach his gospel.  Paul indicates that he received his gospel directly from God, without the intervention of the other apostles.  He also indicates that the original apostles gave their approval for the message he preached (Gal. 2:1-9).  The "apostles" today cannot receive approval from the originals because they have all been dead for almost 2000 years.

Second, Paul cites an example where the message of the gospel was denied by Peter's actions at a meeting of the church.   Paul indicates that Peter violated the principles of the gospel when he ate at the table of his countrymen (Jews) and ceased eating with the Gentiles.  This indicated that the Jewish race were superior to the Gentiles in the church.  Such favoritism violated the teaching that Christ had died for all alike.  Gentiles as well as Jews were made to be part of God's people.  Such favoritism denied the gospel in the church.

Paul is set to defend his post.  He summarizes his gospel message like this in Galatians 2:16

 …. know that a man is not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.

So we, too, have put our faith in Christ that we may be justified by faith in Christ

and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified. 

The defense of the gospel message (Gal. 3:1-29)

The defense of the gospel begins with a very strong claim, "O foolish Galatians!”   The argument continues, "Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by believing what you heard?" (Gal. 3:2)  This section also ends with an appeal to the Spirit.  "God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba,” Father!  Therefore you are no longer a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Gal. 4:6-7).

Paul appeals to the Old Testament story of how Abraham was saved by faith alone, "Abraham believed God and it was counted for righteousness." (Gen. 15:6; Gal. 3:6; James 2:23)  So we are saved in the same way that Abraham, the father of faith was.  This is the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. 

The next part of Paul's argument is that Christ took our curse (as lawbreakers) upon himself and so gave us liberty by paying the penalty for our breaking of the law.  That penalty is death. (Rom. 6:23)  When we believe in Christ we are justified.  This is the only way we can be justified. (Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38).  We cannot be justified by faith plus works either.  This would be equivalent to returning to the old covenant instead of believing in Jesus.  Neither do works added to faith keep us saved.  

 The Galatians began by believing and abandoned this way of relating to God after adding works.  Works, as a way to achieve or maintain salvation, are rejected by Paul. 

Paul proceeds with his argument by clarifying that the law never was a proposal for salvation, but the law functioned, and functions, as a tutor to bring us to Christ to be saved by faith. (Gal. 3:21-22)

If this is the message, there can be no discrimination in the church because we were all equally sinners  before knowing Christ and are now equal before Christ in being justified by faith.  Discrimination among Christians is a denial of the gospel (Gal. 3:29).

The law had certain disadvantages.  One was that if you did not meet all that was required by the law, you became liable before the law and therefore subject to the law’s penalty (death).  Nobody is good enough to escape the penalty of the law’s demand.  All were convicted.  This meant that everyone was under a curse. (Gal. 3:10)  The law held no hope for anyone in terms of its saving power because as Paul says, the purpose of the law was to, "….fence in all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to all who believe." (Gal. 3: 22)

Christ fulfilled the law’s demands when, as an innocent sacrifice, he took our place on the cross (Gal. 3:13).

Keeping the law does not justify anyone. (Gal. 2:16)  So Abraham and believers are justified by faith and not by works of the law.  We are all under the same necessity in relation to God; i.e. to believe. (Gal. 3:6, 9)  It also explains that if we have faith in Christ, we are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise (Gal. 3:29). 

The purpose of the coming of Christ was to fulfill the promise God had made to Abraham that the Gentiles would have access to the same blessing (Gal. 3:14; Eph. 2:11-22). 

Christ left us his legacy when he died on the cross.  This heritage gives us the right to be adopted as children of God. (Gal. 4:5; Jn. 1:12-3). 

Since we are children we should not live as slaves.  Christians are no longer slaves (subject to the law & it’s demands) but sons of God, an honor which cannot be claimed by any other person.

Paul makes a comparison between the Jews and Christians.  The Christian relationship with God is one of freedom under the new covenant; it is a freedom that no Jew could claim as he was still a slave under the works of the law.  We should not underestimate our relationship with God under grace.

Theory and Practice

Paul explains the difference between theory and practice in Chapter 5

For freedom Christ has set us free.  Therefore, stand firm, and do not be entangled again under a yoke of slavery or bondage (Gal. 5:1).

In Galatians 5:4 Paul says if we try to justify ourselves by obedience and we are Christians, we fall from grace; ".… you who attempt to be justified by law have fallen from grace" (Gal. 5:4).  One caveat; if perfection or holiness is to obey the law, it might also be an abandonment of Christ (Rom. 10:3-4).

Paul says that if one submits to the law (symbolized by circumcision), that one is required to fulfill the whole law.  The law requires complete obedience.  If you miss 100% obedience, you are fallen out of grace; “.…from Christ you are separate, you who attempt to be justified by the law.” (Gal. 5:4)

This indicates the attitude we should have as children of God in our walk.  If we are in bondage to the law, we are not children, but as children (Christians) we must use our freedom to serve one another and not to indulge our sinful nature (Gal. 5:13).

If I am being obedient to save myself, I'm not depending on the sacrifice of Christ for my salvation.  I'm denying that Jesus died in my place.  One in this situation is spending all his time trying to get saved by his own obedience and not enjoying the freedom of this Christian life. 

The Spirit of Justice (Gal. 5: 13-6:10)

Paul states that freedom is not to be used to continue a life of sin (Gal. 5:13) but to please God.  We have been freed by God to serve one another in love.  We must not deceive ourselves.  What do we really want to do, sin or please God? 

It should be easy to tell the difference between the flesh and the Spirit.  But if we have doubts, Paul makes a list in Galatians 5:19-23.

We should take care of our brothers who have faults (Gal. 6:1) and this charge makes us responsible for the care of our brothers. 

Every man ought to examine himself.  We are not called to walk while criticizing others.  Paul applies this principle to himself in 1 Corinthians 4:1-5.  We are called to take care of ourselves while at the same time watching for opportunity to care for our brothers. 

Carry your own load

Each one should carry his own load.  We are not called to be dependent on other Christians.

We must share all good things with our teachers.  One of the problems here is that there are very few teachers that are dedicated to research and teaching.  This can cause mediocre Christians and  pastors.  Currently it is not economically viable to be a Christian teacher.  The church has been weakened by paying little or no attention to Paul’s instructions. Be not weary in well doing. 

Remember that neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is important, but being a new creation in Christ. We often evaluate using the standards of the world.  But we must always see ourselves in the light of Scripture.

Final greetings

Bibliography

Frank Thielman, Theology of the New Testament, Zondervan.

DA Carson, et.al. New Bible Commentary, IVP.