to all who did receive Him. (John 1:12). Paul, an apostle not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead

Transcription

1 Explore the Bible Lesson Preview September 2, 2018 True Gospel Background and Lesson: Galatians 1:1-10 Motivation: For the gospel, Christ gave His all, and Paul gave his life. As Believers, we are commanded to give away this gospel to to all who did receive Him. (John 1:12). Examination: I. Appointed by Grace (1-2) Paul, an apostle not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead 2 and all the brothers who are with me (1-2) A. Author: The issue is not who wrote the book but who provided his title of apostle. A divisive faction at Galatia evidently maintained that Paul didn t qualify as an apostle because he was not an eyewitness of the ministry of the Lord Jesus (I Cor. 15:8). The faction treated him as an honorary apostle, a title given by man rather than earned. Thus, Paul emphasized that he didn t go to the other apostles for training but received instruction of the Lord (1:17-19). The greeting and all the brothers who are with me (2) doesn t imply co-authorship, but rather support, presumably of those who ministered to Paul in prison and supported him in the teachings of this epistle. (Eph. 6:21; Phil 4:21-22; Col. 4:7-12). B. Recipients To the churches of Galatia (2) The likely churches receiving this epistle were in South Galatia: Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. All these churches were established through the ministry of Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (Acts 13, 14). 1 / 7

2 II. Through His Grace (3-5) Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. 5 To whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (3-5) A. Receipt Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ (3) Every Christian is the beneficiary of two gifts: grace and peace. Both were common words given uncommon meanings. Grace is unmerited favor by which God offers heaven as a free gift (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 6:23). Peace was the common Hebrew way of saying hello and goodbye (Shalom) which Jesus transformed into a state of being (John 14:24; Phil. 4:6-7). Grace always precedes true peace. B. Redemption who gave Himself for our sins (4a) (John 3:16; Rom. 5:1) Titus 2:11-14; 1 Pet. 2:21-24 HCSB: p. 2013: 1:4 Along with the resurrection, Christ s redemptive death is the heart of the gospel message (1 Cor 15:1-4). Paul emphasized both the death and resurrection of Christ at the beginning of Galatians (Gl 1:1) to begin to counteract the message they had recently heard which claimed salvation came through the works of the law (2:16). Rescue us from this present evil age looks ahead to being freed from slavery to the elemental forces of the world? Through Christ (4:3-4) and previews the new creation wording in 6:15. 2 / 7

3 C. Rescue to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. (4b) Believer s Study Bible, p. 1666: 1:4 Deliverance from this present evil age is assured through the atonement of Christ. This is accomplished in the present in the sense that Christ gives victory over the powers of Satan now. Ultimate delivery awaits either death or the translation of the saints at the time of Christ s return. James 4:7 D. Response To whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (5) HCSB: p. 2013: 1:5 A key issue between the competing views of the gospel (salvation by grace vs. salvation by works) has to do with who gets the glory. Works-salvation provides a basis for a person to boast (6:13; Eph2:9), while appreciation for the undeserved grace of God prompts the believer to give God alone the glory forever. We give glory to God in at least five ways: 1. Unity in the Body so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with a united mind and voice. (Rom. 15:6 cf. John 17:20-22) 2. Using our Spiritual gifts Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. (I Pet. 4:10-11) 3. Good Works let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (Matt. 5:16) 4. Praise and Worship Declare His glory among the nations, His wonderful works among all peoples. (Ps. 96:3) 3 / 7

4 5. Sharing our Faith My Father is glorified by this, that you produce much fruit and prove to be My disciples. (John 15:8) III. Distorted by Some (6-10) I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from Him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel 7 not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to change the good news about the Messiah. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel other than what we have preached to you, a curse be on him! 9 As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone preaches to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him! 10 For am I now trying to win the favor of people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ. (6-10) A. Amazement I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from Him (6) As we will learn in subsequent lessons, the Judaizers followed Paul and taught a faith plus works theology. To traditional Jews, it made perfect sense. However, to Paul, it was a repudiation of Christ Himself. HCSB: p. 2013: 1:6-7 Verse 6 is abrupt. Paul was amazed at the Galatians defection from the gospel of grace. To reject the gospel message is the same as rejecting God. After Paul left Galatia, the Galatians thought they had heard and responded to a different gospel that was better, but it was actually no true gospel. B. Analysis a different gospel (6) Believer s Study Bible, p. 1666: 1:6-8 The significance of what Paul says here emerges from the contrast between the two words translated different and another. Paul is amazed that the Galatians had embraced 4 / 7

5 a different ( heteros, Gk.) gospel (v. 6). In reality, what they have embraced is not another ( allos, Gk.) gospel (v. 7). Heteros means another of a different kind ; whereas allos indicates another of the same variety. Paul says that the Galatian drift toward a different gospel is not a mere variation, but in reality, the acceptance of a view that is a totally disparate teaching. Since salvation is by grace alone, the Galatian emphasis on the works of the Law was a distinct and erroneous doctrine. Verse 8 assesses the seriousness with which Paul views the Judaizing tendencies. Anyone, even an angel from heaven, who proclaimed any other form of gospel than that which Paul had preached, let him be accursed. The word accursed ( anathema, GK) means set aside for destruction. C. Angel an angel from heaven (8) Angels are God s messengers and are responsible for delivering His truth. We read of such delivery to Abraham (Genesis 22:11-12), Moses (Exodus 3:2), Joshua (5:13), Isaiah (6:2), Mary (Luke 1:26ff), Joseph (Matthew 1:18-25), John (Revelation 22:8) among others. However, if the message of an apparent angel contradicted the gospel, then the source must be a false messiah (Matthew 24:24) or false prophet (1 Thessalonians 2:1-12). D. Acclaim to please people (10) Living in a democratic society, we naturally believe in majority rule. Also, human nature often succumbs to peer pressure when we believe that most people believe or act in a certain way. However, Paul taught that only one opinion mattered to him, that of His Lord whose opinion becomes a binding truth. Like the bumper sticker says God plus one = a majority. Paul s refusal to back away from truth to please people was illustrated later in his encounter with Peter at Antioch (2:11ff). 5 / 7

6 Application 1. Grace and peace are eternal benefits of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 2. The facts of the gospel and their interpretation have been settled long ago and are not up for revision. 3. False teachers and prophets have attempted to shake the faith of church members with false doctrine. Leader Pack Item 1: Map: The First Missionary Journey of Paul; Item 2: Outlines of Galatians & James; Item 4 : Poster: Doctrine of Salvation ; Item 8: Handout: Memory Verses Bookmark ; Item 9: Handout: Doctrine of Salvation. Biblical Illustrator p. 75 Galatia: A Historical Overview Notes: **You may access David s Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: g ; Dates: 8/29-11/14 Midlink; 9/3 Labor Day offices closed; 9/14-16 SPF Camp; 9/15 6 / 7

7 Men:Serve; 9/21 Marriage Matters; 9/23 LBS Fall Luncheon; 9/30 MIYCO; 9/30 SPF Family Camp Reflections in Oasis; 10/7 First Camp Reception 12:30 4:30; 10/14 Parent Commitment; 10/19-20 Women s Retreat; 10/27 Men:Serve; 10/31 Light the Night; 11/4 MIYCO; 11/8 Staff Hunt Retreat; 11/9 Re:Create Date Night; 11/10 Legacy 685 Appreciation Dinner; 11/11 Leadership Appreciation Lunch preschool; 11/14-17 Missions Conference; 11/22-23 Thanksgiving Holidays; 12/1 Deacon s Christmas Party; 12/4-9 - Celebration Performances 6th-9 th ; 12/24 - Christmas Eve Services; 12/24-25 Christmas Holidays. 7 / 7