For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is 4ExplorE)))the)))Bible$ not from yourselves; it is God s gift Bible studies for the not from works, so that no one can boast. deaf SUMMER 2009 Galatians, James A WALK TO REMEMBER
4ExplorE)))the)))Bible$ Bible studies for the deaf SUMMER 2009 Galatians, James Production & Ministry Team David O. Briscoe Editor in Chief PAUL ROBERTSON Graphic Designer Susan Ma Copy Editor DENISE WELLS Technical Specialist ALAN ROUGHTON Lead Adult Ministry Specialist DAVID APPLE Adult Ministry Specialist Send questions/comments to Editor in Chief, Explore the Bible: Bible Studies for the DEAF One LifeWay Plaza Nashville, TN 37234-0175 Or make comments on the Web at www.lifeway.com MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL Bret Robbe, Director, Leadership and Adult Publishing Ron Brown and Ron Keck Managing Directors, Leadership and Adult Publishing David Francis, Director, Sunday School Bill Craig, Director, Leadership and Adult Ministry Gary Hauk, Director, Publishing LifeWay Christian Resources Printed in the United States of America ExplorE the BIble : Bible STUDIES for the Deaf (ISSN 0748-5360) is published quarterly by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234, Thom S. Rainer, President, LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Copyright 2008 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. If you need help with an order, WRITE LifeWay Church Resources Customer Service, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0113. For subscriptions, FAX (615) 251-5818 or E-MAIL subscribe@lifeway.com. For bulk shipments mailed quarterly to one address, FAX (615) 251-5933 or E-MAIL CustomerService@lifeway.com. Order ONLINE www.lifeway.com. Mail address changes to ExplorE the Bible, Bible studies for the Deaf, same address. We believe the Bible has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter and that all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. The 2000 statement of The Baptist Faith and Message is our doctrinal guideline. Unless otherwise noted, all Scriptures are quoted from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW CENTURY VERSION, Copyright 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing, Dallas, Texas 75039. Used by permission.
Summer 2009ContentsVolume18, Number4 Study Theme: A WALK TO REMEMBER Galatians, James Introduction...6 Unit 1 Walking in Truth (Gal. 1:1 4:31)...8 June 7 Talking About the Gospel (Gal. 1:1 2:10)... 10 June 14 Receiving the Gospel (Gal. 2:11 3:25)*... 17 June 21 Living by the Gospel (Gal. 3:26 4:31).......... 24 Unit 2 Walking in Freedom (Gal. 5:1 6:18)... 31 June 28 Claim Your Freedom (Gal. 5:1-15).............. 33 July 5 Follow the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-26)................40 July 12 Be Responsible (Gal. 6:1-18).................. 47 Unit 3 Walking Every Day (Jas. 1:1 5:20)................ 54 July 19 When Common Sense Isn't Enough.............56 (Jas. 1:1 18) July 26 How Genuine Are You? (Jas. 1:19-27)...........63 Aug. 2 Let's Be Fair About It (Jas. 2:1-13).............70 Aug. 9 Show Me Your Faith (Jas. 2:14 26)............ 77 Aug. 16 How to Sail Through Life (Jas. 3:1-18)...84 Aug. 23 Who Is Your Best Friend? (Jas. 4:1-17)... 91 Aug. 30 How to Live with Confidence (Jas. 5:1-20)......98 FEATURES Accepting Christ?... 4 How to Use the Lessons................................. 5 Answers to Study Questions...105 Vocabulary Guide..................................... 108 Daily Bible Readings... 111 Leader Guide...115 * Evangelistic Lesson
Background Study Verses: Galatians 1:1-2:10 June 7, 2009 Talking About the Gospel Lesson Verses: Galatians 1:6-9,11-12, 15-16; 2:1-6 Key Verse: Galatians 1:6-7 Sharing the Truth Bible Truth Christians must have a clear understanding of the true gospel. 10 Explore the Bible: Bible Studies for the DEAF
, What These Verses Tell Us 1. Recognize the True Gospel (1:6-9)-When anything is added to the true gospel it becomes a false gospel. 2. Realize the Gospel Is Divine (1:11-12,15-16)-Paul emphasized the gospel came only from Jesus Christ. 3. Refuse to Accept a Compromise (2:1-6)-Paul refused to accept a compromise about the meaning of the true gospel. Other leaders agreed with him. Study Questions 1. Paul said, called you to become His people. 2. Paul called the Christians in Galatia his and 3. Paul said showed him the gospel. 4. Paul took and with him to the meeting in Jerusalem. 5. Paul said the false teachers worked in secret, like. Introduction to the Lesson Betty and Joan have been Christians for six months. Joan grew up in a Jewish family and Betty in a family that attended a protestant church occasionally. Neither of them had an interpreter in their church while they were young. Now they both attend a Baptist church with an interpreter. One day while they were having lunch together they talked about their need for more Bible study. They felt they did not have enough time on Sunday morning to find answers to all their questions. They asked their interpreter, Lois, to lead them in Bible study in their homes each week. When they told the Bible study class about this, several others were excited and wanted to join them. They decided to study the Book of Galatians. Lois told them Paul wrote this letter to new Christians trying to learn how to live the Christian life. Summer 2009 11
Today's Lesson 1. Recognize the True Gospel (1:6-9) In the first five verses of Galatians, Paul greeted his readers. He identified himself as an apostle. He addressed his letter, To the churches in Galatia. Paul wished for them to have grace and peace. Paul began with a statement about the faith of these Christians in Galatia. He reminded them their salvation came through faith in Christ. He was surprised they were turning away from this truth so quickly, to believe something different. VERSE 6 The good news of the gospel is the simple story of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. A person becomes saved by child-like faith in this truth. We often sign this, accepting Jesus as Savior. Or, we sign trusting Jesus or believing in Jesus. When a person does this, the Bible tells us that person is saved. In this letter to the Galatians, Paul included all of this in his word, true gospel. Isaiah, the prophet, says this about the gospel, We are healed because of His wounds (Isaiah 53:5). John the Baptist said, Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). John wrote, God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him may not be lost, but have eternal life (John 3:16). Peter said, All the prophets say it is true that all who believe in Jesus will be forgiven of their sins through Jesus name (Acts 10:43). James wrote a letter we will study later this quarter. He said, God decided to give us life through the word of truth (James 1:18). All these writers taught the same thing about the simple gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. VERSE 7 However, other people went to these new Christians and told them they must do something more to become saved. They wanted to change the simple gospel. This teaching confused the new Christians in Galatia. The false teachers taught a person must be circumcised (become a Jew) first and then he could become a Christian. The word for this group is Judaizers. It has the idea of Jew first. Why did these people accept these new teachings? Because it is natural for people to want to earn what they have. The false teachers taught them some things they could do. Today, it is easy for people to accept VERSE 8 12 Explore the Bible: Bible Studies for the DEAF
some teachings like this because it is something the can do -- they can be baptized, they can join the church, or they can do good things. The gospel does not require us to do anything. We must only believe. Paul spoke very strongly against these false teachers. He said these teachers were guilty of sin because they added something to the true gospel. He did not say they were teaching something bad. They were not teaching people to worship idols. They were teaching people about something God gave to the Jews! These teachers said a person must first become a Jew and then he could become a Christian. Satan often leads us to do something good instead of something better God wants us to do. In verse 10, Paul said he was not trying to get people to like him. He was only trying to tell them to believe the truth. Today people add such things as baptism or church membership as requirements for salvation. We need to be very careful about what other people teach. If they add anything to the gospel, it becomes a false gospel. VERSE 9 2. Realize the Gospel Is Divine (1:11-12,15-16) Paul called the Christians in Galatia his brothers and sisters. In many churches in the past people used these words when they talked about their fellow Christians. Many older Deaf people today still use these words, especially when they write a letter. They may begin their letter, Dear Brother Tom and end it with Your Brother in Christ, Bill. The gospel Paul taught them was not from Paul. It was from God. Paul did not learn it from other people. He received it from Jesus Himself. You can read about Paul s conversion and how he talked with Jesus in Acts 9. In verses 13-14 Paul wrote more about his conversion. VERSES 11-12 VERSE 15 God had plans for Paul before Paul was born! God has plans for everyone before they are born. God will show us what He wants us to do if we will honor Him and listen to Him. God called Paul through His grace. Paul used the word, grace often. God did not call Paul because he was a good man. Paul was an enemy of God s church! Paul was very religious, as a Jew, but that is not why God called him. God called Paul because of God s grace. VERSE 16 This is an interesting way of telling how Paul changed from persecuting Christians to preaching the gospel. God showed His Son to me. When Paul met Jesus, it changed Paul s life completely. When you Summer 2009 13
first met Jesus and accepted Him as your Savior, your life changed. Your plans changed. You changed the things you were interested in. The rest of the verses in this chapter summarize what we know about Paul s conversion in Acts 9. Paul explained how the gospel changed his life. Paul was a good Jew. He knew the Jewish Law. He studied with a great teacher and understood much about Jewish teachings. When he was saved, he did not need to turn from what he knew and accept some new information. What he did was change how he saw that information and how he interpreted it. He changed his attitude toward Christ! What he knew helped him understand more about Christ as the Savior. Don was a good man. But Don was not a Christian. He was good, but he was not saved. One day he gave his heart to Jesus. He was saved by faith, not by his goodness. When we study the Bible we must always remember this gospel came from God. It is not something written by a smart man or a truly religious man. It is not just wise sayings and good ideas. It is the Word of God. It is His gospel. We must never try to change the gospel into something we think is better than what God did. 3. Refuse to Accept a Compromise (2:1-6) A compromise means two people disagree but they talk together and find how they can each change a little and then they can agree. These verses help us understand the problem Paul wrote about. He gave a history of his experience with these false teachers. VERSE 1 Paul was saved about A.D. 36. Three years after Paul was saved he went to Jerusalem and met with Peter and other leaders. Fourteen years later (about A.D. 51) he went to Jerusalem again. The meeting is identified as the Apostolic Council. This time Paul had Barnabas and Titus with him. Barnabas is an interesting man. He was a Jew. His name means an encourager. He gave much help to Paul on their missionary journeys. Titus was a Gentile and traveled often with Paul, or carried messages from Paul to other people. The meeting in Jerusalem is reported in Acts 15. Probably some teachers from Jerusalem traveled to many of the Gentile cities. They met with the new Christians in those cities. They taught a person must first become a Jew (become circumcised) before he could become a Christian. Paul told how he met with the leaders in Jerusalem. He met with them privately and in large groups. Paul only wanted them to understand how he preached the simple gospel to the Gentiles. The other leaders worked VERSE 2 14 Explore the Bible: Bible Studies for the DEAF
A True Teaching: Baptism cannot save you. with Jewish Christians. They did not know much about Paul s work with Gentile Christians. When they got to Jerusalem, some of the Jews told Paul Titus must become circumcised. This was one of the things false teachers added to the gospel. Titus was a Gentile so he must first become a Jew before he could become a Christian. Paul argued circumcision was not necessary and Titus did not have to do this. VERSE 3 The false teachers who wanted to add other things to the gospel were like spies. They worked in secret. Paul said requiring a person to become a Jew before he could become a Christian was like making them slaves. In other places Paul wrote the Jews were slaves to the Old Testament Law. VERSE 4 After much discussion in that meeting in Jerusalem, Paul and others refused to accept the false teaching. They decided it was not necessary for a Gentile to become a Jew. He could become a Christian without becoming a Jew. When we understand the truth, we should never compromise with others. Sometimes we may see a Deaf person sign, I think all churches are the same. We will all go to heaven. This may seem to be nice when we first think of it, but it is not true. All churches are not the same. Some churches teach a person must become baptized to become a Christian. Other churches teach only the people who are members of that church or denomination will go to heaven. A person must join that church to be saved. Other churches teach we must do many good things to be saved and if we sin we can lose our salvation. These are all false teachings. These are the kind of things Paul wrote about in this letter to the Christian people in the area called Galatia. VERSES 5-6 Summer 2009 15
What About You? If you are a Christian, do you often think about how simple the gospel is? Do you wonder if maybe you should do something else to be sure you are saved? This is the devil trying to keep you from enjoying your Christian life. Read these verses again and see how many ways Paul wrote it is not necessary to add anything to the simple gospel. If a friend asks you how to know you are going to heaven, can you explain the way the Bible teaches how to be saved? Applying the Lesson Try to write down some notes to explain the gospel. Do this without using your Bible. See how much you really understand. Then use your Bible and find verses to explain the gospel clearly. You may want to find these verses and copy the words here. Think about how to sign them so other Deaf people will understand what the Bible says. John 3:16 Romans 3:23 Romans 6:23 Romans 10:9-10 Sign these verses several times in the next few weeks. This will help you remember how to explain the gospel in a clear way. 16 Explore the Bible: Bible Studies for the DEAF