Galatians

This Post is a Work In Progress as I am currently going through Galatians in my Daily Bible Study

Continue at: Galatians 2

Background

The Apostle Paul is writing to the Churches in Galatia whom he criticizes for “Following a different gospel” from a group of Judiazers (a.k.a. the circumcision party). They need a Biblical “smack upside the head” to get them back on track to the one pure Gospel.

What we learn about Paul

• Paul is an apostle, not just a follower of Christ but someone commissioned by Jesus to share His Gospel message, His Good news. (Galatians 1:1)
• Paul’s ministry was not called by himself or through man but by Jesus Himself. (Galatians 1:1)
• He offers the Grace and Peace from God and Christ to the Galatians
• He cares only about God’s approval, not man’s (Galatians 1:10)
• Paul is a servant of Christ (Galatians 1:10)
• He used to persecute the church of God violently and tried to destroy it (Galatians 1:13)
• He was advancing in Judiasm beyond many his own age.
• He was extremely zealous for the traditions of his fathers (Galatians 1:14)
• Was commissioned (by Christ) to preach to the Gentiles (Galatians 1:16)
• After seeing Christ, did not consult with anyone nor to the apostles in Jerusalem, but went to Arabia and returned again to Damascus. (Galatians 1:16-17)
• Spent three years in Damascus after seeing Christ (Galatians 1:18)
• Visited Peter (Cephas) for 15 days after his three years in Damascus (Galatians 1:18)
• Met James, Jesus’s brother, while with Peter those 15 days.(Galatians 1:19)
• Traveled to Syria and Cilicia after visiting with Peter and James (Galatians 1:21)

What we learn about God

• God is our Father (Galatians 1:1)
• It was God (the Father) who raised Jesus (the Son) from the dead (Galatians 1:1)
• It is God who is to get the glory for sending His Son to die for our sins (Galatians 1:5)
• He set Paul apart from before he was born (Galatians 1:15)
• He called Paul according to His grace (Galatians 1:15)
• He was pleased to reveal his Son to Paul (Galatians 1:16)
• Wanted Paul to preach Christ to the Gentiles (Galatians 1:16)

What we learn about this Epistle

• It is addressed from Paul and the brothers who are with Him (Galatians 1:1)
• It is addressed to the churches in Galatia. (Galatians 1:2)

What we learn about Jesus

• He gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age. (Galatians 1:4)
• He gave himself according to the will of our God and Father (Galatians 1:4)

What we learn about the Galatians

• They turned from God, the one who called them in the grace of Christ (Galatians 1:6)
• They turned to a ‘different gospel’ (Galatians 1:6)
• They knew about Pal’s former life: how he had persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it (Galatians 1:13)

What we learn about the Judiazers

• They are troubling the Galatians (Galatians 1:7)
• They are distorting the gospel of Christ (Galatians 1:7)

What we learn about the Gospel

• If someone, be it man or angel, preaches a gospel contrary to the one taught by Paul, let them be accursed! (Galatians 1:8-9)
• Man did not create the gospel Paul preaches: it was a revelation from Christ (Galatians 1:1-12)

What we learn about the apostle Peter (Cephas)

• Was visited by Paul for 15 days in Jerusalem after Paul’s 3-year post-revelation stint in Damascus. (Galatians 1:18)

What we learn about others

• The Christians in Judean churches: They did not know Paul in person, but heard that they one who had been persecuting them now preaches the faith he once tried to destroy. (Galatians 1:22-23)
• The Christians in Judean churches: They glorified God because of the work that was done in Saul/Paul (Galatians 1:24)