Intro to Galatians (Galatians 1:1-24)
The Galatian churches included those in the cities of Lystra, Iconium, Antioch of Pisidia, and Derbe which were established on Paul’s first missionary journey and revisited on his subsequent missionary trips.
The six chapters of this epistle are divided into three main sections of Paul’s teaching.
Chapters 1 & 2 are personal in nature and deal with Paul’s authority.
Chapters 3 & 4 are doctrinal in nature and deal with justification by faith.
Chapters 5 & 6, are practical in nature and deal with the application of the doctrine of justification.
I. Personal: Paul’s Authority (Gal. 1:1-2:21).
A. Paul’s Announcement of His Gospel (1:1-5).
1. His Ministry (1-2).
> Did not originate from men or by men.
> It centered on and around Jesus Christ.
> Although not one of the original twelve, he was called to be an apostle by Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus.
> He founded the very churches to whom he was writing.
2. His Message (3-4).
> The Person of the Gospel: "our Lord Jesus Christ..."
> The Price of the Gospel: "gave himself for our sins..."
> The Purpose of the Gospel: "that he might deliver us..."
3. His Motive (5).
> "To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
> The false teachers, both then and now, seek their own glory.
> The Judaizers were not interested in reaching the lost, but in stealing converts.
B. Paul’s Astonishment at Their Removal (1:6-10).
1. They were deserting the Grace of God (6-7a).
> Paul was astonished because it was happening so soon.
> That they would already be looking fr "another".
> "Another" different from the first, not "another" of the same kind.
> They were being "troubled" by false teachers, and yet receiving them.
2. They were believing a perverted Gospel (7b).
> "Pervert" means to twist or turn the meaning to cause misdirection.
> The Judaizers were twisting the Gospel message and adding to it the bondage of the Law of Moses.
3. Paul condemns those who would pervert the Gospel (8-10).
> "...let him be accursed"; Paul repeats this condemnation.
> (v. 10) the test of a man’s ministry is not popularity, or miraculous signs and wonders, but his faithfulness to the Word of God!
C. Paul’s Defense of His Ministry (1:11-24).
1. He received his Gospel personally from Christ (11-14).
> Paul saw the risen Christ and received his commission and message directly from Him.
> This qualified him to be an apostle.
> The only explanation of the radical change that took place in Paul’s life was Jesus Christ!
2. He received his Gospel apart from the other Apostles (15-17).
> Paul was not taught by men, but by God.
> He was not part of the Jerusalem group, but was instructed by the Lord Himself in Arabia.
> He received acknowledgment for his Gospel from the churches (18-24).
> He was acquainted with Peter and James, but none of the others.
> He did not seek the approval of the Jerusalem church.
> He was unknown to the Judean churches, but they glorified God when they heard about his glorious conversion.
D. Paul’s Approval by the Apostles (2:1-10).
1. The Private Consultation (1-2).
> This takes place fourteen years after Paul’s initial visit with Peter and James.
> Paul and Barnabas had been ministering the gospel to the Gentiles.
> When they returned to Antioch, they found that the Jewish legalists, Judaizers, had brought their false teachings into the church at Antioch and were creating great confusion.
> (Acts 15:1-5) Paul was concerned over the future of the gospel among the Gentiles, that it be not destroyed by these false teachings.
2. The Public Convocation (3-5).
> (Acts 15:6-12) Several witnesses presented the case for the Gospel of Grace
1) Peter reminded the group of the events surrounding the saving of Cornelius.
2) Paul and Barnabas related what God had done on their missionary journey among the Gentiles.
> Titus was a ’test’ case.
1) He was a Gentile Christian who had never submitted to circumcision.
2) According to the Judaizers, Titus wasn’t saved!
3) For him to submit to their demands would mean bondage, rather than liberty.
4) It would have meant obedience to a lie, rather than to the truth of the Gospel.
3. The Personal Confirmation (6-10).
> Paul was not looking for some sort of personal recognition, but wanted them to recognize the "grace of God".
> This they did in Acts 15:13-21.
> Not only did they approve Paul’s Gospel, but they en- couraged Paul in his ministry.
> They also publicly recognized that God had assigned different areas of ministry to different men.
E. Paul’s Defense of the Gospel with Peter (2:11-21).
1. Peter’s Relapse (11-13).
> Peter had enjoyed fellowship with Jews and Gentiles alike.
> But, when in the presence of some of the more legalistic of the brethren, he withdrew from this close fellowship with the Gentiles.
> His actions had a profound affect on other believers, even Barnabas was caught up in this hypocrisy (dissimulation).
2. Paul’s Rebuke (14-21).
> For inconsistency in his practice (v. 14).
1) Peter was not walking in accordance with the truth of the Gospel.
2) Paul called him on this point publicly.
3) Peter, along with the other legalists, were asking the Gentiles to do something that they weren’t practicing.
> Paul introduces the doctrine of justification (v. 15-18).
1) It is the act of God whereby He declares the believing sinner righteous in Jesus Christ.
2) Not by the works of the law or the flesh!
3) He pointed out the fallacy of the Judaizers who taught that for a Jew to seek justification through Christ, apart from the Law, would, in itself, be a transgression of the Law.
4) To once again embrace the Law, which was destroyed by acceptance of Jesus Christ who fulfilled the Law, would mean they would make themselves bound again to the Law.
5) to turn back to the Law denies the work of Christ on the cross.
> Paul emphasizes the importance of justification by faith (v. 19-21).
1) The Law is not a way of life, rather it means death because it condemns us.
2) The way of life is through Christ.
3) If the Law is God’s way of salvation, then Christ died in vain.
Doctrinal: The Ministry of the Spirit [Galatians 3:1-3 ]
I. The Holy Spirit Saves and Sanctifies.
A. The Holy Spirit is the Agent of salvation.
1. He produces conviction.
> Conviction is an awareness of guilt regarding one’s own sins.
> Only God can produce that awareness (John 16:8).
2. He produces repentance.
> Repentance is a desire to turn from our sins once we have been convicted of them.
> Men are incapable of repenting on their own; it is God who grants repentance (2 Timothy 2:25).
3. He empowers preaching.
> The Holy Spirit empowers God’s truth so that it penetrates the unbeliever’s mind and begins to do its saving work.
> He empowers both the preacher and the hearer, and both are necessary works of the Spirit of God (1 Thess. 2:13).
4. He regenerates hearts.
> Example of Nicodemus in John 3:3-8.
> (Titus 3:5-6) The Spirit regenerates.
B. The Holy Spirit is the Agent of sanctification.
1. He indwells believers at the moment of salvation.
> (Act 2:38; 1 Cor. 6:19; 1 Cor.12:13; Romans 8:9).
2. He baptizes believers into the Body of Christ.
> The "body of Christ" refers to all who are saved in this age.
> The Spirit of God places us into this body at the moment of Salvation.
3. He gives spiritual gifts to believers.
> Spiritual gifts allow us to do spiritual service such as preaching, teaching, helps, etc.
> Each believer has a unique combination of gifts especially suited to them by the Holy Spirit.
> The spiritual gifts are to be exercised in the believer’s local church.
4. He secures every believer’s eternal inheritance.
> (Eph 1:13-14) We are sealed and we have the earnest of the Spirit to assure us of God’s love and guarantee to keep His promises to us.
5. He sanctifies believers.
> (2 Thess. 2:13; 2 Cor. 3:18) The Christian life begins in the power of the Spirit that’s why we should never try to reach spiritual maturity apart from His power.
