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The Book Of Galatians – Chapter 2:1-10 - Message 4 – Paul’s Strategic Position As Apostle To The Gentiles Series
Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Feb 9, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: The Galatians had been seduced into error by false teachers trying to put them under Law instead of grace. Paul writes decisively to them and recounts his own involvement in the gospel dealing with this error and his visits to Jerusalem.
Even in spite of this decision from the Council, these false teachers a bit later went to Galatia and began to pervert the gospel. Paul now is writing to the Galatian churches overcome this great error. Grace is so strong with Paul that he will not let anything interfere with God’s pure grace in the Lord Jesus Christ.
For the Apostle Paul, the concept of the Church was revealed to him by God and it became a central theme of his teaching because the Church is precious to the Lord Jesus Christ having been purchased by His blood. The Church is also known as the Body of Christ, and the Bride, and a Spiritual House, and the Pearl of Great Price. Paul embraced the Church as one Body - meaning that all believers were part of the Church.
In writing to the Corinthians he said this – {{1Corinthians 12:13-14 “For by one Spirit we were all BAPTIZED INTO ONE BODY, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit for the body is not one member, but many.”}}
When we are saved many things happen to us, spiritual blessings from God. One of them, and a totally essential one, is the baptism of the Spirit. The purpose of this baptism of the Spirit is to unite all believers into one Body. It is for unity in the Body. The word for “baptized” is in the aorist tense – done once only but the effects continue. Paul was very protective of the Body knowing how precious the Church is to its Head, the Lord. The bible knows not a thing about official membership of a local church. It never speaks about that but knows only one membership, that of the Body of Christ, and all saints have all things in common. To impose rules and practices that are not of God is to put people under bondage and only serves the cause of sectarianism.
The Lord’s Supper also symbolises the oneness of the body. There is one loaf, one bread, not fragmented bread. The early church had the one loaf meaning the one Body. {{1Corinthians 10:16-17 “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is ONE BREAD, we who are many are one body for we all partake of the one bread.”}}
This message has had a lot of scripture and Paul’s personal history in it. Paul was very careful with the Galatians to set the groundwork correctly before he set to in the following chapters to lay out the position of the Law. God bless you all
ronaldf@aapt.net.au