seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Galatians 1:1 Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers and sisters[a] with me,
To the churches in Galatia:
3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!
10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.
18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas[b] and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.
21 Then I went to Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they praised God because of me.
a. Galatians 1:2 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verse 11; and in 3:15; 4:12, 28, 31; 5:11, 13; 6:1, 18.
b. Galatians 1:18 That is, Peter
When I saw that I was in a new book... I thought.... oh boy... I'm going to the bible-studys.org site. I've learned that commentary is a good one to use when opening a new book. I learn so much.
Galatians is a letter from Paul to the churches in Galatia. At the time that Paul wrote this letter, Galatia was a Roman province. This area is now known as the southern part of Turkey. This letter was probably written about 54 or 55 A.D.
In this letter, Paul is explaining again the doctrine of justification through faith. Some of the Judaizers were trying to include keeping of the Law of Moses as part of the Christian doctrine. Paul is not saying in this letter, that justification through faith gives the Christian the privilege of sinning without being held responsible for the sin. He is explaining that Christianity is a fellowship with the Father provided through His Son Jesus Christ.
In this, Paul is explaining that he is truly an apostle of the Lord. Many were doubting Paul's right to apostleship, because He was brought into the work after the crucifixion of Jesus.
The churches in Galatia had been founded on the first missionary journey of Paul. Paul was very concerned about these converts and visited them on his second and his third missionary journey, as well. These people were strong-willed people, and Paul felt that he must keep as tight a reign as he possibly could from a distance. It seemed in all of these churches, the minute he left, people with other doctrines tried to come in and change what Paul had established. This was a warning not to do that. Many Jews had received Christ, but were trying to incorporate Christianity and Judaism. You cannot mix other beliefs with Christianity, and have Christianity remain strong. We should remember that today. Christianity must not be diluted to include other beliefs.
Paul vehemently denies that his apostleship is due to human agency. He was not commissioned an apostle, by any group (“not of men”), nor by any mortal individual (“neither by man”). But “by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead:”
Unlike the other apostles, Paul received his call from the resurrected, glorified, and exalted Jesus. This special reference to the Lord’s resurrection implicitly confirms Paul’s appointment as an apostle.
We see a declaration of who Paul is right at the very beginning. We find that Paul reminds them immediately that his call was of the Lord Himself. When we speak of a disciple of that day, we think of the 120, who had disciplined themselves to follow Jesus. We also think of the twelve who Jesus chose out of that larger group to make them apostles.
We then realize that Matthias was also one of them. The Lord Himself had chosen him to replace the traitor, Judas Iscariot. Paul was an apostle also, even though he was not of the original group. Jesus had appeared to him on the road to Damascus, and called him to apostleship.
Paul never forgets to remind them that Jesus rose from the dead. These people all believed in God the Father, and Paul reminds them that it was the Father's will for Jesus to rise from the dead. To call Paul an apostle, verifies the fact that his authority is from God.
Mighty signs and wonders followed these apostles. They were empowered of God to represent him in the earth. They were, also, empowered to lay hands on others that they might receive the Spirit to minister in a certain capacity. These are called, gifts of the Spirit.
One very important thing we must note in Paul's statement is that he was not called of men, or by a man. Jesus was much more than man. That is what Paul is saying here.
“Churches of Galatia”: The churches Paul founded at Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe during his first missionary journey (Acts 13:14 - 14:23).
Notice in this, that Paul travelled with many others. There was usually a large group who went with him into each area. Probably some of these very brethren with Paul now, were the same that had been with him establishing the churches of Galatia. Galatia was an area with many small towns, and, perhaps, each had a small group of Christians meeting in a church.
This letter is of a general nature. It is not to a specific church, but to all in this little province. These Galatians were partly European. When Gaul and this group came through this area on their way to Greece, they were stopped and surrounded. They intermarried with the local people. This, then, is speaking to these Europeans mixed with the local people.
In the 18th chapter of Acts, Galatia is spoken of as a region. It seems there was not idolatry in this area as in other areas, but Jewish teachings filtering into the church. The argument was between law and grace. This could even be thought of as between the flesh and the spirit also. This was not an argument with those who were idolaters, but those with another doctrine.
:“Ye are so soon removed” can be translated, “you are so quickly deserting.” The Galatians are in the initial stages of defecting from God to “another gospel.” The Greek word rendered “another” is heteron which means “another of a different kind.” The Judaizers’ gospel is not the same one Paul preached to the readers.
(In verse 7), the apostle goes on to affirm that their gospel “is not another.” The Greek word here translated “another” is allo which means “another of the same kind.” So the message of salvation proclaimed by the legalists is vastly different from the true one.
The Galatian controversy is not over teachers or personalities, but over truth and error. Even a heavenly angel, if he preaches error, is to “be accursed,” that is, eternally condemned.
We know that Paul was primarily speaking of the message he had brought them, but as we have said before, many ministers traveled with Paul and they all brought this same message of hope. There are two kinds of angels. The angels that stayed in heaven, and did not follow Lucifer, minister good. The angels that followed Lucifer out of heaven are already cursed of God.
They minister lies and deception, because they are working for that old devil Lucifer. Many people call them demons. They would certainly try to bring another message that would put you back under the law. Jesus commissioned Paul to bring the good news of the gospel, not the bad news of the law.
This is the introduction from the easy English site.Paul wrote this letter. His name used to be Saul. He was called Saul until Acts 13:9, when he was first called Paul. He was a Jewish leader. He used to oppose the Christians. But one day, he met Jesus in a special way. You can read how he became a Christian in Acts 9.
Paul knew about all the Jewish laws. He used to obey all the Jewish laws and traditions. But when Paul became a Christian, his life changed. Now he understood the real purpose of God’s law. God’s law shows people their sins. So it shows people that they need to trust Jesus. Only Jesus can free us from the punishment for our sins.
So Paul preached this good news first to Jewish people. Later he preached to the Gentiles (Acts 13:42-48). Many people became Christians when they heard him. Especially, many Gentiles became Christians.
Galatia was part of the country that we now call Turkey. Most of the people who lived in Galatia were Gentiles. Paul had visited the region at least twice. He had preached the good news about Jesus and many people became Christians. The cities in Acts 14:21 are in Galatia. Paul visited the region again in Acts 18:23. Paul was weak when he first preached there. But the people in Galatia were still excited to hear his message. And many people became Christians (4:13-16).
The Gentile Christians in Galatia had believed the good news about Jesus. But some Jewish false teachers had visited them. The false teachers may have been ordinary Jews. But they may have been Jews who seemed to trust Jesus. However, those Jews were jealous of Paul and they had spoken against him. They said that Paul was not an apostle. And they said that the Christians had to obey the Jewish laws. These laws controlled people. Some of the Christians in Galatia believed the false teachers. Paul was very worried about the Christians. So he wrote this letter to teach them the truth again. He reminded them about the true liberty that Jesus gives.
Paul did not say where he was at that time. These Christians were probably helping him with his work. In other letters, he mentions the names of his helpers. Galatia is in the country that we now call Turkey. ‘Church’ is the name for a group of Christians. It does not refer to the building where they meet. One of Paul’s helpers would have travelled to Galatia with this letter. He went to the groups of Christians who lived in the cities and towns in that region. He read this letter aloud to the people. He helped them to understand what Paul wrote. People in each group probably copied the letter. Then they could study it in the future.
‘Kindness’ is the word ‘grace’. It is a gift that God gives. We do not deserve it and we cannot earn it. ‘Grace’ means that God the Father is kind and generous to his children. God helps and protects people. God’s grace (kindness) comes to people by means of Jesus. God gives his people everything that they need for their Christian life.
‘Peace’. In the Hebrew language this word is ‘shalom’. It is a traditional greeting in the Old Testament (Numbers 6:24-26) and among Jewish people today. ‘Peace’ is not just the opposite of war or noise. Peace means that God gives a person a calm spirit. This affects every part of a person’s life and relationships. Nobody can have God’s peace without his grace (kindness).
The false teachers were not genuine Christians. They did not teach that only Jesus Christ could save people. They said that Christians had to obey all the Jewish laws too. When people try to obey the laws, they have to use their own effort. They think that this pleases God. They believe that they have to work hard. They think that then God will accept them. They think that they have to earn God’s love. That is not true. That false message does not give people freedom.
The Christians in Galatia probably did not realise that they were actually refusing Jesus Christ. They just thought that they were adding something to their Christian life. They had not realised that it was a different message. They had not completely refused Jesus at that time. It was not too late to teach them correctly. So Paul wrote very clearly in this letter about the true good news. He explained why the false teachers were wrong. The Christians in Galatia would have realised that Paul was very serious about the situation.
The Christians in Galatia had heard about Paul. Paul did not believe the good news about Jesus before he met Jesus. In fact, Paul hated the people who trusted Jesus. Paul put many Christians into prison. He approved when Stephen died (Acts 7:55-8:3). He wanted to destroy the whole Christian church.
Paul had been a very loyal Jew. He loved the Jewish law. He was extremely eager about it. He studied it so that he knew it properly. The laws are in the first 5 books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). All Jewish boys had to learn and remember many parts of these books. They would regularly repeat aloud what they learned. That helped them to remember everything. The Jewish teachers had made up many extra laws. These were part of the Jewish traditions. Jewish boys learned and studied these traditions too. But Paul was better than other students, even when he was young. He had been more loyal than other Jews. And he had been more eager. So Paul knew the Jewish laws better than the false teachers knew them.
Paul had been very eager that all Jews should obey the Jewish law and traditions. But he had some very strong opinions. Because of these opinions, Paul had done some terrible things. He did not believe in Jesus. So Paul opposed Christians. But he suddenly became a Christian. Paul realised that Jesus was God’s son. Nobody had taught Paul. Only God could make Paul understand the truth. Paul knew that he did not deserve God’s kindness. But God had a special job for Paul to do. God had decided about this job even before Paul was born (compare this with Jeremiah 1:5). God sent Paul to tell the Gentiles about Jesus. ‘Gentiles’ are all the people who are not Jews. Paul knew what God had told him to do. So Paul did not have to ask anyone for advice.
Paul wanted to emphasise again that nobody had taught him about Jesus (verse 12). ‘Apostles’ probably refers to Jesus’ 12 disciples. Paul considered that he was equal with the other apostles. Paul did not meet with them. He did not need them to teach him about Jesus.
Many people in Jerusalem had known Paul before he was a Christian. So, Paul went to two large regions where the Christians did not know him. Paul moved away from the apostles and he worked by himself. The apostles did not send Paul. He did not work with their authority. Paul came from the town called Tarsus, which was in Cilicia. Paul was preaching the good news to Jews in these places. Perhaps Paul even managed to establish new churches there. Only a few years earlier, there had been only one Christian church. That church was in Jerusalem.
Paul had changed completely. The churches in Judea heard reports about Paul. They were pleased to hear what God was doing in Paul’s life. So they praised God because God had changed Paul so much. This is different from the churches in Galatia. They had heard Paul teach the good news about Jesus. But they began to doubt what Paul had taught them.
So... I guess I should repeat what my Sunday School teachers taught me. Paul was writing to the churches over in the area of Southern Turkey. Today there is a lot of news about people from Syria fleeing to Southern Turkey.... so that sets the historical stage.
Apparently there weren't a lot of Messianic Jews in the churches in the area. Paul isn't fighting the circumcision or the food laws. Paul's fighting a heavier notion now. The idea that only God can truly bring grace and peace. We can't earn it.... it's a gift.
That's how I know that so many preachers these days have grown corrupt. I hear preachers all the time saying that "If I will do this... then God will do that" and it generally has to do with money. [i.e.] "If you send me your money... I'll send you this book... and then you will have the knowledge to give you peace".... when a real disciple would say.... "God takes care of the birds.... surely He can care for all your needs."
I'm going to be seventy years old in a couple of weeks. I wake in the middle of the night worried about my kids.... I have to ask God to let me get back to sleep most nights. I can't do anything to make myself stop worrying about my kids.... and believe me... I have tossed and turned and turned and tossed for hours before I finally figured out the solution one night. If I ask God to take care of it.... He will... and then I will have peace.
There are some things humans have no control over..... time... weather.... earthquakes and the rest of the tools God uses to reshape the earth.... other humans... and of course our own thoughts at times.
I went to the doctor's office a few weeks ago. I had to go in the office to get lab work done. This was after the debate about masks started to really kick up. None... not one.... not nary an employee of the medical office..... had on a mask. Now I was upset... worried.... an old woman in a place where sick people go.... with lots of pre-existing crap to attract the virus..... and not one of them was wearing a mask. When the lab tech took my arm... she was less than three feet from me.... without a mask... I had mine on... and I took solace in that.... but I had to blurt it out.... I blurted.... "I am scared to death by the fact that none of you are wearing masks"..... to which she replied.... "mask.... mask.... I don't need a mask.... I've got Jesus".
So what does that have to do with what Paul was talking about? The fake preachers were teaching that the people still needed to be following the 10 commandments and all the other laws the people made because they were terrified of a Sodom like action from God.... when Jesus told us... all that is in the past... now I'm here to speak up for you.... I'll help.... and my Father.... he'll protect you... and give you peace.
I'm saved and I know it because I can be at peace in 2020! Even if it's only for a minute.... it's still a little peace before the next scary thing comes down the pike that is 2020 running over us.
It's about getting peace.....
