Galatians

Galatians 1:1-2

Paul began by establishing his standing as an apostle. If his words had only the authority of man, then folks could take what he said or leave it. But if he comes with the word and authority of God, then foks needed to listen up. Paul didn't become an apostle by vote, by council or appointment from some religious body. He became an apostle through Jesus Christ and God the Father. It was a divine appointment. That's important and Paul wants to establish right off the bat that he is speaking to them with an authority that comes from God. This isn't just Paul's opinion or thoughts on a matter. What he is writing carries weight. That weight is the backing of God.

Paul begins by sending greetings from the brethren that are with him. He addressed this to the churches in Galatia. So this letter would be read and passed on to the next church or else copies would be made and sent to the others. Paul addressed all the churches in the region because the problems he was getting ready to address weren't confined to the local fellowship; they were widespread throughout this country and region. He had to get this message out to as many people as possible.

You can imagine how Paul felt, he had started these churches and then these guys came in behind him and suddenly the churches are veering off in the ditch. Paul was trying to see and speak and write to as many people as possible to keep everyone in the gospel truth. It was like herding cats, though. He corrected one place and got them going the right way and someone else would wander off. He'd correct them, then with his back turned, two more were wandering away. It was just a never-ending effort to keep the churches in the truth.

Galatians 1:3-5

The grace and peace greeting was common for Paul. The focus on grace is evident by Paul in that he used this word a hundred times in his New Testament writings. And that grace preceded the peace, this peace refers to a tranquility and it comes from the God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the things Paul is going to bring before the Galatians is the centrality of the cross. Grace and peace didn't come by way of keeping the law. It came by the cross when Christ gave Himself for our sins. And Jesus did this work on the cross to deliver us from the present evil age. The age was presently evil because there was a specific, active and very real work of Satan to bring men to destruction. That work continues today in our present evil, the evil we live in and work in every day.

The foundation of that present evil work hasn't changed all that much since Paul's time. This is one of those amazing little facts that keep coming up as you study the bible. Sin and evil are the same as they were a few thousand years. We've advanced in many ways but the hearts of man are still deceitful and wicked and full of sin. The work of Satan to lead men into sin by temptation is as alive and prominent now as it's ever been. Satan is in the business of leading people to hell and business is good in this present evil age.

Now, for us the work of Satan looks different on the surface, but it's underlying root is the same. Satan's started in the garden by calling the word of God into question and casting doubt and making accusations. In Galatia Satan was attacking the cross as a means of salvation. That same thing continues today in so many ways right under our noses and right before our eyes. Look at any movement or person or thing that uses the name of Christianity and ask yourself if it is centered around the cross. There are a lot of prominent movements in the world today that sound religious, they sound Christian but they are not centered around the cross. In fact some flat deny the cross completely.

Galatians 1:6-7
Even in his letter to the worldly Corinthians Paul had something nice to say to them before he got down to business. In fact, to all the other churches he wrote to he offered praises and thanksgivings. But those praises and thanksgivings are missing here; no accolades, no acknowledgement of anything. You have to wonder if the Galatians were doing anything right. Paul just jumped right in and got to the point. I think this speaks to the gravity of the situation; it should speak to us of the importance of pure gospel message and the centrality of the cross. Paul was amazed at how fast they had turned away from the truth to chase after something else. He had no time for niceties or chit-chat, this was a grave situation.

Paul had come through their region and preached the gospel to them. They received Christ and formed a fellowship that grew into churches. Then at that beginning of the 2^nd journey he went through to check on these churches. In just a short time after they had received the gospel of Jesus Christ they had turned away from grace. That's what turning from Christ is, turning from grace.

They were turning to a different gospel that wasn't a gospel at all; it wasn't good news. They turned to something other than the gospel to law and works that were being taught by men. These teachings weren't even original. This gospel that these men brought didn't offer salvation from some other god or some other gospel. They didn't bring anything new. These guys brought a sample of what Satan is very good at, they brought a counterfeit message.

Satan is good at fooling us with counterfeits. His counterfeits look real, they sound authentic and right. They make you feel better sometimes, at least for a while. But in the end they lead to destruction. Jude said men like this were spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; ¹³ raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

These men brought a counterfeit gospel, it was a perversion of the real gospel. They used the language and thoughts of the real gospel and then added to it, changing it and perverting it, making something of it other than its real authentic purpose and meaning. These men bringing these false teachings were bringing trouble on the Galatians and they didn't recognize it.

Galatians 1:8-9

This wasn't a contest of the will or strength of men and their teachings. Paul didn't offer his gospel and then get offended when they paid attention to the gospel of the next guy to come along. It wasn't Paul's gospel, it was the gospel of Jesus Christ. This gospel originated in the being of the eternal God. From the beginning of time, it was in God's plan.

The message these other men brought, and more importantly, any message brought by the will of men that is not the gospel, should be disregarded. If you remember Paul had to tell the Corinthians the same thing. If you look at 2 Corinthians 11 you'll see a similar warning. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it! Paul was worried about the deception of these false messages.

The Corinthians were similarly warned about the teaching of another Jesus, another Spirit or another gospel. All these things look similar to the real Jesus, the real Spirit and the real gospel. Just like any counterfeit, it will be difficult to detect. These people that wanted the Galatians to put aside the gospel and receive their message weren't apostles, they weren't their friends. They weren't there for their spiritual wellbeing and they weren't there to bring glory to God.

Paul goes so far as to say, anyone preaching another gospel other than the Gospel of Christ is to be accursed. The Greek word is anathema; a thing devoted to God without hope of being redeemed. That is eternal damnation, sent to hell. So we can see this is serious business. In fact, it couldn't be any more serious. For that reason and with that emphasis, Paul repeated the curse.

We aren't too compromise with them. We don't need to join forces with them. In fact, we shouldn't be linked up to them in any way. Their work is evil, they are leading people away from the cross.

Just like these things were common between Corinthians and Galatia, they are also common to us. The teachings are slightly different. The players are different, in many ways the deception is greater because they are packaged and promoted in such a slick way. They are so sincere, they sound religious, their words may even make you feel good. That's when the deception starts sneaking in. You can't let down your guard.

Galatians 1:10

It's implied that you can't have it both ways. You can't give a gospel that pleases men and God. Paul wasn't giving a gospel that was designed to persuade men or woo them to the faith. He was simply presenting the gospel truth as a bondservant of Christ. The implication is these other teachers had devised a gospel that was persuasive to me. It was designed to be appealing to some.

The gospel Paul taught that was given to him by Christ said you are sinful in nature and there is no good found in you. That is offensive to the pride of man. The message of the false teachers said that you were basically good, you were just needed to be polished up. That's the same false message taught all over today.

In addition to not having any good in you, Paul added that you can do nothing to save yourself and you need a savior. This is another bruise to the pride of man. We want some credit, in fact, we want all the credit. The false teachers responded by offering man a list of works. They said, you can be saved if you perform these works; do this and that. And in our natural fallen state, that pleases men because they could be in control of that. Men will perform the list of works, take credit for what they've accomplished and find comfort in their religious act.

The gospel Paul taught said there was no good in us and that we can't save our self and we are in desperate need of a savior. He then went on to offend the wisdom of a fallen man by asking him to believe the foolishness of the cross. The cross was offensive and a tool for torture and wasn't spoken about in polite company. Now, with Paul's gospel presentation, he asked them to put their faith in this one who was nailed to a cross. That made no sense. Paul's argument might well have been, it's so zany sounding it must be authentic because if you were trying to please men, you would come up with something more palatable than this gospel message. The other gospel that wasn't a gospel at all had a list of rules to keep, it was keeping the law. That's more acceptable to us because we control it; we know the rules. We do this and we get that.

The gospel says, you did nothing; He did it for you. Let go of your striving for God, accept what he did. Find your salvation in the work of the cross; the blood shed for you and then serve a resurrected savior. The false gospel and all the goofy teachers of the world, both then and now, would tell you, "It's about you." It's about making you happy, pleasing you, providing for you every whim and desire. It's about what you think, what you decide, who you are and how much you have. Christianity says, it's not about you, it's about Jesus Christ. Yet, Christ loved us so much that he paid the price for our sin and redeemed us.

Galatians 1:11-12
It wasn't Paul's gospel, it was the gospel of Jesus Christ that came to him through revelation. The word revelation there is apocalypse. It means laid bare, or unveiled. This gospel was revealed and laid out before Paul. He had no input into it. It had nothing whatsoever to do with him. He was strictly the messenger of that gospel; the one chosen to deliver it. It it had been adjusted by Paul, added to, spiced up or modified in any way; then the churches would have had every right and responsibility to question it. It, too, would be a perverted gospel.

Paul points to the authentic gsopel, the pure gospel of Jesus Christ. A few chapters back in Corinthians we talked about the Corinthians being in Paul's lane; in the race set before him. This revelation was the start line of Paul's lane; it was the origin and the reason for the race. The gospel put Paul in the starting blocks and the lane to run with perseverance the race set before him. This is true with the churches in Galatia. Paul wants them to see this. It is true with believers and churches today. I want you to see and understand this.

The unstated contrast to this gospel revealed by Christ, is the false gospel that was created by men and received from men. There was no apocalypse. no revelation, at least not from Christ. This gospel put one in bondage, removed them from sonship and stole the priveleges of the relationship available to each.

The gospel message Paul delivered said, we can't save our self and we need a savior. Our answer was found in one place and that was the work Jesus did on the cross. Then, not only did He die on the cross but there was a confirmation of our hope in the display of the power over death. Jesus rose from the dead. By faith we can receive this good news; by faith we can believe He died for us; by faith we receive our forgivenes. We are justified by the completed work of Jesus Christ. Then we are adopted and receive priveleges that come with this new status. Does all this happen because we deserve it? No!! It happens by grace; in spite of what we deserve.

Think about it this way, this might be like Paul offering a parachute to everyone on board a plane as he told everyone on board that engine failure was inevitable. "It's just a matter of time, the plane is going down!" Paul would urge men to take a parachute and put it on. Cinch it down tight and hang on. He would encourage folks to accept this offer now because once the engine failed it would be too late.

Quickly somone would respond, saying, "The engines are fine, we won't have any trouble. Paul's just one of the right-wing fanatics. Don't listen to him. Relax, eat, drink and be merry; enjoy your flight."

Another passenger agrees and says, "Besides the parachutes are uncomfortable. They're too restrictive and they interfere with my flight. They pinch a little." Most of the passengers of this flight agree they want their freedom and comfort above all else. Their faith is in the pilot whom they believe shouldn't allow anything to disrupt their comfort.

At least one person thinks, "Yea, and besides if I have any trouble I can wait till right before we hit the ground and I'll jump out and flap my arms really fast." And others might agree with this plan. In their agreement they found company and said, "After all, there has to be more than one way. What kind of arrogance would it be to say there is only one way to survive?" Their agreement became a source of comfort; their faith and insurance policy. They can now continue on in the journey without any of the discomfort of a parachute. They can do whatever they want and if the engines fail, they're convince they have a plan. They'll put their hope in the pilot or they'll flap their arms really fast with the intention of saving themselves.

What's sad is, while that plane is going down those folks will remember the offer of the parachute. There was no doubt the parachute had the ability to save them. And at some point…..on the way down……. They will know that flapping their arms was meaningless and merely a plan that gave them false hope. Their body will perish, and they will step into eternity apart from God; their determination to live their own way will destine them to an eternity of punishment for their sin.

Galatians 1:13-14

Paul changes the angle of his argument here. He reminds the Galatians that he was a well known Pharisee. He was an up and comer among the Pharisees; making a career of persecuting Christians. Not just doing so when the opportunity presented itself, he was energetically pursuing it. It was a career.

Paul was all about the law at that time. He studied it, promoted it, lived it and persecuted those that didn't agree with it. He thought it was the truth………

Galatians 1:15-17

Paul said he was separated from his mother's womb. The word used for separated was similar to how the Pharisees saw themselves. They said they were separated or set apart for God. But, Paul said, he was really set apart now. It had nothing to do with the religious upbringing in Judaism. It had everything to do with the grace of God because God revealed his Son to Paul when it pleased God. It wasn't on Paul's time, it wasn't his decision. It was merely the act of grace from the God of grace. It was unmerited favor on the life of Paul, Granted in God's perfect sovereign timing.

So Paul was brought the gospel and then called to preach it to the gentiles. Here is a man that looked at gentiles as dogs and considered Christians only worthy of torture and death. Now he was a Christian and called to bring the same message that saved him to the gentiles he used to despise. Paul said he didn't confer with flesh and blood. He was saved and called but he didn't go hang out with other Christians or the other apostles to learn the gospel and learn about Christ. Instead he went to the Arabia. From there the gospel was revealed to him first hand by Jesus himself. There is authenticity in Paul's testimony. No one in their right mind would trade Paul's prior life for his life as an apostle unless something was driving it; unless he had a new heart and a new set of priorities. Only a heart and mind with an eternal perspective would give up so much within the world. This is amazing. The testimony brought validity to the message and glorified God.

Galatians 1:18-19
This is after 3 years in Arabia Paul returned to Damascus. Then he went to visit Peter and later James. This was three years after he had become a Christian. Paul is just making the point that he didn't run to the leaders of the faith in Jerusalem to learn what to teach. He learned it by revelation from Christ, and then he went and met Peter and James.

Galatians 1:20

There was an apparent accusation from these Jewish legalist that Paul was lying about his testimony and his calling as an apostle. They were calling into question the validity of his experience. Paul is merely stating that before the eyes of God he testifies that he doesn't lie.

Galatians 1:21-24

After Paul had received the gospel and after his 3 years in the Arabia, he went to Syria and Cilicia. This area is also where Paul's home town of Tarsus is located. Paul preached in that region for several years. In fact word reached Jerusalem of a revival going on there. They sent Barnabas to investigate. See Acts 11.

God had taken this man who had persecuted the church and put him to work preaching the gospel. And the people of Judea, including the leaders of the church in Jerusalem didn't know who Paul was all they knew him by was his reputation. "He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy." The leaders of the church glorified God in Paul. They recognized the move of God in the life of Paul.

That's Paul's entire purpose in bringing this before them. Paul wasn't a manmade preacher, prepped and schooled and polished and then sent out by the leaders of the faith. No, Paul was called by Christ himself. The other apostles and leaders of the church in Jerusalem knew nothing about him for a long time.

In saying these things, Paul is essentially asking these Judaizers where they came from. Did they receive their message from the Lord or from men? Could the leaders of their faith have swayed or persuaded their message in any way? Was it changed to become pleasing to men? Were they trying to grow a following instead of see people make peace with God?

This is the beginning of Paul's effort to get the Galatians to hold onto the Grace. The law brought us all to the understanding that we need a savior. Now, Paul urges them not to return to the law. In his effort to convince them he gave his testimony as one who formerly persecuted men of the church. Now he promoted that saving grace and the church. He gave his testimony as a believer, telling of what God did by grace, through Christ, for the glory of God.

Then he gave his testimony as an apostle who was given a message directly by the Lord. Paul more or less said, this is a God thing, not a man thing.

©2017 Doug Ford