Kevin's Kommentary: Galatians Chapter 1

Paul opens his letter to the Galatian church with an affirmation of his identity as an apostle of Christ. He expresses grief that the Galatians have turned from the gospel, and he talks briefly about his own conversion experience.

Galatians 1:1-24

PICTURE

Reminder: Pray to God to set your heart right as you engage His word. The text you are about to study was not written to you but is written for you. So, before applying, we must ask the following questions:

What did it mean to the original reader or original audience?

READ THE SCRIPTURE (Multiple times & translations, and notice the words that stand out)

Biblegateway (NIV, CSB, NLT) (My choice of all-round site. It is a great app, better on computers or on a smartphone)

Biblia.com (New Century Version) (Great on a computer, especially if you have a Logos account)

Summarize the main story: Describe the events and context of the chapter in your own words.

Review and retell the story.

Themes

Topics

Hashtags:

#Hashtags

Topical Bible Search Tool

Kevin's Teaching Blog About Galatians 1

Intro Questions to get us thinking:

OBSERVATIONS (Reflect on the topic and build the concept the writer is trying to communicate to the original audience)

Pericopes and links to deeper study

Chapter Outline:

SECTION OUTLINE ONE (GALATIANS 1)

Paul opens his letter to the Galatian church with an affirmation of his identity as an apostle of Christ. He expresses grief that the Galatians have turned from the gospel, and he talks briefly about his own conversion experience.

I. Paul’s Greetings (1:2–5)

A. To the saints in Galatia (1:2): Paul sends greetings from himself and the Christians he is with.

B. From the Savior in glory (1:3–5)

1. Who died to save us (1:3–4a)

2. Who lives to sanctify us (1:4b–5)

II. Paul’s Grief (1:6–10)

A. The apostle’s concern (1:6–7): He grieves that the Galatians have turned from the gospel of grace to the bondage of the law.

B. The apostle’s curse (1:8–10): He pronounces God’s severe judgment on those who dare pervert the gospel message.

III. Paul’s Gospel Call (1:1, 11–24)

A. The revelation (1:11–12)

1. It is not of man (1:1, 11): The gospel was not compiled by any human authority, reasoning, or logic.

2. It is not from man (1:12): The gospel was communicated to Paul by none other than Jesus Christ.

B. The review (1:13–24)

1. Paul speaks of his pre-conversion activities (1:13–14).

a. His cruelty toward Christianity (1:13): He persecuted Christians.

b. His commitment to Judaism (1:14): As a very religious Jew he followed all the laws and customs.

2. Paul speaks of his post-conversion activities (1:15–24).

a. His choosing by God (1:15–16): He was chosen before he was born, and the Son was revealed to him.

b. His travels from Arabia to Damascus (1:17)

c. His travels from Damascus to Jerusalem (1:18–20): Three years after his conversion, he went to Jerusalem and met with Peter and James, the Lord’s brother, for 15 days.

d. His travels from Jerusalem to Syria and Cilicia (1:21–24)

ebible (NLT) (Best for having Bible sections divided by "pericope" or sections by thought)

Bible Project (NLT) (Helpful videos and instructions for the bigger picture)

Thematic Bible (Books and Chapters Structure)

Bible Hub = Outline, Themes, Topics, People, Locations, and Questions

Phind
Perplexiy
Chatgpt
CoPilot
Aria
Gemini

STUDY RESOURCES (This takes some work, and here are more resources than you can go through completely)

Rhys N. Thomas @ Thomas Theology Hub has written on Galatians.

Going Deeper: Go to the "Pericope" for more specific study.

God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?

Link to More Questions

APPLICATION (God wants us all to arrive at action, life-changing faith)

ESV (English Standard Version) Good translation with some helpful resources.

Biblegateway (CSB, NLT, The Message, ERV, CEV) has some application resources.

Virtual Bible Study

Heartlight (Great for practical application of scripture)

Precept Austin Devotionals

Verse of the Day

Scripture Graphics

Bible.org search site

https://www.openbible.info

I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How can I apply it to my life this week?
What transformative move needs to be made?
You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.

Take Away Challenges

What has the Holy Spirit revealed to you in this passage? How will you apply it to your life this week?
Whom do you know who needs to hear this?
What is God bringing to your attention in this discussion? What beliefs, thoughts, or actions need to be addressed or changed?

PRAYER: In the Name of Jesus.