Have you ever "opposed" a boss? What was the outcome?
DIG:
In the past, God had dramatically led Peter to break Jewish custom by fellowshipping and eating with Gentiles (Acts 11:1-18). What causes Peter to reverse course now?
How quickly would you stand up and rebuke the leader of the church (Galatians 2:14)? What does this incident say about the need for accountability among believers?
In the Christian life, what dies and what gets resurrected (Galatians 2:19-20)? How is that made possible?
According to Galatians 2:21, if you can be in right standing with God through your own efforts-for example, by being a "good person"-what did Christ die for?
REFLECT:
When are you guilty of double standards? How do you communicate-probably by example-"Do as I say, not as I do"?
How would you explain Galatians 2:16 to a non-Christian, particularly one with high moral standards?
Applying the spiritual concept of Galatians 2:20, who is "alive" in your life right now-"I," or "Christ in me"?
If you are a self-made person who likes to see everyone pay their own way, how does this Gospel of undeserved grace strike you?
Paul’s
Rebuke To Peter,
2:11-14
Synopsis:
Paul teaches he did
not receive anything from the apostles in Jerusalem; however, Paul
rebuked Peter at Antioch for his inconsistent actions. Peter
separated himself from eating with the Gentile Christians after he
had earlier eaten with them.
11
But when Cephas came to Antioch, I resisted him to the face, because
hestood
condemned.
Paul
has shown that he did not get the gospel from men. Paul
received the gospel directly from Jesus Christ. Paul stood on
equal ground with the other apostles. Here Paul related he
rebuked Peter when Peter acted contrary to the teachings of the
gospel. This certainly proved Peter was not the Pope. Paul did
not say when or why Peter came to Antioch. Peter was in Antioch
long enough for his behavior to be clearly seen. Paul
confronted Peter to his face, not behind his back, as Paul’s
accusers had done. Peter stood condemned means he was
clearly wrong in his actions.
12
For before that certain came from James, he ate with the Gentiles;
but when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing them
that were of the circumcision.
When
Peter came to Antioch, he ate with the Gentiles. Peter knew
this was right (Acts 10:11-16; 11:3, 4, 12). When certain came
from James, Peter withdrew and would not eat with the Gentiles. He
ate only with the Jews. It is not likely James had sent these
men in view of Acts 15:19, 24; however, they claimed to be from
James. They were Jewish Christians who still insisted
Christians must live by the customs of the Jews that forbade eating
with the Gentiles. Peter knew better; however, fearing these
men’s criticisms, he quit eating with the Gentiles.
13
And the rest of the Jews dissembled likewise with him; inasmuch that
even Barnabas was carried away with their dissimulation.
Peter’s
example soon extended to other Jewish Christians. Even Barnabas
quit eating with the Gentiles. Paul calls this dissimulation.
Dissimulation means to hide one’s feelings by pretense.
This was hypocrisy. They were pretending they believed one
principle, when in reality they believed another. If one cannot
eat with his brother in Christ, there is not full fellowship. This
would mean there was second class citizenship in the kingdom.
This was contrary to God’s word (Galatians 3:28-29).
14
But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truthof the gospel, I said unto
Cephas before them all, If thou being a Jew,livest as do the
Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, how compellest thou the Gentiles to
live as do the Jews?
The
issue was not one of opinion. Peter was not walking uprightly
according to the truth. He had sinned. Paul rebuked Peter
before them all. There were others in this dissimulation
besides Peter - some Jewish Christians and Barnabas. Paul
showed Peter and the others their inconsistency. They lived
like Gentiles; however, they demanded the Gentiles live like the Jews
in order to have full fellowship. This would have required
circumcision and the keeping of the law of Moses. This would
have been a perverted gospel. One must not add to the gospel or take
away from the gospel (Galatians 1:8-9). Peter was playing right
into the hands of the Judaizing teachers. He knew better.
Justification And Union
With Christ By Faith,
2:15-21
Synopsis:
A man is not
justified by works of the law, but by faith in Christ Jesus. Paul
died to the law that he might live to God. If the law of Moses
was the savior of mankind from their sins, Christ died in vain.
15
We being Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
Paul
continued to speak to Peter and the Jewish Christians in Antioch.
At the same time, Paul entered into the discussion with the
Christians of Galatia. He used this terminology to show
they had a wonderful opportunity to know the difference between the
law and the gospel. They needed to know this. Paul classified
himself with Peter and the other Jewish Christians. They were Jews by
nature and not Gentile dogs. Being Jews they did not commit the
grosser sins characterized by heathen Gentiles.
16
yet know that a man is not justified by the works of the law but
throughfaith in
Jesus Christ, even we believed on Christ Jesus, that we might be
justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law:
because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Paul
quoted Psalm 143:2 to prove what they believed was right. No one
could be justified by the law of Moses. This was the reason the
Galatians turned from the works of the law to faith in Christ Jesus.
Justified means one was forgiven of his sins and treated by
God as if he had never sinned. The law of Moses was a works system.
The frustration of the law was that no one could earn salvation.
Man needed a Savior. Paul and the other Jews acknowledged this
when they turned from the law to Christ and obeyed the gospel.
17
But if, while we sought to be justified in Christ, we ourselves also
were found sinners, is Christ a minister of sin? God forbid.
The
Jews turned from the law of Moses to follow Jesus Christ in order to
have a right relationship with God. If they found justification
was not in Christ, do they make Christ a minister of sin? By
turning back to the law or imposing the law of Moses upon Christians,
the false teachers were teaching Christ alone couldn’t save;
therefore, he was a minister of sin. To this statement, Paul
replied God forbid! - A thousand times no! Christ alone saves.
No other system was needed. Men are saved by Christ alone (John 14:6;
Acts 4:12). Only the gospel is needed.
18
For if I build up again those things which I destroyed, I prove
myself a transgressor.
Paul
changed to the first person to drive his point home. Those
things which I destroyed refers to the law of Moses. Paul
stated that if he turned back to the law of Moses to find
justification, he would find himself separated from God for two
reasons. First, the law of Moses cannot forgive sins. The
law of Moses only pointed what sin is. Second, one could be
justified only by the blood of Christ (Romans 5:9). If one turned
from the blood of Christ, he was a sinner.
19
For I through the law died unto the law, that I might live unto God.
Paul
sought to live under the law and came to the realization that the law
of Moses could not save him. The law of Moses showed him as separated
from God (Romans 7). The law served as a schoolmaster to bring him to
Christ (Galatians 3:24). The law separated him from God. When
Paul realized he was separated from God, he turned to Jesus Christ
and was separated from the law - died to the law. When he
obeyed the gospel of Christ, he did it so he might live for God.
Negatively to live for God means no longer living for self.
Positively living for God means living as God wanted one to live in
accordance with his will and for his glory (I Corinthians 10:31).
20
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live,
but Christ liveth in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh
I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me
and gave himself up for me.
Paul
once sought to attain salvation by the works of the law of Moses;
however, that part of him had been crucified with Christ. It
had been put to death. Paul no longer sought to live by
himself, but by Christ who lived in him. Paul declared Christ
lived in him through faith as Paul believed in Christ, trusted in him
and obeyed his word. Christ was the Son of God who loved Paul
and gave himself up for Paul (I Corinthians 15:3).
21
I do not make void the grace of God: for if righteousness is through
the law, then Christ died for nought.
Since
Paul trusted in Jesus and obeyed his word, he was not making void the
grace of Christ. He would be making void the grace of Christ if
he sought to be saved by the works of the law. This would mean
Christ had died in vain. He was saying, Peter, your course of
action leads one to the conclusion Christ died in vain. This is true
of anyone who seeks to save himself by good works.
Paul Confronts Peter (Galatians 2) – Mike Mazzalongo | BibleTalk.tv
Paul goes into detail describing the core idea of the gospel message, that we are saved by a system of faith and not by a system of law which the false teachers were promoting. (Galatians 2:11-21)
Paul’s
Apostleship Recognized In Jerusalem,
2:1-10
Synopsis:
Fourteen years
after the first Jerusalem visit, Paul went to Jerusalem and took
Barnabas and Titus with him. He met privately with the leaders of the
church. He told them what he had been preaching. The apostles
and elders of the church in Jerusalem gave Paul and Barnabas the
right hand of fellowship. Titus, who was a Greek, was not
compelled to be circumcised. There was no yielding to those who
would pervert the gospel. It was agreed Paul should go to the
Gentiles with the gospel. They urged Paul to remember the poor,
which he readily agreed to do.
Situation
The non-Jewish Galatians had put their faith in Christ, but were subsequently being told that they must adhere to Jewish laws to insure God’s approval. Paul has admonished the Galatians for turning away from the truth of the gospel. The truth they originally embraced, and then rejected, came from his lips! So Paul pointed out in chapter 1 that he got this truth from God Himself, not from human authorities. To underscore the authority of his message, Paul describes his contacts with those in the early church recognized as authorities. (LCS, 37)
Central Idea
Paul steadfastly defends the freedoms found in Christ by establishing the authority for the gospel he preaches and his calling as an apostle. When confronted by false teachers, Paul did not give in.
What We Learn About James, Peter, and John in Galatians
Peter, an apostle in Jerusalem, and James, the Lord’s brother, met Paul three years after Paul’s conversion (1:18-19). Peter is the preacher and apostle to the Jews (2:7-8). James, Peter, and John are pillars of the church (2:9). Peter came to Antioch and erroneously withdrew from Gentile Christians; his hypocrisy drew others into error with him (3:11-13). Peter was confronted by Paul on his hypocritical view (3:14f.).
Introduction(s)
WBC (61) – In his account of his [second] visit to Jerusalem after becoming a Christian, Paul lays emphasis on the following points (1) that there are no gaps in his narration of visits to Jerusalem, contrary to what the Judaizers of Galatia might have claimed; (2) that it was not until fourteen years after his conversion that he met with the body of apostles and leaders at Jerusalem, which hardly supports any claim for his dependence on them; (3) that his going to Jerusalem was in response to a divine revelation, not at the request of the Jerusalem apostles or to submit himself to them; (4) that the Jerusalem apostles accepted the validity of his Gentile mission, viewing it as parallel to their own Jewish mission; and (5) that the Jerusalem apostles asked only that the needs and circumstances of the Jerusalem church be kept in mind in any outreach to Gentiles. As Paul saw it, the “false brothers” of Jerusalem and the Judaizers of Galatia had the same agenda and a similar program, and so his addressees could learn from how he handled the former as to how they ought to respond to the latter. In both cases, however, their assertions were invalid. For though there were, indeed, differences between Paul and the Jerusalem apostles, principally as to the logistics of their respective missions, they were at one in the essentials of the gospel.
NICNT (104) – The events of Paul’s second post-conversion visit to Jerusalem, like the events of his life both before and after his call by God, substantiate his claim that he received both his gospel and his apostleship directly from the risen Lord. If the earlier set of events supports this by showing that there was never a time when he was in a position to have derived his gospel and apostolic commission from the Jerusalem leaders, the events of the second visit support it by showing the full recognition given by those leaders to the gospel and apostolic office which already were his prior to the meeting of the two... A third major support will be furnished by the Antioch incident (2:11-21).
NBC – There is good reason to believe that Paul is responding to a charge from the Judaizers that may have gone something like this: ‘Paul at one point in his ministry was required to attend a meeting in Jerusalem, submit in private to the Three (James, Peter and John), and agree to obey their instructions, as is proven by his willingness to collect funds for the Christians in Judea.’ If so, Paul may be dealing with this incident, not because he feels some obligation to record every contact he had with the Jerusalem apostles …, but rather because his opponents had brought it up and misused it. In other words, Paul needs to set the record straight.
Inspiration
Christians … need to understand that there can be differences among true believers, and that such differences—particularly when involving differing understandings of redemptive logistics or differences of culture—need not tear us apart. Indeed, where there exists a basic agreement in the essentials of the gospel, Gal 2:1–10 sets before us a prototype of mutual recognition and concern for one another, despite our differences. It teaches us, in fact, something of how to distinguish between things that really matter and things of lesser importance…, where to stand firm and where to concede, and even when to defy people and pressures and when to shake hands and reciprocate with expressions of mutual concern. (WBC, 62)
OPEN:
Are you the type of person who usually "goes with the crowd" or "does your own thing"?
DIG:
The "false brothers" had caused some believers to become "slaves" (Galatians 2:4). To what?
What was the outcome of this meeting? What did the leaders add to Paul's message (Galatians 2:6)?
What did the spiritual "pillars" of the Jerusalem church recognize about Paul (Galatians 2:9)?
How is grace the critical issue of Galatians, and this passage in particular?
How does caring for the poor (Galatians 2:10) relate to proclaiming the Gospel of grace?
REFLECT:
How do you feel when your beliefs are contrary to popular opinion? On what issue do you need to stand alone? How much was at stake for Paul, and for you now?
Text
Notes, Applications,
and Questions
1
Then after the space of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem
with Barnabas taking Titus also with me.
Paul
has already shown that his apostleship came from Jesus, not men; he
proved his apostleship was fully endorsed by the other apostles.
Fourteen
years
(1)
The “fourteen years” here probably refers to his previous
visit to Jerusalem, about three years after his conversion; if the
Council met around A.D. 48, Paul’s conversion may have occurred
around A.D. 31, within perhaps a year of Jesus’ resurrection. (BBC,
522) It
is possible, though not certain, that Paul here means fourteen years
after his first visit; but he could mean fourteen years after his
conversion. Either way represents a considerable lapse of time. …
There is no question about the gospel that he preaches being fully
developed. (TNTC, 99)
Paul referred to the trip to Jerusalem fourteen years after he was
converted. This was the same trip that was described in Acts
15. Paul did not say he went up the second time to Jerusalem.
He said I went up again. This expression allowed the
second visit which was recorded in Acts 11:30. The purpose of
the second visit was to take help to the needy saints in Jerusalem.
The purpose of the third visit was to settle the problem of
circumcision and the binding of the law of Moses on the Gentile
converts (Acts 15). The visit Paul described here agreed with
Acts 15 both in purpose and in the chronology of Paul’s life.
Paul took Barnabas with him (Acts 15:2). This trip to Jerusalem
was after the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas. They
returned to Antioch to report to the church at the close of the first
missionary journey. Paul took Titus to Jerusalem as the
statement “and certain others of them” in Acts 15:2
allows. For some reason Titus was never mentioned in Acts
though other references show he was with Paul at various times (II
Corinthians 2:13; 7:6, 13, 14; 8:6, 16, 23; 12:18; II Timothy 4:10;
Titus 1:4). Titus was a Greek. He had no Jewish blood.
Titus was a test case as to whether circumcision would be bound upon
him and all Gentiles. Paul had the gospel by revelation from
Jesus; however, it was important for the cause of Christ for the
church to know the apostles were in full agreement on this point.
2
And I went up by revelation; and I laid before them the gospel which
I preach among the Gentiles but privately before them who were of
repute, lest by any means I should be running, or had run, in vain.
Acts
15:2 states the church in Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas to
Jerusalem. In addition, Paul received a revelation from the Lord to
go up to Jerusalem. This revelation was not recorded in Acts 15.
How this revelation was made to Paul was not given; however, Paul
brought the revelation from Jesus to their attention to show it was
the Lord’s will for him to go to Jerusalem at this time. When
Paul arrived in Jerusalem, he met with the leaders of the church and
the apostles. Paul presented the gospel he had been preaching
(Acts 15:4, 12). Paul preached salvation was given to all men through
the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Anyone who
believed and obeyed the gospel would be saved. It was not
necessary to be circumcised or to obey the law of Moses. Them
who were of repute referred to Peter, James and John. Paul was
not putting down the leaders of the church in Jerusalem. He
used the language of those who opposed him and were accustomed to
quote them in this way. Paul compared what he preached with
what the apostles preached. Both Paul and the apostles had
received their revelation from the Lord. There was only one
truth, one gospel (Ephesians 4:5). They were in full
agreement. All men need to learn this lesson today.
3
But not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to
be circumcised:
Paul
took Titus with him as a test case. Titus was a Gentile.
Paul believed Titus should not be circumcised. To demand
circumcision for Titus would be to bind the law of Moses to the
gospel and thus pervert the gospel. The apostles and elders agreed
with Paul. The law had been "nailed" to the cross.
The law of Moses is not binding in the Christian age (Colossians
2:14-17). One must believe and obey the gospel to be saved.
One does not have to keep the law of Moses in addition to the gospel
to be saved. The law must not be bound upon Christians.
4
and that because of the false brethren privately brought in, who came
in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that
they might bring us into bondage:
The
only ones who attempted to have Titus circumcised were the Judaizing
teachers whom Paul referred to as false brethren because they had
added to the gospel. It was the purpose of the Judaizing
teachers to bind the law of Moses on Christians and thus make an
unbearable bondage (Acts 15:10).
5
to whom we gave place in the way of subjection, no, not for an hour;
that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
Paul
did not yield to the pressure of the Judaizing teachers at any time
during his stay in Jerusalem. If Paul had yielded, he would have
compromised the truth. Paul wanted the truth of the gospel to
remain in its purity. The gospel must remain pure to be
effective. The same principle is true today.
6
But from those who were reputed to be somewhat (whatsoever they were,it maketh no matter of me:
God accepteth not man’s person) - they, I say, who were of repute
imparted nothing to me:
The
leaders of the church in Jerusalem did not give Paul any new truth or
seek to impose any thing else on him. The elders and apostles were in
full agreement with the gospel that he preached. Paul referred to
those who were reputed to be somewhat. Peter,
James and John did not make this claim; however, the Judaizing
teachers used this language to put Paul down. Paul did not accept
their insinuations.
7
but contrariwise, when they saw that I had been invested with the
gospel of the uncircumcision, even as Peter with the gospel of the
circumcision
When
Paul related what he and Barnabas had been preaching to the Gentiles
and the signs which God performed (Acts 15:4, 12), the leaders and
the church in Jerusalem realized that Paul was an apostle
commissioned to take the gospel to the Gentiles just as Peter was
commissioned to take the gospel to the Jews. Paul and the other
apostles stood on equal ground with the same gospel.
8
(for he that wrought for Peter unto the apostleship of the
circumcision wrought for me also unto the Gentiles):
There
was one God, one Lord and one gospel (Ephesians 4-6). God was
working through both Peter and Paul to reach both the Jews and the
Gentiles.
9
and when they perceived the grace that was given unto me, James and
Cephas and John, they who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and
Barnabas the right hands of fellowship, that we should go unto the
Gentiles, and they unto the circumcision;
When
Peter, James and John realized God was working through Paul in the
same way he was working through them with exactly the same gospel,
they gave Paul and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship. "Clasped
right hands" was the sign of friendship and trust. It was
a sign of mutual agreement and acknowledgment that was a staggering
blow to the Judaizers and a vote of confidence for Paul. The
leaders of the church in Jerusalem recognized Paul was preaching the
same gospel they preached. That Paul would preach to the
Gentiles was a matter of priority, not of exclusiveness. Paul
still went to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles (Romans 1:16).
Peter, James and John preached to the Gentiles as well as to the
Jews.
10
only they would that we should remember the poor; which very thing I
was also zealous to do.
The
leaders and the church in Jerusalem and Paul were agreed and united.
They urged Paul to continue to remember the poor. Paul had
brought a contribution to the poor on his second visit to Jerusalem
(Acts 11:27-30). Paul was eager to remember the poor. This
epistle was written on the second missionary journey. Paul remembered
the poor by collecting a contribution to take to the poor saints in
Jerusalem on the third missionary journey (Romans 15:26, 27; Acts
24:16; II Corinthians 8 and 9). The teachings of Jesus
emphasized helping the poor (Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:36; Luke 21:1-4;
John 13:29; Galatians 6:2). II Corinthians 8:9 is a great
passage on this virtue.
Paul writes about his second trip to Jerusalem and about his rebuke of Peter.
Galatians 2:1-21
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.
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 TWO (GALATIANS 2)
Paul writes about his second trip to Jerusalem and about his rebuke of Peter.
I. The Reception of Paul in Jerusalem (2:1–10): Paul, accompanied by Barnabas and Titus, visited Jerusalem for a second time, 14 years after his first visit.
A. The reason for the visit (2:1–2): It was to confer with the Christian leaders there concerning Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles.
B. The results of their visit (2:3–10)
1. Paul and the leaders (2:3, 6–10)
a. The leaders agreed with Paul that Titus should not be circumcised (2:3).
b. The leaders accepted Paul as a coworker (2:6–10).
2. Paul and the legalizers (2:4–5): They made an unsuccessful attempt to push their legalism upon him.
II. The Rebuke by Paul in Antioch (2:11–21)
A. The need for Paul’s rebuke (2:11–13): Peter was refusing to fellowship with saved but uncircumcised Gentiles.
B. The nature of Paul’s rebuke (2:14–21)
1. The contents (2:14–18): He reminded Peter that it is faith, not circumcision, that saves both Jews and Gentiles.
2. The conclusion (2:19–21)
a. All believers have been crucified with Christ (2:19–20a).
b. All believers are to live by the faith of the indwelling Christ (2:20b–21).
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Although there is no consensus on the matter, it appears that while Paul and Barnabas were in Antioch, Paul may have written his letter to the Galatian Christians, among whom he and Barnabas had worked during their recent travels to Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. If this assumption is correct, the letter would have been written about A.D. 50, shortly following the Jerusalem conference. The subject of Paul's letter parallels that of the conference itself, which pertained to the problems created by those Jewish Christians who were insisting that Gentile converts submit to the rite of circumcision and observe other rituals to which the Jews were accustomed. Again, the real issue is undoubtedly the contention by the Judaizers that Christians should be required to continue obeying the Law of Moses. In his letter, Paul strongly defends the Christian's freedom from the law, and proclaims the new covenant relationship which Christians have through God's grace.
Paul begins this letter by defending his own apostleship, which apparently has been questioned by the Judaizers in Galatia in their attempt to discredit Paul's teaching. The main thrust of his defense is that he did not receive his gospel from the other apostles. As proof, he carefully outlines his limited contact with the apostles in Jerusalem. (The one contact to which Paul makes no reference is his brief trip to Jerusalem to deliver the gift from the brethren in Antioch.) Paul urges that, as a specially chosen apostle, he received directly from God the good news of freedom in Christ.
INTRODUCTION
AUTHORSHIP
Paul
is the author of the epistle of Galatians (Galatians 1:1). The
early church was unanimous in its teaching that Paul was the author
of this epistle. Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian all
agree Paul wrote this epistle.
DATE OF WRITING
This
epistle is the most difficult to date of all of Paul’s epistles.
The suggested dates range from A.D. 49 to A.D. 63. There is not much
internal evidence to date the epistle.
The most crucial factor in dating the letter to the Galatians is the relationship between the journey of Paul to Jerusalem mentioned in Gal. 2:1 and the Jerusalem Council mentioned in Acts 15 (see “Conference in Jerusalem” at Acts 15:1). If the decision of the council in Acts 15 had been common knowledge when the letter was written, Paul would surely have used the council’s decision in defense of Gentile freedom and especially in his rebuke of Peter (Gal. 2:11–13). It is, therefore, possible that Galatians is Paul’s earliest letter, and was written by A.D. 49 just prior to the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15. Those who associate Paul’s account in Gal. 2:1–10 with the Jerusalem visit mentioned in Acts 18:22 date this letter to about A.D. 53, and thus after the Thessalonian letters.
In studying the epistle
of Galatians and the life of Paul, it would appear Paul wrote the
epistle of Galatians on his second missionary journey. If this
is so, it would have been written around A.D. 52. One must not be
dogmatic in dating this epistle.
PLACE OF WRITING
Since
the exact time of the writing of the epistle to the Galatians is
uncertain, it is difficult to determine the place from where it was
written. If it were written on Paul’s second missionary
journey, it may have been written from Corinth after Paul had written
First and Second Thessalonians.
PURPOSE OF WRITING
Judaizing
teachers were in the churches in Galatia. The Judaizing
teachers were Jewish Christians who taught that Gentile Christians
needed to be circumcised and to keep the law of Moses in addition to
the Christian teachings. After the first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas had gone to Jerusalem and discussed this issue with
the elders of the church in Jerusalem and the twelve apostles (Acts
15). Paul understood that the law of Moses had been "nailed"
to the cross and taken out of the way (Colossians 2:14-17).
Christians are no longer under the law of Moses. They are not
required to be circumcised or to keep the ordinances of the law.
Paul reported at the Jerusalem conference that they had converted
many Gentiles on their journey. These Gentile Christians had
believed in Jesus, repented of their sins, confessed their faith in
Christ and had been baptized by immersion for the remission of their
sins. They were not required to be circumcised or keep the law
of Moses. The elders of the Jerusalem church and the apostles
agreed with Paul and Silas and gave them the right hand of
fellowship. However, the Judaizing teachers did not give up
easily. This was one of the battles Paul had to fight during his
lifetime as a preacher. Faith in Jesus, obedience to the gospel
and faithful Christian living is all that is required of a
Christian. The law of Moses is not binding upon God’s people
in the Christian age. Christians are saved by faith, not by the
works of the law of Moses.
Paul
had to defend his apostleship. Jesus Christ called Paul to be
an apostle. He was not made an apostle from men. Paul
received the gospel message from Jesus. He and the twelve
apostles taught the same message. It was difficult for many
Jewish Christians to understand that the law of Moses was "nailed"
to the cross and was not binding upon God’s people in the Christian
age. By the end of Paul’s life, truth had triumphed.
CHURCHES OF GALATIA
The destination of this letter to Galatia was a group of churches that Paul himself had founded (Galatians 1:2, 8, 9; 4:19). His close relationship with them is reflected in 4:11–14. Until the 18th century, most readers understood “Galatia” to be the territory in the heart of Asia Minor whose boundaries included Bithynia and Pontus on the north, Phrygia on the southwest, and Cappadocia on the east. However, the Book of Acts offers no record of Paul evangelizing in this “North Galatian” area, apart from brief hints (Acts 16:6; 18:23).
The
epistle of Galatians was addressed to the churches of Galatia, a
Roman province in the north-central part of what is called "Turkey"
today. Galatia received its name from the Gauls of Central
Europe. Some of these warriors had come to Greece and then to this
area of the country around 278 B.C. This area became a Roman
province in 25 B.C. This letter is not written to one church, but to
all of the churches in Galatia. These churches would include
the churches in the cities of Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and
Derbe.
The “South Galatian” theory understands Galatia to refer to the Roman province of Paul’s day, which included Pisidia, Lycaonia, and parts of Phrygia and Cappadocia. Also included were the cities of Antioch, Lystra, Derbe, and Iconium, which Paul visited on both his first (Acts 13; 14) and second (Acts 16) missionary journeys.
OUTLINE OF THE EPISTLE TO
THE GALATIANS
I.
The Authority Of Paul’s Apostleship And
Gospel,
1:1-2:21
A.
Opening
Salutation
1:1-5
B.
The Only
Gospel
1:6-10
C.
Paul’s Gospel Derived Not From Men, But From
God
1:11-24
D.
Paul’s Apostleship Recognized In
Jerusalem
2:1-10
E.
Paul’s Rebuke To
Peter
2:11-14
F.
Justification And Union
With Christ By Faith
2:15-21
II.
The Doctrine Of Justification By Faith In
Christ
3:1-4:31
A.
An Appeal To Experience
And Scripture
3:1-9
B.
The Curse And The
Blessing
3:10-14
C.
The Real Function Of The
Law
3:15-23
D.
In This Area Of Faith
Christians Are Sons Of God
3:24-4:7
E.
The Foolishness Of Wishing
To Be Again In Bondage
4:8-11
F.
A Call To Remember Their
First Reception Of The Gospel
4:12-20
G.
The Allegory Of Abraham’s
Two Sons
4:21-31
III.
There Is Freedom In
Christ
5:1-6:18
A.
A Call To Hold Fast To
Freedom
5:1-12
B.
The Works Of The Flesh And
The Fruit Of The Spirit
5:13-26
