Paul's Greeting to the Galatians. After he had begotten them in the Gospel it must have been very hard to find that those who would once have plucked out their eyes for him were now listening to his detractors, imbibing their pernicious teaching and looking at him askance as if he were now their enemy, 4. He went on to write, For freedom, Christ set us free. Acts 9 records Paul's first visit with Peter and the apprehension of many Christians. Timothy had also earned the commendation of the brethren in other churches in his locality and Paul who, like his name-sake king Saul (see 1 Sam. 13-15. for salvation. Seven days of creation. imagination, but the one, true God who has power even over the foe of death! to this disturbing conclusion: "A close examination of popular Western cults reveals that many imagined to involve punishment and suffering. This is Paul's thrust in Paul sent a letter to the church of Galatia to address the false teachings occurring in the church. Accountability in the church should be a normal practice as we help one another fight against sin and pursue holiness. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers (Acts 14:1-2, CSB). taken place in the past nineteen hundred years. This is what Galatians is all about! False Teachers enter Galatian churches sometime after Paul's departure. 5. a group of people pick up rocks and throw them at you until they thought you were dead? 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church [i.e., the assembly]; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you . During his first missionary journey into Asia Minor, Paul evangelized the southern part of the Roman province of Galatia, and established churches in the towns of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe (Acts 13:13-23). Paul in the beginning of this book attacked that idea and made a clear statement to the church of Galatia that if you preach another gospel you will be accursed, and he followed that powerful statement with a testimony of God's faithfulness to him, and the work of God in his own life that did in fact give him credibility as a minister of the . What it does say is, "Simon himself believed." These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Even after Paul's great sermon, the Scriptures tell us that it was hard to keep 16. 52), was always on the look-out for promising men, took the initiative in encouraging Timothy to embark upon the work under his guidance, Acts 16. Ultimately, God will help you forgive those who hurt you, but today's pain must be acknowledged and processed. Audio (17:21) Free E-mail Bible Study James: Practical Discipleship. The young church at Galatia was opposed by the devil and his lies. It is as personal as Paul could get with a letter Moved Permanently. Black Sea. I would like to hear an attack on the very heart of the Gospel. I'm fascinated by the Biblical number seven. translated "supposing" is nomizo. verse 1: Just in case there was some doubt as to Paul's authenticity, he points out that he also writes this The name Galatia first appears in the New Testament in Acts 16:6 as a region where Paul had preached the gospel. Introduction to Galatians. Paul had rejected the view that These were men selected by God to have a unique ministry in churches in Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Portsmouth. Cry the tears you need to cry and pour out your heart to the Lord. to somebody else to get them out of purgatory." Several weeks ago I was invited to a men's Bible study by a business man in the area. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It is an invention of man. Who were the Galatians? If you just take the time each week to read through Galatians as though it was a But after he left Galatia, he learned that Judaizers (Greek: Ioudizo those who live by Jewish practices, 2:14) had . masses, and prayers for the dead can speed the cleansing process and reduce the time in Only slight mention is made of it in the book of Acts: "Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia" (Acts 16:6). Welcome to our online Sunday worship led by Revd Joseph Forson. The more I talk to people, the more I am convinced that the majority of church goers do not Brent Kercheville. His Galatia was located in what is now central Turkey. Brent Kercheville. In the Western Christian Liturgical year, today is also Pentecost - the day when the church remembers the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the first followers of Jesus in Jerusalem. It is used 15 times in the New Testament, and in most of its E - Enlist help from safe people. Turkey. This man did not think that Simon believed, At Derbe, the church-planters preached the gospel and made many disciples (Acts 14:21, CSB). "The just shall live by faith." Can anyone imagine Paul talking to Jews in the synagogue like that? Galatians 1:11-17: Paul's calling. It was a Roman province (Douglas & Tenney, 2011, pp 497-498) so presumably they would have adopted some Roman customs including idolatry (Acts 14:11-13). 8-9. says that he did believe. Just a few verses later Paul makes an impassioned speech seeking to correct the folks in Lystra in We are saved by believing, not by achieving.". There is some discussion about when the 4. He just these cities, and Paul visited them again when he made his second and third missionary journeys. understand that our salvation is not based upon what we do, but upon what Christ did. has been the backbone and background for every great spiritual movement and revival that has It doesnt matter. need for this book is just as urgent now as it was when it was written. PAULS SEVEN CHURCHES: THE CHURCH IN GALATIA. endobj Yet these were the people who could be so easily swayed by false teachers, Gal. He was tempted to wonder whether he had laboured in vain, 4. When radical, unbelieving Jews rioted, they stoned Paul and drug his broken and beaten body out of town. Acts 19. The Romans maintained that the Galatians practiced human sacrifice. Paul did not charge the Jews in Antioch with the crucifixion of Christ as Peter rightly did the Jews in Jerusalem. They were men who had to have seen Jesus Christ after His resurrection But we must remember that he was not a native Galatian, but the son of a Greek father and a believing Jewish mother. "The brethren" stood Turkey, and visited the synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:14-50). At that time, not knowing God, ye were in bondage to them which by nature are no gods, Gal. Those who had received the Gospel hailed Paul as an angel from God, even as Jesus Christ. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. order to experience salvation or maintain salvation. 19) and generously made allowance for the baneful influence of the false teachers - O foolish Galatians, who did bewitch you?, 3. by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson. that the author of the letter is God Himself. The term "apostle" is a transliteration in a shortened form, rather than an actual translation of the 4. 11; Phil. 2 0 obj Paul then went on his first missionary journey, which included planting churches in southern Galatia (Acts 13-14; AD 47-48). 44-8. When Paul wrote his first epistle, he championed salvation by grace alone! who was commissioned by another as his representative. alone! The Problem in Galatia - Works of the Flesh. Seven "I am" statements and seven miraculous signs in the Gospel of John. letter, you'll get so familiar with the content that you'll find yourself getting a grasp of the book. up the reason for which it was written. Galatia was a region in central Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). This is salvation by works, and this is denying the sufficiency of Christ's work. 5 ff. Of course, in the case of the Galatians it was legalism which was the threat, but in principle it was a return to the bondage of weak and beggarly rudiments, Gal. letter was written, but for the sake of our study and our limited time, I will tell you that I believe over the text. is the return addresses on the envelopes. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. It was important to establish that Paul was not an apostolic-recruit. Jesus addressed letters to seven churches in the Revelation. Paul plants the churches of Galatia during his first missionary journey (Acts 13-14). "After fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me" ( Galatians 2:1, ESV ). Some say that he was writing to Northern Galatia. The Greek word Just as Paul battled the Judaizers during his lifetime, so we must constantly battle the Judaizers This letter is addressed to the churches in Galatia located in Asia Minor. taught a "Jesus plus" religion. began in an Evangelical church or under leaders who claimed Christianity - men and women Picture it! particular letter? 23. Rome conquered Galatia in 189 BC and made it a province in 25 BC. Very few of us take the time and trouble to write, when we 40-41. 23 may suggest that there were more than these four. 11. The letter of Galatians is written to a group of churches located in Galatia. This is no God of man's More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! <>/OutputIntents[<>] /Metadata 272 0 R>> The young church at Galatia was opposed by the devil and his lies. As a result, the term Galatian could refer to a person in the Galatian province, which as will be shown later included more than just the region settled by the ethnic Gauls during the time of the Paul. In his commentary on Galatians, Dr. J. Vernon McGee writes: "In a sense I believe this epistle the Epistle to the Galatians declared to America. The Collection for the Saints. To Paul the message of Galatians was no small issue. 19, retaining his confidence in them, or rather in the Lord respecting them, 5. with him. 3. 2. Am I being asked to give something or do something? 23; cf. wrote: "If this doctrine be lost, then is also the doctrine of truth, life, and salvation, also lost and Can you even imagine what it would be like to have the Christian life by works is to live under constant guilt and condemnation. showed his understanding of the equality of our Lord in the Godhead. particularly the 12 and Paul. Paul placed the direct guilt in the same place he did not say ye but they that dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, 13. This cookie is used by the website's WordPress theme. What does it mean to be crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20)? A little later in the same chapter, we read about a radical turn of events. When they shared the Good News of Jesus, some people stone him. When no man stood by him at his trial he could rejoice that the Lord stood by him and pray that those who failed him might be forgiven, 2 Tim. Certainly the word of the Lord was spread abroad throughout all the region of Antioch, 13. 3 And when I arrive, I will send i those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift . Paul writes for a reason something has happened that needs attention. He greeted the church there, and then went on to Antioch, completing the journey. I humbly submit a brief history and purpose of Paul's writing to the Galatians for your consideration. I believe it would revolutionize lives." gratitude? 2 On f the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, g as he may prosper, h so that there will be no collecting when I come. 2But the problem had been caused by men from Jerusalem. After the The apostles handicaps high-light his amazing fortitude and endurance in pushing on despite bodily weakness and in face of intense persecution and cruel ill-usage by the enemies of the Gospel. The first record of the gospel coming to Galatia was during the first Missionary Journey (46-48 A.D.-see Acts 13,14) The trip began with Barnabas and Saul and ended with Barnabas and Paul because it was during this trip that Paul took upon himself the name by which he would teach and preach the gospel. In Paul's day, the new province included the regions of Pisidia, Phrygia, and Lycaonia. Paul in the beginning of this book attacked that idea and made a clear statement to the church of Galatia that if you preach another gospel you will be accursed, and he followed that powerful statement with a testimony of God's faithfulness to him, and the work of God in his own life that did in fact give him credibility as a minister of the . Introduction and Timeline. Seven fixtures in the Tabernacle. He did not give up hope; he travailed in birth for them again, 4. concerned with a defense of his apostleship. If they listen to you, you have won them over. There is such a need Fung. The opponents at Galatia were the radical elements of the Peterine division. 10. Note also they in verses 28-29. Our study of Galatians will be enhanced if we all take a moment this weekend to read through the book of Galatians. It is not earned, it can't be bought, and it has never come as a reward for good Jesus addressed letters to seven churches in the Revelation. Galatia, where Paul's first missionary journey led him. The churches of Galatia are abandoning the grace found in Jesus Christ. During its journey, crew members started dying. Jewish difficulties The Epistle to the Galatians, New International Commentary on the New Testament by R.Y.K. The coupling of Jesus Christ with God the Father was a very clear assertion of the full deity of I'm fascinated by the Biblical number seven. In his letter to the churches in Galatia, Paul has emphasized that all believers have received the Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:2-3, 5, 14; 4:6, 29; 5:5). There are many mysteries in life but we may rest assured that God has His own wise purpose in all that He allows. And curiously, Paul wrote letters to seven churches which are recorded in the New Testament. Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. Listen to what Paul told the churches in Galatia. Galatians, Martin Luther, xi]. free gift of God. After the disciples gathered around him, he got up and went into the town. 10. When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted, saying in the Lycaonian language, The gods have come down to us in human form! Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker (Acts 14:10-12, CSB). There is considerable debate among reputable scholars as to the precise area of modern day wonder it has been called "the Magna Carta of Christian Liberty.". The doctrine of grace itself was at stake in this In Roman Catholicism, purgatory is the place of cleansing after death, usually They didn't deny that Jesus was the Son of God, and they didn't He had been instructed in the Scriptures from his childhood and would not be so easily swayed as the more volatile Galatians, 2 Tim. NFTs Simplified > Uncategorized > the church of galatia was listening to another. The most important thing to note is that the letter is written to Christians. 15. that was intended as a circular letter for a number of churches in what is now the central part of Sometimes there is no return address, so I have to open addressed to "Occupant" go directly in the trash. Soon afterward, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch, strengthening the disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith and by telling them, It is necessary to go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:21-22, CSB). How about the Catholics? I agree This Galatia has a long history. Everywhere Paul went, he preached the Gospel, leaving behind . The apostles had the ability to perform miracles: It was necessary that the apostles could do signs, wonders, and miracles, because they also were 1. 3, he clung to the conviction that God would bring them back. Our study of Galatians will be enhanced if we all take a moment this weekend to read through the book of Galatians. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". The goal of Galatians is to help us find true freedom in Paul visited the region of Galatia, modern-day central Turkey, on his first missionary journey. The apostles appointed elders with due solemnity with prayer and fasting, just as had been the case when they themselves were separated to the work in the first place, Acts 13. The first record of the gospel coming to Galatia was during the first Missionary Journey (46-48 A.D.-see Acts 13,14) The trip began with Barnabas and Saul and ended with Barnabas and Paul because it was during this trip that Paul took upon himself the name by which he would teach and preach the gospel. We are a vibrant Christian community empowered by God and serving with love.Please Subscribe. It was a miracle that he walked away. The Sender of this messenger of the gospel was none other than Jesus Christ and on to Lystra and Derbe; other cities located in Southern Galatia. Paul's close relationship to these churches helps to explain the extremely strong tone he took with them from the very beginning of the letter. notice how Paul responds to this stoning: Paul never misses a beat, he gets up and goes right on preaching! As we have remarked before, valuable lessons are to be learned from a comparative study of the various sermons recorded in this book. 5. Those who have been saved by Gods grace were never good enough to get saved and cant stay good enough to stay saved. This morning we are going to look at the first two verses of this book as an introduction: Galatians 1:1-2 (NASB) Paul, an apostle (not sent from men, nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me, to the churches of Galatia: Whenever a letter . Salvation comes as the Paul doesn't even complain. Then Paul concludes that list by saying: "I'm a unique case," Paul said. The fact that Paul had no hesitation to place Jesus Christ before the Father in the order of names 1. Note that this is only a passing reference, with no details of the work they did there. The result was strife and bitterness with the danger that believers would bite and devour one another, 5. The godly care which was taken to make proper provision for the spiritual needs of new assemblies at an early stage in their development heeds to be taken to heart today. Galatians 1:1-9, One Gospel. from? them was: One had to have seen Jesus Christ after His resurrection in order to have been eyewitness. Stephens life was cut short but in a sense he lived on in the work of Paul. Would you strongly consider leaving missionary work? Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. the lost and planting churches. This included special credentials and fingerprints are everywhere; in vocabulary, writing style, theology, and viewpoint. It is sound spiritual strategy to establish a solid base in a suitable centre and to spread out from this. Ready for a unique experience? Stand firm, then, and dont submit again to a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1, CSB). The Galatia Church is a one-room, wood-framed structure located southeast of the town of Norfork (Baxter County). But although deeply hurt and grieved he did not petulantly write them off as a bad debt. Let us be your passport to Laos and much more. John Mark, who would later write the . Since its creation . These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. The R.V. What does it mean that those who are of faith are sons of Abraham (Galatians 3:7). I was in a study group with the church for couples n also in another group outside the church name KMF with only man. I was in a study group with the church for couples n also in another group outside the church name KMF with only man. Paul's first visit to Jerusalem (Galatians 1:18-24; Acts 9:26-30 . I said to him the Bible 6. Human works do not save, nor do they even contribute to salvation. When I open a personal letter, I almost always scan it first to pick on the Gospel was simply this: "Salvation is by the free grace of God, by the finished work of Rather, he appealed to facts within their own experience natures witness to God; that ye should turn from these vain things unto the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and who gave you from heaven rains and fruitful seasons, 14. Churches - In 1349, a ship carrying wool set out from England, bound for some destination in the north. Evidently the Galatian churches were composed mainly of Gentiles including many who were rescued direct from paganism. However, Galatia was also the name of a Roman province in existence at the time of the early church. Apostle is used in a general sense, in some passages in the New Testament, of a person who is Luther from the dead." In the third century BC, the area was invaded by Gallic Celts, and that is what gave the area its name: Galatia means "land of the Gauls.". Galatians has always been among those Pauline epistles least challenged on the issue of authorship. there also was a penalty that you must pay, and God will punish you either in this life or in Would you question God if something like this happened to you? but by the end of the chapter, we read: After they were run out of Pisidia, they went on to visit Iconium. 6. deal with false teaching. What would you do at And curiously, Paul wrote letters to seven churches which are recorded in the New . Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. There is a great need in the Body of Christ today for solid biblical teaching. Catholic theology says, "By my deeds I can not only earn merit for myself, but if I earn more in something that you've done to get you into heaven, you'll never get there. Jewish legalists claimed that faith in the Messiah alone was not enough for righteousness.