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RETURN TO SYLLABUS
GALATIANS
LESSON #1
INTRODUCTION
v AT THE BEGINNING OF EVERY SERIES OF LESSONS ABOUT ABOOK IN THE BIBLE, I LIKE TO CONSIDER SOME VERY BASIC QUESTIONS TO GIVE US ANINTRODUCTION.
Ø FOR EXAMPLE: I LIKE TO CONSIDER: WHO, WHEN, WHERE,WHAT, AND WHY.
v WHOWROTE THE BOOK OF GALATIANS?
Ø THEBOOK OF GALATIANS WAS WRITTEN BY PAUL, THE APOSTLE, WHO WROTE MUCH OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.
v TOWHOM WAS THE BOOK OF GALATIANS WRITTEN?
Ø THEBOOK OF GALATIANS WAS WRITTEN TO SEVERAL CHURCHES IN A GEOGRAPHICAL AREA KNOWN AS GALATIA(ASIA MINOR/TURKEY).
§ SOUTHERN GALATIA WAS AGEOGRAPHICAL AREA THAT INCLUDED THE CITIES OF PISIDIA, LYSTRA, ICONIUM, AND DERBE.
§ GALATIA WAS A ROMANPROVINCE INHABITED BY CELTIC PEOPLE WHO WERE GENTILES THAT ALSO INHABITED FRANCE.
· WHATDO WE KNOW ABOUT THESE PEOPLE?
¨ THEYWERE FIERCE, WARLIKE PEOPLE IN THEIR EARLY HISTORY.
¨ THEYWERE FICKLE IN THAT THEY LIKED CHANGE AND NEW IDEAS.
Ø INACTS THEY WANTED TO MAKE PAUL A GOD. THEN LATER THEY WANTED TO STONE HIM.
¨ THEYWERE INTELLIGENT PEOPLE BUT VERY IMPRESSIONABLE.
¨ THEYLIKED EXCESSIVE VANITY.
v WHENAND WHERE WAS THE BOOK OF GALATIANS WRITTEN?
Ø THEREARE THREE MAJOR THEORIES AS TO WHEN THE BOOK WAS WRITTEN:
§ #1. THE BOOK WAS WRITTENFROM ANTIOCH, SYRIA IN 48 AD JUST BEFORE THE JERUSALEM COUNCIL IN ACTS 15. THIS DATEPLACES IT AFTER HIS FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY BUT BEFORE THE SECOND JOURNEY.
§ #2. THE BOOK WAS WRITTENDURING PAULS SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY WHILE HE WAS IN THE CITY OF CORINTH, BUTBEFORE HE WROTE THE BOOK OF ROMANS. (53 AD)
§ #3. THE BOOK WAS WRITTENDURING PAULS THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY. PAUL HAD BEEN LIVING IN EPHESUS FOR TWO YEARSWHEN HE WROTE THIS BOOK. (57 AD)
Ø INANY CASE, WHETHER IT WAS AFTER THE FIRST JOURNEY, DURING HIS SECOND JOURNEY, OR DURING HISTHIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY, PAUL WAS A MATURE, KNOWLEDGEABLE LEADER BY THE TIME HE WROTETHIS BOOK.
§ PAUL KNEW THE GALATIANCHURCHES VERY WELL FOR HE VISITED THIS GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION DURING EACH OF HIS 3 MISSIONARYJOURNEYS.
v WHATWAS GOING ON IN THE WORLD AT THE TIME THE BOOK WAS WRITTEN?
Ø HISTORICALAND RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND:
§ THERE WAS A GROUP OF JEWISHCHRISTIANS CALLED THE JUDAIZERS THAT BEGAN TO PREACH A DIFFERENT GOSPEL FROMWHAT PAUL TAUGHT. THEY TRAVELLED TO CITIES WHERE PAUL HAD ESTABLISHED NEW CHURCHES. THENEW CHRISTIANS IN THESE CHURCHES BEGAN TO SERIOUSLY CONSIDER THIS NEW TEACHING BY THEJUDAIZERS. THESE WERE BABY CHURCHES UNPREPARED FOR FALSE DOCTRINES AND HERESY.
· INCIDENTALLY,THE WORD JUDAIZERS DOES NOT APPEAR IN SCRIPTURE. IT IS A TITLE EVENTUALLYGIVEN TO THEM MUCH LATER. PAUL CALLS THESE JEWISH CHRISTIANS FALSE APOSTLES IN GAL 1:6-9.
· WHATIS HERESY?
¨ HERESYIS A DOCTRINE CLOSE TO THE BASIC DOCTRINES OF CHRISTIANITY BUT CROSSES THE LINE INTO ADOCTRINE THAT OPENLY ATTACKS AND CHANGES THESE BASICS INTO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
Ø THESECT OF THE SADUCEES WAS A HERETICAL SECT (ACT 5:17)
Ø THESECT OF THE PHARISEES WAS HERETICAL SECT (ACT 26:5)
Ø THESECT OF THE NAZARENES WAS A HERETICAL SECT (ACT 24:5)
¨ HERETICSCAUSE DIFFERENCES, DIVISIONS, AND FACTIONS IN THE BODY OF CHRIST (1COR 11:19 GAL 5:20 TIT3:10)
· WHATWAS THE HERETICAL DOCTRINE OF THE JUDAIZERS?
¨ THEJUDAIZERS TAUGHT THAT FAITH AND WORKS SAVED A PERSON.
Ø FAITH+ CIRCUMCISION (THE LAW OF MOSES) = SALVATION
§ THEY BASED THEIR ARGUMENTON THE DECLARATION THAT CHRIST KEPT THE LAW AND SO SHOULD ALL BELIEVERS.
§ YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THEREIS ALWAYS SOME TRUTH IN A HERETICAL DOCTRINE.
· WHYWAS PAUL SO CONCERNED?
¨ IFTHE NEW DOCTRINE BY THE JUDAIZERS SPREAD WITHOUT CORRECTION, CHRISTIANITY WOULD BE VERYDIFFERENT TODAY. IT WOULD BE A SECT OF JUDAISM INSTEAD OF A SEPARATE RELIGION.
¨ IFTHE GALATIAN PEOPLE WERE SO SUSCEPTIBLE TO ANY WIND OF DOCTRINE, THE DANGER TOCHRISTIANITY WAS VERY GREAT.
¨ EVENIN PAULS DAY, THIS DOCTRINE WAS BEGINNING TO DIVIDE THE CHURCH. THEREFORE, A GENERALRELIGIOUS COUNCIL WAS HELD IN JERUSALEM TO SETTLE THE MATTER ONCE AND FOR ALL.
Ø READACT 15:1-14, 19-25 (ABOUT 50 AD)
v WHYDID THE AUTHOR WRITE THE BOOK?
Ø PAULWROTE THE BOOK OF GALATIANS TO COUNTERACT THE DIFFERENT GOSPEL PREACHED BY THE JUDAIZERS.HE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT NEW CHURCHES TAUGHT ONLY THE TRUE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.
§ CHURCHES THAT WENT TOO FARINTO LEGALISM AND CHURCHES THAT WENT TOO FAR INTO LIBERTY WERE CHURCHES OUT OF BALANCE.
§ PAULS STYLE OFWRITING IN THIS BOOK IS A VERY STRONG ARGUMENTATIVE STYLE IN DEFENSE OF THE GOSPEL.
Ø FREQUENTWORDS:
§ LAW, CIRCUMCISION, BONDAGE,WORKS
§ GOSPEL, FAITH, JUSTIFIED,LIBERTY, FREE
Ø THEMEFOR THE BOOK:
§ LIBERTY IN CHRIST ASOPPOSED TO THE BONDAGE OF THE LAW.
· KEYVERSE: GAL 5:1
v OFWHAT VALUE IS THE BOOK TO US TODAY?
Ø THEBOOK OF GALATIANS HAS BEEN THE SOURCE OF MANY REVIVALS DOWN THROUGH HISTORY.
§ MARTIN LUTHER LOVED THISBOOK. IT IS THE BACKBONE OF THE REFORMATION WHEN THE PROTESTANT BRANCH OF CHRISTIANITYBROKE WITH THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
§ JOHN WESLEY STARTED AREVIVAL WITH IT HERE IN AMERICA AND IN ENGLAND.
Ø THEBOOK OF GALATIANS IS THE BEST DEFENSE OF THE DOCTRINE, JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH.
§ IN TODAYS ATMOSPHEREOF FALSE DOCTRINES WITHIN SUPPOSEDLY CHRISTIAN CHURCHES, THIS BOOK GIVES US A CLEARPICTURE OF WHAT IS THE TRUE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.
Ø WHATIS THE THEME FOR OUR STUDY?
§ WHAT IS MEANS TO BE REALLYFREE IN JESUS CHRIST! (JOH 8:36)
· INORDER TO HAVE A BALANCED CHRISTIAN LIFE, WE NEED TO KNOW THE CHARACTER OF CHRISTIANLIBERTY AND ALL THAT IT MEANS.
v OUTLINEOF THE BOOK OF GALATIANS:
Ø I. SALUTATION (1:1-5)
§ PAULS COMMISSION
§ PAULS REBUKE
Ø II. VINDICATION OF PAULS AUTHORITY (1:11-2:14)
§ PAULS GOSPEL, AREVELATION FROM GOD (1:11-21)
§ PAULS RECOGNITIONBY THE APOSTLES (2:1-10)
§ PAULS AUTHORITYRECOGNIZED IN THE REBUKE OF PETER (2:11-21)
Ø III. DOCTRINE: JUSTIFICATION BY FAITHWITHOUT JEWISH ATTACHMENTS
§ VINDICATION OF THE TRUEGOSPEL (3)
· BYTHE EXPERIENCE OF THE GALATIANS (3:1-5)
· BYTHE EXAMPLE OF ABRAHAM (3:6-9)
· BYTHE EFFECT OF THE LAW (3:10-12)
· BYTHE WORK OF CHRIST (3:13-14)
· BYTHE PERMANENCE OF FAITH (3:15-18)
· BYTHE PURPOSE OF THE LAW (3:19-25)
· BYTHE BELIEVERS PRESENT POSITION (3:26-29)
§ ILLUSTRATION OF THEDOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH (4)
· ALEGAL ILLUSTRATION (4:1-7)
· APERSONAL PLEA (4:8-20)
· ABIBLICAL ILLUSTRATION (4:21-31)
Ø IV. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: A DEFENSE OFCHRISTIAN LIBERTY (5:1-6:10)
§ A LIFE APART FROM LAW
§ A LIFE APART FROMLICENSE (5:13-15)
§ A LIFE ACCORDING TO THEHOLY SPIRIT (5:16-26)
§ A LIFE OF SERVICE(6:1-10)
Ø V. CONCLUSION (6:11-18)
§ PAULS HANDWRITING
§ PAULS TESTIMONY
v SOURCESFOR OUR STUDY:
Ø THROUGHTHE BIBLE COMMENTARY SERIES: GALATIANS BY J. VERNON McGEE.
Ø BEFREE BY WARREN W. WIERSBE.
Ø THEBIBLE KNOWLEDGE COMMENTARY; JOHN F. WALVOORD, ROY B. ZUCK EDITORS.
Ø THEREIGN OF THE SERVANT KINGS BY JOSEPH C. DILLOW
Ø SERMONNOTES BY PASTOR JIM LARSON
Ø GALATIANS;NOTES BY WILLARD C. PEIRCE
Ø MISC. NOTES
HOMEWORK
GALATIANS 1
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERSTO THE TEACHER FOR CORRECTION.
v APPLICATION OF THE INTRODUCTION:
Ø THINK ABOUT SOME POSSIBLE LEGALISTICRELIGIOUS PRACTICES THAT MAY BE HIDING IN YOUR CHRISTIAN LIFE AND WRITE THEM HERE:
v PREPARATION FOR GAL 1
Ø READ GAL 1:1-24
§ WHEN WE BEGIN TO READ PAULSBOOKS, HE ALWAYS MENTIONS EITHER FAITH, HOPE, OR LOVE, USUALLY IN THE FIRSTCHAPTER. THE WORDS THAT HE MENTIONS TELL US WHAT WAS LACKING IN THE CHURCH OR CHURCHES OFHIS READERS.
¨ EXAMINE THIS FIRST CHAPTER OF GALATIANS, ANDFROM YOUR KNOWLEDGE GAINED IN OUR INTRODUCTION, WHICH OF THESE THREE CHARACTERISTICS(FAITH, HOPE, LOVE) ARE THE CHURCHES OF GALATIA MOST NEEDFUL?
§ WHY DOES PAUL GO INTO SOMUCH DETAIL ABOUT HIMSELF?
v MEMORY VERSE: GAL 5:1
