INTRODUCTION TO GALATIANS

Galatians 1:1-5

The Gospel, since its inception even until this generation, has always been under attack. It is ironic, though,
that one of the first attacks against it came from people within the church. The attack came from Jewish Christians
who insisted that in order for Gentiles to become Christians they must adhere to the Mosaic Law, specifically
circumcision and keeping all the ceremonial laws.

Gentile Christians in the Galatian region were being influenced, not just influenced, but deceived by this
pressure to the point of bondage. And Paul had to address this issue head on rebuke them of their deception and lead
them back to the true Gospel.

In this letter we will study:

 Examine the implications and dangers of this teaching for the Galatians as well as every generation
faced with similar ideas.
 Review Paul's teaching on the doctrine of "justification by faith" which is the heart of the gospel.
 Study the true meaning of freedom and how it is expressed in Christian lives.
 Learn about Paul's early life as a Christian.

Background of the Epistle – Galatians

Galatia was a Roman province in Asia Minor. The letter to the Galatians was addressed to the cities in the
southern part of Galatia where Paul had established several congregations on his first missionary journey. There are
four that we know of, all established between 44 and 47 AD in what is known as modern day Turkey.

Antioch – Acts 13:14

Iconium – Acts 13:51
Lystra – Acts 14:8
Derbe – Acts 14:19-21

As Luke tells the story in Acts 13:42-51, the Jews were happy to hear the good news of Christ. These Jews
who were scattered throughout the Roman Empire were pleased to receive Paul and hear of the coming of the
Messiah.

They became offended and jealous however, when they realized that the Gentiles (non-Jews of any
nationality) were included in the promise of God and were accepting Christ in great numbers. This protest by the Jews
took the form of a group that insisted that if the Gentiles were to become Christians, they had to first obey Jewish laws
and customs to earn that right. This probably involved circumcision and obedience to food laws and various Jewish
religious customs.

Upon his return to Jerusalem from that region, in order to report on his ministry, Paul was faced with a backlash
in the form of a group within the church referred to as the Circumcision Party. They were known as this because of
their insistence that all Gentiles be circumcised before they became Christians, or else be denied the opportunity.

In Acts 15:1-77 we read about Paul and the other Apostles, as well as the elders of the church in Jerusalem,
discussing and trying to resolve this matter. At this meeting Paul recounts the blessings and power God gave him in
preaching to the Gentiles, and that his ministry among them was legitimately ordained by God. Peter also stood with
Paul and confirmed that Paul had indeed been sent specifically by God's command. James proposed that they write
a letter to the church (the Gentiles) confirming Paul's ministry among them and reassuring them that they need not be
troubled by any requirement to be circumcised. This letter was delivered to the church at Antioch, not in Galatia.

The letter to the Galatians was written soon after this meeting (50-51 AD) and is one of, if not the earliest, the
New Testament books to be written and circulated.

The objective that Paul is trying to accomplish with this letter is to explain to the Galatians that:

 The blessings that accompany salvation were earned by Christ's perfect faith and obedience.
 We obtain these blessings because we are associated, or united, or identified to Christ by faith, which is
expressed in baptism and obedience to His Word, not just intellectual affirmation.
 We cannot earn blessings by works of the Law, ceremony or benevolence apart from Christ.
 Those who try will fail and be condemned.

Themes

Galatians deals with the important issues: law, grace, works, the gospel, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, our
Lord’s death, His resurrection, salvation, sanctification – all of these critical gospel-related realities are part and parcel
of the book of Galatians. But the primary message of the book of Galatians is freedom: freedom from sin, freedom
from judgment, freedom from hell, freedom from all forms of spiritual bondage, and liberation into the glorious purposes
and grace of God. About twenty times in this short epistle of six chapters we will come across some form of the word
“bondage” or “freedom.” It is a book about spiritual freedom. The book of Galatians has been called the Magna Carta
of spiritual freedom. It has been called the Christian’s Declaration of Independence.

PAUL REAFFIRMS THE LEGITIMACY HIS APOSTLESHIP

Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the
dead;)

Paul reaffirms his position as Apostle because the Judaizers (Circumcision Party), in questioning the gospel
to the Gentiles, were also questioning his Apostleship.

He reminds them first of all that his Apostleship was received from Christ and God in the same way as the
other Apostles received their Apostleship. He also states that he was not appointed by the church council (Acts 15),
nor was he appointed by Peter to become an Apostle.

Apostleship gave one the right to speak with authority in Christ's name and Paul claims this authority based
on his legitimate and genuine Apostleship received from Christ (unlike the Judaizers who could not make this claim).
Paul does not deny the Apostleship of others, but does not recognize any authority over him by any other group or
Apostle, except the gospel of Christ.

His reference to the resurrection is the mark of the true Apostle, the personal witness of this event. He
mentions it not as doctrine, but as one who confirms this doctrine as a chosen eyewitness.

Why was it necessary for him to remind them that his apostleship was legitimate?

It was necessary because if he was illegitimate, it would also imply that the message he brings is also
illegitimate.

If Paul was an illegitimate apostle, if he did was not sent by God, it would mean that the gospel he preached,
the gospel that the early Christians believed in, that same gospel that was preached even until this generation, the
same gospel we believe is not true.

But thanks be to God that Paul was sent by God as the apostle to the Gentiles, therefore we can have
confidence that the gospel we believe came directly from God.

PAUL DOES NOT PRESENT ANY COMMENDATION FOR THE GALATIANS

And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:

Paul wrote thirteen letters in the New Testament. And it is typical of him to commend churches for their faith
in Christ. In fact, he would call these churches “saints,” he calls then saints. But he does not do that with the Galatians.

He doesn’t commend them of their faithfulness, though there may be some who are. He doesn’t call them
saints, either. There’s even no exhortation as he introduces his letter.

What he says about them is this, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace
of Christ unto another gospel…”

In fact, he goes extreme as he says in Chapter 3 verse 1 “O foolish Galatians…”

So you see, there’s no commendation. No exhortation, but he starts his letter to the Galatians with a rebuke.

And the reason is he is in a mad rush to attack error. He can’t believe that having gone there, planted the
church on his first missionary journey, gone back on his second and gone back on his third that they have so easily
shifted into listening to these false teachers; and the gospel is at stake.

A person or a church that is at the brink of apostasy is not worth commending. He/she must be confronted
and rebuked head on.

PAUL REMINDS THEM OF THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that
he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: To whom be glory for ever
and ever. Amen.

Paul offers a usual blessing that they receive grace from God and the peace that comes with it. This grace
and peace is connected to Jesus Christ.

And in verse 4, Paul plainly describes as to how we have received this grace and the peace that comes
together with it. Here we read the heart of the gospel: Christ died for our sins.
 The phrase “gave himself” denotes sacrifice. He became the propitiation for our sins.

We read in 1 John 2:2 “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the
whole world.”

The word “propitiation” is actually a pagan term. It means that man has to offer a sacrifice in order to appease
the anger of their gods.

However, the Christian gospel has a different view of propitiation. In Christianity, God gave his own sacrifice
in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, he died on the cross, shed his blood, in order to appease the wrath of God
unto all people.

The Purpose of the Sacrifice

“…that he might deliver us from this present evil world…”

The word ‘deliver’ means to rescue. I remember when I was in high school, my classmates and I went for a
trip to Brgy. Day-Asan. If you’rre familiar with the place, there’s a huge bridge and a few of my classmates decided to
jump off that bridge even though the sea current was strong. In my silliness, I followed, of course I knew how to swim
but the current was too strong for me. I needed to be rescued. Fortunately, I had a classmate that saw me getting
taken by the current and rescued me from a would-be drowning. That classmate pulled all the way to safety, he risked
his life for me.

That’s what Jesus did. He risked his life, died on the cross to rescue us from sin.

Jesus substituted himself for us. Our sins, all our sins became his sins. “He gave himself in place of our sins”.
All of them, all of them. He did everything that had to be done to set us free from this “present evil age”.

The Motivation of the Sacrifice

“…according to the will of God and our Father…”

The sacrifice of Christ on the cross has always been a part of God’s plan even before the foundation of the
world. It has always been God’s plan to redeem His people from sin. It wasn’t just a backup plan when Adam and Eve
fell on the Garden of Eden. Redemption was the pan all along. It may be hard to believe, but remember that God is
sovereign, He is in control of everything.

The End Result of the Sacrifice

“To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

All of redemptive history. The birth of Christ, his life on earth, his death on the cross, his resurrection,
everything was for the glory of God. God should take credit in the work of salvation. That’s why we affirm that by grace
are we saved through faith, not of ourselves…not of our works so that our boast is not in ourselves but in God; so that
God would receive all the glory He deserves.

RECAP

 Paul reaffirms the legitimacy of his apostleship

 Paul does not present any commendation for the Galatians
 Paul reminds them of the heart of the Gospel message

CONCLUSION

Having said these things, let me draw some applications:

 Let us be appreciative of pastors, teachers and preachers who are committed and are faithful in the
preaching the true Gospel message.
 Let us not be tolerant with doctrinal error. Defend the truth of the Gospel, don’t be silent. Speak up the
truth of God’s word.
 Let us glorify God for rescuing us from this present evil world.