Galatians Bible Study

[nChrist]

Oklahoma Howdy To All Participants,

This is a first attempt for a group Bible Study, and I pray that God will guide us in making it honoring and pleasing to HIM.

We will work out the details as we go. This will be a group effort as previously discussed, and some in the group will have more time than others to devote due to work and previous commitments. Regardless, I think this is an opportunity for all of us to learn, interact, and share in HIS WORD.

There are numerous companion topics that are a must in understanding Galatians. Could we have volunteers for the following topics:

Apostle - What is the definition of this term, and how does in apply in the writing of Galatians? It would also be nice to have a comparison to the term, "Disciple".

Paul/Saul - It would really be nice to have a biographical brief of who Paul is, what he represents, what his purpose is, and how his writings generally apply to the Gospel of the Grace of God.

Brethren - What is the definition of this term, and how does it apply to Galatians?

Galatia - It would also be nice to have a geographical brief of the area of the churches of Galatia in context with the time Paul wrote Galatians.

"Gospel of Christ" - What is the definition of this term and how does it apply as used in Galatians 1:7?

"Jews' religion" - What is the definition of this term and how does it apply as used in Galatians 1:13?

"In Christ" - What is the definition of this term and how does it apply as used in Galatians 1:22?

We already know that some will have more time to participate than others. Please feel free to participate as time permits. We will start in Galatians 1 and proceed verse by verse. Participate with whatever time and conviction you may have. I think it would be interesting to use references, contrasts, and comparisons as we go along, but we'll see how things develop.

Love In Christ,
Tom

[Allinall]

I'll volunteer for the apostle/disciple one in relation to Galatians!  Shall I post what I get here?

[nChrist]

I'll volunteer for the apostle/disciple one in relation to Galatians!  Shall I post what I get here?

Oklahoma Howdy to Brother Allinall,

Great, THANKS! Yes, please do post it here.

In Christ,
Tom

[nChrist]

Oklahoma Howdy to All,

Here's verse 1. If you have ideas about a better format or method, please jump in and discuss it. We can also discuss verses as we go or whatever else anyone may wish to do.

-----------------

Galatians 1:1

King James Version Unless Otherwise Noted:

Galatians 1:1  Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)

There is a reason why the Apostle Paul starts Galatians in this manner. Paul's Apostleship has been questioned and placed in doubt by men who claim he is simply a student and has no direct knowledge of Christ. Thus, he claims his authority and commission is directly from Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised Jesus Christ from the dead. This false accusation is a portion of the reason many of the people in the churches of Galatia started practicing Jewish customs and the Mosaic Law, a corruption of the pure Gospel of God's Grace that Paul founded the churches in.

It is also Biblical for the Apostle Paul to state he was called and chosen by the Risen Jesus Christ and the will of God to serve as an Apostle.

See References:

1 Colossians 1:1  Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

2 Colossians 1:1  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:

Ephesians 1:1  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:

There is no doubt that the Apostle Paul received his authority, calling, and ministry directly from Jesus Christ and the Will of God.

See References:

Act 9:15  But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

Acts 22:14  And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
Acts 22:15  For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
Acts 22:16  And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
Acts 22:17  And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;
Acts 22:18  And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
Acts 22:19  And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:
Acts 22:20  And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.
Acts 22:21  And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.

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In Christ,
Tom

[nChrist]

Oklahoma Howdy to All,

I left a very important contrast in verse one for anyone who may wish to address it.

Galatians 1:1  Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)

From the perspective and background of the Apostle Paul, there is a deeper contrast between "(not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father,".

Would someone volunteer to address this contrast?

Love In Christ,
Tom  

[KiwiChristian]

To me it is saying (and I may be wrong here so correct me if I am) that he is a disciple of Jesus not a disciple of men in general.  Men haven't called him but Jesus did.

[2nd Timothy]

Oklahoma Howdy to All,

I left a very important contrast in verse one for anyone who may wish to address it.

Galatians 1:1  Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)

From the perspective and background of the Apostle Paul, there is a deeper contrast between "(not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father,".

Not to get too far ahead of verse one, but, from reading further into the book, it appears that the Galatians have lost sight of their true salvation.  They have been led astray by false teachers, to believe that Paul was either not a true Apostle, or that he was less than those Apostles who actually walked and talked with Christ.  Thus they dismiss his teachings and bring themselves back under the law by thinking they must be circumcised as Jews to be saved.

Saying that, the point that stands out in verse one to me is, "but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father".   Jesus was sent by the Father, just as he (Paul) was sent by Jesus himself.  "not of men, neither by man" seems to say that he was not authorized or taught by other Apostles, or teaches of himself, but by the one and only saviour Jesus.   Thus making him a true Apostle of Jesus, being equal with the other known Apostles.  Have I missed the true point?

BTW very nice study.

[ollie]

Verse 1 is a brief statement of what will follow in more detail in chapters 1 and 2. The judaizers at Galatia are trying to discredit Paul's veracity and authority from the Lord because of their position on the law as opposed to the gospel. Therefore he opens his letter with identity and authority and reveals from whom his authority is and who it is not. Paul pleads his case for his own credentials in chapters 1 and 2. After that he goes into what the letter is all about; God's position on faith and that of the law.

In Christian love,
Ollie

[nChrist]

To me it is saying (and I may be wrong here so correct me if I am) that he is a disciple of Jesus not a disciple of men in general.  Men haven't called him but Jesus did.

Oklahoma Howdy to KiwiChristian,

Allinall is presenting a brief about the term "Apostle" and how it applies here in Galatians, so I'd like to wait and let his presentation answer part of this. There is a difference between "Disciple" and "Apostle" that I'm sure will be addressed.

You are on the right course. Nobody has volunteered yet to do the contrast I had in mind, so I may do it tomorrow if it isn't presented in other material others are about to post. It pertains to the Apostle Paul and who he was before accepting Jesus.

We also don't have a volunteer yet for doing a biographical brief of the Apostle Paul. The contrasts in his life are just as bold and stark as the contrast I see in Galatians 1:1. Some history about the Apostle Paul is necessary.

In Christ,
Tom

[nChrist]

Oklahoma Howdy to 2nd Timothy,

First, I don't think I've had an opportunity to welcome you to Christians Unite. So, WELCOME! I sincerely hope you enjoy the fellowship here.

Second, thanks for joining in our study of Galatians. I hope you enjoy it and stick with us. It is a beautiful and important portion of Scripture that I hope we all learn from. I learn something new each time I read it.

Your post is right on course with the Apostle Paul's message. I like the way you put that, "the Galatians have lost sight of their true salvation."

In Christ,
Tom

 

[nChrist]

Oklahoma Howdy to Brother Ollie,

Thanks, I enjoyed your thoughts about Galatians 1:1. The Apostle Paul certainly does start with identity and authority. I'm trying to imagine how he must have felt after all of his efforts in the churches of Galatia. His feelings were not from a position of personal pride, rather from distress in seeing the corruption of the precious GOSPEL he labored in so long.

In Christ,
Tom

[Reba]

Saul
   law
   dead in sin
   selfrighteous

Paul
   Free
   Quickened
   Christ's righteous

seems a complete 180  

[nChrist]

Oklahoma Howdy to Reba,

Thanks, I enjoyed your post, and I'm glad you joined in. This is part of the contrast I was hoping would be posted. Saul held the garments of those who stoned Stephen to death, yet he becomes a mighty servant of God, the Apostle Paul.

This and other contrasts are as bold as night and day. The life story of Paul (Saul) is fascinating and serves as an example of how God can change the lost and mold them into vessels of honor for HIS use.

In Christ,
Tom

[Allinall]

Not to get too far ahead of verse one, but, from reading further into the book, it appears that the Galatians have lost sight of their true salvation.  They have been led astray by false teachers, to believe that Paul was either not a true Apostle, or that he was less than those Apostles who actually walked and talked with Christ.  Thus they dismiss his teachings and bring themselves back under the law by thinking they must be circumcised as Jews to be saved.

Saying that, the point that stands out in verse one to me is, "but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father".  Jesus was sent by the Father, just as he (Paul) was sent by Jesus himself.  "not of men, neither by man" seems to say that he was not authorized or taught by other Apostles, or teaches of himself, but by the one and only saviour Jesus.  Thus making him a true Apostle of Jesus, being equal with the other known Apostles.  Have I missed the true point?

I do believe that you have a point, and if I may springboard off of it...Paul is addressing a group of people concerned with keeping the Law in regards to salvation.  Paul, in Philippians, attests to his pharisaical credentials, which were quite impressive.  As far as they go, he had the best teacher, and was by far a "Pharisee of the Pharisees."  It is interesting, as Ollie points out, that he doesn't rely on these credentials, but rather those of his apostleship.  He bases everything he is about to say upon his authority as an apostle, then gives credence to that authority in the form of testimony.  He even credits himself with having been accepted as an apostle, by apostles, even so far as to rebuke an apostle.

The point being, Paul's credentials come from Christ, not from man.  His authority was grounded in his apostleship, not in his lawyer-ship.  Which leads to the next point...

APOSTLE[/u]

"Apostle" comes from the greek word apostolos, meaning a delegate, messenger, or one sent forth with orders.  There is much debate on the validity of this office today.  It is my personal belief, according to the testimony of scripture, that in order to be an apostle, one had to have been taught directly by Christ Himself, and sent by Christ Himself as such a messenger or delegate.  With that in mind, no such office is held today.  However, without going into great amounts of debate and in sticking with the study at hand, it matters little.  Paul's point is that he, having been taught by Christ Himself for 3 years in the Bible Desert Seminary ( ), and having been commissioned by Christ Himself as the apostle to the Gentiles, had complete authority to address this error in the Galatian theology.  Again, interestingly, he doesn't ride on his pharisaical expertise as the basis of his authority on the matter.  Rather, he uses that expertise to refute the error, with the authority given him by God.

Hope this suffices as well as adds to the study!

[nChrist]

Oklahoma Howdy to Allinall,

Brother, I enjoyed your post and definition of "Apostle". Things are coming together now about the purpose of Galatians and the purpose of the Apostle Paul. Definition and color is being added to the picture we will all see as we proceed. THANKS!

In Christ,
Tom