Today we begin studying through the book of Galatians, and we will discuss the idea of experiencing Freedom through Christ. Today and the next two weeks, we will dive into this rich book and see what Paul has to say to the church in Galatia.
Before we get too far into this, let me set up the book for you…
This letter was written from deep passion and frustration for the church.
So Christianity started as a Jewish Messianic movement or Jews that believed in Jesus. But its message was now available to all people.
Remember, when the veil was torn, we no longer needed a high priest to go and forgive our sins. Instead, Christ became the ultimate high priest and sacrifice. This allows the veil to be torn and the presence of God to be available for all people. That distinction causes a splintering that sends us in a different direction, moving forward from that moment.
By the time Paul becomes a missionary, there are as many non-Jewish believers as Jewish believers. This begins to create a cultural issue within the church.
The Old Testament or Old Covenant was for one ethnic group that would bring forward the Messiah, but now this New Covenant was open to everyone, and they brought their backgrounds into the mix.
This eventually leads to a huge debate that plays out in Acts 15. In summary, the idea was that the Jewish Christians were okay with these new believers, but only if they played by the Old Testament ceremonial laws. But these were the laws that Christ fulfilled.
These Jewish believers even began traveling to other churches, including Galatia, to spread their beliefs. This is the purpose of this letter. Paul is trying to explain that they need to continue following Jesus and not embrace a different Gospel.
Before we go any further, take a moment to read Galatians 1:6-24
We see two different ideas playing out here in Chapter 1. The First is to receive no other Gospel, and the second is Paul Received this Gospel from God.
Receive No Other Gospel
Now, let's start with this point. There is one Gospel, one good news.
That good news is that God sent his son as a baby to become fully God and man. He lived a sinless life. Died the death we should have died. He was resurrected, ascended back into heaven, and is coming again. And if we believe in him, we will go to heaven.
No works required. No need to follow Old Testament ceremonial law. No need to follow Old Testament Cultural law. Just the moral law.
Why do we follow the moral law? Because right and wrong are still wrong. Because murder is still wrong. If God calls something sinful, we need to stop it. Jesus didn’t sin, and as we accept Christ, He transforms us, so we sin less and less and serve others more and more.
In summary, Paul is saying if anyone brings anything else to the table other than that message, do not accept it. He even goes as far as to say, it doesn’t matter if I bring it, an angel brings it, or some other person brings it. Do Not accept it.
And if they bring you a different gospel, may they be accursed. The Gospel of Jesus sets us free from the curse. Paul is saying if they bring you a false gospel, let a curse fall upon them again. So, you need to be careful not to put requirements on the Gospel that Christ didn’t put, lest you be cursed.
At the same time, we need to realize that in the world, especially in America, if someone changes the gospel, they are wrong. And it doesn’t matter who does it.
Accepting sin changes the gospel. Putting additional requirements on people changes the gospel. Don’t change the gospel, and don’t be impacted by someone else trying to change the gospel.
Paul Received this Gospel from God.
The back half of chapter one is Paul’s credentials. Paul was highly regarded within Judaism and was very intelligent about the things of God.
He was persecuting Christians and rising in the ranks. Until God gave him an encounter with Jesus, and his life changed. He spent years studying and learning from his encounter before he started teaching and engaging with the other apostles. No one influenced him except for Jesus.
One of the things I love about Paul is that he comes from an attitude of confidence in Christ and the removal of his pride. He starts by saying what he was doing until God stepped in and changed it; then, it was a God thing.
Let me always caution you to remove your pride when you say, “Thus sayeth the Lord” If I can see your pride, I’m going to question if that is from God or your opinion of what God is saying.
So as we transition into Chapter 2, we know that there is only one Gospel; we get that Gospel from God and not man, and if a man brings you a different contrary gospel, run and avoid it.
The Apostles Approve of Paul’s Message
What we see here is the next extension of Chapter 1. Paul receives this message from God and begins to preach it; then, he goes to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Titus.
They share the message that they have been preaching with the apostles, including Peter. And guess what? That message is approved. They acknowledge that the message Paul claimed he received from God is the same that Jesus preached and shared with them.
Here is the big catch, Titus is not a Jew. He is a Greek! So that presents an issue for the Jewish Christians when they approach Galatia or any other church. So why do the gentiles need to follow the old testament laws when Titus is also uncircumcised but is being sent out to reach the Gentiles?
If that was a requirement, something should have been said in this meeting Paul is referencing.
James, Cephas (Aramaic for Peter), and John give them permission to preach and continue preaching to the Jews, and Paul, Barnabus, and Titus to the gentiles.
This portion feels like it ends happily… but wait just a moment! Galatians 2:11-14 says…
Don’t Be A Hypocrite!
This is one of the biggest complaints I hear from non-Christians today that the church is filled with people who either rail on people for their mistakes (while making plenty of their own) or secretly are doing the same thing.
Peter, who we commend so much, is trying to play things both ways. He is trying to please God and Man. But what did Galatians 1:10 say?
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
So Paul calls out Peter in this letter for playing both sides of the fence and then uses Peter as an example for his next point, which is…
Be Justified by Faith… Not Works.
So the main point Peter is trying to make to the Galatians at the end of chapter 2 is that as a Jewish individual, he knows he is only justified or made right by Jesus. That while the law gives you a guide on how to live right, it doesn’t; it can’t make you right. The law wasn’t established to make you right but to show what is right and how your actions are wrong.
Only Jesus could be proven righteous by the law. And when we choose to identify with him, we are now hidden in Him. And the old system goes away. As I identify with Christ, I am crucified with Jesus. But, as I am crucified with Jesus, it is no longer I but Christ who lives in me.
And as chapter 2 ends, we see the statement that if the law could have saved us, if legalism could save us, then Christ died for nothing. If your best efforts could save you, Jesus dies for nothing, so why do you think you could earn heaven on your own? Why do you think other people can snap out of a series of bad decisions?
We all desperately need Jesus, and we must stop letting things get in the way of that relationship.
Do you want to study this message further in-depth? Then watch the full service here on YouTube!