![[20211006-GalatiansHeader.png]] **Topics** - [[#^1f3dc0|The True Gospel]] - [[#^84b8fd| Paul’s Authority]] ### Greeting ^ae68c6 ![[Greeting 1.1-5]] ***Is there anything that in Paul's greeting that indicates part of his purpose in writing the letter?*** Paul begins his letter by asserting his apostleship. ***How does Paul describe His call?*** First, it is *not from men nor through man*. The source of Paul's apostleship is not via committee, nor appointment from a human source of authority. Instead, Paul's apostleship comes *through Jesus Christ and God the Father*. His calling comes from the authority of God. He was appointed by Jesus. To make sure there is no confusion, he identifies a specific Jesus who was *raised…from the dead*. Paul continues to greet the followers of Jesus with a standard greeting of grace and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle then shares in a concise way the essence of the gospel. This is setting up the next pericope and laying a foundation for the chapter. His concise gospel: essentially God, our Heavenly Father, wanted to rescue us from the present evil or fallen world. To accomplish this, Jesus gave Himself for our sins. This Jesus was raised from the dead and accomplished God's plan and our redemption, therefore God deserves the glory forever. Notice that this does not include - our works. Salvation is initiated by God. It is accomplished in Jesus. Humanity could not deliver itself from sin and evil in the world. ### Only One Gospel ^1f3dc0 ![[Only One Gospel 1.6-10]] One of the interesting words that Paul uses is *marvel*. This word is also translated as "shocked" or "surprised and astonished" or "amazed." ***What does this say about Paul's tone in this letter to the Galatians?*** This is a literary device to draw attention to the impact of their behavior. ***What is their behavior?*** They are turning away from God to a different gospel. They were turning towards a message that was not consistent with the gospel previously established (see [[Galatians 1.4]]). The message that they were believing, this *different gospel*, was not actually a gospel–good news. This is because only the the gospel of Christ is able to deliver us from our sins and this present evil age. Any other supposed "good news" is not actually good news. Receiving and believing (turning to) a "gospel" message that was different than the one that they had received meant that they were turning away from God. How does this warning apply to believers today? Are there other, or different, gospels that are being preached today? The Apostle Paul is so vehement about the importance of the "true" gospel that he declares that those who preach another one should be accursed. Accursed, in the Greek, is *anathema*. This word carries the idea of a cursed thing. It means "something dedicated to deity" or "something put under a divine curse." Here, Paul is essentially saying that these people should be handed over to God's judicial wrath ([[TDNTA]], p57). The Amplified translation expands: “(anathema, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment).” Based upon the comments of the Apostle, how important is knowing and living the gospel? ***Are there people who are preaching a "different gospel" today? How do you know?*** Notice that Paul said that those who preach a different gospel actually trouble the people (because they are turning away from salvation in Christ to something that can not save them). Also, he said that they *want to pervert the gospel of Christ*. ***What does it mean to pervert the gospel of Christ?*** The word pervert, in the Greek, is *metastrepsai* and carries the idea to turn or change something. The root of this word means to "change", "alter" or "distort." They wanted to change, alter, or distort the message of the gospel of Christ. ***Why would they want to change the gospel of Christ?*** Verse 10 gives us the answer: they sought to please men instead of God. ***What do you think of Paul's statement that if he sought to please men he would not be a bondservant of Christ? What does that mean for you as a believer today?*** ### Call to Apostleship ^84b8fd ![[Call to Apostleship 1.11-17]] Key words and ideas ideas: preached, not according to man, before Christ/after, comparison to Moses (desert, called back), *immediately*, didn't confirm (human origin/human source) Paul begins his assertion that he is an Apostle of Jesus but first he appeals to the church as brethren. **What does it mean when Paul said that the gospel he preached was not according to man?** This argument made by the Apostle Paul is about **Scriptural Authority**. He is speaking about the source of his message. It was revelation and not human reasoning or optimism. The message of the gospel was not a human invention. The authority of the word is distinct from the messenger of that word. The message of the gospel comes from God. That is where the authority and substance of the word comes from. The messenger is not greater than the message, when it comes to God's word. This is important when comparing what was said previously in that there is *another* gospel. The sure word of God is revealed in the Scripture. Any other word that is spoken might be "spiritual" but doesn't have the same authority of the Scripture. In other words, we have the Bible as God's word to us contrasted to every other word. If God said it, it is connected to His authority, which makes us accountable to it. **Why is it important to determine scriptural authority?** Because the culture is constantly trying to assert its authority over the word of God. This happens by calling it outdated and saying that modern civilization has different rules and the Scriptures don't apply to them. Yet if the word comes from God then we are ultimately accountable to God and not society. Just because society or culture says it is right or good, does not mean that it is in God's eyes. **How do we protect ourselves from being deceived by someone speaking "another gospel"?** We compare what they are saying to what the Scriptures state. The Bible has the "last word." Anything that contradicts or does not say what the Bible says does not have the greatest authority on any topic. **When Paul is describing how he received the revelation of Jesus Christ, is that meant to be the same experience for *every* believer or was that a specific experience to him? How do we know this?** This was a specific experience to Paul, not the normal. The normal experience was that people were taught or heard the gospel message before they believed. Paul received a direct revelation of Jesus as the Christ, like the Apostle Peter (see [[Matthew 16.16-17]]). Generally speaking, the Scriptures show people receiving revelation upon hearing God's word being preached (see [[Romans 10.14-17]]). God's call to the Apostle Paul began with the message that God entrusted to him. Then Paul shares his testimony: his zealous practice of Judaism and how he held to the traditions of his fathers. **How is Paul contrasting traditions with the gospel?** The source of the gospel is God. The source of the traditions are his fathers (religious men). He is saying that is minsitry is not based on the traditions of men, but the revelation of God. And he is asserting that the gospel is on a higher level of authority than those traditions. This reminds us that Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and Saduccees about how by elevating the tradition of man they nullified the word of God (see [[Mark 7.8-13]]). Due to this hypocrisy and their teaching these things to new converts, Jesus said that they were creating disciples who were “twice as much a son of hell” as themselves (see [[Matthew 23.15]]). **Are traditions bad?** Since Paul was addressing these traditions, this leads us to ask if are traditions bad. The answer is no. We have traditions that we keep like communion and baptism. The danger is to elevate a tradition above the commandment of God, then the tradition becomes bad (per Jesus in [[Mark 7.8-13]]). In [[Galatians 1.15-16|verses 15-16]], the Apostle Paul offers us details about God’s calling on his life as well as insights into His calling for our lives. **In this verse, how was Paul called?** He was called by the grace of God. When did his calling take place? He was called while in his mother's womb. **Did he always live according to his calling?** No, because it wasn’t until he surrendered to Jesus in faith that he began to live according to God’s calling for his life. For a more in depth look at the topic of calling from this passage, see our [[Topical Bible Study]] on [[Our Calling]]. ## Contacts at Jerusalem ![[Contacts at Jerusalem 1.18-24]] Paul is sharing a timeline here. He had an encounter with God, and was discipled and prepared *before* he went up to see the other apostles. And before he became *the* Apostle Paul, he had a period of training and preparation. **Why was this important?** Because there was a process of development where he was being discipled and serving *before* he took on this role. This is noteworthy because many people want to go from meeting Jesus to doing their “high calling” without recognizing that there is a process where God works in us to prepare us for that high calling. **Why does the Apostle Paul refer to the Apostle James and the Apostle Peter?** They were recognized as authorative leaders within the Early Church. In fact, they were the main leaders at the Jerusalem council in [[Acts 15.6-21]]. Their recognition of his ministry was further validation of his call. Ultimately the fruit, or result, of Paul’s calling was *they glorified God in [him].* This is the ultimate purpose of the call of God on our lives: that God be glorified (see also [[John 15.8]]).