Galatians Study Part 1

 

One of my personal spiritual goals for 2024 is to study the book of Galatians, written by Paul and found in the New Testament.   I  found a good supplemental study on the You Version Bible App and have just  completed the first 2 chapters.  Here is a summary of what I've learned from this important letter to the New Testament Christians. 

 Note: the words in quotes/bold print are from the Galatians Study "The Life I Now Live" by Peter Mead. 

SUMMARY OF CHAPTERS 1 and 2: 

Jesus commissioned Paul to go and preach the Good News of the Gospel. Paul is known for speaking truth: 

• Sin is serious and we need to be rescued
• The gracious plan of God is to rescue sinners
• verse 5 shows us that the grace of the Father and Son working together, results in all the glory going to God. Grace leads to glory.
• We need to look for our role in the rescue.  We don't deserve or earn grace/salvation. We are simply receivers. 

"The gospel is all about the glorious grace of God that rescues sinners from evil"  

• verse 6 shows us that the Galatian people were turning away from God Himself and becoming "religious" (concerned with all the Jewish laws).  The author of the study says "Any change and any addition to the gospel of Jesus and God's grace is a distorted gospel." 
• ONLY the Gospel of Jesus teaches Grace---the Gospel is worthy of defense because it's all of God.   It's totally about God's grace and it has nothing to do with what we could do or will do!

"If we add law and self-effort to the gospel, we will throttle the grace out of the gospel."

Paul then does a type of biographical sketch explaining his transformation and ministry.  His ministry could be trusted because he was called, trained, and sent by God. 

In chapter 2, Paul is talking about a time 14 years earlier when he wanted to make sure everyone (the "senior" apostles) were all on the same page and unified in the message of the Good News.  The apostles focused on the Jews and Paul focused on the Gentiles.  His message of God's grace was the gospel of all the apostles....they asked Paul to not forget the poor. 

Paul was always concerned to bring gifts to the Jerusalem people from the Gentile churches...this was to show unity....that there is one gospel and one church! 

• In verse 11 we read that Peter (also known as Cephas) had received a vision from God that the Old Testament laws about food no longer applied.  Paul is remembering when Peter changed back to keeping the laws because of pressure from Jerusalem. Paul and Peter are in conflict because Jewish nationalism was growing. 
• The gospel message says Gentiles can come to God----this was not popular with the nationalists.

"Living the Christian life by trusting in your own law-keeping instead of keeping your eyes on Christ is inconsistent with the gospel."

"The way we live as Christians must be in line with the Truth of the Gospel". 

Gentiles must not be expected to live like Jews in order to follow Jesus.  

• Verses 15-17 are ones in which Paul shows us that we are saved by faith in Christ, not by works. It's easy to confuse the Gospel message with the  "Language of personal commitment and renewed moral effort." 
• The gospel of grace means we can only be justified (declared right with God/saved from our sins) through faith in Jesus. 
• Being "good", following the law/rules does not make us acceptable to God.  Only our trust (faith) in Jesus and His death and resurrection will save us. 
• Living for God is explained by Paul in verse 20:  we are to look to Christ instead of to our own efforts. 

"Jesus did not just rise from the dead to give us life after we die.  Jesus lives and wants to give us life now!"

That is a basic summary of the first 2 chapters of Galatians.