Gal 1:10-24

1:10-24

Let’s take this as one longer section.

If the gospel was a human work, invented or imagined by humans, then it would fine wide and general acceptance from humans. If any preacher was attempting to please their hearers preaching a human gospel is a sure way to achieve this goal. Before Paul became a Christian he responded to those Christians who preached the gospel with hatred and anger, he persecuted the church. A revelation of God’s grace through the gospel will give rise to hatred and violence.

Why do you think the gospel produces a response of violent rejection?

Paul insists that the gospel he preaches is not a human gospel. He defends this by assuring his readers of the origins of his gospel. Paul was not taught by any human, he did not learn the gospel from those were apostles before him. Paul received the gospel of Jesus Christ, from Jesus Christ, by revelation.

If God had not graciously chosen to make the gospel known then no human could have learned it – we could never work out or imagine a god who would be so gracious towards us. One implication of revelation is that we receive the gospel as it is, we do not then have liberty to change the gospel to suit ourselves or our friends. (see 1:6-9). The correct response to revelation is humble gratitude – we acknowledge that God did not need to reveal anything to us but has graciously chosen to reveal his gospel and with thanksgiving we accept the offer of the gospel that there is good news for us from God about our living together with God. (More about what the gospel is later in Galatians).

Why do you think revelation is important? What evidence do you think there is that God has revealed the gospel to us?

Can you imagine how great a challenge a converted Paul must have been to the church in Jerusalem and Judea? Paul had never persecuted anyone in Galatia, it was easier for them to accept him, but what about that Christian widow in Jerusalem whose husband had been arrested and killed by Paul? Or that family made homeless in his persecuting rage? It wasn’t easy, but the truth of the gospel overcomes such difficulties and these young Christians glorified God because of Paul and his conversion and service.

Who do you find it difficult to glorify God because of them and their service? What is it in the gospel that enables us to welcome one another, whatever our background or previous life?

Gal 1:6-9

Gal 1:6-9


What a truly frightening passage! We can be a church, a Christian, who thinks they are holding to the gospel but find that we have exchanged it for something which is not the gospel at all.

The gospel is good news from God. There is only one gospel, there is one story which is good news for us from God. We do not have liberty to change, amend, alter or otherwise tamper with the gospel.
Where are we tempted to change the gospel in our days?

God, in the gospel, calls us in the grace of Christ into a relationship with himself. The gospel is good news because being in a relationship with God is our highest good, our greatest goal. If we change the gospel, or leave the gospel, we are abandoning God and will find ourselves trying to worship another god, who is no god at all.

This challenge to the church arises from within the church. Non Christians calling us to leave the gospel will not tempt us with another gospel. From within the church, from those who are trying to follow Jesus this temptation rises. There is another way of being Christian, another way of entering into a relationship with God, why not try this way?

Paul writes very strongly ‘let him be accursed’. I think that Paul is not telling us to exercise any kind of physical punishment upon those false preachers, because only God can rightly judge anyone accursed. Paul is warning us that God will so judge all who teach as the gospel that which is no gospel at all.

Why do you think Paul writes so strongly in these verses? What temptation do we face when reading such words?

Is there a difference between a deliberate preaching of a false gospel and a non-deliberate preaching of error?

Some Books

Here are some of the books from my shelf which I've found helpful in reading Galatians.

Martin Luther: A Commentary on St Paul's Epistle to the Galatians, available in various editions mine is hardback, James Clark & Co, 1978.

John Calvin: vol 11 in Calvin's New Testament Commentaries, Paternoster Press, 1996.

I think both the above are also available on the ccel site, Christian Classics Ethereal Library - here.

R Alan Cole: in the Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, pub 1965

FF Bruce: The Epistle to the Galatians, pub 1982.

From the above both Calvin and Cole are shorter volumes and often brevity is a real blessing in a commentary. Cole is older now and although I don't have it I suspect I would like and would want to comment Tom Wright on Galatians in his Paul for Everyone series.

Bruce is always good, don't be put off by this volume being subtitled, 'A commentary on the Greek Text'. If you have some Greek then Bruce will serve you well, if not, you can use with profit Bruce's comments borne of long experience teaching Paul.

I really like Luther on Galatians. This is a volume which would be read with benefit to anyone, especially Luther on chapter 2 which I think it just great. It isn't a short volume and sometimes the concerns of Luther as he lectured in 1531 are not exactly ours, nevertheless, it repays careful reading.

What books do you have on Galatians? What have you found helpful?

Welcome

Welcome to Reading Together.

I've been blogging for a year now - find my other blog here - Kennedy's Corner.

This new blog is an attempt to build an on-line community to share together in hearing God's word as we read and share together around passages of Scripture.

The idea is that I will suggest a passage for the week and over a week make a number of posts offering comments on the passage.

You are warmly invited to leave comments: questions, suggestions, other comments. The hope is that in this way we will become a community, sharing together as we read the bible together.

We are going to begin this week in Galatians, with Galatians chapter 1.

Galatians 1:1 Paul, an apostle- not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead- 2 and all the brothers who are with me,
To the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel- 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
10 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.
11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, "He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." 24 And they glorified God because of me.