9. Galatians

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9. GALATIANS

I. OUTLINE

1. Paul's Declaration of Independence. 1:1-2:21.

A. Proclamation. 1:1-5.

B. The Circumstances. 1:6-10.

C. Paul's Commission. 1:11-17.

D. Paul's Apostleship. 1:18-2:10.

E. Later Troubles. 2:11-14.

F. Affirmation of Faith. 2:15-21.

2. The Defense. 3:1-4:31.

A. Personal Experience. 3:1-5.

B. Abraham's Faith. 3:6-18.

C. Function of Law. 3:19-25.

D. The New Status. 3:26-4:11.

E. Paul and His Children. 4:12-20.

F. Allegory of Freedom. 4:21-31.

3. The Responsibility. 5:1-6:18.

A. Right Use of Freedom. 5:1-15.

B. Spirit vs. the Flesh. 5:16-21.

C. Sons of God. 5:22-24.

D. Co-operative Spirit. 5:25-6:6.

E. Agriculture of the Spirit. 6:7-10.

F. Conclusion. 6:11-18.

II. AUTHORSHIP

1. Galatians was not written to a single church. It was sent to all the churches in Galatia-Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.

2. Galatians, written by Paul, is probably our oldest Christian document.

3. We cannot be sure as to whether it was written at Ephesus or at Antioch in Syria.

4. The date of Galatians is uncertain.

A. If Galatians is Paul's first letter, it was probably written at Antioch in A.D. 49.

B. If it is his third letter and written at Ephesus, the date is probably A.D. 52.

5. Galatians was Luther's favorite epistle.

III. THE PURPOSE

1. Galatians is Paul's declaration of religious independence.

2. In some respects, Galatians is the most important theological document ever written.

3. Of all Paul's writings, Galatians is the shortest, most rigorous and forthright statement of his theology.

4. Galatians is the Magna Charta of the Christian faith.

5. In Galatians "LAW" means the "whole scheme of living"-social, ceremonial, moral, and theologic-the religion of works.

6. Paul makes clear that liberty is not license.

7. The "Judaizers" attacked Paul's credentials as well as his Gospel.

8. There were two groups of mischief makers:

A. Judaizers-those who said you must become a Jew-be circumcised, etc. -before you could become a Christian.

B. Those who went Paul one better, saying, since Christians were free from the law, they could indulge in all sorts of immorality.

9. Justification by faith was Paul's basic concept of the Gospel.

10. Christ is the sole sufficiency of salvation-no intermediaries.

11. Paul had trouble defending his apostleship-already "apostolic succession" had sprung up.

12. Paul shifted validity of his credentials from religious tradition to personal religious experience. (This is the teaching of the Urantia Book.)

13. But the new Gospel was not an easy way-instead of license it involved great responsibility.

14. Paul taught over-all Christian UNITY-no struggle for power, honor, or influence.

15. He said the Lord's Supper forbade divisions and separatists.

16. But he demanded a "church" for growth, worship, and "missions."

17. Paul was a master organizer and fair administrator.

IV. PAULINE CHARACTERISTICS

1. Paul was "dead to the world"; he had "risen with Christ." He was living in the "new age."

2. It was revolutionary to teach that salvation could be had without "merit" -that faith alone could save.

3. Paul claimed that Christ's death had redeemed all men.

4. Faith delivers mortal man from guilt and sin. Salvation is God's free gift.

5. Paul acknowledges his infirmities, but glories in his weakness-that the strength of "grace" may be made manifest.

V. SELECTED TEXTS

1. Prenatal aspects. "But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and had called 'me through his grace." 1:15. (Here again is the idea of Thought Adjusters' having forecasts of human beings.)

2. Justified by faith. "We have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith." 2:16.

3. The new life. "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God." 2:20.

4. The atonement. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us." 3:13.

5. Sonship. "In Jesus Christ you are all Sons of God, through faith." 3:26.

6. Spirit of sonship. "And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts." 4:6.

7. Paul's eye trouble. "If possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me." 4:15.

8. Freedom in Christ. "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." 5:1.

9. Our hope. "Through the Spirit, by faith, we wait for the hope of righteousness." 5:5.

10. Misuse of freedom. "You were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another." 5:13.

11. Love your neighbor. "The whole law is fulfilled in one word, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" 5:14.

12. The Spirit life. "Walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh." 5:16.

13. Fruits of the Spirit. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law," 5:22,23.

14. Burden bearing. "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." 6:2.

15. Sowing and reaping. "Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." 6:7.