Gal.1:1-2 - Greetings and Blessings

1 From Paul, an apostle (not from men, nor by human agency, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead)
2 and all the brothers with me, to the churches of Galatia.

Good Morning, Galatia!

Vs. 1: This letter opening is typical of the others in the New Testament. When we write letters, we usually start off with, "Dear ... ," and end with "Sincerely, ... "

"an apostle" - Think of this as a letterhead of a business document. It also establishes Paul's authority.

“Not from men” - Apostleship is not conferred by men or organizations. Apostles were those men chosen and called by Jesus to follow Him. Each one knew Jesus personally. The original eleven lived and learned from Jesus for several years. Saul was late to the party, but was called to serve Christ as an apostle. (See: Acts 9:1-20)

“by Jesus Christ and God the Father“ - Just as Peter or John were personally called by Jesus, so too was Paul.

vs. 2: These letters were hand delivered to the churches. There were probably no street names or house numbers - since mail service as we know it wasn't around until 1400-1500 years later. Personal communication was done by a courier.

“Galatia” is a region in the area we now call Turkey. Paul started several churches in this region.

***

Letter to Galatians - Outline and Introduction

Galatians - Outline
This Letter by the Apostle Paul was written about 52-57 A.D. -
The key message is about legalism versus faith.
***

OUTLINE

Chapter 1
vs. 1-2: Salutation
Vs. 3-5: Glory
vs. 6-9: Problem identified - a contrary gospel
vs. 10-12: Not needing Man's approval
vs. 13-21: Paul's personal history

Chapter 2
vs. 1-10: Paul's personal history, cont'd.
vs. 11-14: Conflict with Peter
vs. 15-21: Justified by Works, or by Faith?

Chapter 3
vs. 1-3: Foolish Galatians
vs. 4-14: Law versus Faith - Abraham
vs. 15-29: Law versus Faith

Chapter 4
vs. 1-8: Slaves vs. Children-Heirs
vs. 9-10: God knows You
vs. 11-20: I Am not Your Enemy
vs. 21-31: Allegory - Sarah & Hagar

Chapter 5
vs. 1-6: Circumcision or Faith
vs. 7-9: You were doing so well
vs. 10-12: Confidence In you
vs. 13-15: Called to Freedom
vs. 16-18: Walk by the Spirit
vs. 19-21: Deeds of Flesh
vs. 22-26: Fruit of the Spirit

Chapter 6
vs. 1-5: Bear one another’s burdens
vs. 6: Share with the teachers
vs. 7-10: Sowing and reaping
vs. 11: By my own hand
vs. 12-18: Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision

***

Background & Summary

Written by: the Apostle Paul
Written to: Christian churches in Galatia region
Written for: to combat encroaching legalism

“Galatia” is a region in the area we now call Turkey, also known as “Asia Minor”. Turkey is about three times larger than the state of Oregon. It is a peninsula, with the Mediterranean Sea on the southwest edge, the Aegean Sea on the west, and the Black Sea with the Dardanelles and Straits of Bosporus on the north.

Paul covered most all of the larger area in his three missionary journeys. The first Journey started at Tarsus (a port city of Syria), on the NE corner of the Mediterranean Sea, travelled to the island of Cyprus, then north to Antioch located almost in the middle of Asia Minor. He retraces his ‘steps’ back to Tarsus. His second and third journeys go north overland and more inland than the first journey; they also take him all the way across this area to the Aegean Sea and to Greece. Paul referred to all of Turkey as Galatia, where were many of the first churches he started. Paul considered the Galatian churches as his ‘home church’.

Paul is writing to combat false gospel teachings which lean toward legalism. Particularly, new believers were taught they had to be Jews in order to be saved. Paul gets fired up and perhaps this is the reason this letter is intense - much more than his other letters. Paul is harsh in his opinions about these teachers. He strongly defends his authority as an apostle.
The points Paul makes are as follows:

• The Old Testament is the foundation for the New Testament gospel.
• Abraham’s sons are a picture of our relationship to God.
• The Law is a good thing; However, the Law cannot solve the problem of our sin and God’s perfect justice.
• The best the Law can do is prepare you to see Christ as the way to God.

This may be one of the first letters Paul wrote to the new Christians. One of the early controversies to be resolved by the apostles was Judaism and Christianity. Did you have to be a Jew to be a Christian? Paul was in the middle of this discussion, and made a strong case for salvation by faith in Jesus Christ alone - nothing else is required.

Note: My intent was to have each verse of the chapter included usually in italics, with discussion following. Significant phrases or words are discussed individually, and are highlighted by “quotes and underlined.”
Please forgive fractured grammar, and partial sentences. These were notes written as I thought and prayed during the study. The truncated written thought was fully developed in my mind, or so I like to believe.

1 Tim. 6:20-21 - Protect your calling

20 O Timothy, protect what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the profane chatter and absurdities of so-called "knowledge."
21 By professing it, some have strayed from the faith. Grace be with you all.

Stick to the Gospel. Don’t get Distracted

Vs. 20: - "O Timothy" - As Paul closes this letter to his friend, companion, and co-worker, he issues a tender warning.

“protect what has been entrusted to you” - Protect yourself from being pulled away from the gospel. We can get into debates about various hot-button issues - abortion, same-sex marriage, politics, to name a few.

“Avoid the profane chatter” - Paul is warning us also - don't get caught up in the profane chatter and absurdities. Bring the conversation back to Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2). Steer people to answer the question, "Who is Jesus Christ, and what do you say about Him?"

“So-called ‘knowledge’” - A common novel and movie theme is there is a secret "knowledge" and the possession of it may change the world. Movies like "Raiders of the Lost Ark", or "Matrix", "The Da Vinci Code", or books like "Angels and Demons" are built around the theme of a secretive group (e.g., Illuminati) has hidden an object or information that in the wrong hands will destroy the world. The hero of the story must find and destroy that object to keep it out of evil hands.

Vs. 21: - "strayed from the faith" - All of this chatter and ‘secret knowledge’ distracts us from the main and only truth: "Salvation is found in no one else. There is no other name under heaven by which men may be saved." Acts 4:12.

Keep the faith.

“grace be with you all.” See: Num. 6:24, 25. Paul starts the letter with "grace, peace and mercy" to his reader, and ends with "grace to you all."

END OF CHAPTER
END OF LETTER

1 Tim. 6:17-19 - Teach the rich

17 Command those who are rich in this world's goods not to be haughty or to set their hope on riches, which are uncertain, but on God who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment.
18 Tell them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous givers, sharing with others.
19 In this way they will save up a treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the future and so lay hold of what is truly life.

Remember Where Your True Life Lies

Vs. 17: - “Command those who are rich in this world's goods not to be haughty or to set their hope on riches, which are uncertain, but on God who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment.”

"Command" - Instruct the materially rich to be humble and set their hopes on God. There are plenty of verses in the NT warning us to beware of putting our trust in our wealth. See: Matt. 19:23,24; Luke 6:24, 12:15, 21; 1 Tim. 6:9; Jam. 1:10, 2:1-4, 5:1-5. We are warned not to be swayed by other people's riches - to show favoritism towards the rich, which we do easily. We think, "They're rich. They must be smarter." (Maybe not in those exact words. Observe how people react around people they know have lots of money.)
Think on this: you may have money now, but when you are dead you are penniless (Luke 16:21-23). No amount of money will put your name into the Lamb's Book of Life. See: Phil 4:3; Rev. 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12, 15, 27. All creation lies open and exposed before God's eyes. Nothing can be hid, there are no secrets to the Lord of Lords, and the King of Kings. There is only one way your name is in the Lamb's Book of Life - accept and believe that Jesus Christ was born, lived, and then died for your sins, and was raised from the dead as proof the price was paid in full. (1 Tim. 3:16)

“God who richly provides us with all things” - It is God who supplies our needs, and even our ‘wants’. We put too much emphasis on the ‘self-made man’. This is not to encourage you to lay back and let things happen. It is said, “The harder you work, the luckier you get.” God can reward hard work, Remember to be thankful to God in all things. (See: Luke 12:16-23) The farmer actually worked hard and reaped the bounty. He did not stop to thank God for the riches he received.

Vs. 18: - “Tell them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous givers, sharing with others.”

"Tell them" - If God has blessed you with riches, share them with others, especially those who are in need. Riches are not evil. Being rich is not a sin. In Luke 18:20-25, the rich man was sad because he was commanded to give up his riches to follow Jesus. That was 'a bridge too far'. He loved his money and all that it brings, more than he figured he could love and follow Jesus. (The old joke: Money does not make you happy, but it will buy you stuff that makes you happy.) Don't let the quest for comfort, or retirement, or possessions stand between you and eternity with true riches! The command is: Rich people - do good, be generous, share - most of us in America are rich compared to the rest of the world.

Vs. 19: - “In this way they will save up a treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the future and so lay hold of what is truly life.”

"save up a treasure for themselves" - Money means nothing in Heaven. The riches of God so far outstrip our imagination. We can imagine streets paved with gold - gold no more valuable than macadam! Gates made of pearl - again, pearls as cheap as pine! We focus on the material value of items. The true riches of Heaven are being in the presence of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Peace. Glory. Love. Especially, Love.