First look inside The Grace Bible: Galatians

We are now into the final stages of preparing The Grace Bible: Galatians for publication. I have been teaching from Galatians for 30 years, but the revelation that has come over the past few months has blown my socks off.

Galatians is an AMAZING book. You probably knew that, but it may be even better than you’ve been led to believe. It is about so much more than freedom and staying free.

What follows is a taste from the opening two verses.

Enjoy!

Paul

Galatians 1:1–2
Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead), and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:

(a) Paul had two names. As a Jew he went by his Hebrew name, Saul, and as an apostle to the Gentiles he went by his Roman name, Paul (Acts 13:9). As Saul, he was a Pharisee of Pharisees and a persecutor of the church. But after a life-changing encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus, he became the apostle of grace and the author of most of the New Testament epistles.

(b) Apostle. The original word (apostolos) means a delegate or ambassador. It is someone who has been sent out as a messenger for God. Paul had been sent by God to preach the gospel of Christ to the Gentiles (Gal 1:15–16, 2:9, Eph. 3:8). Although we have all been called to proclaim the good news, those with an apostolic gifting excel in this activity and are able to train others for ministry (Eph. 4:11–12). Paul was an apostle of Christ Jesus, meaning he had been sent by Christ to speak the words of Christ (2 Cor. 5:20).

(c) The agency of man. Paul’s commission to preach the gospel came straight from the Lord (Acts 26:16–18; Eph. 3:2). He was not sent by men. And this short phrase is our first hint that something is rotten in the province of Galatia.

Paul’s usual practice is to introduce himself as “apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God” (e.g., 1 Cor. 1:1). But here he specifies that he was not sent from men. He is responding to one of several malicious rumors that have been spread about him by false teachers. From his rebuttals, we can infer at least six accusations: (1) “Paul is not a real apostle” (see Gal. 1:1, 15–16); (2) “He’s a people-pleaser and a hypocrite” (Gal. 1:10); (3) “He got his gospel second-hand from Jerusalem” (1:11–12, 16–19); (4) “He is unacquainted with Jewish traditions” (Gal. 1:13–14); (5) “His message is incomplete because he does not teach Jewish customs like circumcision” (Gal. 2:3, 6, 5:2–3, 6, 10–12, 6:12–15); and (6) “He’s a liar and an enemy to God’s people (Gal. 1:20, 4:16).

But Paul is not just writing to clear his name. He has a more serious problem to address: false teachers are leading the Galatians away from Christ and into the bondage of the law (Gal. 1:6, 5:1–4). Like a mother in childbirth, he agonizes over the Galatians’ spiritual immaturity (Gal. 4:19). “How could you be so foolish?” (Gal. 3:1). He reminds them that as sons of God they need to “stand firm and resist the yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1).

The theme of Galatians has traditionally been framed as the fight to stay free or grace vs law. Yet the message is bigger than that. The heart of Paul’s epistle is “Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). Our spiritual union with the Lord is the tent pole on which all else hangs. Because Christ lives in me, I can be free. Because Christ lives in me, I can bear fruit that lasts. Because Christ lives in me, I can walk in the spirit and enjoy the blessings of God. The letter to the Galatians is not a polemic against the law and those who preach it. It is a clarion call to live the life that is ours in Christ.

A brief overview of the letter is as follows: In chapter 1, Paul outlines his reason for writing – “You Galatians have bought into a distorted gospel taught by law teachers” – before explaining why he’s the man to fix it – “I heard the true gospel from Jesus himself.” In chapter 2, he recounts what happened when law teachers infiltrated the church in Antioch. “Peter was led astray, but I set him straight.” In chapter 3, he explains the difference between living under law and faith. “Be like Abraham the believer and trust God’s promises.” In chapter 4, he reminds the Galatians of their true identity. “You are sons of God, so act like it.” In chapter 5, he contrasts two ways to live. “Walk by the spirit, not the flesh.” In chapter 6 he concludes by reminding the Galatians that what really matters is they are a new creation.

(d) Raised him from the dead. God’s power is a resurrecting power. The devil had a death-dealing power (Heb. 2:14), but God has a life-giving power which is far greater (Rom. 8:11). The resurrection of Jesus Christ lay at the heart of Paul’s message (1 Cor. 15:14). Paul does not preach a distant deity who rewards and punishes us for our deeds. He proclaims a God who loves us like a Father who gives life to the dead.

(e) Brethren. When writing letters to the churches, it was Paul’s practice to pass along greetings from his traveling companions (e.g., Col. 4:10–14). Since no companions are named in this letter, we can conclude that Paul was not travelling and that he wrote this letter from his home church in Antioch.

(f) To the churches. On his first missionary trip, Paul, accompanied by his good friend Barnabas, preached the gospel in the southern Galatian cities of Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe (Acts 13:14, 51, 14:6). Paul’s preaching was so effective that the gospel “spread through the whole region” (Acts 13:49) leading to the conversion of “many disciples” (Acts 14:21). Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in the churches they had planted, and it was to these elders that this letter was sent.

After Paul left Galatia, bad teachers moved in. They added to Paul’s message and attacked Paul’s character. They told the Gentile believers, “You need to become Jewish and keep the law for God to accept you.” When Paul heard about this, he wrote the Galatians a strongly-worded letter.

We would do well to ponder Paul’s reasons for writing. It was not immorality or idolatry that prompted him but a religion of works and rituals. Judaism is the religion of the Old Testament, but it never should be confused for the gospel of Christ. A religion that offers a pathway to God marked by good deeds and promise-keeping is a great threat to the message of grace. It may sound biblical, but it is a snare for the soul. It will cause you to rely on yourself instead of the Lord. Paul wrote to expose the sham and to remind the Galatians they did not need to work for what they possessed in Christ.

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In my next update, I will tell you how you can get advance copies of The Grace Bible: Galatians long before it goes on sale!

Stay tuned.

Paul

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