Bible study this week is the first half of Galatians chapter one

Paul Speaks Out Against False Teachers

[Galatians 1, verses 1-12]

Let's now continue on to the book of Galatians in our studies of the apostle Paul. Not many letters have had such a great impact on the western world as the letter of Paul to the church at Galatia. Indeed, this letter became the cornerstone of the Protestant Reformation. It has also been called the “Magna Carta of Christianity,” and this is truly an accurate description. On the other hand, Romans is generally regarded as the greatest of Paul’s letters, and the Roman church became one of the major centers of Christendom. It is therefore not surprising to find that both these great letters are quite similar to each other in regard to their content. However, their occasion and purpose are quite different. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the audiences to which these letters were written, their purpose, and the historical circumstances which prompted them to be written. As we begin, we find the apostle Paul giving one of the many churches he founded a warm greeting, but then his tone abruptly changes as he begins his message.

“Paul, an apostle – sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead – and all the brothers with me, to the churches in Galatia: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever, amen. I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the Gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than what was preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so I now say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1, verses 1-9, NIV)

As was the case in my previously studied letters from Paul to the Roman and Corinthian churches, so it is here. The apostle Paul's famously flowing and lavish greetings to each of the churches he founded is how he consistently starts his letters to all these churches. Notice that he uses the opportunity to remind the churches at Galatia of the faith which unites them all, that of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and of His conquest of death itself. I find his reference to “the present evil age” rather interesting, in light of the fact that we live in a far more dangerous world now than the one Paul lived in when he wrote those words. He lived in and during the height of the Roman Empire, and Rome ruled over its subjects with an iron fist. Step out of line and they squash you like a bug. Now, where have we heard that before? Oh yeah, it's what happens in modern times to Occupy Wall St. demonstrators and protesters when they encounter law enforcement in the streets. It's also what happens when corporate, governmental or military whistle-blowers expose criminal activity within their organizations, and oftentimes when they expose stupidity, incompetence, abuse of power and conflicts of interest. True Christians should aspire to be like like any of the above individuals, because true Christians are unafraid to stand up to evil and corruption regardless of cost!

Paul then immediately changes gears, so to speak, in verse six when he insists on knowing how and why they decided to change their interpretation of the Gospel from its original meaning. “Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the Gospel of Christ”, he wrote. He does not go into details about what he meant by that, so whatever it was it surely wasn't good. Paul holds back nothing in his judgment of those who were apparently changing certain things within the message of Christ that changed the contest or meaning of the Scripture being read. Anybody who knowingly changes the meaning or interpretation of God's word is calling God a liar, and we all know what happens to people who do that. Unfortunately, there are still people today who make a very comfortable living doing exactly that. They simply do not understand the gravity of what they are doing, nor the level of sin in their lives resulting from their actions. Their condemnation will take them completely by surprise.

It's critical to understand here that the Bible is the written word of God. It was not written by any one author, nor by several authors, particularly in light of the fact that the Bible from a historical vantage point covers about 4,000 years of human history. The Bible is so much more than merely a perennial best-seller, and there is a very good reason for that. The Bible tells the story of the salvation of Christ, which is a gift from God that is beyond compare. We do not receive this salvation because we earned it by being good persons, we receive it by God's grace, which is defined as unmerited favor, like a gift. The best example of this would be the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who loved us so much that He offered himself up as a living sacrifice for all our sins. So it should be with us, giving ourselves up as living sacrifices for our Savior. Let's read how Paul ties this into his message to the Galatian church:

“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. I want you to know, brothers, that the Gospel I preached is not something man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1, verses 10-12, NIV)

In these three verses the apostle Paul sums up his comparison of the message of Christ to all the other impure versions of the gospel that were being disseminated in the Galatian churches. All the variations of the gospel being “preached” and “taught” were completely bogus. The one true Gospel is the one imparted to the 12 apostles first, then to Paul, and then outwardly to all who sincerely believe. From that time up until now, by “revelation from Jesus Christ”, it is these very words that we are reading. As the apostle John wrote in his gospel, the reason those who believe in God love Him as much as they do is because “God loved us first”. God loved us from long before we were born. Let's all make sure we reciprocate that love by emulating Christ, but also by adhering to the Word just as it is written. If we fail to do this, our faith and beliefs become compromised at best and polluted at worst, which will bring our very salvation into question in God's sight. Let's not make that mistake, but let us 'stay the course' towards our eternity with Jesus. And next week, God willing, I'll be back to go over the rest of Galatians chapter one.