Greetings from Paul (Part 2)

Review:
Note the difference between Scripture and commentary.

Scripture is God’s Word.  Commentary is man’s word.

Upon arriving back in Antioch from his first missionary journey after eighteen months on the road, Paul received a report that the churches he had started in Galatia had been led away from the truth of the Gospel by a group of Judaizers.  Judaizers taught that all Christians were required to live under the Mosaic Law.

Themes in the book of Galatians:

Salvation was available to the Gentiles.

Gentiles did not have to become Jews in order to become full members of God’s family.  They only had to put their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.

Galatians 1:1-5 NLT
Greetings from Paul
1 This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead.
² All the brothers and sisters here join me in sending this letter to the churches of Galatia.
³ May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. ⁴ Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. ⁵ All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.

 What’s missing in this greeting to the Galatians?

• The usual expression of thanksgiving and praise for believers is totally absent.

Examine the scriptures:

1 This letter is from Paul, 

• The book of Galatians was written by Paul

 an apostle.

An Apostle is “one who is sent”.

We typically think of the twelve men Jesus choose to accompany Him.

Paul immediately defends his apostolic credentials.

When the Galatians fell away so quickly from the gospel of grace Paul had preached to them, they also made clear their disloyalty to Paul’s authority as an apostle.

• The Galatians were being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. (Galatians 1:7)

Paul was accused of changing the Gospel message.

The Judaizers stated that his version of the Gospel had never received the apostles’ sanction.

The Judaizers also stated that Paul’s presentation of the Gospel was incomplete.

Paul begins the letter to the Galatians by spending two chapters defending that very issue. 

Paul’s apostolic credentials were being challenged.

Though not one of the original Twelve, Paul claimed equality with them as an apostle. Paul claimed the right to speak for God as His representative or delegate.

Ambassador

Messenger

• Paul felt a strong need to defend his authority as an apostle. 

I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead. 

But by Jesus Christ. That is, directly by Christ. He had been called by him, and commissioned by him, and sent by him, to engage in the work of the gospel.

Paul made the bold claim that his call was of heavenly origin, from God the Father and the risen Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul’s apostleship was not from men, that is, he was not appointed an apostle by any official body such as the leaders in Jerusalem or Antioch.

• Paul’s apostleship was not from men but from Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead. 

² All the brothers and sisters here join me in sending this letter to the churches of Galatia.

Paul did not stand alone.  Paul was supported by others in the “church”.  Paul probably wrote this letter from Antioch of Syria.

The letter was most likely sent to Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia

Acts 13: 13-14 & Acts 14:1, 7

• The recipients of the letter were the churches in Galatia.
• All the brothers and sisters in Antioch of Syria joined Paul in sending this letter to the churches of Galatia. (commentary)

³ May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. 

• The Judaizers clearly did not understand “grace” and would never experience God’s “peace”. Paul was asking God to give the Judaizers something they really needed.

Philippians 4:7 NLT
⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

⁴ Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.

• Paul summarized the Gospel in one sentence. The Judaizers would not “be rescued from this evil world” by keeping the law.

⁵ All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.