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Lesson 9

 

GALATIANS

 

 

I.  BACKGROUND

        1. Author - Paul, the apostle, who had first preached the gospel to the churches of the Galatian region:  Antioch of Pisidia,

            Iconium, Lystra, Derbe - 1:1; Acts 13:13-14-14:23

        2. Date - probably during Paul's 2nd missionary journey, after he had visited the churches a 2nd time:  Acts 16:1-6.  A.D. 50-55

        3. Setting - Following Paul's departure some people came to the churches perverting the gospel of Christ and telling the

            Christians they needed to be circumcised, and teaching them that they could be justified only through  keeping the law of

            Moses and following Jesus.  1:6-8: 6:14;  3:2;  4:21;  5:7-12 Paul's apostleship was being questioned also.

 

II.    PURPOSE OF THE BOOK

        1. Key Verses:  2:15-21;  5:2-6

        2. Purpose - To show a system of trying to be justified through what the flesh could accomplish by keeping laws Could Never

            replace the good news of what God had accomplished through the cross of Christ for all believers. God's grace causes

            freedom, while this teaching of law-keeping caused bondage again.

                1) A life of  law-keeping was contrary to the gospel of Christ: 1:6-10;  2:2;  3:21-22;  5:1-12;  6:12-16

                2) Remain in your freedom in Christ and stay away from the bondage of law-keeping:  5:1

                3) God had always justified people through faith, not through law-keeping:  2:15-16;  3:6-4:7;  4:21-31

                4) The law had a different purpose than justification; it was to bring us to Christ:  3:19-25;  4:1-7

                5) The one law of the new covenant is identified:  5:13-14

                6) Freedom has definite boundaries, the boundaries of love:  5:13-6:10

 

III.  APPLICATION - LESSONS

        1. There will always be struggles between those who are Free and those who are in Bondage:  4:21-31 (especially v.29)

                1) Free - those who are confident in what God has done through Jesus on the cross and in His resurrection, thus creating

                    their relationship with God

                2) Bondage - those who see their own abilities to perform (or keeping law pefectly) as a means of causing God to reward

                    them, thus their dependence on self.

        2. What system is blessed and what system is anathema (accursed)?

                1) Blessed - The system of justification that depends on God's work through Jesus Christ, which creates freedom in Christ

                    by individual faith working through love:  5:5-6;  2:16-20

                2) Accursed - The system of justification that depends on one's self to keep a set of requirements (laws), which creates

                    bondage because no one can be perfect:  1:6-9;  3:10-14;  4:30

        3. Freedom in Christ is accomplished by:

                1) Serving others in doing good:  5:13-14;  5:22-6:10

                2) Being imitators of Jesus, obedient to His nature and to His spirit:  5:16-18, 24-25

                3) NOT BY satisfying  our own desires:  5:16-21

                4) NOT BY judging others by trying to make sure they keep the law perfectly:  5:15;  4:29

 

GALATIANS  QUESTIONS

 

1. Anyone who preaches a perverted gospel is to be considered _______________________.(Galatians 1:6-10)

 

2. According to the letter to Galatia, what perverted gospel was being preached there?

 

3. Can the keeping of any kind of law justify us?  (Galatians 3:11)

 

4. Is it possible to preach Jesus and the cross, and also preach justification by law?

 

5. "For _________________ did Christ set you free."  (Galatians 5:1)

 

6. "For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, even in this:____________________________________."  (Galatians 5:14)

 

7. If we are belonging to Christ, by whose spirit do we live?

 

8. Put each word in its correct category:

                    Faith                                                   Law

 

    1) Freedom     ___________                  __________

 

    2) Bondage        ___________                  __________

 

    3) Accursed       _________                   __________

 

    4) Flesh          ___________                      __________

 

    5) Spirit           ___________                  __________

 

    6) Grace          ___________                  __________

 

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