Letters-02-Galatians

LETTERS OF APOSTLES
to First-Century Churches

Lesson Two: Galatians
Theme: Gospel VS Law
AD 47

Background of People He Wrote

Galatia was a large province with many barbaric people to the north on the Black Sea and cultured people to the south almost touching the Mediterranean Sea.� Its eastern border was near Mt. Ararat where Noah's ark rested (Gen. 8:4).� In the more populated areas of the west were "counties" called Lycaonia and Pissidia.�

In the most ancient times, the Hittites lived here and south into Palestine.� But the Celts who came down from Germany and Switzerland, split off at Italy, most invading France (called Gaul) and Spain, but with the rest going into what would later be called Galatia to help a local king with his civil war.� After the war, they continued to raid and pillage other areas.� They remained in tribes for centuries until becaming a Roman territory in 85 BC, and a province in 25 BC.� The Celtic Gauls formed the military aristocricy, while the original descendants of the Hittites were the farmers.� They were not particularly religious, but when they were, they accepted the religion of whoever wanted to propagate theirs.

Paul established three congregations here that we know of, all in the more civilized western part.� (1) Antioch of Pisidia (not Antioch of Syria, his home congregation) was on a trade route between the orient and coastal cities across from Greece on the Aegean Sea.� Acts 13:14, 50-51 says Paul preached first in their Jewish synagogue by their invitation on two consecutive Sabbaths.� On the second Sabbath even the Gentiles showed up to hear him.� This made the jealous Jews talk against Paul; so Paul announced he would preach to the Gentiles.� The Jews in turn slandered him to the city leaders who expelled him.� When he left, the Jews from Antioch followed him around, continuing to slander (Acts 14:1-7).

(2)� Down the road in Iconium, another trade-route city, Paul preached again at the synagogue.� The jealous Jews "poisoned [the Gentiles'] minds."� Eventually the city was divided between those siding with the Jews or Christ.� The city leaders were convinced to stone him, but he fled.� The Jews followed him around, continuing to slander (Acts 14:8-20).

(3)� A temple to Zeus was down the road in Lystra.� Top Roman soldiers of the area settled their families.� But when Paul went there and healed a man who had never walked, it was the commoners (locals of Gaul extract - see Acts 14:11) who declared Paul was Hermes and Barnabas was Zeus.� Timothy, a Jew, lived here and doubtless witnessed all this (Acts 16:1).� When they convinced their would-be worshippers they were only humans, the crowd - egged on by the Jews from Antioch and Iconium - turned on them and stoned them, leaving them for dead.� (4)� Paul recovered and rested in Derbe.�� Derbe had a great ampitheatre, and was also a customs city for produce brought into Roman territories from the Orient and Middle East.

After Paul's recovery, he returned to those same cities telling them "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God."� Paul also appointed elders at this time in each congregation (Acts 14:21-23)

Because of the way the Jews pressured the Gentiles to be circumcised, Paul went to Jerusalem to request a counsel with the apostles and elders (Acts 15:2).� The Apostles sent one copy of their letter to the provinces of Syria and Cilicia basically saying Christians didn't have to keep anything in the Law of Moses, but it was rather general.� Apparently Paul wrote the Galatians at this time more specifically, preparing them for his return visit.�

Paul and Silas returned to Derbe, and then Lystra, taking another copy of the Apostles' letter with them.� At Lystra they met Timothy, a half-Jew and half-Greek, who he may have converted at this time.� They circumcised him only because of his Jewish background, then took him with them to travel among Timothy's own people.� They, too, had a copy of the apostles' letter and read it to the congregations as they traveled.

VERSES DEPICTING THEME

2:16�� A man is not justified by observing the Law of Moses

2:21�� Righteousness cannot be gained through the law

3:10�� Cursed is everyone who does not do everything in the law

3:23�� Those who observe the law are prisoners to sin, for they cannot keep it perfectly

4:9�� The law is full of "weak and miserable principles" that enslave us

5:3�� He who keeps part of the law is obligated to keep all of it

5:10�� Advocating any part of the law throws people into confusion

6:12�� Those trying to get us to obey the law are trying to make a good impression outwardly

6:13�� They don't even keep all the law themselves

1:7�� What terrible thing were some of the Christians in this province trying to do to the gospel?

�� _________________________________________

1:8�� What will happen to people who preach "another gospel" eternally?� _____________________________________

1:9�� How many times does he say this?� ____________________

1:10�� What causes people to preach "another gospel"?� _____________________________________

Since Paul is still relatively unknown in the church, he introduces himself
and defends his apostleship
by which he receives his authority to tell them what to do.

1:14-16a�� Though Paul was a Jew, God chose him specifically to preach to what group of people? ___________________

1:16-18�� After Paul's conversion, he did not consult any _______________, but went immediately to ____________________ where he stayed __________________ years and was apparently taught directly by Jesus.

1:19�� Only after that did he go to Jerusalem to meet the apostles.� Which apostles were in Jerusalem at that time?� ________________________________________________________

2:1-3�� Fourteen years after his conversion, Paul returned to Jerusalem.� At this time, the leaders of the church did not compel his associate, Titus a Gentile Grecian, to be _______________________.

2:4-6�� False brothers only seemed to be __________________________, but God knew better.

2:7-9�� God called Peter to be an apostle to the ____________________, while Paul was to be an apostle to the ________________________.� At this time, which apostles were left in Jerusalem? ___________________________

2:11-13�� When Peter visited Antioch up by the border of Turkey, at first he ate with the _____________________________, but later he separated himself from the __________________________ because he was afraid of those who belonged to the ____________________________________ __________________________ (Jewish Christians).

�� NOTE:� Circumcision was a rite included in the Law of ___________________________ (Leviticus 12:1-3).� Good Jews did not go into the homes of Gentiles or even eat with them (Acts 10:28; 11:2-3).

2:14�� Paul criticized Peter for this in front of ________________________________________.

2:16�� We are not made just before God by observing the ________________________ of Moses.

2:17�� By being made just by Christ, we admit that we ourselves are ____________________ and cannot save ourselves.

2:18�� By going back to observing the Law of Moses which we humans cannot keep perfectly, it just proves all over again that we are ____________________________.

2:20�� Since we cannot save ourselves, we die with Christ, and we are resurrected in Christ.� How do we die with Christ (Romans 6:3)?� _____________________� How do we get into Christ (Galatians 3:26)? _____________________

2:21�� If we could be just by keeping the Law of Moses, Christ died for ________________________________.

3:1�� People who try to go back and pick up observances from the Law of Moses have been ______________________.

3:5�� When does God give us his Spirit (Acts 2:38)?� _____________________________________

3:8�� God said to Abraham before the Law of Moses that _____________ __________________________ would be blessed through him, not just Jews.

3:10�� A person who does not do _________________________________ written in the Book of the Law (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) is what?� ________________________________

3:11-13�� No one can be just before God under the law because no one can keep it perfectly.� But Christ relieved us of the law by becoming a ______________________ for us and being hung on a __________________ (crucified).

3:16�� The seeds of Abraham were all his descendants.� But the seed of Abraham was the one person, ________________.

3:21�� The Law of Moses served to prove that we cannot be perfect.

3:22-23�� The whole world is a prisoner of ____________________ and held prisoners by the ________________.

2:25�� Now that Jesus has come, we are __________ longer under the supervision of the ____________________.

2:26-27�� How do we become sons of God through faith in Christ?� _____________________________________________

4:1-3�� God considered mankind as little ___________________________________________ in our childish and barbaric way of acting during the days of the Law of Moses.

4:6�� How does God send the Spirit of his Son into our hearts to testify that God is our Father (John 14:17-18)?� God will send the __________________________ of Truth, for Jesus said, "I will ___________________ to you."� And what is this Truth (John 17:17)?� _________________________________________

4:9�� Paul said keeping the old Law of Moses was turning back to ________________________ and ________________ _____________________________ principles.

4:17�� People who try to get us to return to the Law of Moses just want us to be ___________________________ for them.

4:25�� Abraham had two sons - the first (Ishmael) by a slave woman (Hagar), the second (Isaac) by his wife (Sarah) through a miracle.� Hagar symbolically represents the present city of _____________________________, the center of Jewish worship.

4:30�� But it was Isaac, the son of his wife by miracle (she was 90 years old), who received the inheritance.

5:1�� Those who follow any part of the Law of Moses are burdened by a yoke of ___________________________.

5:2�� These people weren't being pressured to keep all of the Law of Moses, but just being ________________________.� Also 4:10 said they had started observing Jewish special ________________, etc.

5:3�� But if we obey just one thing in the Law of Moses, we are obligated to obey the ______________________ law.� (That means animal sacrifices, paying for vows to God, reporting in to priests whenever we are sick, etc.� Read Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.)

5:6�� No part of the Law of Moses we keep has any _________________________.

5:10�� People inserting Law of Moses rules into Christian worship are throwing people into ________________________ and God will make sure they pay the ______________________________ for it.

5:11�� Paul was being persecuted by those who wanted to keep parts of the Law of Moses.

5:19-21�� The sinful life is summarized with a list of sins.� Which one do you have the most trouble with?� ______________

5:22-23�� The spirit-filled life is summarized with a list of fruits.� Which one do you have the most trouble doing?� _______

6:1�� Do "brothers" who have been caught up in sin need to be restored?� ________________

6:4�� What is one way we can test our actions?� _______________________________________________________

6:11�� Paul has apparently dictated this letter.� Now he adds a post script "with my own hand."

6:12�� People who want to make a good impression outwardly with their religion try to compel us to keep parts of the Law of Moses.� When we refuse, how do they treat us?� ___________________________________________________

6:13�� Still the reminder that even those who bring in part of the Law of Moses refuse to keep all of it.

6:17�� Paul closes by warning them not to hassle him about this.� He's got the scars to prove he's not going to change.� Remember, in Acts 14:1-5 he was nearly stoned in Iconium, and in Acts 14:6-19 he was stoned and left for dead, not by the pagans, but by people who considered themselves defending God.

EVENTS AFTER WRITING THE LETTER

AD 47:

SYRIA:

Antioch Acts 15:36-39�� Paul and Barnabas decided to revisit churches they had established

�� The two old friends had a dispute so Barnabas took John Mark and sailed for Cyprus, his home province (Acts 4:36).

�� Acts 15:40a�� Paul took Silas and revisited churches in Syria

AD 48�� PAUL'S SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY

�� Paul Age 53

CILICIA, TURKEY:

Tarsus Acts 15:40b�� Paul and Silas revisited churches in Cilicia, Paul's home province.

* GALATIA, TURKEY:�� Paul and Silas hand carried letter from Jerusalem apostles and elders to Gentile churches here regarding not keeping the Law of Moses.� It confirmed what he himself had said in his earlier letter to them.

�� NOTE:� Traveling through Turkey is not easy.� It is very mountainous and often had earthquakes

Lyconia:

Derbe

Lystra�� Acts 16:1�� First met *Timothy who had a good reputation in church there

Iconium

�� Acts 16:2-5�� Church spoke well of Timothy here too

�� Decided to take Timothy with him

ASIA, TURKEY:

Phrygia:

�� Acts 16:6�� Preached as they travelled on this edge of Asia, but apparently with no results, as the Holy Spirit forbade them to stay.

*Colossae

�� Col. 1:7; 4:12�� Later, church established here by Apaphras.� Other Christians in Colossia were Philemon a slave holder, Archippus and Apphia (Philemon 1f)

GALATIA, TURKEY:

�� Acts 16:6�� Preached as they traveled the province

ASIA, TURKEY:

Mysia:

Troas/Troy

�� Acts 16:7-10�� Kept from entering Province of Bithynia along the Black Sea just south of Russia.

�� Paul had vision of man of Macedonia begging him to come there

�� Joined by Luke ("us" in v. 10)

�� Set sail

AD 50

THRACE (Samothrace), BULGARIA ��

�� Acts 16:11�� Docked one day

MACEDONIA, GREECE:

Neapolis ��

�� Acts 16:11�� Ship docked, continued on foot

*Philippi

�� Acts 16:12-40�� Converted Lydia who'd moved there from *Thyatira, Asia, Turkey; stayed in her house and began church there.�

�� (Rev. 2:18-29�� (*Thyatira was one of the churches in Asia addressed in Revelation by John 40 years later and having trouble with idolatry among Christians.)

�� Cast demon out of ESP slave girl; her owners reported Paul as causing trouble

�� Beaten and imprisoned for causing trouble

�� Earthquake and escape

�� Conversion of Jailor

�� Officially released by Roman authorities

�� Returned to Lydia's house awhile

�� (He will write them 12 years later from prison in Rome)

�� 2 Cor. 9:1-2�� Later, the Christians here decided to send money to poor Christians in Judea because of example set by Corinthians

Amphipolis

Apollonia

�� Acts 17:1�� Passed through

* Thessalonica

�� Acts 17:1-4�� Preached in synagogue; Jews & Greeks converted

�� 1 Thess. 2:2�� He "suffered" and had been "insulted in Philippi" and referred to "strong opposition."

�� 1 Thess. 2:7-9�� Supported self

�� Acts 17:5-9�� Jews stirred up riot

�� Dragged Jason into court for housing Paul & Silas

�� 1 Thess. 2:17�� "We were torn away from you."

�� 1 Thess. 3:1�� "When we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens."� ��

�� 1 Thess. 2:2�� (He will write them from Athens to encourage them in their persecution.)

Berea � Acts 17:10-14�� Preached in synagogue

�� Bereans checked scriptures to make sure Paul's message was true

�� 1 Thess. 3:1�� Tried to return to Thessalonica, but couldn't

�� Jews from Thessalonica stirred up riot

�� 1 Thess. 3:2-3�� Silas and Timothy stayed behind

ACHAIA, GREECE:

Athens Acts 17:15-34�� Preached in synagogue

�� Preached in marketplace

�� Preached to a council of the Areopagus

�� 1 Thess. 3:1�� WROTE 1 THESSALONIANS HERE

�� THEME:� TRIALS

�� 1 Thess. 3:2-6�� Timothy had just returned with news the Thessalonians were doing well

�� Must endure persecution; Jesus will return soon

�� Sent letter by Timothy

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