GALATIANS
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Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Galatians chapter 1 as we continue our study through the Word of God and we begin this very important and powerful letter that is very applicable for the days we are living in. Galatia is not a city but a region that encompasses the cities of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe; places that Paul visited on his first missionary journey, (Acts 13:14-14:23). The time frame of the writing of this letter to all these churches in the Southern portion of Galatia is around 50 AD. Also, even the most liberal of scholars attribute this letter to the apostle Paul. In fact, the early church fathers like Polycarp, Ignatius, Justin Martyr, Origen, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Clement of Alexandria all stated that Paul the apostle wrote this letter to the Galatians.
This letter is powerful and has been called the “Declaration of Independence of Christian Liberty.” Merril C. Tenney wrote of this letter: “Christianity might have been just one more Jewish sect, and the thought of the western world might have been entirely pagan had it never been written. Galatians embodies the germinal teaching on Christian freedom which separated Christianity from Judaism, and which launched it upon a career of missionary conquest. It was the cornerstone of the Protestant Reformation, because of salvation by grace alone became the dominant theme of the preaching of the Reformers.”
This letter is just as important to us today as it was to the people living in the region of Galatia for it will show us that we are saved by Grace through Faith and not by the Law through Works. And think about this, after over 1900 years people are still trying to mix Grace and the Law and it doesn’t work. Adding anything to Grace doesn’t improve it; in fact it only cheapens it. And so as we go through this letter Paul will show us what saving faith is and isn’t! And so, with that said, let’s begin reading in Galatians chapter 1, starting in verse 1, and let’s see what the Lord has for us this evening as we begin this letter.
Paul opens up with his position of authority – an apostle. Why did he say that? Because Paul is going to speak against the false teachers, the Judaizers who were coming in after Paul taught and they were mixing Law and Grace together for salvation. Thus, Paul wants these churches in the region of Galatia to know that this was a Divine calling by God. He didn’t decide this position nor did other men chose him for this position, but God called him into it! Thus, as he speaks, as he rebukes this false doctrine, he does so with the authority of God!
That should be true in our own lives as well, that God is the one who is doing the calling, it is His Divine call upon our lives and not something we have orchestrated or manipulated. Thus, the God who appointed Paul also appoints us for positions of ministry! Some people wonder how I pick or choose elders or pastors here at Calvary. The answer is simple, I don’t. All I do is watch what God is doing in peoples lives, how He is using them and then I recognize that calling upon their life! That is the way it should be. That is something that my pastor taught me years ago, don’t put someone in a position of leadership just because you have an opening, there is a need. Wait upon God and let Him raise someone up, which may take some time, but it is a lot harder to remove someone from ministry once they are in it. Wise words!
Paul opens with his familiar greeting of Grace and Peace, the Greek and Jewish greeting. One of the reasons is simple, that both Jews and Greeks are one in Christ and thus he is greeting both Jews and Gentiles. Also, as Lenski tells us, “Grace is always first, peace is always second. This is due to the fact that grace is the source of peace. Without grace there is and can be no peace, but when grace is ours, peace must of necessity follow.” It is as Paul said in Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
We are told in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” God the Father GAVE His Son and now we are told that Jesus GAVE Himself to pay for our sins. He paid the price for our sins and if we receive the free gift from God we can be delivered from this present evil age, it’s power that is upon our lives! Thus, all the glory is given to God for what He has done and no glory can be given to us and what we have done in regards to our salvation. It would be like having this life-saving operation and as the surgery is over, the praise goes to the scalpel instead of the surgeon. That would be foolish, the scalpel was just the instrument in which the surgeon used, and thus, he is to get the praise, the glory! We are just the instruments that God works through and thus, He gets the glory, not us! Paul said in II Corinthians 5:21, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” You see, the death of Jesus was voluntary, He GAVE Himself and it satisfied God’s righteous demands against sinful man and He has reconciled us back to God by paying in full the penalty for our sins. It is as Peter tells us in I Peter 3:18, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.”
Often in Paul’s letters he opens’s with praise unto the recipient’s of his letters, thanksgiving, but not in this letter to the Galatians. In a sense he is saying, “We need to talk!” Paul is amazed, he is astounded, he is bewildered that they have turned away from the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, and embracing a false gospel, a false Jesus! You see, by doing this they were turning away from Jesus!
The problem was with these Judaizers who came in and recognized Jesus as the Messiah. They spoke of His sacrificial death. They not only believed on the Gospel message but they tried to improve upon it by mixing the Law with Grace and adding anything to Grace only destroys it. Paul tells us in Romans 11:6, and this is from The Amplified Bible, “But if it is by grace (His unmerited favor and graciousness), it is no longer conditioned on works or anything men have done. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace [it would be meaningless].”
John MacArthur gives us some insight on these destructive, these dangerous teachings. He tells us, “The most destructive dangers to the church have never been atheism, pagan religions, or cults that openly deny Scripture, but rather supposedly Christian movements that accept so much biblical truth that their unscriptural doctrines seem relatively insignificant and harmless. But a single drop of poison in a large container can make all the water lethal. And a single false idea that in any way undercuts God’s grace poisons the whole system of belief.”
Paul, in warning the Corinthians said back in II Corinthians 11:3-4, “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted — you may well put up with it!” May we be warned for there are different Gospels out there, other Jesus’ out there that people are trying to get us to follow – but the truth of God’s Word exposes their lies, their deceptions – may we not forget that!
These are very harsh words that Paul is speaking against these false teachers, that they will see the judgment of God upon their lives; ANATHEMA is the Greek word that Paul uses. Now some would say, “Where’s the love?” Think about that for a minute. Would you send your child to a school where the teacher is teaching them lies, things that are very dangerous to their well-being? Of course you wouldn’t and if you caught wind of a teacher doing that, you would confront them immediately. It just shows that you love your child and you are protecting them, that is what Paul is doing, protecting the Galatians and us from these lies!
In fact, Paul wants to drive home this point so much that he repeats this curse in verse 9. I remember when I was young, and did something wrong, my mom would say, “Joseph William Guglielmo, get in this house right now! Don’t make me repeat myself!” If I didn’t listen and she had to repeat herself, I was in more trouble! That is Paul’s point, if you preach these false gospel’s you are in big trouble with God for leading people astray. Of this Bruce tells us, “The Gospel preached by Paul is not the true Gospel because it is Paul who preaches it, it is the true Gospel because the risen Christ gave it to Paul to preach.”
I find it interesting that Joseph Smith, the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or the Mormons, was given revelations from the angel Moroni, who, after you see what their gospel is all about, is full of bologni! Today Mormon’s consider themselves as Christians but they preach another Jesus, a different gospel. Walter Martin, in his book The Kingdom of the Cults tells us this regarding Mormons:
Personal salvation in Mormonism is one of the doctrines most heavily emphasized, and since Christianity is the Gospel or “Good News” of God’s redemption in Christ, it is inevitable that the two should come into conflict.
The Mormon doctrine of salvation involves not only faith in Christ, but baptism by immersion, obedience to the teaching of the Mormon Church, good works, and “keeping the commandments of God (which) will cleanse away the stain of sin” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 2, p. 4). Apparently Brigham was ignorant of the Biblical pronouncement that “without the shedding of blood there is no remission [of sin]” (Hebrews 9:22).
The Mormon teaching concerning salvation is, therefore, quite the opposite of the New Testament revelation of justification by faith and redemption solely by grace through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Brigham Young, an authoritative Mormon source by any standard, was quite opposed to the Christian doctrine of salvation which teaches that a person may at any time sincerely repent of his sins, even at the eleventh hour, and receive forgiveness and eternal life. Wrote Brigham:
“Some of our old traditions teach us that a man guilty of atrocious and murderous acts may savingly repent on the scaffold; and upon his execution will hear the expression – ‘Bless God! He has gone to heaven, to be crowned in glory, through the all-redeeming merits of Christ the Lord!’ This is all nonsense. Such a character will never see heaven” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 8, p. 61).
According to the Mormon scheme of salvation the gods who created this earth actually planned that Adam, who was to become ruler of this domain, and his wife, Eve, were predestined to sin so that the race of man who now inhabit this earth might come into being and eventually reach godhood. The fall in the Garden of Eden was actually the means “by which act Adam and Eve became mortal, and could beget mortal children” (J. Widtsoe, A Rational Theology, Deseret Publishing Company, p. 47).
The Lord Jesus offered one eternal sacrifice for all sins and His salvation comes not by the works of the law or any human works whatever (Galatians 2:16 and Ephesians 2:9), but solely by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). The Savior of the New Testament revelation existed eternally as God; lived a holy, harmless and undefiled life, separate from sinners, and “knew no sin.” He was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief,” “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
The Savior of Mormonism, however, is an entirely different person, as their official publications clearly reveal. The Mormon Savior is not the second person of the Christian Trinity since, as we have seen previously, Mormons reject the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, and he is not even a careful replica of the New Testament Redeemer. In Mormon theology, Christ as a pre-existent spirit was not only the spirit brother of the devil (as alluded to in the Pearl of Great Price, Moses 4:1-4, and later reaffirmed by Brigham Young in the Journal of Discourses, Vol. 13, p. 282), but celebrated his own marriage to both “the Marys and Martha, whereby he could see his seed before he was crucified” (apostle Orson Hyde, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4, pp. 259-260). As we have seen previously, the Mormon concept of the virgin birth, alone, distinguishes their “Christ” from the Christ of the Bible.
In addition to this revolting concept, Brigham Young categorically stated that the sacrifice made upon the cross by Jesus Christ in the form of His own blood was ineffective for the cleansing of some sins. Brigham went on to teach the now suppressed but never officially repudiated doctrine of “blood atonement.”
To better understand Young’s limitation of the cleansing power of Christ’s blood, we shall refer to his own words:
“Suppose you found your brother in bed with your wife, and put a javelin through both of them, you would be justified, and they would atone for their sins, and be received into the kingdom of God. I would at once do so in such a case; and under such circumstances, I have no wife whom I love so well that I would not put a javelin through her heart, and I would do it with clean hands . . .
“There is not a man or woman, who violates the covenants made with their God, that will not be required to pay the dept. The blood of Christ will never wipe that out, your own blood must atone for it; and the judgments [sic.] of the Almighty will come, sooner or later, and every man and woman will have to atone for their covenants . . . All mankind love themselves and let these principles be known by an individual, and he would be glad to have his blood shed . . . I could refer you to plenty of instances where men have been righteously slain, in order to atone for their sins . . . This is loving our neighbor as ourselves; if he needs help, help him, and if he wants salvation and it is necessary to spill his blood on the earth in order that he may be saved, spill it” (Journal of Discourses. Vol. III, p. 247, and Vol. IV, pp. 219-220). So clear –cut was Brigham’s denial of the all sufficiency and efficiency of the atoning sacrifice of Christ in the foregoing quotation that Mormons have had to develop an argument “to explain” what the prophet really meant. It is their contention that a criminal is “executed to atone for his crimes and this is all Brigham Young meant.”
- Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults, pp. 216-219
Folks, that is another gospel, a different Jesus and Paul says that those that preach these things are accursed, which also applies to those that follow them, for salvation is only found in Jesus and not in our works! That is not unloving, that is the truth! Peter tells us in Acts 4:11-12, “This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” In Psalm 103:12 we are told, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” In Isaiah 43:25 we are told, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.” And lastly, in Titus 3:3-7 from The Amplified Bible, “For we also were once thoughtless and senseless, obstinate and disobedient, deluded and misled; [we too were once] slaves to all sorts of cravings and pleasures, wasting our days in malice and jealousy and envy, hateful (hated, detestable) and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving-kindness of God our Savior to man [as man] appeared, He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but because of His own pity and mercy, by [the] cleansing [bath] of the new birth (regeneration) and renewing of the Holy Spirit, Which He poured out [so] richly upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. And He did it in order] that we might be justified by His grace (by His favor, wholly undeserved), [that we might be acknowledged and counted as conformed to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action], and that we might become heirs of eternal life according to [our] hope.”
I think you get the point; we are saved by Grace through faith and not by the Law through Works. “IT IS FINISHED!” was the cry of Jesus from the cross and now many are trying to complete by their efforts what Christ has done, paid in full for our salvation if we would only receive it by faith! Paul will hit the Galatians hard again in chapter 3 where he tells us, “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” Galatians 3:1-3. May we not be foolish!
Folks, the Gospel is offensive, there is no getting around that. Paul said in I Corinthians, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God . . . For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
I Corinthians 1:18, 22-25. Thus, our service is to God, we seek to please Him and some may be offended by what we say, but don’t let that stop you. We are not to be obnoxious, but the Gospel message is offensive but to those who receive it, it is the power of God unto Salvation!
Paul is contrasting his Gospel that was from God as opposed to these false gospels that were from man! Now how do we know that the Bible is reliable, that it is the truth? Others have come and said that they have the truth, their Scriptures are right like the Muslims and their Koran, the Jehovah Witnesses and their New World Translation, the Mormons and The Book of Mormon and-so-on. Who is right and how do we know that it is right? Good questions.
First of all the Bible has been the most analyzed book ever! Archaeology has shown that the Bible is accurate. The manuscripts are consistent. Secondly, we have a book that took over 1600 years to write by over 40 different authors on three different continents, in different circumstances, in three languages, dealing with very controversial subjects and yet it is one story of a loving God redeeming sinful man! Thirdly, the Bible is over 25% prophetic in nature or it tells us what is going to happen before it happens. There are over 300 prophecies of Christ’s first coming that were fulfilled down to the tiniest detail, even the exact day He would ride through Jerusalem as Messiah the King as Daniel tells us. No other religious book does that because as they try to, they will be exposed as lies because only God can tell the beginning from the end! The Bible stands alone, it can be trusted for it is the Words of God to man and look at how they have changed the lives of people and continue to change the lives of people!
As I have said, for Paul, God spoke to him the Gospel message but for us, Paul tells us in Romans 10:11-17, “For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For ‘whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.’ How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!’ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘LORD, who has believed our report?’ So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
People had heard about Paul’s attempts to destroy Christianity, how he persecuted Christians. In Acts 8:1-4 we are told, “Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.”
And in Acts 9:1-2 we are told, “Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” Paul had a zeal for God but without knowledge. He thought he was serving God but instead he was fighting against God. How true that is today in these false religions like Mormonism, Islam, Jehovah Witnesses and-so-on. People who truly believe they are serving God but are not!
Did you ever think about that, that God has a plan for your life even before you were born? The omniscience of God – He is all-knowing and He has our life planed out for us and calls us to then walk accordingly. Now if I were God I would have revealed myself to Paul before he persecuted the church, but God’s timing was perfect. God got a hold of Paul’s heart on the road to Damascus and the persecution he brought against the church God used to spread the church out from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth!
Paul was taught by the Lord as he spent time in a deserted place in Arabia, not Saudi Arabia but a region that stretched east from Damascus down to the Sinai Peninsula. I think it is good to spend time alone with the Lord and His Word so that He might instruct us. Think how busy, how noisy our lives are and we need to be still and hear His voice.
Paul now goes to Jerusalem and in Acts 9:23-31 we see what transpired. We are told, “Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him. But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket. And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him. When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus. Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.”
Paul’s testimony spread, how this former persecutor of the church, of Christians was now on their side and spreading the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That truly is our story for before we were saved, before we were serving God we were fighting against Him. But one day, on a road we were traveling God got a hold of our heart and opened our eyes. Now we are no longer fighting against Him but serving Him faithfully and our witness, our testimony of what we were and now what we are in Christ is spreading. Praise God for that!
As I close tonight let me sum up this chapter. First of all Paul preached the true Gospel of Jesus Christ that was given to Him by the Lord. Secondly, his life showed he was a changed man. It was not just empty words but the power of God working through Paul, helping him live a life pleasing to God! Don’t be taken in by the false gospels that may have some truth mixed with it, but the lies are deadly! Be wise, be alert and stand strong in the Lord and the power of His might, stand upon His Word and you will not be lead astray, you will not be deceived!