Galatians
By
O B S E R V A T I O N S
1. How serious does Paul say it is for someone to preach a gospel that is different and are the Galatians tempted with this? (CHAPTER 1)
2. As a zealous Jew, how did Paul come to know the gospel and how did this change his relationship to Christians and the church (CHAPTER 1)
3. Who did Paul mainly preach to what did the other apostles think of this? (CHAPTER 2)
4. Why did Paul think the Galatians were becoming foolish and what does Abraham have to do with it? (CHAPTER 3)
5. What does Paul teach about different groups of people once they are baptized into Christ? (CHAPTER 3)
6. What can they become enslaved, and what has Paul noticed about their joy? (CHAPTER 4)
7. What do Abraham’s wives represent? (CHAPTER 4)
8. Is Paul confident that the Galatians will succeed, and why does he quote Jesus and the Old Testament about a certain commandment? (CHAPTER 5)
9. As Paul contrasts the Spirit and the sinful nature, what does he say is the fruit of the Spirit? (CHAPTER 5)
10. How do people reap what they sow and therefore God is not mocked? (CHAPTER 6)
11. What does Paul boast in and what is the only thing that counts? (CHAPTER 6)
D E E P E R T H O U G H T
1 What is the main issue concerning law and grace and how do pleasing people play a role in this? (CHAPTERS 1 & 2)
2 Why did Paul confront Peter and how does this relate to being justified by faith in Christ? (CHAPTERS 1 & 2)
3. What does Paul mean about being crucified with Christ? (CHAPTERS 1 & 2)
4. What does it mean that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness? (CHAPTER 3)
5 What does Paul say was the purpose of the law and how does that relate to the covenant given to Abraham 430 earlier? (CHAPTER 3)
6 How do we become children of God? (CHAPTER 4)
7. How is Paul praying for their maturity? (CHAPTER 4)
8 What do Paul’s analogies of a yoke, a race, and yeast teach us? (CHAPTER 5)
9 Paul is very hard on the agitators What does he wish upon them and what does that picture? (CHAPTER 5)
10. Why does Paul say we should carry each other’s burdens, but then say each one should carry his own load? (CHAPTER 6)
11 If we don’t grow weary in doing good, what will happen? (CHAPTER 6)
C O N S I D E R A T I O N C
O R N E R
ANSWERS TO LESSON 23 OBSERVATIONS
1) He said anyone who preaches a different gospel should be eternally condemned and was astonished that they were turning to one. (1:6-9)
2) He revived the gospel by revelation from Christ and turned from persecuting the church to preaching the gospel. (1:12, 23)
3) He preached to the Gentiles and all were in agreement. (2:8-9)
4) They began in the Spirit but were now trying to attain their goal through human effort by infusing the law into faith. Abraham was credited with righteousness because he believed in God and not through the law, which would come later. (3:1-18)
5) There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female. (3:26-29)
6) Law-based principles, which have also taken their joy. (4:9-11,15)
7) They picture two covenants - the old and the new. (4:21-31)
8) He is confident they will stay in the truth and also will continue in the command to “love your neighbor as yourself” on which the entire law is summed up! (5:10, 13-15)
9) The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and selfcontrol. (5:22-23)
10) The one who sows to please the sinful nature will reap destruction, but the one who sows to please the Spirit will reap eternal life. Because of this truth, God cannot mocked. (6:7-8)
Consider this:
Numerous times Paul said “not by man ” and “not pleasing man. ” He is referring to his apostleship, receiving the gospel, his preaching, and his life He also challenges Peter about not pleasing men We cannot hope to live a life of freedom as we mature in Christ if we are just people pleasers Often we will be confronted with either pleasing God or pleasing people
QUESTIONS FOR DEEPER THOUGHT
1) Law cannot be infused into the gospel and still be a gospel of grace. People cannot be justified by observing the law but only by faith in Jesus Christ. (1:6-7, 2:16, 21)
2) Peter was mixing law and faith by not eating with Gentiles when certain Jews were around. We cannot please people and follow the law when, in fact, we are only justified by faith. (2:11-21)
3) By faith we believe in Jesus and Christ lives in us. We die to ourselves and the desires of the sinful nature. (2:20-21)
4) Even though he sinned many times, he was righteous in God’s eyes because he believed the promises by faith. (3:6-9)
5) Because of sin, the law was added until Jesus Christ came. The law was put in charge to lead us to Christ. The law did not negate the covenant by faith given to Abraham 430 years earlier, but we are no longer under its supervision since we are now justified by faith. (3:15-25)
6) We are redeemed by Jesus the promised Christ. (4:47)
7) He is travailing in prayer like one giving birth. (4:19)
8) Being under the law is like a yoke of slavery. Our lives of faith are like running a race and false thinking can permeate like yeast in dough. (5:1, 7-9)
9) He wishes they would neuter themselves, which pictures not being able to reproduce. (5:12)
10) We carry other’s burdens by restoring them gently when they sin. We carry our own load by testing our own actions and not comparing ourselves to others. (6:1-5)
11) In time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (6:9)