The Law, The Gospel and The Foolish Galatians
Paul’s Letter to the Galatians
Since the time that Adam and Eve were successfully persuaded to eat of
the forbidden fruit and “become like God” in the Garden of Eden, humans
have attempted to earn their way back into favor with God. Our tendency is
to take our desire for self-reliance and self-sufficiency into our relationship
with God, thinking that we can somehow earn his acceptance and love. We
think that if we could only work harder, live better, pray more, etc., then we
might get on God’s “good side.” This is the relationship pattern of human
history (not just limited to Christianity) and it is one of the main themes
addressed in Paul’s letter to the Galatians.
Paul is the author of Galatians and a majority of the New Testament
epistles. He was raised as a Jew and trained as a Pharisee. He spent years
persecuting Christians before being radically converted to Christianity
on his way to Damascus (see Acts 9). He later became a well-traveled
and faithful missionary of the Gospel—overcoming persecution and
imprisonment to boldly preach God’s Word. Galatians was likely written sometime between 48-49 A.D. and was probably addressed to churches in Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe in the province of Galatia (modern day Turkey). Paul and Barnabas visited there during their first missionary journey (described in Acts 14). Due to the similar themes addressed in Galatians and Romans, in particular the important concept of justification by faith, many believe that Romans was written around the same time.
Shortly after Paul’s visit, certain people infiltrated the new churches in
Galatia with a different message; they said that Paul had omitted part of the
Gospel. These people, called the “Judaizers,” said that all Gentile believers must not only believe in Christ but also be circumcised and observe the law of Moses in order to be saved. They developed impressive arguments and were very persuasive. The naive Galatians were being tempted to follow this alternative “gospel” when Paul produced this letter. With phrases such as “you foolish Galatians,” he clearly reveals his anger at their inability to stand firm. Paul blasts the counterfeit gospel of the Judaizers and explains how salvation comes only by believing in Christ, not by obeying the law.
Church leaders at the Jerusalem Council in 50 A.D. officially resolved the conflict addressed by Paul in his letter to the Galatians (see Acts 15).
While important to remember that the letter addresses a specific problem occurring during the province of Galatia in the first century, the doctrine, themes and principles of this book are universal and remain applicable to us today. Week 1
Galatians 1:1-9: Another Gospel?
Introductory Questions
1. Repetition is a clue to the ideas an author wants to emphasize. What key words and phrases occur repeatedly in this passage?
2. According to Galatians 1:7-8, how would you explain the circumstances that led Paul to write this letter?
3. Create an outline of the Gospel based on verses 1-5.
4. The Greek word metatiqesqe in verse 6 for “deserting” means: “to transfer one’s allegiance.” It is used for soldiers in the army who revolt or desert and those who change sides in politics or philosophy (it was used in antiquity to refer to Dionysius the Turncoat, who left the Stoics and adopted
Epicureanism). How is it appropriate for the Galatians as they are described here?
5. The false teachers were trying to “pervert” the gospel (v. 7), or, according to the Greek word metastreyai, to “alter” the meaning of the Gospel into its very opposite! (cf. sun into darkness from Acts 2:20 or laughter to grief in
James 4:9). Thus, Paul was arguing that the Galatians were forsaking the gospel of grace for a gospel of works. Explain the difference, as you see it, between Grace and Works. Ho do you account for Paul’s strong words against the teachers in verses 8-9?
6. How could a person’s life highlight his/her understanding of the gospel? Discussion Questions
THEME: The purity of the Gospel message is easily confused and abandoned.
1. This letter is written in RESPONSE to problematic circumstances that were arising in the Galatian churches. In your own words, write out what you think these circumstances were.
2. What does the word Gospel really mean? Try to think of why the
Galatians would have believed that what these “False Apostles” were teaching was also the “Gospel.” Have you ever been tempted to believe in a false gospel?
3. In your understanding, why would Paul be so angry with those who preached “a different gospel”?
4. The popular view today is that there are many ways to God and that the gospel changes with the times. Based upon this passage, how would Paul respond to this and why? Galatians 1:10-24: Paul’s Conversion
Introductory Questions
1. What is the major theme of this passage?
2. What does v. 10-11 mean?
3. What do you think is “man’s gospel”?
4. What events of Paul’s pre-conversion life add to the weight of his preaching the gospel?
5. What steps did Paul take to deliberately avoid human consultation about the gospel?
6. If Paul did not need human authorization to preach his gospel, why do you think, after 3 years, he presented it to the leaders in Jerusalem? v. 18
7. Given his reputation, how might Paul have expected the churches to respond to him as a supposed new believer? Discussion Questions
THEMES: 1) Paul was a disciple of “Man’s Gospel” before his conversion;
2) “Man’s Gospel” is based on works, or self-justification without faith.
1. When Paul refers to “preaching the faith,” how do you think this interacts with the preceding discussion about the competing ideas of how the Gospel is defined?
2. Christians and non-Christians are equally likely to follow Man’s gospel— agree or disagree? Week 2
Galatians 2:1-10: The Gift for the Entire World?
Introductory Questions
1. In your own words, describe what happened in this passage.
2. This was not Paul’s first visit to Jerusalem. How was this visit different from the first?
3. Briefly, the individuals involved in this incident are:
Barnabas: (Acts 4:36-37, 11:22-26) Peter: (Acts 4:13, Galatians 2:7-9) John: (Acts 4:13, Galatians 2:9) Titus: (2 Corinthians 8:23, Galatians 2:3) James: (Galatians 1:19, 2:9)
4. Why do you think Paul met privately with the leaders rather than seeking a public forum? v. 2
5. The issue of this visit to Jerusalem—perhaps even the same event—is the focus of Paul’s visit to Jerusalem in Acts 15. Read at least 15:1-11. What does this add to your understanding of the conflict?
6. Read Genesis 17:10-14 and Leviticus 12:3. Why was circumcision such a big deal for the Jews? “You may think that circumcision is a very trivial matter. Why did Paul make so much fuss and bother about it? He did so because of its doctrinal implications. As the false teachers were pressing it, circumcision was neither a physical operation nor a ceremonial rite, but a theological symbol. It stood for a particular type of religion, namely salvation by good works in obedience to the law. Paul answered that you cannot add circumcision (or anything else, for that matter) to Christ as necessary to salvation, because
Christ is sufficient for salvation in himself. If you add anything to Christ, you lose Christ. Salvation is “in Christ alone by grace alone through faith alone.”
- John Stott
7. Paul implies (v. 4-5) that giving in to the false teacher would mean a descent into slavery. In what senses could a Christian become a slave?
8. Read 2:6-10 again: What was the outcome of Paul’s consultation with the
Jerusalem apostles? Did they contradict Paul’s gospel? Did they modify it, trim it, edit it, supplement it?
9. What was the nature of the agreement between Paul and the Jerusalem
Apostles regarding preaching of the Gospel? v. 7-10 Discussion Questions
THEME: There is ONE Gospel for ALL people. The Gospel is the ultimate equalizer.
1. What are some common forms of Christian “circumcision” that many people think they have to undergo?
2. Think about some Christian and/or non-Christian groups or organizations that grate on your nerves. Do Paul’s words about there being only one gospel change your perception of them?
3. Think of some Christian groups who choose to emphasize things you don’t think are crucial (some social concern, doctrinal points, lifestyle issues, etc.). How does seeing that there is only one gospel impact your understanding of them? Galatians 2:11-2:21: Why can’t we all just get along?
Introductory Questions
“Without a doubt it is one of the most tense and dramatic episodes in the
New Testament. Here are Paul and Peter, two leading apostles of Jesus
Christ, face to face in complete and open conflict. Both were Christian men, men of God, who knew what it was to be forgiven through Christ and to have received the Holy Spirit.” - John Stott
1. Have you ever seen a conflict erupt between church leaders? What was it about, and how was it resolved?
2. Read v. 2:11-13, then describe the situation that concerns Paul.
3. Taking into account Paul’s previous meeting with Peter, James and John in Jerusalem, why would Paul have been especially incensed at Peter’s behavior in Antioch?
4. Read v. 12. What motivated Peter to separate himself from the Gentiles?
5. Why would Jews be so wary to eat with Gentiles?
6. According to v. 14, how was Peter not “in step with the truth of the gospel?” 7. The word “Justification” is seen in verses 15-17. Describe what
Justification accomplishes, according to the following verses. Write what this means in your own words (interpretation). Romans 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:18 “Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.” Romans 8:33-34 “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”
What does it mean to be “Justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law”?
As Martin Luther once wrote: “A Christian is not one who has no sin, but one to whom God imputes not his sin, through faith in Christ.”
8. Read 2:17-18. Why would the gospel of God’s grace bring down the accusation that “Christ promotes sin?”
9. What is it that Paul has “torn down?” v. 18
10. Why would Christ have “died for nothing” if righteousness could be gained through keeping the law? v. 21 Discussion Questions
THEME: The LAW REVEALS SIN, showing us our need for a savior.
1. It is a problem when Christians continue to sin. What is the root of the problem? Does it mean that they really do not believe? Read Romans 7:7-12
Romans 7:7-12 (ESV) “What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” [8] But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law, sin lies dead. [9] I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. [10] The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. [11] For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. [12] So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”
“Throughout most of chapters 1 and 2, Paul has been stoutly defending the divine origin of his apostolic mission and message. Now he comes back to the Galatians and to their unfaithfulness to the gospel as a result of the corrupting influence of the false teachers. Having embraced the truth at the beginning (that sinners are justified by grace, in Christ, through faith), they have now adopted the view that circumcision and the works of the law are also necessary for justification. The essence of Paul’s argument is that their new position is a contradiction of the Gospel” - John Stott Week 3 Galatians 3:1-14: Law vs. Gospel
Introductory Questions
1. According to Paul, what has happened to the Galatians? In what ways did the Galatians’ behavior seem “bewitched” and “foolish”? v 1-5
2. The Galatians suffered from normal fear when presented with the Gospel of Grace—what was this fear? Is the fact that they accepted this new
“gospel” a result of that fear?
3. Re-state verses 2 & 3 in your own words.
4. What do these verses tell us about the nature of salvation? Of sanctification?
a. The nature of salvation is a gift from God. It is God who opens
eyes and it is God who saves. Sanctification continues in the same
vein as salvation; it is God who draws us toward Himself and it is God
who sanctifies.
“Jesus did not die so that bad people would become good, but so that dead people could live.” R. Zacharias
5. What does the story of Abraham teach about faith and justification?
6. According to Genesis 15:6 and Galatians 3:6, on what basis did God reckon Abraham as righteous (in right standing) before Him? 7. The Jews claimed to be the children of Abraham—that is, the heirs of
God’s promises to him. From your answer to the last question, who would you conclude are the true children of Abraham?
8. Why is there a curse hanging over those who try to rely on observing the law? v. 10
9. What does it mean that Christ “redeemed” us from the curse of the Law?
10. What is the significance of the law coming 430 years after God made the promise to Abraham?
Discussion Questions
THEME: Righteousness comes through FAITH alone. The Gospel is an undeserved gift.
1. After beginning the Christian life by faith, many people (if not all) at one time or another imitate the Galatians and fall into relying on their own efforts. Why do you think this happens? Galatians 3:19-29: Why then the law?
Introductory Questions
1. Why was the Law added?
2. Who was the “offspring” to which the promises had been made? v. 19
3. If God’s law can’t save anyone, why did God give it to humanity?
4. How does the law lead us towards Christ?
5. How do people resist the “tutor” or “guardian” v. 24-25 which is trying to lead them to Christ?
6. Explain in your own words how the law affects your life today.
7. One of the major manifestations of the law can be found in the concept of
“identity.” What does verse 28 tell us about our identity?
Discussion Questions
THEME: The Law leads us to the GOSPEL because we are (or were) slaves to the Law.
1. How do you see the Law and conceptions of human identity relating, and why?
2. In regards to the Law, how would you explain “Christian freedom”? Week 4 Galatians 4:1-31 Heirs of the Promise
Introductory Questions
1. What are the key images being used in v. 1-11?
2. Legally, what does it mean to be an heir as a child (minor)?
3. What or who is the “guardian” referred to in v. 2?
4. In v. 5, why does Paul liken “redemption” to “adoption”?
5. Explain how our relationship to God changed through Jesus according to v. 1-7. a. Paul, having stated the argument in v. 1-7, now reiterates it in v. 8-11
6. Explain what you think Paul means in v. 8 and 9 when he says that you were “enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.”
7. What is the “slavery” that Paul is referring to? Having made the “logical” appeal to the Galatians, in v. 12-20 Paul is making an appeal to their friendship based on the love that he has for them.
8. What was the contrast between how the Galatians had originally received
Paul and how they now regarded him? Why? v. 12-16
9. What do you think that Paul’s tone of voice must have been like in v. 12-
16?
10. Read Luke 15:11-24 Discussion Questions
THEME: The Gospel makes us children of God with all the benefits of being an heir.
1. What is the overriding analogy in the first part of the passage?
2. What does it mean to you that you have become a child of God?
3. Try to outline the letter of Galatians as you see it up to this point.
Week 5 Galatians 5:1-15 True & False Religion
Introductory Questions
1. What does it mean to you that Christ has set you free?
2. What is the “yoke of slavery” that Paul refers to in v. 1?
3. Explain v. 2-3, why would circumcision mean that you have to follow the whole law? Why couldn’t you just follow a little bit of it?
4. How would those who want to be “justified by the law” in turn have
“fallen away from grace”? v. 4
5. What is it that we “hope” for, in v. 5?
6. What is the imagery used in v. 7-12?
7. What does v. 9 mean to you in light of v. 2?
8. Why would requiring circumcision abolish the offense of the Cross? v. 11
9. What is the fulfillment of the law? v. 14
10. What does it mean, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself?” Discussion Questions
THEME: The Law summed up into two impossible commands.
1. What does the term “Christian freedom” mean?
2. Who do you love more than yourself?
Galatians 5:16-26: The Flesh & The Spirit
Introductory Questions
1. According to v. 16-18, what is the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer?
2. What are the causes of the Christian’s moral conflict? v. 17
3. In Paul’s warning “those who live like this” v. 21, the Greek verb refers to habitual practice rather than an isolated lapse. Why is the distinction important?
4. The aforementioned distinction depends on the disposition of the heart of that person who is engaging in “sinful” acts. How can we know the disposition of someone else’s heart?
5. What is the fruit of the Spirit? What is the significance of the singular
“fruit”? Read John 5:17.
6. Why is crucifixion v. 24 an apt description of what must happen to the sinful nature? Discussion Questions
THEME: The Gospel changes you from the inside out. Once you have been replanted, there is no turning back!
1. Christians are often accused of hypocrisy. In light of the Gospel, how would you define this word and when should/can it be properly used? Week 6 Galatians 6: Church—a Hospital for the Broken
Introductory Questions
“There is no sin which any man has done, but another man may do the same.” -Augustine
1. What is the attitude that one should have towards someone who is caught in “transgressions?” v. 1
2. How would you describe someone who is spiritual?
3. What temptations accompany seeing another Christian’s sin?
4. What does Paul suggest as a cure for pride over another person’s falling into sin? v. 3
5. What does it mean to “carry each other’s burdens” v. 3 but then to also
“carry his own load” v. 5?
6. In light of the rest of the letter, how do you think that you “sow” to the
Spirit?
7. Apply what Paul has spoken here to what he has spoken about
Abraham.
8. Verses 12-15 succinctly summarizes Paul’s argument against the Judiazers.
Put them in your own words.
9. What does it mean to “boast” in the cross?
10. How can we know if our faith is in Christ or in ourselves? Discussion Questions
THEME: The Gospel destroys our ability to judge others and helps us recognize everyone’s need for a Savior.
1. When is it hard for you to ask others for help?
2. Why are we so quick to compare ourselves to one another?