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The Only True Gospel Galatians 1-6 January 4, 2004
This morning we are beginning a new series on Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Galatians is a shorter book, only six chapters, yet it is filled with incredible depth in its content. It features a detailed biographical section on the Apostle Paul. It features exposition of Old Testament texts by the divinely-inspired apostle, helping us to understand how we are to read the Old Testament. It also features a section on the effects of having faith in Christ in a person’s life, and how that faith should work itself out in your daily walk. There are several interpretive challenges in this book, which we will come to as we go through the text. This morning I just want to introduce the book of Galatians to you before we get into the first section next week. I want to give you an overview of this letter in which the Apostle Paul explains to us the only true Gospel message.
General Facts and Theories
Let me begin with some general information about the letter. The author of Galatians is the Apostle Paul, as we read in verse 1 of chapter 1. Paul, an apostle. As we go through the letter we will learn more about the apostle’s life, conversion, and calling as an apostle, and because Galatians provides so much biographical background on the apostle, we will not spend any more time this morning discussing who he is, but we will let the text handle his life and ministry as we come to the appropriate sections. To whom did Paul write Galatians? Verse 2 tells us To the churches of Galatia. The Apostle Paul is writing this letter to a group of churches in a region known as Galatia. Note that this is not a single church, but a group of churches. This is important for this reason: it helps to establish the fact that local churches have been God’s design from the beginning of church history. Here in this letter we see that Paul has in view several churches, how many we do not know, but that he recognizes these local assemblies of believers as churches. There are some today who would downplay the need for the local church, or they would see the local church as an extra-biblical idea, saying they belong to the universal church since they are Christians. This, however, is not the biblical way of thinking. Local churches are in view here, and it is clear that the Apostle Paul endorsed this system within the body of Christ. There is a debate over where these local churches were located. There were two regions that legitimately could have been called “Galatia” in Paul’s day. One was a southern region and one was a region further to the north. For the first 18 centuries of church history it was almost unanimously held that the letter of Galatians was written to a group of local churches in the northern region later in Paul’s ministry. However, in the 19th century a view has been popularized that the letter of Galatians was written to a group of churches in a more southern region, which included the churches Paul and Barnabas founded on their first missionary journey. This view generally holds that Galatians was written early-on in Paul’s ministry rather than later, which the other view holds. Which view is correct? Ultimately, this is an argument that may never be solved. Many arguments are presented on either side of the issue. In my opinion, however, I don’t think that it really matters much whether the churches were in the north or in the south. It doesn’t affect the meaning of the text. It is an scholarly debate that will probably go on for many more years, but ultimately, the issue is not whether we figure out which churches received this letter, but whether we preach the same message found within this letter to the modern church. If you are interested in pursuing this debate further, though, you can consult three books that explain the positions fairly well. One is New Testament Introduction by Donald Guthrie. A second is F.F. Bruce’s commentary on Galatians in the New International Greek Testament Commentary series. A third would be J.B. Lightfoot’s commentary on Galatians. Reading these three works about this subject will help you further understand the issues if you are curious about this debate. The important thing that we know for certain is that the Apostle Paul wrote this letter to a group of local churches in a region called Galatia. A third question that is often raised in introductions besides “Who wrote the book” and “To whom was the book written” is, When was it written? Again, the date Paul wrote Galatians is up for debate. Some have put it as early as AD 48, and they claim that it is the first of Paul’s letters. Others put it later, perhaps near the end of Paul’s writing in the late 50s or early 60s. The general consensus seems to be that Paul wrote Galatians from Ephesus around AD 52 during the time period described in Acts 19. Again, the date of writing, while interesting, is not always helpful in interpretation, and as far as Galatians goes, it isn’t that essential that we nail down the exact year it was written. It seems to be that Galatians must have been written between AD 48 and 60, because those were Paul’s primary ministry years, and the problem faced in Galatians was prominent during these years. An exact date, however, is not easy to ascertain, nor do I feel it is necessary to ascertain to properly interpret the letter. These, then, are the general introductory comments on Galatians.
Purpose of the Letter
Why did Paul write Galatians? What was his purpose in doing so? Here we come to a more concrete question that certainly has a discernible answer. Paul wrote Galatians to help settle the controversy concerning Christians and their relationship to the Law, especially Gentile Christians. In every era of church history there has been debate and division, and the early church was no different. There was great debate over what to do with the Gentiles who came to faith in Jesus. Should they be circumcised? Did they need to obey the Law of Moses? Should they abandon their culture and become Jewish in their culture and customs? This was a major issue in the mid-first century. Why was this such an issue? The book of Acts helps us understand exactly what the nature of the problem was that these early apostles, especially Paul, had to face. The seeds of the problem are seen in Acts 1:6 when the disciples ask Jesus before His ascension, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” The disciples were still living in expectation of a national, earthly kingdom. Since Jesus had now been resurrected from the dead, the disciples naturally assumed that He would begin His reign as king, which was a valid assumption. What the disciples did not understand was the nature of this kingdom, especially as it related to the nations. Their view and their mindset was still one that was confined to the Jews. What is Jesus response to them in verse 7? Jesus said, It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Jesus tells the disciples that timing is not to be their concern, but when the Holy Spirit comes, they will be witnesses of Jesus in Jerusalem and Judea. That was expected. Then He adds Samaria. That was probably a bit strange to these disciples who were Jews since the Jews did not have any dealings with Samaritans. Then He even adds, to the remotest part of the earth. That would include Gentiles! The disciples asked a local, national question, and Jesus gave them a global, international answer. From the beginning of Acts the disciples failed to understand the global scope of the kingdom of God. God dealt with the disciples lack of understanding in stages, and in fact those stages are the ones seen in verse 8 of Acts 1. The witness began in Jerusalem on Pentecost when many Jews were converted and born again. After Stephen was martyred in Acts 7, we see the witness extend to Judea and Samaria. Luke tells us in Acts 8:2, And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. The church had resided in one location until this time: Jerusalem. But with this persecution, the church was forced to scatter, and this scattering took the Gospel to other parts of Judea as well as to Samaria. Judea and Samaria are the next two regions Jesus outlined in Acts 1:8. It was indeed a strange thing for the Samaritans to receive Jesus as the Christ, but it was not unheard of in light of John 4 and the woman at the well. Not only this, but the Samaritans were still part Jewish, so they were not completely Gentiles. It isn’t until Acts 10 that we see the Gentiles finally come into the picture, representing the remotest part of the earth, to which the Apostle Paul begins to take the Gospel on his first missionary journey. The Gospel comes to the Gentiles by way of two visions, one to a Gentile named Cornelius, and one to Peter as he was waiting for lunch. God sends Peter to Caesarea, and there Peter sees the Holy Spirit fall on Gentiles in the same way that He had fallen on Jews! This was utterly astonishing to Peter, but seeing such a great sign he could do nothing other than baptize these believers and consider them his brethren. What were the results of the Gentile conversion? Acts 11 tells us that it created quite a problem for many Jews. In Acts 11:2 we read, And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” Immediately the Jews who were in the church confronted Peter for not following the Law of Moses and the cultural distinctions. Peter then had to preach a mini-sermon to explain to the Jews why he did what he did and how God had showed him that there was to be no distinction between Jews and Gentiles. The Jews accepted this to some degree, but even after receiving Peter’s word, some of them still went on preaching the Gospel to only Jews (Acts 11:19). As a whole, however, it seems the church received the Gentiles into fellowship. This did not come with its problems. Questions now arose as to what should be done with these Gentiles. Were they to become Jews? Did they need to be circumcised? What about dietary regulations? There were varying opinions on these matters between members of the church in Jerusalem and Judea. In Acts 15:1 we see that one sect taught that a person could not be saved unless he became circumcised according to the custom of Moses. We read, Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Circumcision was a major issue to the Jews. It was not something light. It was a sign of their covenant made by God to Abraham and his descendants. So when the Gentiles became part of the people of God and received the Holy Spirit, an irrefutable mark of their acceptance with God, the Jews natural response was to circumcise them. In Acts 15 a church council takes place to determine whether or not Gentiles should be circumcised and forced to follow the Law. The council’s conclusion was that Gentiles did not need to be circumcised or follow the Law of Moses. Why? Peter explained his opinion in verse 9, saying, He [God] made no distinction between us [Jews] and them [Gentiles], cleansing their hearts by faith. Peter’s conclusion was that since God cleansed their hearts by faith without any distinction based on ethnicity, then it was unnecessary for them to do any law-keeping for salvation. The Apostle James, the brother of the Lord, agreed, as did the whole council. Paul’s letter to the Galatians was written for the same reason this council had been convened. Certain men were teaching that Gentiles had to be circumcised and obey the Law to be saved. This was one of the earliest heresies in the church. There were incredible ramifications for the church when Gentiles were made equal with Jews in the eyes of God. Paul’s purpose, then, was to deal with this issue, one which ran deep in the hearts of people during this time period.
Major Theme of Galatians
Paul’s conclusion to this question of Jew and Gentile relationships within the church, and the Gentiles’ relationship to the Law, shaped the major theme of Galatians. Galatians was written to settle the dispute between those who were called Judaizers, meaning they taught that a Gentile must become a Jew through circumcision and the Law to be saved, and the Gentiles who were being misled by these false teachers. Therefore, the major theme of Galatians is salvation by faith alone apart from works of the law. The message of the Gospel is of central importance in Galatians. We see this again and again, especially in chapter 1. In 1:6-9 the word gospel occurs in the NASB four times! Paul is so intent that the Galatians understand and embrace the only true Gospel that he says emphatically in verses 8-9, But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! Paul’s message is that even if he should change the message, they should not listen even to him! The gospel that was preached to them, the same one they received, is the only true gospel message. As we go through Galatians, everything revolves around this theme of the Gospel. The Gospel is the central message of the church, and it must be upheld or the person who is diluting it or altering it is to be accursed, even if it is an angel from heaven! What is this Gospel message, then? Paul explains it in detail using various Old Testament texts to prove his point, but he sums it up for us in Galatians 2:16, where he writes, nevertheless, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. Justified by faith in Christ! That is the message of the Gospel. A man is declared righteous before God, he is justified, by faith in Christ alone. It is not by the works of the Law, since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. No one will ever be declared righteous because of his works; it is by faith alone that a person is justified before God. That is the message of the only true Gospel, and that is Paul’s message throughout Galatians. That is why he says in Galatians 6:14, But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. There is nothing to boast about since justification by faith alone. We have no works to boast about, and so Paul’s plea was that he never wanted to boast except in the cross of Christ, because it is there and there alone that he finds his justification, his righteousness, and his sanctification before God. So then, this is the major theme of Galatians: Justification by faith alone apart from the works of the Law.
Sub-Themes of Galatians
Naturally, this theme brings with it sub-themes. Paul has to explain the ramifications of this theme of the Gospel. Two major sub-themes under gird this main theme. One is that it is those who are of faith who are the descendants of Abraham. Outward circumcision is not necessary any longer, because if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise (Gal 3:29). Paul has made it crystal clear that the only way a person belongs to Christ is by faith apart from circumcision or any other work, so those who are of faith are the heirs of the promise made to Abraham, not those who are of flesh. Again, Paul says in 3:7, Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The implication is that it is not those who are physical descendants of Abraham who are sons of Abraham, but those who are of faith. Paul systematically demolishes all national and ethnic distinctions in Christ. Becoming an heir of the promises made to Abraham does not happen by physical birth but by faith. This teaching is a radical departure from what many Jews thought who were alive at the time of Paul, so it was necessary that Paul prove that this was not a novel doctrine, but that this was the teaching even of the Old Testament. So throughout Galatians Paul brings in the Old Testament to show that the message of the Gospel of salvation by faith alone is not a novelty, but rather it is rooted and grounded in Old Testament revelation. A second sub-theme that we find in Galatians is that walking in the Spirit rather than works of the law is the key to sanctification. Paul introduces this theme explicitly in 3:1-5, but he delineates it more clearly in chapters 5 and 6. The charge that commonly seems to have been brought against Paul was that he taught antinomianism, meaning he taught that men were saved and could live however they wanted without any concern for sin or righteousness. So Paul takes time to show that the Gospel, rather than encouraging sin and lawlessness, actually is a means of sanctification when united with faith. This second sub-theme is important for a full understanding of the glory of the Gospel message, and we will delve into it in great detail as we go through this letter.
Relevance of Galatians to the modern church
A question that may be on your mind as we look at these things is this: “Why should I care to study a letter written to address a problem that existed 2000 years ago on the other side of the world? What difference does it make to the church today whether or not Gentiles should be circumcised? That is not an issue today. We get that we are saved by faith alone, so why take time to deal with this letter?” That is one possible question that might be in your mind, or that might come into the mind of someone you deal with at work, at school, or anywhere else that you share this teaching with. How do you answer such a question? The answer we might be tempted to give someone who asks is this, “It’s God’s Word, so obviously it’s important, so don’t ask the question.” Well, it is true that it is God’s Word and therefore it is always relevant to every situation, but the honest, sincere person asking the question is asking, “How is it relevant?” Let me give you four ways this letter is relevant to our modern situation. First, the Gospel is the central message of the church. If there is one point of doctrine the church needs to get right across the board it is the Gospel. People can disagree about eschatology, and they do. People can disagree about the uses of spiritual gifts, and they do. People can disagree about styles of music, how long sermons should be, or any other number of things like these, and they do. But one area where the church cannot disagree is the Gospel, because any church that disagrees with the Gospel ceases to be the true church. Without a right understanding of the Gospel the church ceases to be the church, because it believes a false gospel and teaches a false gospel and therefore is to be accursed. Galatians is therefore relevant because it explains the true nature of the Gospel. If you rightly understand Galatians, you will rightly understand the Gospel message, which is the central message of the church – Christ crucified for all who believe! A second reason this is so relevant is because many churches fail to clearly define and teach the Gospel. The Gospel message is so cloudy in many churches because they do not clearly preach it. One testimony of this is how many people there are who give this kind of testimony about their conversion. They say, “At such and such an age I believed the Gospel and was saved. Then five years later I really started living the Christian life and being obedient to God.” This type of thinking, which is common in the church today, betrays a very poor understanding of the Gospel. If the Gospel was clearly taught, those who were living disobedient, indifferent lives to God would realize that they really didn’t believe the Gospel in a saving way because there have been effects of faith in their lives and hearts. So a second reason why this letter is so relevant to us is because of the incredible amount of misunderstanding of the message of the Gospel and its effects on a person’s life. Third, this letter is relevant because we live in an age where there is a very popular teaching that claims that God has two programs of salvation, one for Gentiles and one for Jews. Certain teachers claim that the church and Israel are distinct entities, and thereby they rebuild the dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles that Christ tore down on the cross. The letter of Galatians helps clear up this misunderstanding of God’s plan of salvation. This teaching about the separation of the church and Israel has led to global decisions that have impacted and continue to impact millions and millions of people in the Middle East, sometimes unjustly. So for us to properly understand the world situation today in the Middle East it is essential that we understand the teaching in Galatians about who the descendants of Abraham are. Finally, this letter is relevant because of the dangers of misrepresenting the Gospel. Getting the Gospel right is essential to the eternal salvation of people. There are generally two ways people misrepresent the Gospel. One is to teach antinomianism, meaning that Christians can have faith without works and be saved. Much is made of grace and faith in this teaching, but the exhortation let us walk by the Spirit is forgotten, neglected, and ignored. Paul’s warning that those who live lives of unrepentant, unrestrained worldliness and sin will not inherit the kingdom of God is passed over. There are at least two dangers in misrepresenting the Gospel in this way. One is that there are large numbers of unsaved, unregenerate people in the church who feel secure because of an intellectual understanding, but they have never had a change of heart or been made new creatures. These people live lives of utter sin and rebellion against God. They have no love for Christ, but because of this false teaching they feel secure. Such unbelievers are never convicted of their sin and never shown their need for repentance, and thus they plunge themselves into eternal damnation. A second danger in this is that those who are genuine believers are never discipled to live lives of holiness and righteousness before God. Because this error focuses so largely on decisionism and the moment of saving faith (which may not be saving faith at all), believers who truly have embraced Christ and been known by God are never taught what it means to walk by the Spirit and grow in the grace of Christ. So this error leads to churches filled with unbelievers and immature believers who never grow to be mature Christians because of leaders that do not proclaim the true Gospel. A second distortion of the Gospel is legalism, which is the major problem Paul faced in Galatians. This is the teaching that works are required for salvation, whether it be baptism, circumcision, sacraments, praying, or whatever other work a person might do. It is the error seen in Acts 15:2 where the Judaizers taught that unless the Gentiles were circumcised they could not be saved. Some external element is brought into the Gospel which is foreign to it. Many times people mix up the effects of salvation with the essence of it, and this will almost invariably result in legalism and a false gospel of works. What are the dangers of this distortion? Again, there are at least two. One is that there are many unbelievers who feel very secure in the church. How can this be? This happens because a system is set up for a person to follow to be saved, and so some people have personalities inclined to this system and fit comfortably in it even without regeneration. People can fill a church that teaches a legalistic Gospel, live up to the rules of the church and be in good standing, and have no heart for God. This was what happened with the Pharisees in Jesus’ day at a level. A system of works salvation is set up, and as long as you fit in, you are ok, even if you have no love for the Lord Jesus. A second ramification of this distortion is that there are believers, genuine believers, who may be weaker or immature, but who are destroyed because of legalism. Rather than being taught to grow in grace and in their faith, they are held to an external standard of rules for salvation, and being immature, they are crushed rather than being brought to maturity by spiritual leaders within the church. The dangers and ramifications of neglecting to understand, believe, and teach the doctrine found in Galatians are massive. This letter has been called one of Paul’s most important letters in the New Testament next to Romans and the letters to the Corinthians, and for good reason. A return to the teaching of this letter could be used by God to bring about a modern reformation of the American church, causing it to return to the pure, unadulterated Gospel of Jesus Christ in its glory and fullness, having a ripple effect to the four corners of the world. May we pray that as we study this letter such an effect begins in our own hearts. Let’s pray. [Home page] [ ]
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