GAL-1:1-5 by GUZIK

Galatians 1 – Challenging a Different Gospel

A. Introduction to the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians.

1. (1-2) The writer and the readers.

Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia.

a. Paul wrote this book; his authorship of this magnificent letter is virtually unquestioned, even by more “liberal” scholars.

i. And what a magnificent letter this is! Galatians has been called the “Declaration of Independence of Christian liberty.” The great reformer Martin Luther especially loved this letter; he called Galatians his “Catherine von Bora,” because, he said, “I am married to it.” Leon Morris wrote, “Galatians is a passionate letter, the outpouring of the soul of a preacher on fire for his Lord and deeply committed to bringing his hearers to an understanding of what saving faith is.”

ii. Many scholars believe that Galatians was written in the late 40’s or the early 50’s; an approximate date of 50 a.d. is often given. It seems that Paul wrote this letter before the Jerusalem Council mentioned in Acts 15, because although he mentions several trips to Jerusalem, he makes no mention of the council. Because the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 dealt with the exact issues Paul writes about, it would seem strange if it had already happened, yet he made no mention of it. If it is true that Galatians was written around 50 ad, then Paul would have been a Christian for about 15 years, being converted on the road to Damascus around 35 ad.

b. Paul, an apostle: The emphasis on Paul’s apostolic credentials is important. Paul has strong words for these Galatians, and they must understand that he writes with authority, apostolic authority. Every one of us must answer the question, “What will I respect as an authority in my life?” Paul expected that Christians would respect his authority as an apostle of Jesus Christ.

i. “The word apostle as Paul uses it here does not merely refer to one who has a message to announce, but to an appointed representative with an official status who is provided with the credentials of his office.” (Wuest)

ii. It is our duty to also respect Paul’s authority as an apostle. We do this by regarding this book as the Word of God, and taking it seriously to heart.

c. Not from men or through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father: Paul’s calling as an apostle was not from man, nor was it through man. It didn’t originate with man, and it didn’t come through man. It originated with God, and came directly from God. His standing as an apostle was not based on opinion polls or any human council. It is based on a Divine call, made through both the Father and the Son.

i. “The bluntness of Paul’s denial is due to the charge . . . that Paul was not a genuine apostle because not one of the twelve.” (Robertson)

ii. “When I was a young man I thought Paul was making too much of his call. I did not understand his purpose. I did not then realize the importance of the ministry . . . We exalt our calling, not to gain glory among men, or money, or satisfaction, or favor, but because people need to be assured that the words we speak are the words of God. This is no sinful pride. It is holy pride.” (Martin Luther)

d. And all the brethren who are with me: Paul gives greetings from all the brethren who are with him; but the use of I in the letter (such as in Galatians 1:6) shows that it was not really a “team effort” written by Paul and his coworkers. Paul is writing this letter, and sends greetings from his friends as a matter of courtesy.

e. To the churches of Galatia: This isn’t written to a single church in a single city. For example, 1 Thessalonians is addressed to the church of the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 1:1). But this is addressed to the churches of Galatia, because Galatia was a region, not a city, and there were several churches among the cities of Galatia.

i. “During the third century bc some Celtic peoples (or Gauls) migrated to this area and, after fighting with the people they encountered, they settled into the northern part of Asia Minor. In due course they came into conflict with the Roman, who defeated them, and from this time they remained under the authority of the Romans as a dependent kingdom. The name ‘Galatia’ covered the territory settled by the Gauls.” (Morris)

ii. There were essentially two regions of Galatia, one to the north (including the cities of Pessinus, Ancyra and Tavium) and one to the south (including the cities of Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe). There has been considerable – though mostly unimportant - debate as to if Galatians was written to the northern region of cities or the southern.

iii. “There was a wide difference between North and South Galatia in respect to language, occupation, nationality, and social organization.” (Wuest) The northern region of Galatia was made up of small cities and mostly agricultural development. The southern region of Galatia was full of cities and commerce.

iv. “It is clear that Paul intended his words to have a wide circulation in the region of Galatia. The letter would be taken to each centre and read there, or several copies would be made and one taken to each church.” (Morris)

f. Paul was in southern Galatia on his first missionary journey (Acts 13:13-14:23), he went through northern Galatia on his second (Acts 16:6) and third (Acts 18:23) missionary journeys.

i. So was this letter written to the Christians of the northern region of Galatia or the southern region of Galatia? In the end, we may not be able to know, and it doesn’t really matter, because this is a letter that has something to say to every Christian. The debate between northern Galatia and southern Galatia is interesting for scholars, and adds some understanding to the letter, but not much.

2. (3-5) Paul sends his apostolic greeting.

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

a. Grace to you and peace: This is Paul’s familiar greeting, drawing from the traditional greetings in both Greek (grace) and Jewish (peace) cultures. Paul uses the exact phrase of verse three five other times in the New Testament.

i. “Grace is always first, peace 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.” (Lenski in his commentary on 1 Corinthians)

ii. Paul uses the word grace 100 times in his writings. Among all the other writers of the New Testament, it is only used 55 times. Paul was truly the apostle of grace.

iii. “These two terms, grace and peace, constitute Christianity.” (Martin Luther)

b. Who gave Himself for our sins: Paul wished grace and peace unto his readers from both God the Father and God the Son. Now, Paul will briefly expand on the work of God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The first thing he says about Jesus is that He gave Himself for our sins. “Throughout the epistle Paul points the Galatians to the centrality of the cross. He cannot wait to make this plain, and we find a reference to it in his very first sentence.” (Morris)

i. Jesus gave. We know from John 3:16 that God the Father so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. But the Father didn’t do the only giving. Jesus gave. Jesus is a loving, giving God, and a loving, giving Saviour.

ii. Jesus gave Himself. What did Jesus give? He gave the greatest thing anyone can give – Himself. Of course, one might debate if it was more a gift for the Father to give the Son (as in John 3:16), or if it was more of a gift for the Son to give Himself. But that is like discussing how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. Jesus gave the greatest gift He could; He gave himself. There is a sense in which we do not even begin to give until we give ourselves.

iii. Jesus gave Himself for our sins. This is why Jesus had to give Himself. Our sins had put us on a road to ruin and destruction. If God did not do something to save us, our sins would destroy us. So out of love, Jesus gave Himself for our sins! The love was always there; but there would never have been the need for Jesus to give Himself if our sins had not placed us in a terrible place.

iv. The word for in this passage clearly has the idea of substitution. Someone who wrote a letter for someone else could use this word to say he did it for that one. This meaning of the word translated for here is also clear from how it is used in passages like John 11:50 and 2 Corinthians 5:14.

v. Martin Luther on who gave Himself for our sins: “Let us equip ourselves against the accusations of Satan with this and similar passages of Holy Scripture. If he says, ‘Thou shalt be damned,’ you tell him: ‘No, for I fly to Christ who gave Himself for my sins. In accusing me of being a damnable sinner, you are cutting your own throat, Satan. You are reminding me of God’s fatherly goodness toward me, that He so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. In calling me a sinner, Satan, you really comfort me above measure.’ With such heavenly cunning we are to meet the devil’s craft and put from us the memory of sin.”

vi. “These words, ‘who gave himself for our sins’, are very important. He wanted to tell the Galatians straight out that atonement for sins and perfect righteousness are not to be sought anywhere but in Christ . . . So glorious is this redemption that it should ravish us with wonder.” (Calvin)

c. Why did Jesus give Himself for our sins? That He might deliver us from this present evil age. In many ways, the Galatians were battle with and sometimes losing against this present evil age. They needed to know that Jesus had come to save them from this present evil age.

i. The particular word for evil denotes someone who is not content in being corrupt themselves; they also must corrupt others, and draw them into their same destruction.

ii. The idea behind the word deliver is not deliverance from the presence of something, but deliverance from the power of something. We will not be delivered from the presence of this present evil age until we go to be with Jesus. But we can be experience deliverance from the power of this present evil age right now.

d. According to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever: The purpose of this saving work is not primarily to benefit man (though that is part of the purpose). Instead, it is to glorify God the Father.

i. False doctrine was a real problem in the Galatian churches, and their false doctrines robbed God of some of the glory due to Him. By emphasizing the rightly recognized glory of God and His plan, Paul hopes to put them more on the right track.