CTR GG #1—2013
The Book of Galatians
Background
Galatians is a difficult book. Generally, the book is regarded along with Romans, as the two theological pillars upon which the understanding of the Christian faith (and, quite importantly, the Protestant doctrine of justification by faith) rest. Galatians is a book that reveals Paul’s deep theological reflection and in recent years, it has come under intense scrutiny as some have
challenged how Christians should understand Paul’s thoughts.
These studies will provide for some wonderful discussions of what is the gospel, faith, living by the Spirit, etc. in the coming weeks, but for this week, let’s focus on both the text of Galatians and the
report of Acts in order to familiarize ourselves on the very real historical situation of Paul’s letter.
There have been two theories about the identity of the ones receiving this letter. The first view, which will not be followed, is that of “north Galatia,” which is the area populated ethnically by the ancient Gauls. The other theory is that of “south Galatia,” which posits the term ‘Galatia’ was used to describe the political territory that Rome had established. The province of Galatia comprised many
different ethnicities and all of them together could be termed “Galatians.”
The difference is important, for if the northern theory is correct, we have no record of Paul going there nor of anything that happened when he did. On the other hand, in following the southern theory (for a variety of reasons*[1]), we understand almost all of Paul’s first missionary journey to describe the people to whom Paul is now writing this letter. In short, Acts 13-14 become a very helpful commentary on the situation of the Galatians—though the situation possibly changes
between Acts and Galatians. The ‘Jews’ are not necessarily the same as ‘Judaizers.’
The questions for discussion this first week are aimed less at grasping the argument of Galatians as they are at getting us into the world of these people who lived in what is today modern Turkey, due north of Cyprus, just inland from the Mediterranean Sea. The first question is self-explanatory; the second question highlights the newness of Paul’s message by exploring the fascinating statement of 2:7-8 with a comparison of the stories of Peter and Paul in the book of Acts. The third question lists some verses to look up that invite reflection on the authority of Paul and the Jews and the nature of the gospel as it is portrayed in Paul’s qualifications (or, more precisely, his lack thereof) in contrast to the Jewish teachers. The fourth question turns towards application by acknowledging that there were reasons for the deep intensity with which Jews rejected the truth, and some some of those
might be lurking in our own hearts as well. Question five leads into prayer.
What does seem clear is that though the main problem of Galatians revolves around the Jew/Gentile problem and the place of the Law within Christianity, the problem is not simply that one camp (the Judaizers) is proposing that salvation is earned by doing the works of the law in opposition to the other camp (Paul) who is proclaiming that in Christ alone is salvation. Rather, it appears to be even more insidious than that (if that’s possible) in that it seems from his letter that Paul understands the Judaizers to be trying to force the law back into the equation—Christ plus the law—and they are trying to do it in such a way that it robs Christ of his unique power for salvation and the Spirit of his normative power for how to live as a Christian (cf. 5:2-5). This heresy was especially plausible for Gentiles as the Jerusalem Council decree had not yet been made. It was especially intense for the Jews because essentially, Paul proclaimed a means of access to God that was not dependent upon the (supposed) exclusivity of the Mosaic law. Verses that reveal this to be the issue are: 2:4; 3:3; 3:5; 4:16-18; 6:12-13.
CTR GG #1—2013
The Book of Galatians
Background
1. How does studying the book of Galatians make you feel? Are there any past experiences that
make you excited for it or dreading it?
2. The message of Paul about including the Gentiles in salvation was jarringly new in his time. Read
Galatians 2:7-8. Compare the following examples from the book of Acts, which demonstrate the
similarity of ministry between these two men:
Acts 2:14----Acts 13:16 / Acts 3:1-8----Acts 14:8-11 / Acts 5:15----Acts 19:11Acts 10:19-21----Acts 16:9-10 / Acts 12:6-11----Acts 16:25-34 / Acts 8:14-17----Acts 19:1-7
In what ways might these similarities instill confidence in the gospel message we received?
3. Read Galatians 1:1; Acts 13:1-3 and Galatians 1:11-24. Why might Paul have been so concerned about establishing the source of his authority (cf. 2:4, 12)? How does Paul’s choosing by God reflect the gospel itself (cf. 1:12)?
4. Compare the following passages: Galatians 1:6-10; 5:11-12 with Acts 13:44-46; 14:2-4; 14:19.
How does this comparison help explain the intensity of Galatians? In what ways do the desires of
our own hearts influence our reception of (sometimes uncomfortable and demanding) truth?
5. Take some time as you pray in your group to ask the Lord to use Galatians to show us how we
have compromised the primacy of Christ and the leading of the Spirit in our own lives.
[1] Some of these are the undeveloped society of the north in contrast to the established travel system in the south; the difficulty of determining the approximate times of the two visits to Jerusalem, and quite powerfully, the absence of any mention of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, which addressed the main issues in Galatians.