Written ~ 09-12-2024
Read Galatians Chapter One
Galatians 1
Today we are starting a new Book of the New Testament, the Book of Galatians. Galatians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Galatia. We learned from Acts16:6 that Paul and Silas travelled through Galatia on their way to Macedonia, we aren’t told how long they remained in Galatia, but it was long enough to have many people come to Christ. Acts 18:23 says Paul went back through Galatia visiting and strengthening all the believers.
The main theme of this letter is for us to rely on Jesus for everything, never to rely on our own strength. Even those of us who have been believers for some time need to be reminded that our lives must be in line with what the Bible says so we don’t wind up drifting away from the presence of the Lord. I pray that this study through the Book of Galatians will challenge you. I pray that it will help you change some of your relaxed habits that have led you away from the Lord and reading your Bible regularly. I pray that in these times of great uncertainty you will look to the Lord again with renewed intensity and enthusiasm.
After Paul greets the believers in Galatia, he gets right down to business…
Galatians 1:6-7…
6 “I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to Himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News 7 but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.”
When we don’t know the Word of God, whether it’s through our own Bible Study or the sermons we listen to from our favorite Bible teachers, we run the risk of turning away from the truth of Scripture for something inauthentic. Maybe we begin reading or listening to something that “tickles our ears.” The message we want to hear doesn’t contain conviction of sin or adherence to the Lord’s commands. When Paul addresses the Galatian believers he says, “…you are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News…” When we came to Christ a new way of thinking was introduced to us when the Holy Spirit entered our hearts. The Holy Spirit is the one who guides us to the truth of Scripture. The lessons we need to learn are from His prompting to do the right thing according to what the Scriptures teach us. If we decide not to rely solely on the Lord and the Word of God, we can very easily be led astray. When we don’t diligently study our Bibles, we are giving way for the twisting of God’s Words to enter our hearts, instead of the absolute truth, “…you are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ…”
The world today is filled with information. Google seems to be the source of all knowledge nowadays… I admit, I find it quite helpful at times while I am doing my Bible Studies to help answer a question or find a Scripture reference. But what information are we regularly consuming? Is it information that furthers our knowledge of Scripture? Is it knowledge that helps us deepen our relationship with Jesus? Is it information that teaches us the foundational principles of what being a believer in Jesus Christ is all about? How easily are we fooled? Something sounds good, so it must be from the Bible, right?
As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ… truthfully… all the information, knowledge and wisdom we need comes from the Word of God. If we didn’t have a library full of Biblical resources and Christian authors who have written incredibly awesome books, we could narrow down our search for truth to the pages of our Bibles.
So, what happens to someone who purposefully leads a believer astray? What if they are leading a believer astray by twisting the Word of God so it doesn’t hurt their feelings or convict them of sin?
Galatians 1:8-9…
8 “Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. 9 I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.”
We must be careful what “advice” we give to another believer, thinking we are giving Biblical wisdom. If we are giving “wise advice” that does not come from Scripture we’re in danger of a curse from the Lord for leading someone astray, especially when it results in them turning their eyes off of Jesus. It’s a very direct statement that Paul gives in verse 1:9, “…if anyone preached any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed…” Paul has included himself in these two verses… he would never preach a different message, but if he had, he would be under the same curse as a false prophet or a false teacher.
Galatians 1:10…
10 “Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.”
Why do you think Paul added that statement? I think it’s because he knew there would be many teachers and preachers whose message would only consist of what the people wanted to hear and not what the Word of God commands. Paul was not going to fall into the trap of twisting the Word of God to fit into the ideals that people wanted to live by. No, he is very clear, as every teacher, preacher and apostle should be, that he will only please the Lord in the words he says and, in his actions. Paul would never veer off the straight and narrow path towards Jesus. So, here’s one of the first challenges, how often do we tell people what they want to hear so it makes them feel good? How often do we speak the truth of the Scriptures to help that person correct the sinful behavior? Do we look to the Lord first and give our opinion or advice based solely on what we have learned from Scripture? Are we living our lives as true servants of Jesus Christ? Paul is not trying to win a popularity contest. He wants people to repent and turn their hearts to Jesus. Sometimes that requires difficult conversations, it may bring up a lifestyle that is based on the world’s standards and twisted truth, but it is our responsibility to please God and bring truth into every situation.
Galatians 1:11-12…
11 “Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. 12 I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.”
By the time the reader of this letter gets to this part of Paul’s opening statements, they should have full confidence in the message that Paul preached. Paul is making it very clear that he did not receive the Gospel message from any human source. He wasn’t taught through human reasoning; it was Jesus Christ who brought him the message he preached. When Paul says he received the Gospel message by direct revelation from Jesus Christ, what does that mean? Revelation means uncovering or unveiling. In Paul’s case, he learned everything from Jesus Himself through the Holy Spirit, he didn’t have teachers or other Apostles telling him about Jesus. It was Jesus Himself who revealed these things to Paul. When we study the Scriptures, it is the Holy Spirit who comes along side us, it is the Holy Spirit who teaches us, He reveals more of who God the Father is to us, the Holy Spirit reveals the character of God to us. He brings understanding and wisdom so that we will know that what we are studying is from the Heart of God.
In the remaining verses of chapter one, Paul goes into his testimony, just briefly, but he emphasizes that after he became a believer, he spent a lot of time alone, it is during that time that the Holy Spirit poured into him. In verse 1:18 Paul says it was three years before he went to Jerusalem to get to know the Apostle Peter and then James.
During his travels all the people who Paul came in contact with and preached the Gospel message to, were astonished that this was the same man who was persecuting Christians and was now preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ. They praised God for the message of faith that Paul was delivering. If Paul’s message had not come from the power of the Holy Spirit, it may have been a lot more difficult for Paul to convince people that he was a completely transformed man.
Paul knew his message came directly from the Lord that’s why in verse 1:6 it says he was shocked to hear the Galatian believers were turning away from God and listening to false teachings. It is important that we are not fooled into believing twisted “truth.” The only way to ensure we don’t get duped, is to know the Word of God. We never stop learning; we never stop growing. Pouring over the Scriptures should never be just a “one and done” experience. It should be a constant and daily part of our lives. The day’s we live in will become increasingly evil… So, as we wait for the Lord to return and bring us home, we must be praying, we must be in our Bibles.
I am going to close today’s Bible Study with Paul’s greeting to the Galatian believers…
“May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. Jesus gave His life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. All glory to God forever and ever!”
~AMEN~