Galatians | 1:1-10

Apr 7

About this series:

Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia is a heartfelt defence of the gospel of God's grace; a fervent appeal to keep the gospel front-and-centre and to not allow anything to detract from it.

In this letter Paul sounds exasperated at some points - for example, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel - which is really no gospel at all” (1:6) and, “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?” (3:1), which The Message renders as, “You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a spell on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it’s obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives.”

Paul’s frustration and anger stem from a passionate concern that the churches he planted return to a full confidence that it is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone that a person is justified by God and is included in God’s family. Nothing else is required. The message he preached to the Galatians, and which they had believed, is not so much a departure from their Jewish heritage, as the fulfilment of it. Thus, in this letter we have a window into life in early Christianity and especially some of the challenges the churches faced from false teachers as the church grew from its Jewish roots.

So in this series we’re going to get a big view of what the life, death and resurrection of Jesus has achieved for mankind. And some very practical help on how we can stay true to Jesus, trusting him alone to put us in a right relationship with God, to keep us in that right relationship and to qualify us for membership among God’s people. ‘The central message of Galatians is that the freeness of God’s grace and love is not only the gateway but also the pathway of the Christian life’ (Dane Ortlund).

About this talk:

Unlike our custom, which is to write our name at the bottom of a letter, ancient letter-writers did so at the beginning. In his letters Paul uses a variety of phrases and descriptors to introduce himself. Here it is, “an apostle - sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father.” Given the context / occasion for this letter, he will expand on his credentials in 1:11-2:10, but here he is simply, “an apostle,” an official representative / delegate sent with authority.

And as he will argue in 1:11-2:10, he was sent directly by God himself: “the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ” (1:11-12). This will become a key part of his argument: that the controversial message he established the Galatian churches with is not a deviation from God’s plan of salvation (as his detractors were claiming), but the very thing God was planning all along and which culminated in Jesus Christ.

Most of Paul’s letters come not just from himself, but from those he is working alongside and this one is sent by Paul and “all the brothers (and sisters) with me.” Which begs the question: Where is he writing from and who are those brothers and sisters? Most commentators believe this is Paul’s earliest letter (or possibly 1 & 2 Thessalonians). If so, it was probably written around AD 48 or 49, possibly during the “long time” he spent at Antioch (Acts 14:28). The material in chapter 2 supports this suggestion given that he would surely have mentioned the Jerusalem council of Acts 15 if it had been written after that.

He is writing, of course, “To the churches in Galatia,” a region in modern day central Turkey. Paul visited this area on each of his missionary journeys (Acts 13&14, Acts 15:36-18:22 and Acts 19:1-21:14) and had planted churches in Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe, often amid great opposition. He knew them well and cared for them greatly as their father in the faith.

In vs 3-5 Paul gives his customary greeting, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Grace and peace are two great markers of the gospel: the grace of God is how his blessings come to us, peace with God is the result of those blessings. There follows a brief summary of the gospel he has been preaching and which they had believed - “the Lord Jesus Christ who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” There is so much contained in that one sentence! Consistent with the rest of the New Testament letters, it communicates the essential features of the good news.

It is worth noting that this is the only one of the 13 Pauline letters in the New Testament that does not include a prayer, praise or thanksgiving after his greeting. Even his first letter to the Corinthians expresses gratitude and confidence, despite their numerous problems and compromises. But not here, such is his concern for them that he dives right into the issue and what is at stake!

The degree of his concern is presented straight away, vs 6-7: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel - which is really no gospel at all.” Astonished is a translation of the same word used of the crowd’s reaction to Jesus’ teaching and of the disciples’ reaction to Jesus calming the storm. Paul is amazed, shocked, horrified at what is happening. And his implication is that in turning to a ‘different’ gospel, they are in fact deserting God himself, “the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ.”

Such are the stakes of the Galatian churches being drawn away from the gospel of grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone - they are deserting God and his provision of salvation in Jesus. The strength of Paul’s condemnation of the false teachers is extraordinary. He won’t for a moment accept that there may be some truth in what they are teaching or suggest that they be patient with the Judaizers. Instead, vs 8 - 9, he wishes a curse (Gk. anathema) on anyone who deviates so significantly from the gospel. He is not simply angry at the Judaizers, but pronounces a curse on even himself if he should ever deviate from the gospel - “even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you.”