It really must be one of the most frustrating things ever for the devil to be able to catch us red-handed and never be able to get a ruling against us! Jesus is your advocate and your heavenly Father is the judge. The ruling is always the same. NOT GUILTY!
Galatians is a book where we discover how displeasing it is to God for additional requirements to be added to salvation. The finished work of the cross is the finished work of the cross.
Paul was traveling around from place to place sharing the love and the life of Jesus. People were turning to Christ and he was establishing the church in these communities of believers before moving on to the next place.
Paul knew the Jewish Law and had been given to this legalistic effort to please God perhaps more than any other Jew of his day. He was awakened to the freedom found in Jesus. The book of Galatians is his letter trying to eliminate legalism and perpetuate the freedom of God’s grace through Christ alone to believers in this Roman province of Galatia.
In Paul’s absence religious leaders of the old school had come in calling his views and authority into question. These Jewish believers were trying to bring all these freedom-loving Christians back into religious rules and regulations.
Gal 1:6-7 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— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. NIV
When the Scriptures are not clearly taught, people get confused. Works tend to ease our conscience because we erroneously believe God isn’t happy with us.
We’ve all heard the statement, “You get what you pay for!” When it comes to the Gospel of Jesus Christ you get what He paid for. Stop trying to pay with your pennies what you can’t afford. Jesus already paid the price. It is finished!
There is no varsity and junior varsity. In Christ there aren’t spiritual Christians with more favor from God and carnal Christians with less. Jesus is varsity. Everybody else is junior varsity.
Gal 3:27-28 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. NIV
If you have accepted Christ then there is nothing you can do to earn any more of God’s favor on your life. God finds total favor with you.
We must learn to move from the attitude of “earn and deserve” to “believe and receive”
A huge issue was that Gentiles were coming to faith without being circumcised. If you weren’t willing to have this small portion of skin carved off then you weren’t as spiritual as those who were willing to limp to church for a few weeks.
Gal 5:12 As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves! NIV
Paul says if carving a little skin off makes you holy you should really go for holiness and move that blade a little closer to the body and really show God how awesome you are.
The love of God and the blood of Jesus is the conclusion of the matter of our salvation. In the Old Testament the Tabernacle was surrounded by 7 ½ foot tall white walls. This served to remind us of God’s purity and man’s inability to achieve God’s purity. Upon entering the gates the first stop was the brazen altar. This was the place of judgment for sin. The second stop was the laver, a place of cleansing where the blood from the sacrifice could be washed. It is important to notice that the cleansing station wasn’t first. The first stop must be the place of sacrifice for our sins. Jesus is that sacrifice. We must stop trying to clean ourselves up in order to achieve the holiness of God. It won’t work. Jesus provided the only way.
GP4RL: Read a chapter from Galatians each day this week. Reflect on what God is speaking to you.
DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY GROUP LEADERS
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Icebreaker: If you could share one thing with your twenty-year old self, what would it be?
Paul knew the Jewish Law and had been given to legalistic efforts to please God perhaps more than any other Jew of his day. He was awakened to the freedom found in Jesus. In Galatians Paul is sharing that freedom of God’s grace through Christ alone to these believers.
In Paul’s absence religious leaders of the old school had come in questioning Paul’s teachings. They were trying to bring all these freedom-loving Christians back into religious rules and regulations.
Discussion Question:
• What would Paul be talking about in his day when he spoke of religious rules and regulations?
Galatians 1:6-7 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— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. NIV
Works tend to ease our conscience because when we erroneously believe God isn’t happy with us. The finished work of the cross is the finished work of the cross.
We’ve all heard the statement, “You get what you pay for!” When it comes to the Gospel of Jesus Christ you get what He paid for. We must stop trying to pay with our pennies what we can’t afford. Jesus already paid the price. It is finished!
Discussion Question:
• Share a time/ situation when you experienced God’s grace in your life.
It really must be one of the most frustrating things for the devil to catch you red-handed as your primary accuser and never be able to get a ruling against you! Jesus is your advocate and your heavenly Father is the judge. The ruling is always the same. NOT GUILTY BECAUSE OF JESUS!
Galatians 3:27-28 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. NIV
If you have accepted Christ then there is nothing you can do to earn any more of God’s favor on your life. God finds total favor with you.
Discussion Questions: It’s very common to put pressure on ourselves to feel better about the way God feels about us. We feel we need to pray longer, witness more, love better, work harder, etc
• What expectations have you placed on yourself that contributes to this weight you were never designed to carry?
• What can you do to let yourself off the hook and allow you to look more like Jesus, so you can experience freedom in Christ on a deeper level?
We must learn to move from the attitude of “earn & deserve” to “believe & receive”.
GP4RL: Read a chapter from Galatians each day this week. Reflect on what God is speaking to you.
GOING DEEPER:
THE MESSAGE BIBLE INTRODUCTION:
When men and women get their hands on religion, one of the first things they often do is turn it into an instrument for controlling others, either putting or keeping them "in their place."
The history of such religious manipulation and coercion is long and tedious. It is little wonder that people who have only known religion on such terms experience release or escape from it as freedom. The problem is that the freedom turns out to be short-lived.
Paul of Tarsus was doing his diligent best to add yet another chapter to this dreary history when he was converted by Jesus to something radically and entirely different—a free life in God. Through Jesus, Paul learned that God was not an impersonal force to be used to make people behave in certain prescribed ways, but a personal Savior who set us free to live a free life. God did not coerce us from without, but set us free from within.
It was a glorious experience, and Paul set off telling others, introducing and inviting everyone he met into this free life. In his early travels he founded a series of churches in the Roman province of Galatia.
A few years later Paul learned that religious leaders of the old school had come into those churches, called his views and authority into question, and were reintroducing the old ways, herding all these freedom-loving Christians back into the corral of religious rules and regulations.
Paul was, of course, furious. He was furious with the old guard for coming in with their strong-arm religious tactics and intimidating the Christians into giving up their free life in Jesus. But he was also furious with the Christians for caving in to the intimidation.
His letter to the Galatian churches helps them, and us, recover the original freedom. It also gives direction in the nature of God’s gift of freedom—most necessary guidance, for freedom is a delicate and subtle gift, easily perverted and often squandered.
Information: Jews who were converted to Jesus yet refused to abandon the Law infiltrated the churches with an altered message. Paul is right about Jesus BUT - You must also be circumcised and keep the law of Moses if you want to be saved" (Acts 15:1). Impressive arguments with great zeal shook the foundation of these Galatians and they were almost persuaded when Paul wrote this letter.
Insights: We all want to be accepted. In our culture some only accept us only if we are attractive, smart, wealthy or influential. It’s easy to fall into the trap of at projecting the right image and hiding any weakness.
This easily bleeds over in our relationship with God. We feel better about the way God feels about us if we aredoing something to earn his embrace. If we could only work harder, live better, pray longer, witness more—then God will be really pleased with us.
In Galatians Paul challenges this kind of thinking freeing us from living out of a sense of guilt. We empowered with a confidence about God's love renewing our desire to serve him.
When you begin using the Law to escape the guilt of your sin you’ve entered into a very dangerous place called legalism.
Gal 4:6-7 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. NIV
Gal 5:16-26 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. NIV
Christianity isn't about bettered lives showing who Jesus is but surrendered lives allowing Jesus Himself to show who He is.