Grace is the SOIL and the RAIN
Alpha and Omega
The source & centrality of the Gospel
And the Banks for our
River
That sprouts Saving
Faith into Fruition
Epistle to the Galatians
The gospel of grace through the resurrection is the message we are
called to proclaim
Author: Galatians 1:1 clearly identifies the
apostle Paul as the writer of the epistle to the Galatians.
Date of Writing: Galatians is likely the first New Testament book to be written, composed sometime soon after AD 49.
Purpose of Writing: The churches in Galatia were comprised of both Jewish and Gentile converts. Paul’s purpose in writing to these churches was to confirm them in the faith, especially concerning
justification by faith alone, apart from the works of the Law of Moses.
God can only do his work through faith. The Acts of works without faith alive in the receiver don't produce saved lives but are a reflection of faith found in the redemptive work of Christ. This transformation is what fuels believers to proclaim the tangible works of the resurrected Christ. That's Christ's purpose- to confirm, proclaim, and live the gospel of grace
that transforms, elevates, and equips us to fulfill our calling
Galatians was written because the churches of that region were facing a theological crisis. The essential truth of justification by faith rather than by human works was being denied by the Judaizers—legalistic Jews who insisted that Christians must keep the Mosaic Law. In particular, the Judaizers insisted on circumcisionas a requirement for Gentiles who wished to be saved. In other words, convert to Judaism first, and then you are eligible to become a Christian. When Paul learned that this heresy was being taught to the Galatian churches, he composed an epistle to emphasize our liberty in Christ and to counter the perversion of the
Gospel
that the Judaizers "promoted'
Galatians 2:16: “Know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.”
Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Galatians 3:11: “Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, ‘The righteous will live by faith.’"
Galatians 4:5-6: “to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the
Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’"
We are justified by grace through faith means we have spiritual freedom. We are not under bondage to the dictates of the Old Testament Law. Paul soundly condemns anyone who would denigrate the grace of God and attempt to change the gospel (Galatians 1:8–10).
He gives his apostolic credentials (Galatians 1:11–2:14) and emphasizes that righteousness comes through Christ not the works of the Law (Galatians 2:21).
Throughout Paul’s epistle to the Galatians, saving grace—the gift of God—is juxtaposed against the Law of Moses, which cannot save. The protestant reformation believed the catholic doctrine to be a means of grace as a mixture on reliance upon the grace of God and confidence in the merits of one's own works performed in love, known as legalism. The reformers believed that salvation is entirely comprehended in God's gifts as an
act of free grace dispensed -by- the Holy Spirit
according to the redemptive work
of Jesus Christ alone
The Judaizers urged a return to the Mosaic Law as the source of justification, and they were prominent in the early church. Even Peter was temporarily drawn into their web of deceit (Galatians 2:11–13). The themes connecting Galatians to the Old Testament center on Law vs. grace: the inability of the Law to justify (2:16); the believer’s deadness to the Law (2:19);
Abraham’s justification by faith (3:6);
the Law’s bringing not God’s salvation but His wrath (3:10);
and love as the fulfillment of the Law (5:14).
Believers are the spiritual children of Sarah, not Hagar—that is,
we are children of the freewoman,
not children of the slave; we have more in common with Isaac, the son of promise, than with Ishmael, the son of human effort (4:21–31).
The books of Galatians and James deal with two
complementary aspects of Christianity.
Galatians highlights the gospel of grace
that -produces- righteous living
(Galatians 3:13–14).
One of the main themes of the book of Galatians is found in 3:11: “The righteous shall live by faith.” We must stand firm in this truth. Any compromise with legalism or the mixture of human effort and the grace of God for salvation leads to heresy. If we could be saved through the keeping of the Law, then Jesus did not need to die (Galatians 2:21).
Trying to save ourselves nullifies grace.
Not only are we saved by faith
only true faith can save, human ACTS performed from human effort or rituals doesn't confirm someone is actually saved- if true faith isn't alive.
Faith comes from God alone and is the agent of transformation,
but we ourselves can not produce someone else's faith, which comes from knowledge, scripture, encounters, and personal revelation. Faith comes from knowing the heart of God in his word, and encounters in revelations with him, which is through the agent of GRACE
(John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8–9),
but the life of the believer in Christ—day by day, moment by moment—is lived by and through that true and authentic faith
(Galatians 2:20).
Not that faith is something we conjure up on our own--
it is the gift of God, not of works
We cannot -will or work- ourselves into faith.
Faith is not easy to attain, it's an encounter and discovery found in the grace and works of Christ alone
(see Ephesians 2:8–9)
Which fueled the first apostles in their message
Our Faith -should- produce good works, grace encourages and produces good works, Good works is not the centrality of the redemptive and transformative Gospel; without grace we limit our capacity to do good works, and there is no hierarchy in the dispersion of God's grace or ability to perform Good Works, grace frees us to do good works. All religions and philosophies perform good works, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is different, it's The resurrected Christ who came to redeem. Only authentic encounters with Christ can redeem, save, transform, and produce genuine faith, the greatest
GIFT of GOD
https://youtu.be/YjEyK1ia43s
Alpha and Omega
The source & centrality of the Gospel
And the Banks for our
River
That sprouts Saving
Faith into Fruition
Epistle to the Galatians
The gospel of grace through the resurrection is the message we are
called to proclaim
Author: Galatians 1:1 clearly identifies the
apostle Paul as the writer of the epistle to the Galatians.
Date of Writing: Galatians is likely the first New Testament book to be written, composed sometime soon after AD 49.
Purpose of Writing: The churches in Galatia were comprised of both Jewish and Gentile converts. Paul’s purpose in writing to these churches was to confirm them in the faith, especially concerning
justification by faith alone, apart from the works of the Law of Moses.
God can only do his work through faith. The Acts of works without faith alive in the receiver don't produce saved lives but are a reflection of faith found in the redemptive work of Christ. This transformation is what fuels believers to proclaim the tangible works of the resurrected Christ. That's Christ's purpose- to confirm, proclaim, and live the gospel of grace
that transforms, elevates, and equips us to fulfill our calling
Galatians was written because the churches of that region were facing a theological crisis. The essential truth of justification by faith rather than by human works was being denied by the Judaizers—legalistic Jews who insisted that Christians must keep the Mosaic Law. In particular, the Judaizers insisted on circumcisionas a requirement for Gentiles who wished to be saved. In other words, convert to Judaism first, and then you are eligible to become a Christian. When Paul learned that this heresy was being taught to the Galatian churches, he composed an epistle to emphasize our liberty in Christ and to counter the perversion of the
Gospel
that the Judaizers "promoted'
Galatians 2:16: “Know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.”
Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Galatians 3:11: “Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, ‘The righteous will live by faith.’"
Galatians 4:5-6: “to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the
Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’"
We are justified by grace through faith means we have spiritual freedom. We are not under bondage to the dictates of the Old Testament Law. Paul soundly condemns anyone who would denigrate the grace of God and attempt to change the gospel (Galatians 1:8–10).
He gives his apostolic credentials (Galatians 1:11–2:14) and emphasizes that righteousness comes through Christ not the works of the Law (Galatians 2:21).
Throughout Paul’s epistle to the Galatians, saving grace—the gift of God—is juxtaposed against the Law of Moses, which cannot save. The protestant reformation believed the catholic doctrine to be a means of grace as a mixture on reliance upon the grace of God and confidence in the merits of one's own works performed in love, known as legalism. The reformers believed that salvation is entirely comprehended in God's gifts as an
act of free grace dispensed -by- the Holy Spirit
according to the redemptive work
of Jesus Christ alone
The Judaizers urged a return to the Mosaic Law as the source of justification, and they were prominent in the early church. Even Peter was temporarily drawn into their web of deceit (Galatians 2:11–13). The themes connecting Galatians to the Old Testament center on Law vs. grace: the inability of the Law to justify (2:16); the believer’s deadness to the Law (2:19);
Abraham’s justification by faith (3:6);
the Law’s bringing not God’s salvation but His wrath (3:10);
and love as the fulfillment of the Law (5:14).
Believers are the spiritual children of Sarah, not Hagar—that is,
we are children of the freewoman,
not children of the slave; we have more in common with Isaac, the son of promise, than with Ishmael, the son of human effort (4:21–31).
The books of Galatians and James deal with two
complementary aspects of Christianity.
Galatians highlights the gospel of grace
that -produces- righteous living
(Galatians 3:13–14).
One of the main themes of the book of Galatians is found in 3:11: “The righteous shall live by faith.” We must stand firm in this truth. Any compromise with legalism or the mixture of human effort and the grace of God for salvation leads to heresy. If we could be saved through the keeping of the Law, then Jesus did not need to die (Galatians 2:21).
Trying to save ourselves nullifies grace.
Not only are we saved by faith
only true faith can save, human ACTS performed from human effort or rituals doesn't confirm someone is actually saved- if true faith isn't alive.
Faith comes from God alone and is the agent of transformation,
but we ourselves can not produce someone else's faith, which comes from knowledge, scripture, encounters, and personal revelation. Faith comes from knowing the heart of God in his word, and encounters in revelations with him, which is through the agent of GRACE
(John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8–9),
but the life of the believer in Christ—day by day, moment by moment—is lived by and through that true and authentic faith
(Galatians 2:20).
Not that faith is something we conjure up on our own--
it is the gift of God, not of works
We cannot -will or work- ourselves into faith.
Faith is not easy to attain, it's an encounter and discovery found in the grace and works of Christ alone
(see Ephesians 2:8–9)
Which fueled the first apostles in their message
Our Faith -should- produce good works, grace encourages and produces good works, Good works is not the centrality of the redemptive and transformative Gospel; without grace we limit our capacity to do good works, and there is no hierarchy in the dispersion of God's grace or ability to perform Good Works, grace frees us to do good works. All religions and philosophies perform good works, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is different, it's The resurrected Christ who came to redeem. Only authentic encounters with Christ can redeem, save, transform, and produce genuine faith, the greatest
GIFT of GOD
https://youtu.be/YjEyK1ia43s
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