“To Rescue us from this Evil World” - Galatians 1:1-5

Galatians 1:1–5 NLT

This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead. All the brothers and sisters here join me in sending this letter to the churches of Galatia. 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.

I. Introduction

- The reason why the Apostle Paul wrote this letter

A. One problem of introduction… briefly. Who were the Galatians? It was not a city but a Roman province.

In the 3rd and 4th century BC. There was a massive invasion of Italy and Greece by the Celtic tribes… the Celts settled there and were keltai and then later called Galatay. By 25 BC the land was conquered back by the Romans and this region or roman province was called Galatia.

A region that contains many cities and is divided into the North and the South. It was the people in the north who would be called Galatians in an ethnic sense… like Americans. But the term Galatia was used to identify the region of the south. So is he talking to a people? Or to a group of cities?

This affects the actual dating of the book of Galatians. Which will help us place the writing of this book in the book of Acts. If it was written to the southern then it was written after Paul’s first missionary journey. If it was to the north… then after the second missionary journey.

Why does dating matter? Revelation date

A. Why did he write this letter? It is interesting to note that Paul is indignant. He is angry in tone… according to many scholars. He was also shocked… What was it that made him so angry? He is responding to a critical attack on what he feels to be critical for salvation. He is responding to Judaizers. Jewish Christians.

B. All Christians were bound to observe the ceremonial laws of Moses OT and that circumcision as a religious rite was essential for salvation. If anyone comes into the New Covenant they needed to submit to all of the Old. Or even in the sense of sanctification… be pleasing to God.

C. Paul did not see this as a small matter of debate, but it was one that would put the spiritual lives at risk. It concerns the Gospel. Its concerns the glorious doctrine of justification. Luther says that on this doctrine the church either stands or falls. They are turning to a different gospel! One that is not a gospel at all… you have no hope, you have no life, you have no salvation. This is why all other forms of the gospel is a danger.

D. But come on… lots of this stuff is just a small matter. Not according to Paul. In light of all these things, circumcision and the Old covenant rites were no in it of itself bad.

Acts 16:3 NLT

so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. In deference to the Jews of the area, he arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left, for everyone knew that his father was a Greek.

D. To be respectful to the Jews he had Timothy circumcised. But it was in light of how it was practiced that infuriated him so. That is how small and how subtle we can be on the straight and narrow and then fall into the wide and easy road to hell.

E. Also, Because the people are now beginning to doubt the authenticity of the Apostle Paul’s calling, Paul is going to spend sometime in masterful style defending his Apostleship in this letter.

F. Many times when false teachers come in to pollute the authenticity of the message they need to expend great effort in polluting the authenticity of the messenger. They need to attack and discredit the person. This is the continued attack against authority.

C.

II. Paul Defends his Office

- His calling came from the Lord Jesus Himself

A. First striking feature… there is no delay. Abruptness.

B. Second feature…is the content of what he wrote. The Judaizers knew that the teaching that they were bringing were on a collision course with the teachings of the Apostle Paul.

C. In essence … “What you are teaching us in not what Paul taught us.” So now the Galatians are faced with the continued issue that we are faced with in the church today. The issue of authority. Who is the authority

D. The people began to appeal to the Apostle Paul… the false teachers began to appeal to the apostles of the Jerusalem church and deny the real authority of Paul. Paul was not a true Apostle of Christ.

E. We are celebrating the 500 anniversary of the reformation. Do we know that what had happened here in Galatia is the framework for what happened in the reformation. Do we even know what the reformation was even about?

F. Have you ever heard of the formal and material principles? Material principle… or what was the matter of the debate? Justification by Faith. Same here in Galatia. Lurking behind all of the debate of this issue… is the formal principle. What are the principles that we appeal to to solve the problem. The problem is authority. What is our authority? This is the beginning and ending point of the material… Rome said that the authority was the church, Luther said it was Scripture. Luther said he would submit to the scriptures… the real issue is authority.

G. In Galatia, the issue stems from authority. “So what if Paul said it… who is he? What does he have to do with anything?” So Paul addresses it right away.

H. Now we need to understand that Paul is not beating this drum in defense of his ministry so that he can receive his due. So that he can receive the proper honor and respect that many of us would do today… even myself. He is not interested in self-inflation…Paul understood that I must decrease and He must increase. Paul hated the applause of men.

I. Paul’s authority and office needed to be defended. All of our spiritual lives desperately depended on it. Paul’s office and 2/3s of the NT depend on its validation.

J. We also need to make sure that we are doing all we can to defend his calling and his office. He is an apostle of Christ, not sent by man or through man, but but Christ Himself.

K. Now we can and do mistakenly apply this passage to ourselves with principles that are robbing the intent of what Paul is doing. This is not principles that Paul is giving us to defend our ministries… it is to defend his ministry and we all need to defend his ministry. His ministry needs to be defended much more than ours. The very word of God depends on it.

L. Paul’s calling came not by man nor given through men… like we are today. By it was by Christ and through Christ. This is the uniqueness of Paul’s calling. Now today we can be called by Christ sure, but we are appointed by men. or through men. Or more specifically, though the vote of a congregation or bishop… or at most an apostle in the first century.

Acts 14:23 NLT

Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.

1 Timothy 5:17 NLT

Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching.

1 Timothy 5:17

Titus 1:5 NLT

I left you on the island of Crete so you could complete our work there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you.

M. Paul is different… He received his calling and his appointment by Christ Himself. No one can nor should boast of this today.

Acts 9:15 NLT

But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.

N. One of the things that helps… knowing the difference between disciples and apostles. We tend to confuse the two. The word disciple… Mathatais is a learner or a student. Apostle one who is sent. Apo - away from and stalo - to send. Like a diplomat… one who carries the seal of the crown. One who carried the official will of the king and is to be received as he is receiveing the king himself. They are the bearers of that message… therefore to reject an Apostle is to reject Christ Himself.

M. Thats what Paul said… all I care about is what Jesus had to say. More bad teaching going around today. Because this is so… this is why the defense of the identity and authority of Paul is super important for us. If He is not… we are all doomed.

2 Peter 3:16 NLT

speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction.

N. No one denies the Authority and Authenticity of Peter’s call and appointment from Christ… Peter calls the writings of Paul, Scripture.

M. Some are sent and some went…

O. Was first a disciple, was an eye-witness of the resurrection, and was sent by the Lord Himself and God the Father.

- Jesus Gave His Life for our sins just as God the Father Planned

A.