A Brackish Beginning

Introduction

We will be in Galatians for thirteen weeks. The beginning of this letter is brackish.

For those unfamiliar with the term brackish, it refers to fresh water that is a bit salty.

Geographically, it is common of estuaries and rivers near the sea where there is a perpetual exchange of fresh water and salt water.

Colloquially, salty refers to someone who is irritated, angry, or resentful, especially as a result of being slighted.

So the term fits: Paul’s writing, as inspired scripture, is the fresh water of life. But it’s also a bit salty: you could call it brackish.

Why was Paul salty? Good question.

Galatia was an interesting place. The most interesting part of it is hinted at in its name. Galatia means country of the Gauls. Depending on your grasp of history, you may or may not recall that Gaul was the celtic region of western Europe that would eventually become France as we know it today.

In the third century BC, gallic tribes migrated and conquered eastward eventually setting up an independent nation they named Galatia in what is the country of Turkey today. For a couple centuries, they maintained their independence and largely hung onto their cultural distinctives. They did welcome some Greek influence and came to support a large Jewish community as well. In the first century BC they were absorbed into the Roman Empire which named the region Galatia, a part of the province of Asia.

Paul founded the church in Galatia during his first missionary journey and would revisit it in both of his subsequent journeys.

The problem in Galatia—a problem that seemed to follow Paul everywhere—was legalism. That may be a new term for some of you, so let’s define it:

Grace is getting what I do not deserve

Legalism is trying to deserve what I get

Legalism stands in direct conflict with grace. As one writer captured the idea, it is “turning a gift into some kind of trade.”

Galatian Jews taught that gentiles receiving the gospel needed to obey the law in order to be saved. These Judaizers, as they were called, undermined Paul’s authority and teaching in order to subjugate believers under the bondage of the law as they understood and taught it. Unfortunately, the Galatian believers were prone to this kind of teaching. As one author noted:

Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I & II Thessalonians Character of the Galatians

Like their kinsmen at this time in the west of Europe, they were prone to revellings and drunkenness. They had probably a natural bent toward a scenic and ritualistic type of religion, which made the spirituality of the gospel pall upon their taste and gave to the teaching of the Judaisers its fatal bewitchment.

Paul was naturally offended that people he had evangelized and discipled would be led to the point where they would question him and his teaching. But he was far more troubled that people who had been set free by the Gospel of Christ would become confused, trapped, and bound by religion. Galatians was his response.

This would not be the last time he had to deal with this problem. After his first missionary journey, Paul had to face it even in the large, otherwise secure church at Antioch.

Acts 15:1–2 NKJV

1 And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.

It was clear to Paul, and many others, that this issued needed to be dealt with head-on and decided once and for all. The first great council of churches was assembled in Jerusalem and the requirement for gentiles to obey the law was rejected.

There is no mention of that decision in Galatians, which leads us to believe that it was penned quite early, relative to Paul’s other letters. Even absent that decision, Galatians is a succinct and powerful rebuttal to any who seek to add works to grace. As one author noted:

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament Introduction

Galatians is God’s strongest word against legalism. The flesh loves to do things religious—celebrate holy days, practice rituals, attempt to do good works for God. Many religious systems today mix law and grace and present a garbled, confused way of salvation that is actually a way of bondage (Gal. 2:4; 4:9; 5:1). Keeping the Sabbath, dietary laws, an earthly priesthood, holy days, obeying rules—all of these are swept away in Galatians and replaced by the glorious liberty the believer has through faith in Christ!

Transition

So, we get why Paul was a bit salty. And we, like he, jump right into the action!

Illumination

An Authoritative Greeting 1:1-2

Galatians 1:1–2 NKJV

1 Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:

To those who would question Paul’s authority or the content of his teaching, Paul reminds them of two important facts:

First, He was commissioned by Jesus Christ

While other people might have been commissioned by prominent men, Paul was personally commissioned by Jesus.

Recounting his conversion before King Aggripa in Acts 26, Paul tells it this way:

Acts 26:12–18 NKJV

12 “While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, 13 at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. 14 And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 17 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

Second, He was not alone

Paul was far from one lone voice teaching some radical idea in a corner away from everyone.

An Evangelistic Blessing 1:3-5

Galatians 1:3–5 NKJV

3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

The Hope of Blessing:

Grace - getting what you do not deserve (Mercy—not getting what you do deserve—is implied here as ever)

Peace - harmonious relationship from (and with) God

The Source of Blessing:

God the Father, as a gift He gave

Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice He made

The Result of Blessing:

Deliverance for us from this age

Glory for God for all ages

This blessing lays out the Gospel in a nutshell and strikes at the heart of legalistic arguments: salvation and harmonious relationship with God is something given to those who place their faith in Jesus’ sacrifice. We are delivered from the bondage and penalty of sin and God is glorified.

An Abrupt Challenge 1:6-10

Galatians 1:6–10 NKJV

6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Marveling the Turn

Paul was dumb-founded that they were so eager to turn away from the gospel to a false gospel.

Cursing the Perverts

The word translated pervert means “to transform into something of an opposite character”. Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). In Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Vol. 2, pp. 469–470). T. Nelson.

This “other gospel” is not a gospel: it is not good news! Paul pulls no punches in denouncing anyone—including himself—that would contradict the gospel he taught them.

Picking the Battle

Who is Paul going to argue with? Is he going to persuade men to believe God’s message, or is he going to persuade God to change His message to match men’s teaching.

Who is Paul going to please? Is he going to please men declaring their message, or is he going to please God declaring His message?

It was not really a hard choice for Paul. He was a bondservant of Christ; there is no way he was going to side with men. He sides with Jesus and slams his critics.

Conclusion

Paul was not politically correct. He firmly—even fiercely—identified and engaged adversaries. These people were not just his adversaries, he probably would have left them alone if they were. Because they were adversaries of God, His truth, and His people, Paul was compelled to address and correct the situation.

Application

What does all of this mean to us, especially in what we might consider an introductory passage? I think there are two take-aways for us.

Enjoy liberty. We understand that liberty is not a license to do anything we want. But we also understand that liberty looks and feels very different than bondage. God did not save us from sin, preserve us in vinegar and set us upon the world to make it sour!

Identify legalism. Legalism is adding anything to salvation in the attempt to somehow earn or deserve it. Phrases like “you cannot be saved and ____.” or “in order to be saved you must _____.” may well cross the line from liberty into legalism. At the same time, biblical calls to holiness do not. Legalism has a very specific meaning that Christians do confuse. It is detrimental no matter which way it is misused.

If there were one key verse that captured the essence of this book that we could identify—and maybe even memorize—it would be:

Galatians 5:1 NKJV

1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.