Day: 19 May 2021

Lesson 3

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, teach us Your words so that we will not conform to the world but be transformed by Your words. We seek to please You and do Your will, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Galatians 1: 6-10, the Judaizers

VV 6-7, 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.

Greek for marvel is “thaumazo” which means amazed, astonished, or awestruck. Paul was amazed at the Galatians Christians’ gullibility in turning away from grace and to law. They were influenced by the false teachings of the Judaizers. These were Jewish Christians who previously belonged to the Pharisees sect. They disputed the authenticity of Paul’s apostolic credentials. They falsely taught the Gentile Galatians Christians that in order to be saved they had to undergo circumcision, observe Jewish rituals, and keep the Mosaic laws. Greek for pervert is “metastreho” which means corrupt. The Judaizers came to corrupt the gospel of grace, mixing it with circumcision and legalism. They corrupted the gospel by saying that salvation and justification by grace alone, by faith alone, and by Christ alone is not sufficient. It had to be combined with circumcision, rituals, and keeping the Mosaic laws.

Acts 15:1, Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.”

Acts 15:5, Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”

VV 8-9, 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.

Paul rebuked the Judaizers for preaching a corrupted gospel and even pronounced a curse on them.

V 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.

Paul’s apostolic authority came directly from Jesus Christ who appeared to him in a vision on the Damascus road, Acts 9. Paul was not afraid of men and did not compromise his position just to please men. Greek for bondservant is “duolos” which means slave. Paul sought to please Jesus Christ and not men.

Acts 9:6, So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Application:

Salvation and justification are by grace alone, by faith alone, and by Christ alone. Christ alone is sufficient, nothing more and nothing less is needed. Do not fall into the deception that you must earn your way to salvation.

Ephesians 2:8, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God”.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for speaking to us. We claim the promise of salvation by grace alone, by faith alone, and by Christ alone. Help us to apply Your words into our lives, in Jesus’ name, Amen.