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Galations study: freedom is...
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This study is an adaptation of "Gospel in the heart" a 10 week study written by Dr. Tim Keller. This study is one of the best things to explore the Gospel in depth and apply it to growing as a disciple of Jesus Christ. God has used this study of His word to grip hearts with the Gospel and give new freedom to love and serve Him.
Contents |
Introduction
Welcome Leaders! We are so thankful for what God is doing in and through you. He is reaching lost students for Christ. He is multiplying His worship through the growth and multiplication of leaders and groups. Please contact your coach with any questions or needs that you have as a leader.
“Freedom is…” A exploration in Paul’s letter to the Galatians Freedom is something that everyone wants, something most everyone will fight for, and what many people realize they are missing. A huge problem is that we are confused about what true freedom is and how to live in it.
This study is an adaptation of "Gospel in the heart" a 10 week study written by Dr. Tim Keller. This study is one of the best things we have found to explore the Gospel in depth and apply it to growing as a disciple of Jesus Christ. We have used this study on summer projects and in our student led small groups in Atlanta and the response from the students and staff involved in the study has been incredible. God has used this study of His word to grip our hearts with the Gospel and give us new freedom to love and serve Him.
Our study provides 10 sections with Bible discussions, training for outreach, and excellent articles for deeper understanding and application. There is a lot of great stuff here, so you will need to think through how you want to use it. Here are some suggestions:
Option A
- Gather group with sharing or icebreaker question. (10 minutes)
- Pray for God’s grace in the discussion time. (3 minutes)
- Read through the Bible passage and then discuss the passage very briefly. (10 minutes)
- Read and discuss the article more in depth. (27 minutes)
- Read and discuss “Reaching Out” from participants guide. (10 minutes)
- Pray for grace to apply what you discussed and ask God to use the group in service and outreach. (10-15 minutes)
Option B
- Gather group with sharing or icebreaker question. (10 minutes)
- Pray for God’s grace in the discussion time. (3 minutes)
- Read the Bible passage and then discuss the passage more thoroughly. (30 minutes)
- Read and discuss the article more very quickly or save it to read and discuss in a discipleship appointment.
- Read and discuss “Reaching Out” from participants guide. (10 minutes)
- Pray for grace to apply what you discussed and ask God to use the group in service and outreach. (10-15 minutes)
The articles can be incredibly fruitful, especially “Sin beneath the Sin” and “Let Freedom Ring.” Definitely plan on covering them well either as a group and/or individually.
Understanding, Emotions, Ethics or Knowledge, Attitude, Skills
- What do you see in this passage about Christ and/or the Gospel? (Either positively or by contrast) What insights does this passage give us? What do you find difficult to understand? (Knowing and Understanding Christ and the Gospel)
- What does this passage bring up that might be hard for me to believe? (Passion and heart for Christ and the Gospel)
- What do you see in this passage about the results of believing in Christ and the Gospel? What do you see in this passage about the results of not believing in Christ and the Gospel? (Understanding and ethical issues of the Gospel)
- What does this passage lead you to change (in your thinking, feeling or doing!) that you are not afraid to try? What does this passage challenge you to change that you might still be afraid to try? (Responding to and applying the Gospel)
Background for the book of Galatians
(Adapted from notes from Gary Purdy, Campus Crusade for Christ, University of Georgia.)
Significance
- Called “The Magna Carta of Christianity” because it rightly maintains that only through the grace of God in Christ is a person enabled to escape the curse of sin and of the law and to live a new life in genuine freedom through the power of the Spirit. Galatians was the cornerstone of the Protestant Reformation.
Author
- Paul an apostle through Jesus Christ and God the Father (1:1; 5:1)
- And from all those of God’s family with Paul (1:2)
- Received the gospel directly from Christ (1:12)
- Former leader in Judaism and opponent of the church (1:13)
- Set apart as an apostle to proclaim the gospel to Gentiles (1:15-16; 2:8)
- Resided in Arabia for period of time after conversion and then returned to Damascus (1:17)
- Visited Jerusalem only twice (1:18-2:10)
- Challenged Peter in Antioch over circumcision (2:11ff)
- Brought gospel to Galatians (4:12-13)
- Paul before Jerusalem council
- B/c of chronology in Gal.1, P must have been converted 3 yrs after death of X (Tenney, 268)
- see chart of Early Pauline Chronology on pp.268-9
- identifies himself in the body of the letter in 1:1 and 5:2
- autobiographical account in ch.1 (BKC,587)
Recipients
- the churches of Galatia (1:2)
- deserting the grace of Christ and accepting another gospel (1:6)
- Paul’s brothers (1:11;3:15; 4:12,28; 5:11; 6:1)
- Paul calls them foolish (3:1)
- Began by God’s Spirit but continuing by own power (4:3)
- sons of God (4:1-7)
- submitting to the Law (4:21ff)
- Specific cities not mentioned although Acts revealed Paul on his first missionary journey visited the Galatian cities of Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Derbe, and Lystra. The letter implies that the recipients came to faith around the same time. However, some scholars think this letter was addressed to northern Galatian churches spawned by the events of Acts 18:23 where general reference is made to Paul again traveling to Galatia. Nonetheless most evangelicals today believe the recipients most likely were from the previously mentioned south Galatian churches (Gaebelein,412).
- Galatia in north central Asia Minor where invading Gauls settled in the 3rd century B.C. Became a Roman territory in 25 B.C. and a larger division of land was added to be the province of Galatia. So there was a Galatia proper and the province. (Tenney, NT Survey, p.265)
- Thus, the North v. South Galatia theories. (South Galatia is assumed - see paper for Toussaint in 307)
Date
- After a turning away from the gospel in the Galatian church (1:6; 3-4)
- After Paul’s many years of preparation (1:11-24)
- After Paul’s confrontation in Jerusalem and in Antioch with Peter (2)
- After Paul brought the gospel to them (4:11-12)
- S.Gal. assumed then it would be 1st Miss. Journey which ended about A.D. 48
- Peter visited city and converts after this (Gal.2)
- later date - late 50’s (Keener, IVP Biblical Backgrounds Commentary, 518)
- Preceded Acts 15 (Tenney, p.267)
- if S.Galatia then A.D.48 or 49 (Wilkinson and Boa, Talk Thru the NT, p.393)
- if N.Galatia then A.D. 53-56
- at a time when Judaizers' inistence that believers must keep the law in particular circumcision for salvation (Tenney,269)
- Judaizers had challenged P's apostleship (BKC,588)
Location
- Galatia (1:1)
- not from Jerusalem (1:14ff)
- Opposed Peter at Antioch (2:11ff)
- Paul brought the gospel personally to them in Galatia (4:11-12)
- specific towns not specified
Tone
- “modify my tone” (4:20)
- rebuke, plea
- “like a sword flashing in a great swordsman’s hand” (Barclay, 3)
- warlike, crackling with indignation (Tenney, 269)
- forceful, polemic (Wilkinson, 396)
- deliberate rhetoric aimed at changing behavior (Keener, The IVP Biblical Background Commentary, 517).
Purpose
- Paul apparently was moved to write because of the Galatians’ desertion of the gospel (1:6-7).
- To defend justification and sanctification by grace (Toussaint, DTS class notes)
- Written as Paul and his gospel were under attack. The danger at risk is that Christianity might have remained just another Jewish sect due to the Judaizers’ inistence upon circumsion for faith (Barclay,3).
- We must remember that Paul was added to the apostolic band, thus causing some to question his place of authority in this regard.
- Apparently three charges were leveled by Paul’s opponents against him:
- He was not an apostle
- His gospel was not authentic
- His gospel led to loose living (Gaebelein, 411).
Content
- a protest against corruption of the gospel of Christ
- an assertion of justification by faith
- The doctrine of justification by faith as the foundation for the believer’s liberty and freedom in Christ (Toussaint, 6).
- symmetrical and logical (Tenney,269)
- to vindicate P's apostleship and the gospel
- While the precise focus of the controversy over circumcision seems a distant concern to most Xns after the first century, the central issue is the basis of our faith relationship with God. Martin Luther relied heavily on this book to attack the Roman Catholic doctrine of salvation (Wenham, et al, New Bible Commentary, 1206).
- to call from the Law back to grace, from legalism to faith (BKC, 588)
- charter of Xn liberty (Wilkinson, p.394)
- key verse 5:1
- P writes to do away with the false gospel of works and demonstrate the superiority of justification by faith
Study Material
- Uniqueness of the Gospel
- Centrality of the Gospel
- Message of the Gospel
- History of the Gospel
- Experience of the Gospel
- Need for the Gospel
- Life of the Gospel
- Life of the Gospel (Spirit)
- Life of the Gospel (Relationships)
- Reception of the Gospel
