No More Law A bold study in Galatians

[...]... From that point on Paul moved from Antioch, making bases at Corinth and then Ephesus Paul had lost the battle at Antioch, but was determined not to lose the war over the truth of the gospel of grace Who were the Galatians? Galatia was not a city, but a Roman province It is found in the highlands of Anatolia in modern-day Turkey Ankara, the present Turkish capital, was also the capital of ancient Galatia... Paul then uses a different word for ‘another’ in verse 7, allos, which means ‘another of the same kind’ If you saw two animals in a field, a pig and another pig, you would use the word allos meaning another of exactly the same type Paul is making absolutely sure that the Galatians know that there is only one true gospel and that there aren’t any alternatives to it He is saying that the Galatians have turned to ‘another gospel (heteros) of a totally different kind, which is not another (allos) of the... The area was named Galatia after the migration of the Gauls (or Celts) into the area in the early third century BC The assemblies that Paul would have pioneered in Galatia would have been predominantly Gentile There is a great discussion in academic circles about whether the letter to the Galatians was directed only to South Galatia or whether it included North Galatia also If Paul had also managed to reach North Galatia it means that the letter may have been written a few... The Judaizers were no angels, but the Galatians believed their false teaching Paul had even been treated himself as an angelic messenger when he evangelized in Galatia, and perhaps this is in the back of his mind when he brings up the subject It was in Lystra, Galatia, after Paul had healed a man crippled from birth that the crowd thought Paul and Barnabas were gods in human form They thought Barnabas was Zeus (king... and emotional intensity of the letter to the Galatians show Paul battling once and for all to destroy the false gospel of salvation by works The message of Galatians Because Paul’s letter reacts to a departure from the true gospel by the Galatians, it also means that Paul will need to give a crystal-clear account of what the gospel really is Galatians is extremely important because, more than any other book in the Bible,... Neither was it derived from popular support It was an authority and commissioning that came from a divine source He was appointed by the Lord Even in today’s church many take the title ‘minister’ but don’t have the supernatural anointing to back it up This normally causes them to turn to human means of authentication and advancement The Judaizers were such ministers As Paul will explain later in the letter, it is always flesh that persecutes the Spirit, the... community of God so that they trouble it no more Not a spin-doctor! One of the accusations against Paul was that he had changed the Jewish gospel to please his Gentile audience The Judaizers believed that Paul ‘spun’ the gospel message to gain a popular response – that he was a human-pleaser Paul was accused of preaching cheap grace, a gospel without standards His enemies claimed that Paul had removed the need for circumcision and food laws out of expediency, not gospel... (14) and that I progressed in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my people, being exceedingly zealous for my ancestral traditions It was ironic that the Judaizers saw themselves as defenders of the Law against Paul If anyone knew and had lived zealously for the Law, it was Paul I can imagine him thinking, ‘Who are these people? Who do they think they are dealing with? I was an elite minister and disciple of the Law, the crème de la crème, top of the premier... light of Christ, he received his call from the Lord on the road to Damascus He received a personal revelation and tutoring of the gospel from Jesus himself, three years of training for ministry, and now made a visit to ‘the Rock’, Cephas (Peter), as his honoured house guest Surely the Galatians should see that Paul was the real thing His experience was real, his calling was real and, most importantly, his gospel was real Character assassins The Judaizers were claiming that they had the true Jerusalem gospel, and that Paul... the later Council was the third occasion But Paul does not specifically state that the meeting in Galatians 2 with James and Peter was the second time he travelled to Jerusalem after his conversion He simply says he went up ‘again’ The Greek word for ‘again’ is palin which simply means, ‘again, a renewal or repetition of an action’ It could easily mean ‘again for the third time’ as much as it could mean ‘again for the second time’ . NO MORE LAW! NO MORE LAW! A bold study in Galatians BruceAtkinson ForewordbyDrR.T.Kendall Galatians translatedfromtheGreekbyProfessorJamesD.G.Dunn Copyright©2012BruceAtkinson 181716151413127654321 Thiseditionfirstpublished2012byPaternoster PaternosterisanimprintofAuthenticMediaLimited 52PresleyWay,Crownhill,MiltonKeynes,MK80ES www.authenticmedia.co.uk TherightofBruceAtkinsontobeidentifiedastheAuthorofthisWorkhasbeenassertedbyhim in accordance withtheCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988. Allrightsreserved. No partofthispublicationmaybereproduced,stored in a retrievalsystem,ortransmitted in anyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recordingorotherwise,withouttheprior permissionofthepublisheror a licencepermittingrestrictedcopying. In theUKsuchlicencesareissuedbythe CopyrightLicensingAgency.SaffronHouse,6–10KirbyStreet,London,EC1N8TS BritishLibraryCataloguing in PublicationData A cataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromthe BritishLibrary ISBN978-1-78078-031-3 THEMESSAGE ThetranslationoftheGreekusedthroughoutthisbookisbyJamesD.G.Dunn,TheEpistletothe Galatians (Black’sNewTestamentCommentary),(Peabody,M .A. :HendricksonPublishers,1993) CoverdesignbyDavidMcNeillatRevocreative ToChristopherCartwright Contents Acknowledgements ForewordbyDrR.T.Kendall Preface Introduction 1TheSupernaturalGospel(1:1–5) 2ShockedtoCursing(1:6–13) 3Paul’sTestimony(1:13–24) 4TheCouncilofJerusalem(2:1–10) 5FoodFight in Antioch(2:11–14) 6Trusting in theFaithofChrist(2:15–21) 7ReceivingtheSpiritwithPower(3:1–5) 8TheBlessingofAbraham(3:6–9) 9TheCurseofthe Law (3:10–14) 10ThePurposeofthe Law (3:19–25) 11HeirsofGod(4:1–7) 12 No TurningBack(4:8–20) 13YourMotherFromAbove(4:21–31) 14LiberatedforFreedom(5:1–6) 15LoveYourNeighbour(5:7–15) 16HowtoBeLedbytheSpirit(5:16–18) 17FleshorFruit(5:19–24) 18 In StepwiththeSpirit(5:25–6:6) 19ReapingtheReward(6:6–10) 20Conclusion:GloryOnly in theCross(6:11–18) Bibliography Endnotes Acknowledgements IwouldliketoexpressmygratitudetoProfessorJamesD.G.Dunnforgivingmekind permissiontousehisEnglishtranslationof Galatians fromtheGreek.Mywife, Nicola,andIhavefondmemoriesofbeingtutoredbyProfessorDunnatDurham University in thelateeighties.Hiscommentaryon Galatians hasbeen a greatsource ofhelptome,andIrecommendittothosewhowishto study theepistlefurther. IwouldliketothanktheElimFoursquareGospelAllianceforgivingmean opportunitytoexpressmyministry.Thefellowship,supportandencouragementthatI havereceivedfromtheMovementovertheyearsaresincerelyappreciated. Finally,IwouldliketothankColinandAmandaDyeandallthedisciplesat KensingtonTemple.Withouttheirsupportthisbookwouldnothavebeenpossible. Foreword Thegreatestdanger in thechurchatthepresenttimeisthatthegospelofJesusChrist islargelypassingbehind a cloud.Thegospel, in manyplaces,hasbeeneclipsedby ‘What’s in itforme?’prosperityteaching,andanemphasisuponworks.WhenIfirst cametoWestminsterChapel in 1977,Iwasasked,please,tospeakon Galatians. Idid thisonFridaynightsforoverfouryears.Itwas a life-changingeraformanypeople, includingmyself.IhadjustfinishedmyresearchdegreeatOxford,havingbeen immersed in Puritan-typethinkingforthreeyears.ThePuritans,generallyspeaking, hadbecomequitelegalistic,causingMartinLuther’srediscoveryofjustificationby faithalonevirtuallytobeputtooneside.Iwassogladthattheyaskedmetoteachon Galatians. RevdBruceAtkinson,theassociateministeratLondon’sKensingtonTemple,has done a commendablejob in hisexpositionofPaul’slettertothe Galatians. Brucehas givenusgood,solidteaching in thisbook.Iamthrilledthatsomeonewithhis backgroundand in hisPentecostaltraditionwouldwritesoclearlyandcourageously, whensomany in thatmovementhavebecomeworks-orientated in theirperspective. WhatBrucedoesistomaintain a wonderfulbalancebetweentheWordandtheSpirit, thegospelandtheplaceoftheMosaic Law, freedomfromthat Law, butwithan emphasisuponourresponsibilitytolivegodlylives. A Scottishtheologiansaid centuriesagothatthepersonwhounderstandstherelationshipbetweenthe Law and thegospelis a goodtheologian. IwasespeciallypleasedthatBruceAtkinsonhaspointedoutthatwearesavedby thefaithofChrist–Jesus’ownpersonalfaithandobedience.TheapostlePaul stressedthatwebelieve in JesusChrist in ordertobejustified‘bythefaithof’Jesus Christ(Gal.2:16).Thechurch’sgeneralfailuretoseethisimportantfoundationisone ofthereasonstherehasbeensomuchmisunderstandingoftheplaceofthe Law in the Christianunderstandingofthegospel.SoPaulcouldsaythathelivedbyfaith,namely that‘oftheSonofGod’(Gal.2:20).SadlytheAuthorizedVersionisalmostalone in beingclearontheGreeklanguagethatliesbehindverseslikethese.Youwilldowell toreadBrucecarefully in thissection. AndyettheauthorofthisbookputsgreatstressontheworkoftheHolySpirit in theChristianlife.Hespeaksofwalking in theSpirit,howthisbringsfreedomand producesgodliness.EverynewChristianshouldreadthisbook,andyetthereismuch in itforthemostmaturebeliever. ColinDye,theSeniorMinisterofKensingtonTemple,canbejustlyproudof havingBruceonhisstaff.Brucehasproduced a serious, no- nonsenseexpositionof thebookMartinLuthercalledhis‘KatyVonBora’(thewomanLuthermarriedafter hewassetfreebythedoctrineofjustificationbyfaith).Ipraythisbookwillsetyou freeaswell. DrR.T.Kendall MinisterofWestminsterChapel(1977–2002) Preface Whatdoesitmeantobesaved?Thisisthechiefquestionaddressedbythebookof Galatians. Itseemssuch a simplequestion,doesn’tit?Butifwegettheanswer wrong,theconsequencescouldbeawfulandeternal.Howdoesone‘getsaved’?And oncesaved,howdowestaysaved?Justas in Paul’stime,today’schurchis profoundlyconfusedandsharplydividedovertheanswerstothesequestions. TheGalatianGentileshadbeensavedbyPaul’spreachingofthegospel–orhad they?Nowtheyweren’tsosure.Somenewteachershadcomeintotheirmidstwith verydifferentanswersthanPaultothequestionofhowtobesaved.Thesenew teachershadnewstandardsandrulesthattheyclaimedwouldnotonlysavethe Galatians, butjustasimportantly,keepthemsaved.Obediencetothesecommands wouldnotonlyshowthe Galatians buteveryonethattheyweretrulypartofGod’s savedpeople.Thesenewteachershadintroducedthe Galatians tothe Law ofMoses! ThisteachingaboutChristianslivingbythe Law ofMoseswasnewtothe Galatians. Ithadplayed no part in theirdailyChristianlivingsofar.Paulhadnever toldthemthattheyneededitandtheyweren’tschooled in it.Sowhen a groupof JewishChristianmissionariescametoGalatiawhodisagreedwithPaul’sviewofthe gospel,theybecameconfused. TheJewishmissionariestaughtthatclearboundariesmustbeputintoplace in order toseparatethenewbelieversfromtheworldaroundthem.Theseboundarieswere externalandoutwardforalltosee:circumcision,obediencetofoodlaws,indeedthe wholeJewish Law itself.These‘Judaizers’taughtthatifthe Galatians reallywere saved,thentheyhadtodemonstrateitbyobediencetoGod’scommands.Theywere nowtoldthattheyhadbeensaved in ordertolivebyGod’s Law. Paul,ontheother hand,believedthatfarfrombeingsavedtofollowGod’s Law, theywereactually savedfromit!Tohimthe Law was no longerneededbecauselifewasnowledbythe Spirit.TheSpirit-filledlifehadreplacedobediencetothe Law. Thebookof Galatians drawsusintothefirst-centurychurch’sbattleoverthenatureofthegospel.Itwas a nastyconflictfulloffactions,strongpersonalities,politics,andpressuregroups. PaulhadblazedanevangelistictrailacrosstheGentileworldandthousandswere comingtoChrist.ButhotonPaul’shealsfollowedotherswhopreached a gospel radicallydifferenttohis.Thisbattleforthegospelreacheditsclimax in Galatiawhere opponentsofPaulactivelysoughttoturnhisconvertsagainstbothhimandhis gospel. Wewillalsofindthat Galatians is a powerfulrecordofpersonalencounterswith thelivingGod.Pentecostalbyexperience,Paulunderstoodtherewas a dynamic dialoguebetweenscholarlytheologyand a personalexperienceoftheSpiritofGod. Scriptureisthefinalauthorityregardingallmattersoffaith,butPauldoesnotonly turntoScripturetopresenthiscaseforthetruegospel,healsoutilizeshisown personalexperienceoftheHolySpirit,andalsothatoftheGalatianChristians themselves,toprovethevalidityofthegospelthathepreached. Bibletruth,afterall,isnotjusttobeunderstoodintellectually,butcanalsobe experiencedthroughpersonalandsupernaturalencounters.Itisthetruththatactually setsusfree.Paulargues in Galatians thatwhatreallyseparatesusfromtheworldis notobediencetorules,butourpresentongoingexperienceoftheHolySpirit.The experienceoftheSpiritandhisaccompanyingmanifestationsweretobecomeoneof Paul’smainargumentstopersuadethe Galatians toremainsteadfast in gospelgrace. Whataboutyou?Beforeyoutake a journeythrough Galatians, wheredoyoustand onsuchissues?DotheTenCommandmentsplay a role in yourChristianlife?Doyou believethatyoucanloseyoursalvation?DoyoulivebyrulesorbytheSpirit,anddo youevenknowthedifferencebetweenthetwo?Areyoureallyandtrulylivingthe Spirit-filledlife?Doyouknowwhatitreallymeanstobefree? Theletterto Galatians addressesalltheseissuesand more. Ipraythatthemessage oftheSpiritthatwasspoken2,000yearsagototheGalatianchurchwillresonate in yourspiritasclearlytoday.IpraythatyoumighthearthevoiceoftheSpiritcrying, no more law! MartinBruceAtkinson KensingtonTemple, NottingHillGate London Introduction Thelettertothe Galatians: who,when,what,howandwhy? Letters,emailsandtextsarefascinatingformsofcommunication. No matterhowlong orshort a messagemaybe,thereisalwayssomuchtolearn–notonlyfromthewords used in themessageitself,butfromthecircumstancesthatcausedthecommunication in thefirstplace.Similarly, Galatians waswrittenas a letterby a specificpersonto a specificgroupofpeoplefor a specificreasonandat a specifictime.Weshould recognizethisfromtheoutsetifwearetrulygoingtobeabletounderstandthe messageitcontains. ToappreciatewhatGodissayingtousthroughthisportionofScripture,itis imperativetofindoutasmuchaboutitsbackgroundaspossible.Ihavereadbooks andlistenedtosermonsthathavetreatedversesof Galatians asiftheyweregenerated byanimpersonalcomputer in heavenandthendownloadedtoearth.Whenpeople treatScripture in thiswaytheyusuallymisunderstanditsomewheredowntheline. Whenwereadspecificbooks in theBibleweshouldalwaysaskthequestions,who, when,what,how,why?Weshallaskthesequestionsabouttheletterto Galatians becausetheanswersarekeytounderstandingtheepistleitself. WhowasPaul? Whowrote Galatians, andtowhomwasitaddressed? No onedoubtsthattheauthor ofthelettertothe Galatians wastheapostlePaul. In fact,ifyouwanttoknowwhat kindofmanthisapostletotheGentileswas(Gentilessimplyreferstoallnationsand peoplesapartfromIsrael),thenthisisanexcellentlettertoread. Ilovereadingbiographiesofgreatmenandwomen.Evenbetterare autobiographies,wherepeoplewritepersonallyabouttheirlives.Ifyouwanttoknow whatittakestobe a greatgeneral,businessman,sportspersonorpoet,youneedto readbooksabouttheirlivesandespeciallybookswhereyougetit‘straightfromthe horse’smouth’–fromthemenorwomenthemselves. Galatians is a verypersonal letterbecausePaulrevealssomuchabouthislife’sstruggles,passions,defeatsand victories.Tofindoutwhat a real‘breakthrough’ministryislike,weshouldreadthis letter. PaulthePharisee TheapostlePaul,beforehecametofollowChrist,wasknownasSaul.Hewas schooled in oneofthestrictestformsofJudaism,similartotheOrthodoxJewsof today.Hedescribeshisreligiouspedigree in Philippians3:5–6 IwascircumcisedwhenIwaseightdaysold.Iam a pure-bloodedcitizen ofIsraeland a memberofthetribeofBenjamin– a realHebrewifthere everwasone!Iwas a memberofthePhariseeswhodemandthestrictest obediencetotheJewish law. IwassozealousthatIharshlypersecuted thechurch.Andasforrighteousness,Iobeyedthe law withoutfault. (NLT) ThePhariseeshadbeen a powerful,purifyingmovement in Judaism in the150years beforeChrist.TheywerethespiritualdescendantsoftheearlyHasidim(meaningthe ‘pious’)formedaround170BC.TheHasidimresistedtheattemptsoftheirGreek rulerstoforceallJewstoadoptGreekcultureandrenouncetheirown.ThePharisees (meaning‘separateones’)modelledandtaught a strictobservanceoftheJewish Law astheonlymeanstoremain a faithfulpartofGod’scovenantpeople.Theirteachers wereknownasrabbisandtheyhad a wholeseriesoftraditionsandrules(notfound in Scripture)thattheybelievedwentbacktothetimeofMoses.ThePhariseesbelieved thesetraditionshadbeenhandeddownfromgenerationtogeneration.Knownasthe Oral Law, Jesuswouldconfrontmanyofthesenon-biblicaltraditionsduringhis ministryonearth. ThereweremanydifferentsectswithinJudaismduringPaul’stime,andnumerous viewsonwhatitreallymeanttobe a truecovenantJew.NotonlywereJews distinguishedfromGentilesbycircumcision,butalsobysuchthingsasfoodlaws, whichgovernednotonlywhattheyatebutalsowhotheyatewith.Allthiswas essentialtotheJewishsenseofidentity.Theterm‘sinner’was a well-usedone in first-centuryJudaism–thedifferentJewishsectstendedtocallanyone(includingone another)whodidnotliveaccordingtotheirparticularformoftradition, a sinner! No wonderweseesuchimportanceplacedupontheuseoftheterm‘sinner’throughout theGospelaccounts. PaulhadbeenanoutstandingPharisee.Hehadstudied in theschoolofthefamous RabbiGamaliel. In today’stermsitwouldbelikehaving a PhD in OldTestament studiesfromOxfordorCambridgeUniversity. Thisbackgroundisextremelyimportantforanyreaderof Galatians. Atthistime, manyJewishChristianswereconcernedthattheidentityofthechurchshouldalsobe expressedbycertaintraditionssuchascircumcisionandfoodlaws.Theywerefearful ofbeingcontaminatedbytheGentileworld,oflivinglikesinnersandlosingtheir specialrelationshipwithGodasJews.ThehugenumbersofGentilesbecoming ChristiansfurtherconcernedmanyJewishbelieversthattheirheritagecouldsoon disappearforgood.TheyfeltthattheyhadtokeeptheirJewishnessatallcosts. ApostletotheGentiles Paulhadforcefullypersecutedthechurch in itsearliestdays,imprisoningandeven sentencingbelieverstodeath.Hesaw‘theWay’(asChristianitywasfirstknown)as a greatthreattotheauthenticcommunityofGod,andhethoughtthatas a Phariseehe wasthebestrepresentativeofJudaismthatcouldbefound.ThebookofActstellsus thatPaulevenheldthecoatsofthemenwhostonedStephen.Jesusdied in 30ADand PaulhadhisfamousencounterwithChristontheroadtoDamascusbetween31and 33AD(seePaul’sownaccount in Acts26:12–18).Itwasatthatpointthathislifewas turnedcompletelyaroundandhereceivedhisdivinecallingtotakethegospeltothe Gentiles.Paulthenspentthreeyears in Arabia. In about35AD,hevisitedJerusalem andstayedwithPeter,meetingJameswhilsthewasthere.Paulthenbegan evangelizingtheGentiles,basinghimself in thecityofAntioch. TheCouncilofJerusalem Afterfourteenyearsofpowerfulevangelism,Paulreturnedtowhatwouldbethe CouncilofJerusalemmentioned in Actschapter15(meetingaround49AD).This was a verysignificantassemblyandPaulreferstoit in Galatians. AttheCouncilit wasconfirmedthatPaulwouldpreachthegospeltoGentiles,whowererecognizedas fullmembersofthechurchofChristwithoutneedingtobecircumcised.Despitesome opposition,thegospel’sfreedomfromthe Law seemedtohavetriumphed.Itwas establishedthatPaulhadbeencalledtobringthegospeltotheGentileworldwithout callingonthemtobecircumcised. ThefalloutwithPeter in Antioch AntiochhadbecomethemajormissionarysendingcentretotheGentileworld.Itwas thebaseforPaul’sministry.TheAntiochchurchconsistedof a majorityofGentiles, butalsocontained a largenumberofJewishbelievers.TheinfluenceoftheJudaizers begantospread.TheJudaizerswereactivelyfollowing in thestepsofPaultoconvert hisconvertstotheirfalsegospel,whichincludedthenecessityofkeepingtheJewish Law. TheCouncilofJerusalemhadbeenclear in regardtoitspositionon circumcision,butnotsoclearontheissueoffoodortablefellowship.TheJudaizers in AntiochbegantoinsistthatJewishChristians no longerhavefoodfellowshipwith GentileChristians. WeshalldiscoverthatPeterandevenPaul’scloseassociate,Barnabas,werewon overbytheJudaizers’arguments.Peterdecidedto no longertablefellowshipwiththe GentilebelieversofAntioch.Thiswas a majorstepbackwardsforthegospel, especiallywhenwerememberthatitwasalsoduringtablefellowshipthatthebread andwineofHolyCommunionwascelebrated.Paulstoodhisground,butlostthe argument.FromthatpointonPaulmovedfromAntioch,makingbasesatCorinthand thenEphesus.PaulhadlostthebattleatAntioch,butwasdeterminednottolosethe waroverthetruthofthegospelofgrace. Whowerethe Galatians? Galatiawasnot a city,but a Romanprovince.Itisfound in thehighlandsofAnatolia in modern-dayTurkey.Ankara,thepresentTurkishcapital,wasalsothecapitalof ancientGalatia.TheareawasnamedGalatiaafterthemigrationoftheGauls(or Celts)intothearea in theearlythirdcenturyBC.TheassembliesthatPaulwouldhave pioneered in GalatiawouldhavebeenpredominantlyGentile.Thereis a great discussion in academiccirclesaboutwhetherthelettertothe Galatians wasdirected onlytoSouthGalatiaorwhetheritincludedNorthGalatiaalso.IfPaulhadalso managedtoreachNorthGalatiaitmeansthatthelettermayhavebeenwritten a few yearslaterthanifitaddressedonlytheinitialevangelizationoftheSouth.Really,it doesn’tmatter–themostimportantthingtorememberisthattheCouncilof Jerusalemtookplacebefore Galatians waswritten.Theepistletothe Galatians could havebeenwrittenanytimefromtheearlyfiftiesAD. TheJudaizingmissionariesplaguedthefootstepsofPaul.Itisamazinghoweven today,whereverthegospelgainsground,cultsandfalseteachersarenotfarbehindit, likewolvestryingtodevourthesheep.Paulwasastonishedandannoyedthatthe youngchurch in Galatiahadsuccumbedsoquicklyto a falsegospel.Wasthisgoing tobeAntiochalloveragain?NotifPaulhadanythingtodowithit!Thepower,force andemotionalintensityofthelettertothe Galatians showPaulbattlingonceandfor alltodestroythefalsegospelofsalvationbyworks. Themessageof Galatians BecausePaul’sletterreactsto a departurefromthetruegospelbythe Galatians, it alsomeansthatPaulwillneedtogive a crystal-clearaccountofwhatthegospelreally is. Galatians isextremelyimportantbecause, more thananyotherbook in theBible, exceptperhapsRomans,thegospelisexplained in theclearestwaypossible. IfyouapproachtheScripturestodiscovertheanswertothequestion,whatdoesit meantobesaved?itisimportantwhereyoustart.Alwaysstartwherethedoctrineis mostplainlyandspecificallytaught.Somepreachersbasetheirdoctrineofsalvation notprimarilyon Galatians orRomans,butselectedversesofthesynopticgospels (Matthew,MarkandLuke)andtheepistleofJames. Ifyouwishtounderstandthedoctrineofsalvation,startwiththethreebooksthat specificallyaddressthetopicofhowtobesaved: Galatians, RomansandtheGospel ofJohn.Thesethreebooksarethefoundationuponwhichthedoctrineofsalvation shouldbebuilt. ThetheologianF.F.Brucesummarizestheprimitivemessageofthegospelfound in Galatians likethis JesusourLord,theSonofGod,wassentintotheworldbyhisFather whentheduetimecame.HewasbornintothefamilyofAbrahamand livedundertheJewish Law. Hewascrucifiedbyhisenemies,but in deathhegavehimselfforhispeople’ssins.Godraisedhimfromthe dead,tobethesaviourofallwhobelieve in him;hehassentthisSpirit intotheirhearts,enablingthemtocallGod‘father’asJesusdid,to exhibithislove in theirlivesandtolookforwardconfidentlytothe realisationoftheirhope. 1 BythetimePaulwroteRomans,hehadeffectivelyconqueredthethreatofthe Judaizerstothechurch–somuchsothathecouldevengraciouslycallonChristians tobepatientwiththeweakerbrethrenwhostillfollowedaspectsoftheJewish Law (Rom.14).Thelettertothe Galatians wastoplay a hugepart in thisvictoryoverthe falsegospel. 1. TheSupernaturalGospel (Gal.1:1–5) GreetingsfromPaul(1:1–5) (1)Paul,apostle–notfromhumanbeingsnorthrough a humanbeing, butthroughJesusChristandGodtheFather,whoraisedhimfromthe dead–(2)andallthebrotherswithme,tothechurchesofGalatia.(3) GracetoyouandpeacefromGodourFatherandtheLordJesusChrist, (4)whogavehimselfforoursins, in orderthathemightrescueusfrom thepresentevilage, in accordancewiththewillofourGodandFather; (5)towhombegloryforeverandever,amen. AllofPaul’sNewTestamentletters,apartfrom Galatians, start in a relaxed,polite manner,yetshow a touchofformality.Heoftenbeginsbycommendingor complimentingthepeopleorpersonthatheiswritingto.Oftenhewilltellthemhow muchheappreciatesthembygivingthanksforthem.Healsofrequentlyremindsthem thattheyare in histhoughtsandprayers.Ifyoutakejust a coupleofminutesyoucan flickthroughthebeginningsofPaul’sletters in theNewTestamentandyouwillsee notonly a commonpattern,buthowdifferent Galatians isfromthatpattern–notonly in thecontentofthegreeting,butalsoitstone. Paulisveryemotionalatthebeginningofthisletter.Hedealswithmanyserious issues in otherletters,butnothingaffectedhim more thanhisconcernforthetruthof thegospel.Paulwantstogetthegreetingtothe Galatians overwithassoonas possibleandgetstraightdowntobusiness.Buteven in thegreetingheismaking powerfulpoints.Haveyoueverrepliedimmediatelytoanemail in anger?Haveyou everpressedthesendbuttonandthenthought,‘WhathaveIdone?’(and‘recall’never seemstowork).Emailswritten in hasteandwithangryemotionsusuallydon’t achievetheiraims.WhyisPaulsofiery in Galatians, rightfromthestart? Thereis a timeforholyangerorzeal.Jesusdemonstratedit a numberoftimes in hisdealingswiththePharisees,andmostfamously in cleansingtheTemple. Remember, Galatians isnotonlytheletterof a mannamedPaul,butitisalsothe100 percentinfallibleWordofGod.ItissowonderfultoreadtheBibleandseeallthe characteristicsandpersonalitiesofthehumanauthorsdisplayed.Butitisalso amazingtoknowthattheHolySpiritcarriedthemalong,superintendingtheir thoughts,yetwithoutviolatingthem,sothattheywouldalsowriteexactlywhathe desired. TheBible’sauthors’wholelivesandpersonalities,theirfailingsaswellastheir strengths,wereusedbyGodtoproducehisperfectWord.Paul’sanger,impatience andbluntnessarenotjustexpressionsofhispersonality,butalsoanindicationofhow Godhimselfwantedthislettertobewritten.GodrequiredthisportionofScriptureto bepassionate,seriousandaggressive.Becausethegospelistheonlypowerthatcan save,itmustbedefendedatallcosts. Paulintroduceshimselfas‘apostle’:‘Paul,apostle–notfromhumanbeingsnor through a humanbeing,butthroughJesusChristandGodtheFather,whoraisedhim fromthedead.’Pow!Paulcomesoutofthecorner in thefirstround,andconnects with a lefthook in thefirstsentence. Ihaveentitledthefirstfifteenversesof Galatians ‘thesupernaturalgospel’because fromthestartthisisthemainthemeofthesection.By‘supernatural’Imean in the senseofdivinepower.Theword‘apostle’means‘onewhoissent’andcanbe thereforebeunderstoodboth in thesenseof a messengerandalso a commissioned ambassador.ThatPaulhadtodefendhisdivinecallingfromthestartshowshow muchhisauthorityhadbeenquestionedandunderminedbytheJudaizers.Paulwas notonlyanapostle in theEphesians4:11senseoftheword–hewasalsooneofthe foundationaleyewitnessesoftherisenLord,andspecificallycalledtobetheapostle totheGentiles. Supernaturalcalling Paulbreaksoffhisgreeting in anunexpectedwaybydefiningtheoriginofhiscallas divine.Paul’sauthoritycamefromGod.Itwasnotanauthorityofhumanorigin.His authoritywasnotpoliticalordenominational.Neitherwasitderivedfrompopular support.Itwasanauthorityandcommissioningthatcamefrom a divinesource.He wasappointedbytheLord. Even in today’schurchmanytakethetitle‘minister’butdon’thavethe supernaturalanointingtobackitup.Thisnormallycausesthemtoturntohuman meansofauthenticationandadvancement.TheJudaizersweresuchministers.As Paulwillexplainlater in theletter,itisalwaysfleshthatpersecutestheSpirit,the ‘Ishmaels’whopersecutethe‘Isaacs’.Paul’sconfidencewas in hissupernatural calling,andhewasnotafraidtorefertoit. Resurrectionauthority Paulexplainsthathissupernaturalcallingisbasedonthemostimportantmiraculous event in history:theresurrectionofJesusChristfromthedead.Christianitystandson thefactthatJesusrosefromthedead.ThebasisofallfaithandthusofallChristian ministryisthetruthoftheresurrection.IfChristwasnotraisedfromthedeadallis in vain,butifhewasraisedthenabsolutelyallthingsarepossibleforthosewhobelieve. ItwastherisenChristwhoconfrontedPaulontheroadtoDamascusandcalledhim toapostleship.ThisistheonlytimePaulmentionsJesus’resurrection in thisletter, anditisinterestingthathedoesso in relationtodefendinghisministry. Paultellsthe Galatians thathisministryisnotonetobejudgedfrom a human standpointbecauseitisrooted in thesupernaturalcallingofGod.Alltrueministers willlikewisehavetheirownpersonalstoryof a supernaturalcalling,althougheach experiencewill,ofcourse,beuniquetoeachperson.Paul in chapter3willappealto a commonsupernaturalexperiencethatalltheGalatianChristianshaveencountered throughconsciouslyreceivingtheSpirit.Buthereheisfocusingonhisdivinecalling as a ministerofthegospel. Irecallas a non-believerkneeling in DurhamCathedralattheageof18beforemy interviewtobecome a theologystudent.Imuttered a ‘goodluck’prayer:‘God,ifI become a studentatDurham,Iwillgivemylifetoyouandyourservice.’Tobe honest,Ididn’tevenknowwhatIwassaying.Suddenly a stillnessand a powerful blanket-likepresencefelluponme.FortwentyminutesIknelt in thisstrange presence.Then,asan‘unbeliever’,Igotupandwenttomyinterview.Iwasdazedbut divinelycalled.Othersmaydoubtmycalling,butIknowitcamethrough a personal experiencewiththeLord.IwasordainedbeforeIwasevensaved,andIlikethat. PeoplegetsocaughtupwiththeissueofPaul’sconversion,butPaulneversaw himselfsomuchas‘converted’byGodbutrathercalled.Maybeweshould no longer speakofconvertsbutofthosethatarecalled,fortobecalledisalsotobe commissionedto a supernatural,divineplan. (2)andallthebrotherswithme,tothechurchesofGalatia.(3)Graceto youandpeacefromGodourFatherandtheLordJesusChrist,(4)who gavehimselfforoursins, in orderthathemightrescueusfromthe presentevilage, in accordancewiththewillofourGodandFather;(5)to whombegloryforeverandever,amen. Itisremarkablethat in thefirstfiveversesof Galatians wehavealreadyhadthecore ofthemessageofthegospel.WehavethedivinityofJesusasLord,wehavehisdeath onthecrossforoursins,hisresurrectionandourdeliverancefromthepowerofsin andevil,andalsowereceiveGodasourFather. Graceandpeace Allweneed–indeed,allthehumanconditionlongsfor–isgraceandpeace.Martin Luthersaidthatgraceandpeacearethetwofriendsthatdealwiththetwintorments ofourlives:sinand a guiltyconscience.Luthersays in hiscommentaryon Galatians, ‘Thesetwowordsgraceandpeacecontain in themthewholesumofChristianity. Gracecontainstheforgivenessofsins;peace a quietandjoyfulconscience.’ 1 Conscienceisthebrokenmirror in theheartofeveryindividualthatdimlyreflects therealityofwhoweareatthecoreofourbeing.Wearesinful,guilty,shameful humanbeings.Wecanignoreandrecoilfromthispainfulimage,butitsrealitywill neverchangeuntilgraceandpeaceenterourheartsthroughthegospel.Gracesimply means‘totalundeservedfavour’anditusuallyreferstoGod’sunconditionallovefor us.Peacemeans a life in harmonywiththeHolySpirit. A healed,freedandassured lifespringsfrom a healthyheartfilledwiththeHolySpirit.AsPaulsayshere,this graceandpeacecomesfromonlyonesource.Youcan’tgetitfromanyreligionor frommeditation,from a politicalparty,worldlysuccess,orevenanyotherhuman being.ItcomesdirectlyandonlyfromGodtheFatherthroughhisSonandbythe preciousHolySpirit.Nothingbutfaith in thegospelcanbringusintoanexperience ofwhatwesodesperatelyneed. A rescuemission Humankindneeds a mightydeliverance.ThedeathofChristwasnotonlytodeliver usfromthepenaltyofoursin;italsohasdeliveringpowertorescueusfromthefallen anddemonicallyruledagethatwelive in. JamesDunn, in hiscommentaryon Galatians, putsitthisway Paulcertainlyhad no doubtsthatthepresentagewasmarkedby corruptibility,superficiality,follyandblindness,orthathumankindas heirsofAdamwerecaughtunderthereignofsinanddeath. In earliest Christianunderstanding,Christ’sdeathwasthekeytodeliverancefrom theseductiveandcorruptingintroversionofthisage’sself-delusion,since byhisdeathhebrokeboththepowerofsinandthepowerofdeath.For thosewhoidentifiedwiththisJesusasLordthespellwasbroken... 2 Theworldwelive in isfallen.ThefallofAdam in theGardenofEdenwas a real, historiceventofthemostcatastrophickind.Oftenatheistspointtothebrokennessand .