Category Archives: Galatians

The Heart of the Gospel (Galatians 6:11-18)

There is a saying that you have probably used at least once in your life; it goes like this, “It’s the thought that counts.”  This saying is used when something not very good is done, but there is a recognized intention behind the effort that shifts the meaning of the act.  A great example of this inContinue reading “The Heart of the Gospel (Galatians 6:11-18)”

Four Questions to ask your Soul (Galatians 6:1-10)

Several years ago, I read a book called Christianity Rediscovered, an Epistle to the Masai by Vincent Donovan.  The book is about a missionary who went about the work of evangelism and church planting in a very different way among the Masai tribe of Kenya.  What Donovan did was to go to a village andContinue reading “Four Questions to ask your Soul (Galatians 6:1-10)”

A Place of Refuge (Galatians 6:1-2)

“Brothers,if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:1-2)” Whenever I teach the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, or Joshua, I likeContinue reading “A Place of Refuge (Galatians 6:1-2)”

Keeping In Step with the Spirit of God. (Galatians 5:16-26)

“16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you wantContinue reading “Keeping In Step with the Spirit of God. (Galatians 5:16-26)”

The Identifying Marks of False and Faithful Teachers. (Galatians 5:7-12)

This morning, the passage that we come to in our study of Galatians is chapter 5, verses 7-12.  Throughout the letter to the Galatians, Paul has talked about the false teachers who have come preaching a false gospel, a gospel that is Jesus plus.  Jesus plus the law.  Jesus plus your own righteousness.  Jesus plusContinue reading “The Identifying Marks of False and Faithful Teachers. (Galatians 5:7-12)”

The Christian Ethic; Faith, Hope, and Love. (Galatians 5:1-6)

Galatians 5:1–6. “1   For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the wholeContinue reading “The Christian Ethic; Faith, Hope, and Love. (Galatians 5:1-6)”

The Allegory of Two Women, Two Sons, Two Covenants, and Two Cities (Galatians 4:21-5:1)

In Galatians 4:21-5:1, Paul does something that he very rarely does; he uses allegory.  Allegorical interpretation of scripture is not normative for Paul, and for that matter, should not be normative for us.   An allegorical interpretation is when a story becomes a symbol that represents something else.  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is an allegory by C.S.Continue reading “The Allegory of Two Women, Two Sons, Two Covenants, and Two Cities (Galatians 4:21-5:1)”

Answering Love’s Question (Galatians 4:12-20)

What does it mean to love?  This is one of the questions that I ask a bride and groom who come to me and ask me to perform their wedding ceremony.  Other questions include, “why do you desire to get married when in today’s world, the norm is not to marry?” And, “why do you seek toContinue reading “Answering Love’s Question (Galatians 4:12-20)”

The Father’s Embrace through the Spirit. (Galatians 4:1-7)

“1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.  4 ButContinue reading “The Father’s Embrace through the Spirit. (Galatians 4:1-7)”

In Step with the Truth of the Gospel (Galatians 2:11-14)

Paul confronts Peter in Antioch. That is the context of Galatians 2:11-14.  Last week we looked at Galatians 2:1-10, where Paul travels to Jerusalem in defense of the gospel, the free gift of God given to both Jew and Gentile – achieved, worked for and given through the Lord, Jesus Christ.  Jesus gave himself forContinue reading “In Step with the Truth of the Gospel (Galatians 2:11-14)”