00:00 Introduction

01:53 Introduction to Galatians

04:03 Paul's Authority and the True Gospel

12:00 Confrontation with Peter and Justification by Faith

15:29 Faith and the Law: Abraham's Example

18:35 Conclusion and Prayer

Hey everybody.

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Welcome back to another edition

of the daily Bible podcast.

3

What's up folks.

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We are kicking off Thanksgiving week.

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It is a Sunday and this is the

week that we set aside a day

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out of our year to be thankful.

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And then we followed up with a

day to go out and buy all the

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things that we want to buy.

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And we're thankful about that.

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And we're thankful about that.

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Yeah.

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Yeah, I'm thankful for Amazon.

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I mean, it's crazy.

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It's so I remember back

in the day, Oh, Amanda.

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And I would go to Allen.

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So Allen outlets that,

uh, are still there today.

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Uh, we would go there at midnight when

we were in, back in, in seminary and

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before we had kids in and things, and

we would do midnight shopping there to

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try to get our Christmas shopping done.

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And now it's like, Amazon's already got

black Friday deals out a week in advance.

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It's like black Friday week is

happening black Friday month.

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In some cases I've seen some

really early ads, which.

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Or even just some retailers saying,

Hey, don't buy this or that.

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Wait until this day to do that.

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Which is interesting.

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I mean, it is.

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We're a consumer culture and that's just

part of it, which I'm not mad about it.

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Some things I'm like, all

right, that's a good deal.

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Yeah.

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I won't pull the trigger on that.

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Yeah.

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Yeah, same.

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Yeah.

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It's Hey, I love online shopping.

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It prevents you from the madness

of the stores and everything.

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It's it's not a bad thing.

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Yeah.

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Yeah, for sure.

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But, uh, yeah.

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Good opportunity this week to.

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To be intentional about it ahead of time.

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I mean, we talk about intentionality

about coming to worship on Sunday morning.

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Uh, it's probably helpful for us to

think a lot this week about gratitude

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and not just wait to Thursday when

we're gathered around our table with

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our family together and all of us

wearing our pilgrims hats or our Indian

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garb, depending on what side you're on.

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And.

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Um, And giving thanks around the table.

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I mean, it's probably helpful

to think all week this week.

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Hey, how can we be thankful people I'm not

preaching specifically on a Thanksgiving,

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a message on Thanksgiving next Sunday.

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And in part of that was.

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We've been, we had the transformed

conference, we're going into the

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Christmas season coming up here.

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And so it was, it was going

to chop up the gospel of John.

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Series.

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I'll a lot more than I felt comfortable

with, but gratitude is important.

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We need to be a thankful people for sure.

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That's right.

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So it's a good opportunity

to practice that.

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It is.

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It is.

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And we can be thankful for

God's word Galatians one through

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three in particular today.

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And so let's jump in and tackle the

first three chapters of Galatians.

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I mean, I tell you what, pastor,

rod, we talked about it, I think

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yesterday or the day before, but this

chronological series is helping me

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understand these epistles so much better.

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Uh, than I ever have before, even just

understanding the issue of Galatians

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dealing with legalism and in Judaism.

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Uh, that I always knew it was about that.

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But now, as we're reading chronologically

through this plan, it's given me

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a much better appreciation for the

context into which Paul was writing at

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the time, such a helpful tool, Mina.

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And I've been using some of the maps

in fact, I did put a link to them.

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The first map I was

referring to on our podcast.

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So if any of you guys

notice that you're welcome.

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Uh, I'll put a link to our,

to Paul's second missionary

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journey also on the podcast.

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Whenever we cover that, it

starts at acts chapter 15.

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So I think that'll be sometime soon.

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Uh, but yeah, watching the journey and

seeing where they travel and singing

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Macedonia and Acadia, and these places

that Paul interacts with these people.

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Um, the, the region of glacier it's, it's

a really, really helpful to see these

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books and where we think is the best

place for them in terms of chronology.

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This, this seems like the

most likely spot makes sense.

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And it really does bring the book

of acts to life in a different way.

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It does.

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It does for sure.

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For sure.

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The, the audience of Galatians

here are really those churches yet.

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Of of his first missionary journey.

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That was the region of Galicia.

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Those were the churches that

he had in mind as he's writing

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this, that this letter was to be

circulated amongst those churches.

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And, and that's one of the reasons

why, uh, we consider some of

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the, a lot of the epistles to be

part of the new Testament, Canon.

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Is that these letters were written by Paul

and by some of the other epistle writers.

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And they were, uh, they were

circulated amongst the churches

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with a degree of authority given

to them by these local churches.

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So as Paul's writing the letter

to the colation churches there.

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It was accepted as authoritative

by him, even though it wasn't

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yet canonized that that happened.

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Uh, you know, 83 hundreds in that

timeframe, but, but these letters

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were already recognized by the church

as being authoritative, carrying the

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weight of God's word behind them.

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And one of the signs was, it

was, it was preserved and.

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One church would read it and then

make a copy perhaps, and then

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send it to the next church and the

next church and the next church.

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So that's, what's going on here.

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We think that this was

written probably 48 to 55.

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A D sometime in that timeframe.

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So early on.

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In, uh, in the.

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The spread of the, the

early church here again.

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Churches have is.

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His first missionary journey here.

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So it opens up an ink relations one.

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Um, you've got his, his

greetings, which Paul.

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Uh, is no to doing his letters

in different styles here.

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Uh, what makes Galatians unique?

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Is he.

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Kind of goes for the guttural right

away in verses six through 10, a lot of

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times in an epistle, he'll say, Hey, you

guys are doing really good over here.

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But starting in verse six,

he goes right after them.

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And he accuses them of quickly

deserving him who called you in the

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grace of Christ and turning to a

different gospel, a different gospel.

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And then he goes on to, to clarify

saying there is no other gospel

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other than the one preached by it by.

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By me by Paul he's saying.

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Um, and if anyone should tamper

with that, they should be enough

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drama or condemned to hell.

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So, uh, pastor, uh, let's, let's

kick that around a little bit.

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That's strong language and we've, we've

talked a lot about what defines something

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as, as heresy or, uh, something that would

be, uh, uh, uh, Unorthodox of gospel.

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Any thoughts on that?

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Because we want to be

careful with, with this.

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I mean, this, this is serious

language weighty language from Paul.

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But how should we go about thinking

about who would qualify somebody?

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We would say that's a different gospel.

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That's anathema versus

somebody that might have.

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Slight variances, but, but we

wouldn't put them in that camp.

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Yeah, there's probably a lot more to

say about it than we have time for.

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But at minimum, what we can say is

that something heretical fundamentally

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undermines the gospel in some

critical, again, fundamental way.

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It tampers with it in such a way that

you can no longer call it the gospel

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and the word that Paul uses anathema.

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Uh, is a word that means

to one who is cursed.

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So someone who is condemned, as you said

to hell, which means that when it comes

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to our conversations about the gospel, we

have to be clear about what the gospel is.

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Our church strives to be clear

about what the gospel message is

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and what the right response is.

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Um, which is again, even by itself,

a helpful clarification, the gospel.

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And the response are not the same thing.

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We talk about repentance and faith.

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Those are the responses to the gospel,

but the gospel itself is not those things.

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The gospel is the good news

of what God has done for us.

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Now you might start asking the question.

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Okay.

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Then what, what would we qualify

as being especially fundamental?

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What, what level of precision does

someone need to affirm in order to say?

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Yeah, that's, that's an

Orthodox gospel and that's.

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That can sometimes be a little

more challenging to specify.

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Like, does someone need to know

that Jesus is God in the flesh?

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And how much do they need to know that?

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Do they need to be able to affirm

the hypostatic union to some degree?

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And we would say, well, you should

definitely say that because that's

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pretty important about who Jesus was,

but whether or not they fully understand

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that to the degree that you would say a

mature Christian should understand it.

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Well, that's a different story.

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But suffice it to say.

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When we're dealing with the gospel,

it's important to get it right.

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Which is the name of one of the

books that, that talks about the

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gospel that we, we appreciate.

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We have to be sure that we're

sure about what what's being said.

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And that means as Paul says it

here, man, it's so important that

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you don't want to get it wrong.

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You don't want to be fuzzy

about some of those details.

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So if you're unclear about it at all,

you should be one of those people

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that picks up one of those books.

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What is the gospel by Greg Gilbert?

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We hand that one out,

out, uh, quite a bit.

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Uh, exploring the gospel by Mike

FUBARs along with getting it

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right also by Michael Barr's.

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We'd like those books.

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There's one by.

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Uh, Paul washer, I think called what

is the gospel or something like that?

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All of those books are excellent resources

in terms of being sure that you understand

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what the gospel content is otherwise.

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Uh, you, you run the risk of being

what Paul says here, as someone who is

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a cursed, who has a different gospel,

which by the way, notice verse eight.

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It talks about an angel from heaven.

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I always think about the Mormons when

I see this because of their angelic.

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I mean, Joseph Smith, supposedly angelic

visitation with the angel Moroni.

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In addition to saying God,

the father and God, the son in

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the flesh as to percentages.

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Who visit him saying,

Hey, everyone's wrong?

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You're right.

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Let's get this thing going.

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So heads up on that in case

you're flirting with Mormonism.

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Verse eight all by itself

really undoes their position.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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And this is such a good conversation

for us to have because, um, you

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know, we don't want to be the church

that says, Hey, we're the only ones

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on the block that has it right.

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There are our faithful churches in our

area that are preaching a biblical gospel.

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And that is something that we need

to readily accept and integrate with.

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We may say, Hey.

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Um, we feel like there's, there's

growth opportunities that we're

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trying to present in, in challenge

our people to mature in their faith,

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the way that some others might not be.

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Uh, but that doesn't mean that we're

looking at every other church around us.

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There aren't any other faithful

churches producing gospel,

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believing Christians around us.

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There are.

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And so that's why I think we need

to be careful about saying this.

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This place is heretical or

this place is not preaching.

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Uh, faithful gospel.

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If we're going to make that statement,

that's a big statement because what

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we're saying, according to this opening

passage in Galatians is that they're

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leading everybody in their midst.

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It's to hell and that that's, uh,

that's a serious charge, uh, for sure.

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Verses 11 through 24, then

we get Paul's testimony here.

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And so Paul goes on to talk about his

conversion, who he was beforehand.

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And he's saying, look, you need to

understand that, that the gospel, that I'm

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preaching is not something that I made up.

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And that's why he's doing this.

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He's saying this is, is, is different

than, than what you're used to.

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And remember, why is

all of this happening?

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Because part of this is, Hey, the law.

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We have a different relationship to the

law now than we ever had before as Jews.

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The Judaizers are coming in saying,

no, we need to still apply the law.

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So Paul is saying.

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Understand my authority is not my own.

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My authority comes from Jesus comes

from the resurrected savior in he's.

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The one that has, has given me this now.

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Uh, pastor rod, we didn't talk about

this earlier in, in, I was remiss on

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that, but Paul didn't immediately go

to Jerusalem right after he was saved

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as the book of acts kind of implies.

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With this conversion account,

but he went to Arabia.

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It seems for three years to, uh, to study

and to become acquainted with things.

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Um, before going up to Jerusalem there.

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And so, uh, that's something that's

important for us, just timeframe wise for,

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for us to note here in the book of acts,

it makes it seem rather seamless, but.

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It seems like before he goes up there

in, in, I think, um, That, that that's

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right before verses 26 through 29.

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And in the book of acts, when he

goes up to Jerusalem there, I think

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this happens before, even that.

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Uh, he's got three years where he's

in Arabia and he's developing his

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understanding of the gospel in that.

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That's my thoughts on that.

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Uh, pastor Rodney, any

clarification on that?

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I would agree with that.

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I would just make.

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Three years is approximately the timeframe

that the disciples spent with Jesus.

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Yeah.

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So that's an important consideration.

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Given the fact that I would

consider Paul an apostle.

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I'd consider him.

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Uppercase a apostle.

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And this would be one of my

arguments and that he has a very

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similar timeframe with Jesus.

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That would be my, my supposition here

that he's spending time in the desert with

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Jesus, Jesus who appeared to him on the

road to Damascus, gave him revelation.

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And in Paul says as much I

have received this as by a

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revelation from Christ himself.

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So.

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And by the way, when you're

thinking about three years to.

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Part of the consideration is.

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I think about the Jewish mindset a part

of a day could be considered a whole day.

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And in a similar way, a part of a year

could be considered a whole year there.

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The precision is not the same as

21st century Western precision.

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So you could have been, you know, what,

uh, what would that be a year and a

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half or year in three quarters over

the course of three calendar years.

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Yeah.

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And it still really qualifies that.

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So he spent a good deal of time

in the desert, and then he goes

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up to Jerusalem and gets the

right hand of fellowship from.

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Uh, Peter James and, and the other

guys who affirm his ministry.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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That's a great, great point there.

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Um, in, and you'll note in verse

nine or 19, he says, I saw none of

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the other apostles during this time

except James, the Lord's brother.

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So who's doing the instruction

for him and I think you're right.

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That's right.

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I think it's Jesus, whether that's

through the spirit or in, in more

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visions that he's having of Jesus, we

don't have that detail provided for us.

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Uh, but I do think that that

he's in the school of Christ.

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That Jesus is the one that is teaching

and that's his whole point here.

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Th this gospel that I'm giving to you

is not the gospel that I invented.

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And it wasn't given to me by men.

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It's not like this is all

coming from the apostles.

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So you guys can't accuse us of that.

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It's I'm learning the same thing

that they heard from Jesus.

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I heard it separately.

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And it's, it's all in agreement there.

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And so the chapter one sets that up

and then it gets into in chapter two.

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He does talk about the initial

meeting with the disciples and

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going up to gather with them.

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And this is 14 years.

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Uh, after his, his conversion is

what we're talking about here.

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So not in addition from the

three years mentioned earlier,

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but 14 years later probably

corresponding with acts chapter 11.

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Um, he's, he's going up there.

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He says because of a

revelation step before them.

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Uh, that, that, uh, though privately,

before those who seemed influential

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the gospel that I proclaim among the

Gentiles in order to make sure I was

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not running or had not renovated.

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So what is he doing in chapter two?

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He's making sure that the gospel goes

into the Gentiles as part of the plan,

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and he wants to be on the same patient.

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And that's such a.

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Uh, good thing.

316

It's, it's a reminder that that we're part

of something bigger and sometimes we need.

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We need confirmation on that.

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We can't just say, Hey, I think

this is what I should be doing.

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I'm going to go, just go

rogue and do this on my own.

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And even a church to do

that is a dangerous thing.

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We need to have a community of

like-minded other Christians

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that we're all on the same page.

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Pull the ship in the same

direction, so to speak.

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And so I think we're seeing that

with, with Paul here, when he goes to

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Jerusalem, says, Hey, go to the Gentiles,

but I just want to make sure all of

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us are, are together here on this.

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Is confrontation with Peter

pastor, rod, talk us through.

328

Uh, some of this can cause this is bolt.

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He confronts Peter to his

face here about some hypocrisy

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that he sees in Peter's life.

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Yeah.

332

So it seems like.

333

Uh, Peter is having some difficulty.

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Uh, with the, with the external

pressure, that the fear of man

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to please the circumcision party.

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And so when Peter, uh, CFS here in verse

11, came to Antioch Antioch in Syria.

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I opposed him to his face.

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Antioch and Pisidia.

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Lydia, I believe actually

that's not the case.

340

I opposed him to his face.

341

Paul says, because he stood

condemned and that's a big deal.

342

Paul is saying, look, Peter

was so wrong, you know?

343

This is one of the leaders

of the apostolic band here.

344

And if not the defacto leader next

to James, he says he was so wrong.

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I opposed him to his face because

he was condemned in his position.

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And he says, the reason why is because

of this incredibly divisive issue, eating

347

with the Gentiles when he came, he drew

back and separate himself because he

348

didn't want to upset the circumcision

party, which of course refers to the.

349

Now w who we would call the Judaizers

people that would say you have

350

to be circumcised to be right.

351

And so he says, look,

you're being a hypocrite.

352

You're leading Barnabas astray.

353

I can't allow for this.

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And still I oppose him to his

face that tells me that a good

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brother who loves you is going to

be someone who, as a Proverbs, a.

356

Oh, mercy, 27, 5 and six.

357

Uh, better's opener

Buick than hidden love.

358

And I think Paul took that to

heart and he does that for CFUs.

359

And he says, look, if you though a Jew

live like a Gentile and not like a Jew.

360

How can you force these

Gentiles to live like Jews?

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In other words, don't put

the law upon them, let them

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have the grace of the gospel.

363

And so then after this, you have Paul

jumping into what justification by faith

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looks like from 15 verses 15 and onward.

365

Yeah.

366

15 through 21.

367

They're the core of the true gospel.

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Right.

369

And in verse 16 really lays it out.

370

As we know it.

371

Uh, a person is not justified

by works of the law, but

372

through faith in Jesus Christ.

373

So we have believed in Christ

Jesus in order to be justified by

374

faith in Christ and not by works

of the law because by works of

375

the law, no one will be justified.

376

And so Paul's coming back to this

and again, it contextually, this is

377

why context is so important because

what he's combating is this idea that

378

works are necessary in addition to

faith for a person to be justified.

379

Again, Paul is not disagreeing with

James that works have to be there.

380

This is w to, to pit the

two against each other is to

381

misunderstand what's going on here.

382

We're looking at the same coin, just

different sides of the same coin there.

383

And so Paul is, is combating.

384

Uh, the, the false idea that

you have to add works to your

385

faith in order to be justified.

386

Now, when James says that works

along with our faith, just

387

faith justifies he's right too.

388

Because why, because faith

produces those words.

389

We're going to talk about that

at, even at church this morning.

390

With regards to a true

relationship, which uses abiding

391

in Christ is going to bear fruit.

392

And so we got to be careful to understand

this contextually Paul's writing to.

393

Uh, given context where they're trying

to say, Hey, you need to do X, Y, and Z.

394

In addition to believing in

order to be saved well, No.

395

What saves you is faith alone,

but to quote, I don't know who

396

was the first person to save it.

397

Th th the faith alone that saves

you, it does not remain alone.

398

In other words, it's going to produce

those works in our lives as well.

399

So, uh, that's, what's going on

here in verses 15 through 21.

400

Um, Verses 18 through 19, he

asks a rhetorical question there.

401

He says for if I rebuild what I tore down,

I prove myself to be a transgressor for,

402

through the lie, die to the loss of that.

403

I might live to God, I guess

it's not a question, but he says.

404

Uh, he says, why would I rebuild the law?

405

The law is not there to justify

me, but to show me my sin.

406

And so he's saying if I want to bring

the law back in, after I've been

407

saved, that's just going to condemn

me even further in, in now I have

408

a new relationship now I need to.

409

To submit myself to the law of Christ.

410

And so I've been crucified with

Christ and he's going to live

411

through me now, Galatians two 20.

412

And so he's going to work

those things out in my life.

413

Through a new relationship

that I have with him by faith.

414

And that is going to again, yeah, like

James says, that's going to produce

415

works, but the works don't save us.

416

And so Paul's right into

combat that idea there.

417

Galatians chapter three, then

he gets into talking some more

418

with them about the same concept.

419

And he calls them foolish because they

have now bought into this idea that

420

they were begun by faith and somehow

they need to be perfected by works.

421

Uh, and that's important for

us to understand to church.

422

Our works are part of our

sanctification, not our justification.

423

Um, you have been justified by faith.

424

And so you are right with God

because of your faith and that alone.

425

Your sanctification, which is the

process of being made more like Jesus

426

as the spirit goes to work in your life.

427

Yeah.

428

That is going to be by works,

but you are not making yourself

429

more justified by working.

430

And that's what Paul's combating

here in verses one through nine.

431

That's why he says in verse

three, having begun by the spirit.

432

Are you now being perfected by the flesh?

433

No, the spirit.

434

Eh, who regenerated you?

435

He you've been justified

by faith in Christ.

436

It's a done.

437

Job that the work is done.

438

You don't have to worry

about that anymore.

439

And then he goes on in

fact, in chapter three.

440

And he says, in fact, if you want to,

if you want the law, you got to have the

441

whole law, because if you fail on one

part of it, man, you are under all of it.

442

And it's such an interesting concept past.

443

Galatians three eight.

444

He says that God preached the gospel

beforehand to Abraham saying in you shall

445

all the nations of the earth be blessed.

446

Abraham becomes a figurehead.

447

For us as Christians,

which the Jews, right.

448

We, we read in John eight where the Jews

love to appeal to Abraham as their father.

449

And here policying Abraham

is everyone's father as well.

450

So.

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What's he what's the connection

back to Abraham here.

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So you might remember Genesis chapter 15,

Abraham believed God and God credited to

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him or counted it to him as righteousness.

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It was his belief that got highlighted

and consequently, why he can be known as

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the father of faith, verse seven here.

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Paul says no, then that it is those

of faith who are the sons of Abraham.

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The true sons of Abraham are not.

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Th those who are merely made.

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So by the flesh, but those

who are made so by the spirit.

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And so it's, it's in a sense saying,

look, the covenant with Abraham, uh, the

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God's promised him preceded all of those

law keeping details, and therefore this

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supersedes the law, and this is better

than the law, this transcends alone.

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So if you really want to be on

Abraham side, talking to people that

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would call themselves Jewish, man,

you better be people of faith then,

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because that's the way that God.

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Uh, validated the, the covenant with him.

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He became right with God Genesis

chapter 15 when he believed God.

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And that's when God

candidates in his right.

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So that's why this is so important.

470

Yeah.

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And that's really verses 15 through 29.

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He's arguing against the opposite

notion that somehow the mosaic Kevin

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had given after the Abrahamic, Kevin.

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Uh, superseded Abrahamic, covenant, or

nullify the promise given to Abraham

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that somehow now it's by works.

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Uh, through the mosaic, Kevin

or the giving of the law.

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And he's saying, no, that's not it at all.

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The promise he says still remains instead.

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What was the law given to do?

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It was given to us to show us that we need

to rely on the promise given to Abraham

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because we can't fulfill the mosaic.

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Kevin.

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We need to rely on the promise

that there's going to be one that's

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coming through Abraham's line.

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That's going to be a

blessing to all the nations.

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Because we need him because

we can't do it ourselves.

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That's what it means that the law

was our tutor or to our guard.

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Rail is the concept there to point us to

Jesus imprisoned us under sin, meaning.

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It kept us mindful of the

fact that we couldn't do it.

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Someone else is going to

need to do it on our behalf.

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And we're going to need to have faith.

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I'll let Abraham in or in that, that one

in order for us to be made right with God.

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And so, uh, that's verses 15 through 29.

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There's a chapter three wraps up.

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That's it that's Galatians one

through three will finish up the book.

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Believe it or not.

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We'll knock out the rest

of Galatians tomorrow.

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In Galatians four through

six, but let's pray.

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We are grateful for the one that you

gave through Abraham to be the one

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to free us from the curse of the law.

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Even as Galatians three says,

by becoming a curse for us.

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And that is Jesus.

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And even as we move into a week

of gratitude and Thanksgiving,

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we are certainly first and

foremost, thankful for Christ.

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And so we are.

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Praising you this week and

thanking you for our salvation.

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Uh, that is not dependent on our

works because none of us would be able

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to stand before you, if it weren't.

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So thank you for Christ.

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And we just pray that we'd be mindful

even more of that this week, as we set

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aside that time, uh, to be, be reflecting

in gratitude for the salvation that we

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have, that comes by faith in that works.

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We pray this in Jesus' name.

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Amen.

515

Amen.

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All right, y'all keep it in your Bibles

tune in again tomorrow for another

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edition of the daily Bible pocket.

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We'll see you then.

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Bye.