INTRODUCTION TO GALATIANS
TEXT:
Galatians 1:1-5 (NIV)
1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
2 And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
INTRODUCTION:
A. FALSE TEACHERS HAD ATTACKED THE MESSENGER
1. One way to deny the truthfulness of a message is to deny the
authority of the messenger.
2. The Galatian church had received the gospel from Paul
3. They had believed it and lived it.
4. But, false teachers came in after he was gone.
5. They not only attacked the message, they attacked the messenger.
6. They had convinced some that Paul was a self-appointed apostle.
7. So at the outset of the letter Paul establishes his apostolic authority.
B. OUTLINE OF GALATIANS 1:1-5 In verses 1-5 Paul summarizes:
1. The Messenger (his right to speak)
2. The Message (the truths he speaks)
3. The Motive (his reason for speaking).
I. THE MESSENGER (v.1-2)
A. PAUL ESTABLISHES HIS AUTHORITY AS AN APOSTLE
1. On the basis of his right to the title of “apostle,”
2. On the basis of the manner in which he was chosen for that office
3. On the basis of his relationship to fellow believers.
B. PAUL’S RIGHT TO THE TITLE OF APOSTLE (v.1)
“Paul, an apostle…” (1:1a)
1. VINE’S EXPOSITORY DICTIONARY:
APOSTLE comes from the Greek word "apostolos" it literally
means "one sent forth" and is a compound of two other Greek
words "apo" = "from" AND "stello" = "to send"
2. HOLMAN’S BIBLE DICTIONARY:
APOSTLES Persons sent to accomplish a mission, especially
the twelve apostles Jesus commissioned to follow Him. An
apostle represents the one sending and has authority to represent
the sender in business, political, or educational situations.
3. Ministry gifts are a divine call.
4. Some are sent, and others just went.
5. The Apostle Paul was sent.
6. There are four classes of apostles
a. First class is Jesus
b. Second class is Apostles of the Lamb (twelve)
c. Third class is Foundational Apostles (Paul, Barnabas,
James the brother of Jesus)
d. Fourth class is Non-Foundational Apostles (missionaries)
7. Because he was not among the original twelve, his apostleship was
questioned.
8. He makes a legitimate claim that he was an obvious apostle by the
work he had done.
C. THE MANNER IN WHICH HE WAS CHOSEN (v. 1b)
“…not sent from men, nor through the agency of man, but
through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised Him
from the dead” (1:1b)
1. False teachers accused Paul of being a self-appointed apostle.
2. He states that he was not commissioned by men.
3. He was not sent by men.
4. He had not been appointed by men.
5. No human means of any sort was involved in his calling.
6. No human source, no human ceremony was a part of his call.
7. Paul’s call to apostleship was directly through Jesus Christ, and
God the Father, who raised Him from the dead.
D. HIS ASSOCIATION (v.2)
“…and all the brethren who are with me, to the churches of Galatia:” (1:2)
1. A third basis of Paul’s authority is implied by his reference to his
companions.
2. In contrast to his own identification as apostle, there were others
who recognized his apostleship.
II. THE MESSAGE (v.3-4)
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus
Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us out of
this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,”
(1:3-4)
A. GRACE BE TO YOU AND PEACE
1. Grace was the usual Greek greeting and peace was the usual Hebrew greeting.
2. Using the two together, Paul gives a complete blessing in his greeting to the churches.
3. Grace is extended by God.
4. Peace is experienced by man.
5. Grace is the source of salvation.
6. Peace is the result of salvation.
B. FROM CHRIST WHO GAVE HIMSELF FOR US
1. Christ offered Himself to pay for our sins.
2. He exchanged places with us.
3. He took all of our sins and gave us all of His righteousness.
4. He was both the purchaser and the price of our redemption.
5. No one else was good enough to pay the price for our sin.
6. On the cross Jesus Christ once and for all settled the sin question.
7. He said, “It is finished” (19:30).
8. At that point, our sins were taken care of.
C. THAT HE MIGHT DELIVER US FROM THIS PRESENT EVIL WORLD
1. Jesus came to deliver us, rescue us, and set us free from this present evil age.
2. Christ delivers us “out of” (Gr "ek") rather than from this present evil age.
3. We used to be under the authority and power of the enemy, but now we are delivered.
4. Christ not only delivers us from the penalty of sin, but also from the power of sin.
5. Salvation means being rescued "out of" a state of bondage.
6. We are rescued from the devil just as sure as Paul was rescued from an angry mob in Acts.
7. Sin had enslaved us, but Christ rescued us.
III. THE MOTIVE
“to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.” (1:5)
Paul’s motive for writing to the Galatian churches was that God might receive glory forevermore.
His supreme purpose was to glorify the Lord
