Galatians 1

Before I get started with this teaching there are a few fundamentals you need to understand. The first would be that all scripture is “God Breathed”. You may wonder why I am starting here, it is because you need to understand this fundamental.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Here we have an explanation of how and why, we got God’s word, by God given revelation (inspiration) so we can be perfect. The “given by inspiration of God” is two Greek words, theos which means God and pneustos which roughly means breathed. So all scripture is “God Breathed” and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, and correction. Every scripture fits into one of these 3 categories. In the Church or Pauline Epistles we have 7 Epistles and each book fits into one of these categories. Romans is doctrine, Corinthians is reproof, and Galatians is correction. If you want to learn more about this Inspiration and Scripture

Now someone asked me a question that I was not prepared for it was only after sometime to think that I saw the answer to their question. The Question was “Do you worship God or the word?” Now it can produce a knee jerk reaction which happens to often so let’s examine this question along with another the person asked. “What is the word?” Let’s start with the second question first.

What is the word. Well first it isn’t just the word but The Word of God? In Psalm 138:2b it says for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. It is that which God magnified above everything.

Jesus said something in John 14 we need to look at as well.
John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
How can you worship God without loving him and his son Jesus Christ and to do that we must do his commandments and the only place to find his commandments is to read the word. Now you notice I don’t say bible because that is man’s term, God’s is the word.
We are suppose to be subject to the word look at Romans 12:1,2
Romans 12:I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
How can we learn that will of God without going to the word of God? The word of God explains what God is, what he expects of us, how we are suppose to live and act.
It is further stated in John 1.
John 1: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
You cannot separate God and his word. God is the written word.  
This is similar in some ways to what was happening in Galatia. The people had gone from believing God to listening to another influence. Remember we do not make the word subject to our feelings but we bring our feelings into subjection to God’s word. The word is always the final authority not what we think or feel.
1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming
We abide in him as we keep those commandments he gave us in his word. Yes I know Jesus Christ was the end of the law but God gives us instructions in the epistles like in Ephesians 4-6 on things we are suppose to do as well as at many other places in the Church Epistles. We need to know and do these things or how can we say we love God and his son.
So remember we are dealing with a correctional epistle, it will keep bringing us back to Romans doctrine.
We are not to add to or take away any of the word of god. Look at Proverbs.

Proverbs 30:6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

The same would apply to leaving parts out. We dare not add to nor subtract from God’s word. If he says by grace we are saved and not by works then why need to change our thinking if we are saying we need to do x, y, and z then we lie and do not the truth. There maybe verses that seem to contradict this but these verses need to be explained not discarded. Much like when someone says the four Gospels outweigh everything else because it is Jesus Christ speaking to us. Well I will be responding to that in this teaching.
Galatians 1 (King James Version) (KJV)
1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
Like most of the other epistles it starts with a greeting from Paul. It would seem that some were questioning if Paul was who and what he said he was. That is something we must all decide, but remember if you start saying you cannot trust Paul I can say I don’t trust Mark and Luke they weren’t there they came in under Paul. If you start this you end up with no word left at all, all you have is opinion and everyone’s got  one. If you don’t believe the Word of God then what is your basis for believing in God and his wonderful son? I choose to believe what it says about salvation but I reject what it says about the renewed mind all you have is opinion a house built on the sand. You have that right I just don’t see where it benefits you.
Now an apostle is an interesting thing. In profane literature an apostle was one who was sent to send others. The apostle would tell them how to line the ships of the navy up so that they would win the battle. There is some debate as to how many
Galatia was not a city or town as most of the other Church of the body were written to it was a territory.
galatia (1).jpg
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,
This is the only epistle addressed to a group of churches. In verse 3 it reads Grace to you and peace showing that grace is the more important or more preeminent of the two. We have peace with God because we have grace from God.
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.
This ends the opening salutation
6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
There is an influence coming from someplace causing people to forget about the grace we have received. I marvel at how quickly people will reject the grace of God and want a group of rules so they don’t have to decide what is correct based on their knowledge of the word of God. The source of this seems to be religious Jews but that is not where the real source is.
2 Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
So we know the true source of the problem was not the religious Jews but they were being used by Satan to try to buffet him.
This is from the Online Etymology dictionary: buffet (n.2) Look up buffet at Dictionary.com
c. 1200, "blow struck with a fist or weapon," from Old French bufet "slap, punch," diminutive of bufe "a blow, slap, punch; puff of wind," figuratively "cunning trick," probably echoic of the sound of something soft being hit.
This was a blow from Satan against Paul or even more so God to draw people away from the truth. Satan seeks worship if he cannot find that he will settle for thwarting the purposes of God. If satan can get you to believe less than what the word says he has neutralized you. Satan fears the day we believe what the word says because we then fulfill our assignment given us by Jesus Christ.
John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
The greater works is talking about the fact people in this administration get born again where during Christ’s time here on earth that was not available.
7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
So anyone or anything preaching another gospel was accursed.
9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
Then it gets repeated for emphasis.
10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
That is a decision we have to make on a daily basis do we work to please men or to please God?
11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
So here is a bit more about how we got the word of God. In Timothy we got it by God breathing it or inspiration from God here it goes a step further and it’s called revelation which is word of knowledge and word of wisdom. Which is also called moved by the holy spirit in 2 Peter 1
2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Paul had not received it from man but got it by revelation from God.
13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
The word conversation is the Greek word anastrophē it means behavior. Paul behaved like a Jew because that is what he was. He persecuted the church getting people who were church members killed.
The REV translates 13 as:
13 For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the congregation of God and tried to destroy it.
The word intensely is huperbolē (#5236 ὑπερβολή), from which we get the English word “hyperbole,” or exaggeration
The word destroy is portheō (#4199 πορθέω), and it means to overthrow something; to destroy it.
14 And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.
He was a Pharisees Pharisee He followed and taught the law.
15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,
16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:
It was probably tempting for Paul to run off to Jerusalem to contact the believers to find out what he should do next but instead he went to get himself together with God. He had just gone Christian hunting.
17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.
So he gets together with Peter and spent some time with him.
19 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.
20 Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.
21 Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;
22 And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ:
I expect he did have a reputation but the people in Judea didn’t put the two together.
23 But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.
24 And they glorified God in me.

In the end God gets the glory

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