1091. Understanding Galatians

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. The school was founded in 1927 by the evangelist Dr. Bob Jones Senior's intent was to make a school where Christ would be the center of everything, so he established daily chapel services today. That tradition continues with fervent biblical preaching from the University travel platform today on The Daily Platform beginning a study series entitled walking in the spirit which is a study of Galatians chapter 5 through the study will see how believers can have freedom in Christ as they walk with him each day.

Let's listen to today's message where Steve will walk us through an introduction to the book of Galatians classes. Please take your Bibles this morning and turn with me to the book of Galatians, the book of Galatians. If somebody asked you what is the book of Galatians all about what would your answer be or what would you say off the top of your head. Maybe perhaps you would speak of various topics things you remember. Like the fruit of the spirit. Or maybe you reap what you sow or I'm crucified with Christ. Bear one another's burdens Christian liberty. Maybe you would think of the book of Galatians from the standpoint of a topical idea, but most people really have not grasped the expositional concept of the book of Galatians and so this morning as we are introducing our theme walking in the spirit I'd like us to take a few moments to do an overview of the book of Galatians and understand its purpose and why it was written. I think it's important for us if we're going to get Galatians, we have to get a feel for its style, that is, how was it written for the author. The apostle Paul wrote the book of Galatians in a certain mood or a certain tone. So what was the mood of the tone of Galatians when Paul wrote this letter will first of all, the tone of it was combative we would say the style is polemical. That is, Paul is writing in the attack mode because in the churches of Galatia, where he administered.

There were problems that had arisen both doctrinal and potentially moral that was destructive or potentially destructive to the early churches. So when Paul writes he is fighting against something about the way Galatians is not an archaic book is a book that is extremely relevant for today for the issue that started in the early church continues to this very hour. Even now, let me also say his style was passionate because the language Paul use was very urgent. His tone was direct his message. His message was dogmatic or we would put in simple terms, he was fired up and then as he wrote this letter. It was actually very practical, for it had influence owned not only on the church of today of that day, but it also has extreme practical relevancy to us today in the church in the United States of America in the world so what is Galatians all about but supply about 20,000 feet up. If you ever done that before looked down and let's get a lay of the land and I want to give you this morning, the four reasons why Paul wrote Galatians. The first reason was to expose the false gospel. Galatians is Paul's first letter that he ever wrote.

It was written after his first missionary journey with another man named Barnabas Paul and Barnabas. You can read about it in acts 13 and 14 and they go to a region in southern central Turkey known as Galatia. There, Paul and Barnabas go to various cities like Lysistrata and Derby and and I Coni him and there they preached the gospel of free grace and there's a wonderful response and many people were saved. Well, Paul leaves, he departs, he goes back to the city of Antioch to report to the church the great things that God had done among the Gentiles, but after his departure, certain teachers from Jerusalem came into the Galatian communities and they began to preach a different gospel. Look, if you will will please in Galatians 1 in verse six, Paul writes, I marvel that you were so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel which is not another, but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. Here's what Paul said these people came in and they preached to you, a different gospel, a gospel of another kind numbered years ago in our ministry.

My brother-in-law traveled with me. He and his family and so there were two trucks into fifth wheel trailers traveling down the highway we look like a circus. Both of us had four trucks.

Both of us had F3 50 trucks duly that is for wheels on the back. If you looked at him. He looked exactly the same except for the color mind was jet black and his was candy apple red. But when you open up the hoods of the trucks you salt to completely different engines for one was gasoline and the other was diesel and they were completely different. They were a different kind.

What Paul is saying is that there were teachers who would come into the community and they were preaching what they said was the gospel, but it was a different time and they had change the gospel from one thing to another thing so that no longer were they preaching the same thing and so Paul calls it another gospel in alternative gospel. So the question is, what was their message and essentially was this that these false teachers were both Jewish and they were professing believers in Jesus and they came instructing the Gentiles the Galatian Gentiles, that in order for them to have a relationship with God. They had to be circumcised or in other words, a Gentile had to become a Jew in order to become a Christian. Now they didn't reject Jesus they didn't deny Jesus. Fact is they believe in Jesus. The problem was that they added to Jesus, for they took what Jesus did on the cross and in essence said that that's not enough. Therefore, you need to do these things in order to have a relationship with God. You can save their message was Jesus plus Jesus and what he did, and these addition what point Paul was making was this that the problem of adding to circumcision to Jesus was a significant problem because if you reap wire for person to keep one part of the wall circumcision then you have to understand that you can't just keep part of the wall. You have to keep the whole law, and that's what he says in Galatians 5 verse three.

Notice he says right testify again to every man that is circumcised that he is debtor to do the whole law you cannot pick and choose. If you put yourself under God's law to have a relationship with him. You have to keep all 613 laws of Moses. And here's the issue by adding law. All to Jesus. What you take away is you take away faith. Romans 414 for if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made all void and the promise made of none effect is real simple. You cannot mix works with faith in order to get salvation we we are either saved by believing, trusting in another or were saved by trusting in ourselves.

What we have in the Galatians church is an illustration that is been seen throughout church history and that is groups of professing believers who have added works to grace and this is what you have under the umbrella of the church or the umbrella of the Christian faith. You have those who believe in salvation by grace through faith and those who have added works to faith and historically we have called this group legalists and Paul devotes four chapters to deal with this issue and expose the false gospel they were teaching a gospel that was not the gospel of grace, so that's the first reason why Paul wrote the book of Galatians.

It was to expose the false Gospel but it's more than that. Secondly, he wrote it to expand the true gospel that we know this, that a good leader makes things clear and this is exactly what Paul did in the early church, for he makes very clear what the gospel is any makes very clear what the gospel is not to those that were drifting away from the truth and noticing Galatians chapter 2 in verse 16 he clearly enunciates the gospel.

He declares that a man is justified and how is justified and how is not notice were 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we believe in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. What is it mean to be justified. It means to be declared righteous to stand before God without sin completely right before him to is to have lived my life as if I have never done anything wrong and I did everything right now you and I can't do that.

So why did Jesus come in the world became of the world to live for us in the die for us. He lived perfectly as a Jew under the law. He died sacrificially as a sacrifice for us on the cross to pay for the sins where we have broken the law. So he kept the law by his life. He paid the penalty of the law by his death and when we accept Jesus. What we get the benefits of his life and death. He lived perfectly for me. He died sacrificially for me that's the gospel and say by believing that message alone. Bulimia should question if the truth of the gospel was being misunderstood. In Paul's day. Can we safely assume that the gospel might be best understood today, even among professing Christians, we can be guaranteed that the gospel is not clearly enunciated on a regular basis but not only did he clearly announces gospel, but he also validated his gospel. How did he do that. He connected what he was preaching to the apostles of Jesus look at Galatians 2, verse one then 14 years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also and I went up by revelation, and communicated under them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles. In other words, Paul goes up and he meets with the apostles of Jesus and he came up and explained to them clearly what he was preaching to the Gentiles. Notice Galatians 27. They saw that the gospel to the young circumcision was committed unto me in the gospel of the circumcision was under Peter. Now the gospel of the young circumcision circumcision two different gospel snow same gospel same message.

They were just ministering to different groups of people.

Peter preached to the Jews. Paul was preaching to the Gentiles on notice. Galatians 29 and when James and Cephas, that's Peter and John argue that James Peter and John, by the way where you find James Peter and John to the Gospels all over. They were part of the inner circle.

They were the closest people to Jesus. It says James, Cephas, and John were seem to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given him to me. They gave to me and Barnabas to watch this the right hand of fellowship. That's a validation that we should go under the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.

The apostles validated Paul's gospel when they gave him the right hand of fellowship. That's an acceptance hey were on the same page were preaching the same message. The difference was not in their message. It was just to whom they were ministering to. Now what should define us today as Christians should not be first and foremost our commitment to the truth of the gospel.

What else could be. What else could be more fundamental than being soundly committed to the gospel. What should be preeminent. What should be top priority is the message that we believe factors Paul made it very clear that his message she didn't receive from a man or any particular movement, but he received his message directly from God.

I want to say to you that the gospel message is more important than any man or any movement. This is to be priority and preeminent and so what is Paul do Kiki expounds the true gospel. So it is very clear in our mind. That's why he wrote the book of Galatians.

The notice number three, he wrote the book of Galatians to exemplify the right response to the wrong message. Now Paul's actions show us very clearly what we are to do when three people preach or practice something contrary to get to the gospel and his actions were very clear what it Paul do two things. Number one he shows us how to respond to a false teacher knowledge understand something. Paul is not addressing Hindus or Buddhists or Muslims. Paul is confronting people who are talking about the gospel they had come into the churches they were agreeing with Paul. Christ is the Savior.

He is the Messiah. He died on the cross and rose from the dead. However, they were saying that their salvation was not complete until you add works to faith so how do you respond to people who have change the gospel.

What do you do and Paul tells us what Galatians 2 verse four and that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily or secretly to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage to whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. What is Paul saying he didn't put up with it for an hour here and sit around and figure out what he was good to say or do.

He pronounced immediately.

The judgment of God on the false teacher. Look at Galatians 1 of her safe. But, though we are an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than that which we preach that you let him be accursed. I want to say it again.

What is most important is not the announcer of the message is the message. If an apostle, or an angel, preach any other message than that which I have given you let that man come under the judgment of God that puts priority on the gospel. No place for dialogue. No room for debate. No Christian recognition. No Christian cooperation. Paul saw all these false teachers as spies as kidnappers and his slaveholders and so what did he do he denounce them. I was saved. As I mentioned before in college. I grew up in a very nominal Christian home back is my father was a deacon and a Sunday school teacher and I attended church on a regular basis. Fact is, I remember being four years old in the church nursery. How many of you remember the church nursery at your age at that younger age. I did, but as time went along. I began to realize that my church denied the basic tenets of the Christian faith in their practice. They did not teach that you are saved by grace through faith. I never heard the gospel message clearly presented, and I realize that as they were denying biblical basic biblical truths of the gospel.

I could not stay up and I cannot stay in the church.

I had to leave and I want you to understand that you need to be committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. No matter what. So what we find, we find that he condemned them.

Then there was another problem that arose in the churches of Galatia and this problem was actually quite incredible.

It is here that Paul shows us how to respond to true brothers who identify with false brothers and let's go to Galatians 2 in verse 11 and just read the issue that came up and it is is quite incredible. It has to do with all people Peter knows what it says but when Peter was come to Antioch. Paul says I withstood him to the face because he was to be blamed, blamed for what we don't.

For before that certain came from James.

James being the half-brother of Jesus. He did not eat for before the certain came from James, he did not. He did eat skews me with the Gentiles, but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision and the other Jews disassembled. That means they were. They acted hypocritically. Likewise with him in so much that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation like what was happening.

Well Peter was eating at the table. He was having. We could say table fellowship with Gentiles in Antioch in these Gentiles were Christians.

Now it was not normal for a Jew to eat with a Gentile, because Gentiles were considered unclean.

However, Peter knew the gospel he knew God had accepted the Gentiles by justifying them by faith, and furthermore Peter knew that the Gentiles were not required to be under Jewish dietary laws. He knew that God it already revealed that so Peter's fellowship with them showed his belief in the truth of the gospel that God save these Gentiles. However, there came from Jerusalem. What we call Judaizers or you could call him the James boys and they came to Antioch in the saltpeter eating with the Gentiles and they put Peter under fear pressure. What was the fear pressure.

What we don't know exactly. It could be that maybe they would would withdraw financial support.

Maybe they would go back to the city of Jerusalem where he came from, and speak evil about his name. His reputation will be tarnished. Maybe would affect his family. We don't know but what we know what Peter did was he withdrew from eating with the believing Gentiles and by his action, Peter was rejecting justification by faith and now was supporting the message of the false teachers did Peter really believe the message of the false teachers of course not know he didn't believe it.

However, when he removed himself from the Gentile Christians he sided with the Judaizers and by Peter's actions. He was saying that he believed there message and Paul said that he was a hypocrite. Why, because he knew what Peter believe, but his actions were different, and furthermore Peter's actions were so influential that even both of us. The man would go along with Paul to the regions of Galatia to preach the gospel of free grace. Even Barnabas was led astray in the wrong direction. He was carrying away into hypocrisy.

He was saying that he believed one thing, but his actions were different than what the apostle Paul do with Peter look at what it says in verse 14 but when I saw all that they walk not up rightly according to the truth of the gospel. I said unto Peter, watch this before them all. If now being a Jew limits after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews. Why compel us to help the Gentiles to live as do the Jews what he was simply saying is this by your actions you are identifying with a false message instead of identifying with the true message and so what what did Paul do.

He confronted Peter to the face he reason with him from the standpoint of justification and showed him his actions were wrong and Paul makes it clear that it is wrong for any believer to give knowing support to those who have compromise the gospel by your associations with them. For if you do that you're saying. I actually am saying by my actions. I believe the false message. So what are we to do as Christians we are to be defensive for the gospel message, and even if a Christian compromises by his actions. We are to stand against those actions. It is very clear that this is exactly what Paul did.

He exemplified the right response to the wrong message.

By the way, what if Peter had persisted in his disobedience than we know that it would have destroyed the unity of the church and Peter would've been at fault by his compromise for the unity of the church as the beast based on obedience to the church to the truth and so what we see in Galatians how we are to handle the false message and then finally, as we conclude this morning. What's 1/4 reason for the book of Galatians and that is to explain the right use of the law and our Christian liberty more than any other book. Galatians explains the freedoms that we have in Christ and how we are to relate to the law of God, the law is mentioned 30 times in Galatians, especially in chapters 3 and four and we have already seen that keeping the law is not the means by which we are safe. So the question is what is the right and proper use of the law of God, and I want you to understand that the law plays a major and important role into areas number one in the salvation of the center. You do not understand sin until first of all, you realize you are transgressing the law of God. But then, let me say secondly that the law is actually to be used in the sanctification of the St. for when you become a Christian.God does not throw the law away, but through the law we understand the righteous character of God and through that wall we understand how it is. God wants us to live so specifically, the law shows us our need of Jesus for our justification and the law shows us our need of the spirit, sanctification, and the freedom or the liberty that we experience as a Christian is found. First of all in the work of Jesus for us on the cross and then secondly in the work of the Holy Spirit within us, for God has given us the spirit to live within us to change us from the inside out. So that actually we wall in light of the righteousness of the law of the Spirit would never lead you to be a lawbreaker. The spirit will always lead you to be a law keeper you been listening to a sermon from the study series in Galatians chapter 5 by Dr. Steve Pettit, president of Bob Jones University. Thanks for listening and join us again tomorrow as we study God's word together on The Daily Platform