Changing my mind...sort of...

I thank God for faithful believers who are willing to question the teacher. On Sunday I began this series of lessons with the statement that I didnt think this was a confrontational letter. I still dont, but for different reasons.

My first thoughts were that some Jews had been saved and brought into the church. As I was forced to look again into the context, I found that there is nothing to infer that any of the Galatian believers is Jewish. (After such a long time, I do find this hard to believe, but there it is - or more appropriately, there it isnt.)

I still believe this is a letter of reconciliation. The two parties at odds are those who contend that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone and others who are listening to outside voices who want to add the Law. Paul's purpose in this letter is to bring them all back to the object of their faith, which is Jesus Christ and His sacrifice.

The Situation – Galatia is far removed from Israel. The congregation of believers there were not Jews. It is apparent that there were some outside antagonists adding to, or instigating confusion among the believers. I refer to them as outsiders because Paul doesn’t address them directly. He alludes to them while addressing the churches

5:12 – “I would they were even cut off which trouble you.” Although 1:7 may seem to point to church members, 5:12 clarifies that these agitators were actually either a) unbelievers allowed to join the assembly or b) people outside the assembly. Either way, they were not actually part of the family of Christ

The Approach – Paul explains to them that he has already faced this same problem at Antioch. It even came to the point that he and Barnabas, along with others, including Titus, had gone to Jerusalem for confirmation that Paul’s teaching was indeed harmonious with that of the original apostles. It was during that stay that some of the Jewish believers began to contend that Titus needed to be circumcised. Ever and always, this had been required of gentiles when they had turned to the “true” faith. They assumed it would still be the same.

In chapters One and Two, Paul is explaining to the people of the churches in Galatia that this question has been settled (in fact, twice) and there’s no need to let it divide them. He provides a complete recounting of how it happened, who was involved, and what the outcome was.