.png)
Galatians: Passion for the Gospel (1 of 18)
Paul – To the churches of Galatia.
Galatians 1:1-2
Galatians 1:1-2 (ESV) –
“Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—and all the brothers who are with me...”
Galatians 1:2 (ESV) –
“...the churches of Galatia.”
Galatians 1:23 (ESV) –
“He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”
We’re considering how God turned Saul who was determined to destroy the church into a bold missionary and passionate defender of the truth of the Gospel.
Galatians 2:1, 14 (ESV) –
“...the truth of the Gospel...”
Galatians 1:6 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel...”
Galatians 1:8 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.”
Galatians 3:1 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?”
Galatians 4:20 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.”
Paul resoundingly and passionately defends the essential doctrine of justification by faith alone. He was gravely concerned about distortions of the Gospel and outright denials of it that were in the process of taking root within the churches of Galatia.
Galatians 2:16 (ESV) –
“...a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”
Galatians compels all of us to consider and defend the truth of the Gospel!
1. Before he met Jesus, Saul (who was later renamed Paul) violently persecuted and imprisoned followers of Jesus.
Galatians 1:1 (ESV) –
“Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead...”
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures...”
Romans 4:25 (ESV) –
“...who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”
Acts 1:3 (ESV) –
“He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.”
Acts 1:8 (ESV) –
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
We see a picture of carrying the Gospel outward in increasingly large concentric circles beginning in Jerusalem. Acts 1:8 forms a rough outline for the entire book of Acts.
Acts 1:9-11 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“...when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Jesus commissioned His disciples to be His witnesses beginning in Jerusalem and spreading out to the ends of the earth. They were still around Jerusalem at the beginning of chapter 8 and the church at that point consisted understandably of only Jewish background followers of Jesus.
Acts 8:1-3 (ESV) –
“And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.”
John 14:6 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”
Acts 8:1 (ESV) –
“And Saul approved of his execution.”
God is in control even in the awful reality of persecution. Saul’s efforts to destroy the church actually spread the Gospel. This brings us to Saul’s plan to expand his program persecution traveling from Jerusalem to Damascus.
2. Jesus stopped Saul on the road to Damascus. Saul the persecutor became a preacher of the Gospel message he had violently opposed.
Acts 9:1-25 (ESV) –
“But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
“Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened.
“For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.
“When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.”
Galatians 1:13 (ESV) –
“For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.”
Acts 9:3-6 (ESV) –
“...suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”
Acts 9:13-14 (ESV) –
“Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”
Acts 9:15 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.”
Galatians 1:1 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead...”
Galatians 1:1 (ESV) –
“...not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ...”
Saul (Paul) was called and sent by Jesus Christ Himself!
Acts 9:19-20 (ESV) –
“For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”
Galatians 1:23 (ESV) –
“They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”
Acts 9:23-25 (ESV) –
“When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.”
Considering this moves us to see the truth – God can reach anyone! People can change. Or more accurately, God changes people.
Considering how Saul was saved should move us to consider our own stories. We need to ask– What’s my story? How did I come to receive Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord?
Ephesians 2:1 (ESV) –
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins...”
Ephesians 2:4-5 (ESV) –
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved...”
Think about the answer to the question – How did this happen in my life?
It’s encouraging to remember that God can (and does) reach those who are opposed to the Gospel. Seeing God’s awesome power displayed ought to motivate us to pray fervently (and continually) for those who are lost.
3. The Lord transformed a persecutor into a passionate missionary who boldly preached the Gospel throughout the Mediterranean world.
Acts 13:2 (ESV) –
“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Paul was an apostle sent by the risen Jesus Christ Himself. The phrase – To the churches of Galatia... tells an important story, Paul visited Galatia on his first missionary journey.
The Lord used Paul and those who traveled with him to spread the Gospel all over the Roman world!
2 Timothy in 3:10-11 (ESV, emphasis mine) –
“You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.”
In the Bible we’re talking about – Real People, Real Times, Real Places. It’s strengthening for all of us reflect on this truth, seeing a map reminds us of this vitally important fact.
Paul had planted the churches in Galatia and now they were in danger and Paul wrote with passion and fire to defend – ...the truth of the Gospel...
Galatians 1:1-2 (ESV) –
“Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia...”
I’d challenge all of us to read Galatians this week – Galatians compels all of us to consider and defend the truth of the Gospel!