Soli Deo Gloria

Soli Deo Gloria

Our working theme for Galatians: “Grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as taught in Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone”

CHARTING THE COURSE FOR THIS STUDY:

Soli Deo Gloria (Galatians 1:1-5)

Apostolic Amazement (Galatians 1:6-10)

SOLI DEO GLORIA (Galatians 1:1-5)

A. Paul’s authority (v.1)

B. Paul’s address (v.2)

C. Paul’s Gospel greeting (vv.3-4; cf. Gal.6:18). These two verses contain the Gospel in a nutshell.

What do verses 3-4 teach us about the Gospel?

D. Paul’s doxology, “to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.” (v.5; cf. Rom 11:36; 16:27; Eph 3:21; Phil 4:20; 1 Tim 1:17; 2 Tim 4:18; 1 Pet 4:11; 2 Pet 3:18; Jude 25; Rev 1:6; 5:13; 7:12)

Q.1 of the Shorter Catechism

What is the chief end of man?

Man’ s chief end is to glorify God, (1 Cor. 10:31, Rom. 11:36) and to enjoy him for ever. (Ps. 73:25–28)

1. A consideration of God’s works leads to praise (doctrine is therefore exciting and not boring!).

a. “raised Him from the dead” (v.1)

b. “grace and peace” (v.3)

c. “gave Himself for our sins” (v.4a)

d. “He might rescue us from this present evil age” (v.4b)

e. “according to the will of our God and Father” (v.4c)

2. When the works of God are proclaimed as Paul does so in verses 1-4, we are to glorify God. This is one of the reasons we sing in worship.

3. When we glorify God we are not adding to His glory but are acknowledging and praising God for Who He is.

4. As the church loses a sense of God’s glory, she often turns to entertainment.

APOSTOLIC AMAZEMENT (Galatians 1:6-10)

A. The Galatians were entertaining a distorted Gospel (vv.6-7)

1. “so quickly deserting Him…”

2. “some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ” (v.7; cf. 5:10,12)

a. These opponents to the Gospel are mentioned in every chapter (1:6–9; 2:4–5 ; 3:1; 4:17; 5:10, 12; 6:12–13).

b. The troublemakers in Galatia were Judaizers.[1] The Judaizers taught (see Introductory Comments on Judaizers):

i. “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” (Acts 15:1)

ii. “It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.” (Acts 15:5)

iii. Paul was trying to please men (Gal.1:10). Paul was getting Gentile converts to the Gospel and wasn’t requiring them to be circumcised. However, Paul was not advocating any method of church growth that compromised the Word of God!

“[T]he Galatians are removed not only from the doctrine of Paul, but also from the grace of God. And the reason is, because they joined the works of the law with Christ and his grace in the cause of their justification, and salvation. Here is must be observed, that they which make an union of grace, and works, in the cause of justification, are separated from the grace of God. Grace admits no partner, or fellow. Grace must be freely given every way, or it is no way grace. Hence it follows, that the present Church of Rome is departed from the grace of God, because it makes a concurrence of grace and works, in the justification of a sinner before God: and we may not make any reconciliation with that Church in religion: because it is become an enemy of the grace of God” (William Perkins, pp.18f.).

“The apostle refers to their [Judaizers] having very generally, as it would appear, embraced the notion, -- that in order to their salvation, submission to the Mosaic law was necessary as well as faith in Christ” (John Brown, Exposition of Galatians p.42).

iv. The Judaizers seem to have linked the giving of the Spirit with the Torah (e.g., Isa 4:2-6; 11:1-2; 32:15; 42:1; 44:3; 61:1; cf. 63:11; Ezek 36:26-27; 37:14; 39:29; Joel 2:28-29). Paul’s argument is that Jesus is the Giver of the Spirit (3:2; 4:6).

v. The Judaizers may have taught that they were sons of Abraham through law whereas Paul learned from Christ that we are sons of Abraham through faith in Christ (3:29). In fact, Paul calls the Judaizers “slaves” (4:24) and not sons.

B. Paul’s apostolic anathema (vv.8-9)

1. Verses 6-9 are used as a proof text in the Westminster Confession of Faith 2x (WCF: 1:6; 10:4).

2. Verses 8-9 are used as a proof text in the Westminster Larger Catechism 1x (Q.3).

“The leading principles of Christ’s gospel are two, -- ‘that men are restored to the Divine favour entirely on account of the doings and sufferings of Jesus Christ,’ and ‘that men are interested in these doings and sufferings entirely by believing.’ Now, every plan of restoring men to God’s favour, which does not embrace these two principles, or which embraces what is inconsistent with either of them, is another gospel. Every plan, for example, which, like that of the Judaising teachers, leads men to depend on their own obedience to any law to any extent, in any degree, either as the ground of their justification or the means of their justification, is another gospel” (John Brown, Exposition of Galatians p.45).

C. Verse 10 is a bridge/Janus.[2]

1. Paul is not only an Apostle but a “bond-servant of Christ.”

2. Paul is not a man pleaser:

a. Paul did not yield for one moment to the false brethren (2:4-5).

b. Paul opposed Peter and rebuked him (2:11,14)

c. Paul had in his body the brandmarks of Jesus (6:17).

3. In Galatians 1:10 Paul is transitioning to his autobiography to further emphasize his Apostolic credentials which are quite impressive.

[1] The Greek verb “Judaizer” occurs only once in the New Testament (Gal.2:14). I use the term to mean those Christians (presumably Jewish) who insisted that the Jewish ceremonial laws (e.g. circumcision, food laws, feast days) were mandatory for Gentile Christians (cf. Acts 15:1,5).

[2] Janus was the Roman god of doorways. He had one head and two faces that looked in opposite directions. January is named after this god because it looks back to the previous year and ahead to the New Year. When used of literature, a Janus looks back to the previous unit and unites it to the next one.