Part VIII on Galatians Study

Ephesians1:1
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:"   Do you see that? All right now come back and look at the Galatian letter again.

Galatians 1:2
"And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:"   Isn't that something? There is nothing about them being saints of any kind. They now have become just "the churches of Galatia." We know when we first started seeing these things some time ago it reminded us of God's attitude toward the Nation of Israel back when Daniel was writing. Often He would refer to the Nation of Israel as "Thy people." God didn't call them "My People." Why? Because they had degenerated so far from their love of Yehovah and obedience of Him and His word, that God wasn't really even claiming them. They were Daniel's people, they were Moses' people, but He didn't say "My People" like He did at the beginning. At the beginning He called them "My People" and He will again when the Hebrews finally respond to Him correctly at His second coming. Let's look at it in Jeremiah chapter 31 and verse 33. This is the point that we want us to see with regard to the New Covenant.

Jeremiah 31:33
"But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, `I will put my law in their inward parts (that's all who by free will choose to do His Will and purposes now in this time and for Israel in her future), and write it in their hearts (the same here, the Holy Spirits working within us); and will be their God, and they shall be (what?) my people.'"   Now they're not tonight. God doesn't call Israel "my people" to-day because they're far from Him. Oh, they may be religious, but they're not God's people per se, the day is coming when they will be, again. Oh, listen God is not through with that nation. Don't you believe all of this garbage that He has completely forgotten His Covenant promises, and that's all it is. For now God has turned His attention on the nations and the gathering from them a people for an inheritance for Christ (called "the time of the gentiles" Luke 2:32, 21:24). God is going to yet complete His prophetic program because prophecy cannot stop in mid-place. Now coming back quickly to the Book of Galatians. Now here in verse 4 comes Paul's major message throughout all his letters.


Galatians 1:4,5
"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."    Now here we come to the crux of this letter. We know what it means to correct someone? For example, we might have a rocket headed out into outer space, and for some reason or another it gets off track a little bit, what do they have to do? Well, they've got to get busy with their computers and bring it back on track or else it's a disaster. Well, it's the same way here. The Galatians were off course, and the whole purpose of this little six chapter  Book of Galatians is to correct and bring them back on course to the knowledge of the Truth, and get them away form the false teachings that were besieging them and us to-day.

Galatians 1:6
"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:"    Yet he goes on to say in the next verse it's not really another, it's not really a totally different one, but it's the same Gospel that he had used in establishing them, but now it was being perverted, twisted and polluted. Let's go for a moment to the Book of II Corinthians chapter 2, and this will be a good place to compare Scripture with Scripture again.

II Corinthians 2:17
"For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ."    Now  remember when we looked at this we took you back to the Book of Isaiah chapter 1:22 because it explains it so graphically, and it's in such simple language. Kids can understand this. And we see the Hebrews understood all this. This was part of their everyday experience, and this is exactly what Paul was referring to when he said, "He didn't do this with spiritual commission."

Isaiah 1:22
"Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water:"   Now we're not a buff on wine, but we can imagine that if we have an expensive French wine, and we water it down with water, what do we have? Well we've got something that isn't worth trying to swallow. What was the illusion? That somebody was corrupting them. And that's exactly what Paul is talking about back here in Galatians. Now come back with us to that Book. So in verse 7, Paul says, "You're not falling for a totally different Gospel," but there are some that would corrupt, or pollute (or like mixing water with wine, that's what these Judaizers are doing with Paul's Gospel). Why? Because Paul's Gospel says, "You are saved by Faith + NOTHING! And yet these Judaizers are coming in and saying, "You can't be saved that way. Oh Yes! we can believe what Paul tells us, but we have to also practice circumcision, and we have to keep the Law of Moses. If we fail to do this then we can't be saved." Now folks that's a pollution. That's a corrupt corruption of the Truth, and that is why Paul had to write this letter to the Galatians to correct them from this error of believing something that wasn't correct because it was perverted. It will cost us our spiritual Life in Eternity.

When we study our Bible get a good concordance and start chasing these themes down from cover to cover. Because the amazing thing of this Book is that it all fits so beautifully. When doing so ask the Holy Spirit for help in opening our heart to be receptive with spiritual eyes to see with and spiritual ears to hear with, then believe we receive and move forward, in child like trust with expectation and listening. Now there are a lot of people who think the Bible contradicts in places, but it doesn't contradict at all. It's just the vast difference between the Levitical Law and Grace. The difference of two covenants an upper being the Better and the lower being the level of first learning a primary and the ministration of death. A good example of the difference between Law and Grace is found in why we should forgive others. Jesus, during His earthly ministry, speaking to the Nation of Israel, the Jews under the Law said:

Matthew 6:14,15
"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Now the Holy Spirit revealed to the Apostle Paul under Grace why we should forgive: