Part XCVII on Galatians Study

II Timothy 1:14-15
"That good thing (the Gospel) which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.  This thou knowest, (in other words it wasn't just Paul's idea. Even Timothy and Titus and his other helpers realized it) that all they which are in Asia (and that would include Galatia) be turned away from me;..."

In other words how much effect did the letter have on the Galatians in the long term? Well almost none. Oh this little letter is so good for us, don't get us wrong. It's part of the Word of God, but so far as it's impact on the Galatians congregation, it evidently fell on pretty much deaf ears because several years later when he writes to Timothy in the verses we just looked at he has to say by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, "that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me." Well you know what they did? They all succumbed to legalism, and consequently none of those churches survived. This is attested by the first three chapter of Revelation. There isn't one of those cities left today, they've all fallen into the dust of history, and all because they refused to stay with Paul's simple Gospel of Grace. Now that's sad isn't it? Today there Islamic and under the rule of the horseman of Revelation chapter six, especially the third seal with its black horse with the balances as this religion has both vile religion and Sharia Law held in the balance. But listen the world hasn't changed a bit, it's still the same way today. Oh they just ridicule this concept of Faith + Nothing. "Just where in the world are you coming from?", people ask. We'll tell you where we're coming from, the Book! as seen through Spiritual eyes, the way its suppose to be understood. Now back to Galatians chapter 4 and looking at verse 16 again.


Galatians 4:16
"Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" That hasn't changed either. Usually people don't like the truth do they? Now verse 17.


Galatians 4:17
"They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them."
Now in order to explain that verse, let's let the Scriptures do it for us by coming back to chapter 1. See a lot of these verses are kind of hard to comprehend. Just what is the apostle driving at? See, what he was driving at was that they were beginning to believe those Judaizers who were coming in and demanding circumcision, and Law-keeping over against Paul's pure Gospel of Grace. And what does he call it?

Galatians 1:6
"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel;"
The Grace of Christ is what brought them out of their idolatry, and Judaism but what were they slipping into? The influence of another Gospel. For he says "so soon removed from Him that called you" well who's the Him? God for it is God who opened Lydia's heart, the lady from Lud (a district of Asia Minor where Ephesus, Smyrna, Thyatira, and Sardis were located) and their hearts to receive His revelation of Christ. In whom were hid all mysteries of God's heart. Now verse 7.



Galatians 1:7
"Which is not another; (it's not something that is totally different, but a perversion) but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ."
The perversion finally succeeded evidently, otherwise Paul wouldn't have written to Timothy, "that all they which be in Asia have turned away from me." Now coming back to Galatians chapter 4. Now we're going to see how the Apostle Paul is going to miraculously use the Scripture to teach us a lesson. If the Galatians didn't catch it at least let's hope that we do. Now verse 18.