Galatians 1:1-5

Summary retelling of Galatians 1:1-5

Paul begins this letter by declaring himself an apostle.  He is not an apostle of any man, but rather an apostle of Jesus Christ and God the Father – who raised Jesus from the dead.  Paul also reminds the people of Galatia that he is writing on behalf of all the brothers in the faith who are travelling with him.  He begins by offering a reminder of God’s grace and peace to the Galatians.  He also begins with a reminder that it is through Jesus Christ that we are delivered from the evil of this world.  Paul also asserts that our deliverance is according to the will of God the Father.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Apostle.  It’s a word we don’t use much anymore unless we are in church and we say, “Let us confess our faith using the words of the Apostle’s Creed.”  What does this word mean?  Why is this word used instead of a word that we are familiar with such as disciple?  Why would Paul call himself an apostle instead of a disciple?

The word apostle is a Greek word that means “one who is sent/commissioned by a person for a particular task.”  When Paul calls himself an apostle, he is calling attention to the fact that he is sent by God for a particular task: sharing God’s gift of salvation to anyone who would hear it.  By calling himself an apostle, Paul wants people to recognize a calling.  Likewise, when we say the Apostle’s Creed, we are saying the “Creed of those who are called.”

Has God called you?  To what?  To whom?  To where?  Is it important to wrestle with these questions?  Where can you find help wrestling with these questions?

Second Thought:

Paul is very clear about the fact that we are delivered from evil through Jesus Christ.  It is Christ’s death on the cross that is the reason that our sins are forgiven.  It is not through our own merit, our own grace, or our own intelligence.  It is not even through our own desire and love for God.  It is only through Christ’s death that we can be forgiven and saved.  This point is so important that because of it Martin Luther taught that “We are saved by grace through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ.”  That has become the mantra of Lutheranism – as well it should!

Why is this such an important thought?  How have you seen or heard people get this thought wrong?

Third Thought:

Paul is also clear that salvation happened according to the will of the Father (God).  Jesus died because it was God’s plan.  We are saved because it was God’s desire to save us.  Ever moment of faith happens because it is good and pleasing and in accordance with God’s will.

Is it neat to think that every single spiritual moment in your life is according to God’s desire?  How neat is it to ponder how much God loves you by being aware of every single spiritual moment – in addition to the big stuff like salvation?

Passage for Tomorrow: Galatians 1:6-10

Note:  Here is a bit of history about the Galatian Church.  If you remember back when Paul started his mission journeys he went to Asia Minor.  Galatia is a region that is a part of Asia Minor.  So this is a letter written to some of the first churches that Paul planted (with Barnabas, remember).

As we will discover, these churches started receiving other teachers once Paul left.  We call them itinerant missionaries - people that would come for a while and then move on.  These itinerant missionaries were teaching the Galatians that they had to do other things to be saved.  The missionaries were telling them that they had to obey the kosher rules.  Or they had to follow all of the Law.  Or they had to be circumcised.  Therefore, a large part of this letter to the Galatians is Paul's reminding the Galatians that it is only through the death of Jesus Christ that we are saved.  All the other stuff is great as a response, but we are only saved through the cross.