Galatians 1-1:10 – The Galatian Defection
“Embracing Another Gospel”
THE SALUTATION 1:1-5
PAUL’S AUTHORITY ESTABLISHED 1:1-2
“Paul, an apostle (not sent from men, nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ , and God the Father , who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me, to the churches of Galatia…”
The Nature of Paul’s Office 1:1a
The essence of apostleship is authority. This is especially true in matters of doctrine and message. The doctrine of an apostle was the doctrine of God. Paul’s authority had been called into question by alleging that he was not a true apostle. For this reason, he takes two full chapters to establish his genuineness as an apostle and thus the divine authority of his message.
The Origin of Paul’s Office 1:1b-2
Defined from a Negative Standpoint
Paul’s office did not originate in a human source. In saying it was not from men, Paul uses the plural number. This means he is refer-ring, not to an individual man, but to a body of men.
Paul’s office did not originate through the human channel. The term agency of man uses the singular number. This shows that no single human being was the source of his apostleship, nor even the agency of his apostleship.
Defined from a Positive Standpoint
The apostle of the New Testament was similar to the prophet of the Old Testament. A prophet functioned as God’s spokesman or mouthpiece, so that if one rejected a prophet, he rejected God Himself. Likewise, the rejection of a true apostle was equivalent to ejection of divine authority. The Galatians had questioned Paul’s authority, and he therefore opens the letter with a statement about his position as apostle. The problem of legalism needs to be dealt with, and Paul is going to do just that. No problem can be solved, however, until the issue of authority is settled. This is why Paul gets with this issue immediately—even before he greets them!
The word but is a strong adversative used to set up a strong con-trast. After Christ ’s death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, He appeared to Paul personally and placed him in the apostolic office. No human mediation was involved.
Why is it necessary for Paul to establish this point? It is because of the absolute and uncompromising gospel that he proclaims. Paul teaches that the only alternative to faith in the gospel that he preaches is damnation. Nowhere in Paul’s writings do we find more fervor than in this letter.
PAUL’S GREETINGS GIVEN 1:3
“…Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ…”
The greetings may be described as “short and cool.” The greeting to the Galatian churches is unlike any other. Romans, I and II Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and I and II Thessalonians all begin with praise for the recipients. There is no praise for the Galatians.
Why the brief greetings? Because brevity indicates urgency. When a building is burning, you would not say, “This building, which was designed by Frederick Edwards, a local architect, and erected in 1940, is presently on fire.” You would simply yell, “Fire!” The Galatian legalism is serious, and Paul deals with legalism more severely than any other problem faced by the church.
In the short greeting, Paul does assert the basic principle of the church age—grace—as well as the basic blessing of the church age—peace. The sequence is important; there is no peace until God’s grace is realized. God is the Father only of genuine believers. The Bible knows nothing of the brotherhood of man, only the brotherhood of believers.
PAUL’S DOCTRINE PROCLAIMED 1:4-5
“…who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.”
The problem of the Galatian churches was that of legalism. Simply stated, legalism is the mental attitude that human goodness can merit the blessing of God. As such, it stands in complete contrast to grace. The leading features of grace may be found in the book The Gift of Salvation. Galatians 1:4-5 shows three of the leading denials
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of legalism. At the heart of all legalism is confusion concerning the true nature of the gospel. In making reference to the will of our God, Paul means that it is his desire for us to experience delivery from the age in which we live. It also means that the method of delivery is planned by God and recorded in His word.
Legalism Denies the Significance of Christ’s Death 1:4a
The words who gave Himself for our sins state the only grounds of acceptance before God. Legalism attempts to merit God’s blessing based on man’s works rather than Christ’s work. The word for is huper and means on behalf of, conveying the idea of substitution. The guilt of sin was placed upon Him, and the penalty for sin was paid by Him. The death of Christ is totally adequate to deal with the sin problem. Legalistic attitude always adds something human to the cross work of Christ and thereby proclaims it not fully ade-quate.
Legalism Denies the Purpose of Christ’s Death 1:4b
The word that points to a purpose clause and tells the intent of Christ’s death. The word deliver is a term for emancipation and freedom, which is the keynote of Galatians. The phrase this present evil age describes that from which the death of Christ was intended to free us. The noun age refers to all the thoughts, opinions, and viewpoints that stand contrary to the word of God. This age is called evil. Greek uses two words for evil; one is kakos, which refers to passive evil where there is no desire to corrupt another. The word used here, however, is ponaros, which refers to active evil that seeks to penetrate and ensnare.
The words according to the will of our God and Father point to the desire of God and the plan of God. He wishes us to experience the freedom brought by the death of Christ; it is also true that it is only by knowing and heeding His plan that this freedom is known.
Legalism Denies the Glory of God 1:5
God is glorified only when all the credit goes to Him. Legalism focuses on human accomplishment, not the glory of God. It is not the nature of God to share His glory, and we dare not rob Him of it. The cross involves the benefit of man, but the glory of God is its prime object.
THE DESERTION 1:6-9
ITS NATURE 1:6-7
“I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you, and want to distort the gospel of Christ.”
In Terms of How It Affected Paul 1:6
The word translated amazed means to be surprised by the totally unexpected. It expresses the emotional pain that Paul felt because of their defection. Paul freely expresses his feelings, both here and in 4:11 where he says, “I fear for you….” In 4:19 he describes himself as suffering labor pain on their behalf.
In Terms of How It Affected the Defectors 1:7
It Moved Them Away from Christ
The word deserting is a present tense, meaning the process was going on but was not yet complete. This letter is written to halt the desertion. The word was used in classical Greek for a turncoat— one who abandoned his convictions in morals, religion, philosophy, or politics. Abandonment of doctrine is abandonment of the Lord. The defection was not merely theological; it was per-sonal.
It Moved Them Away from Grace
The Galatians were deserting Him, and they were deserting grace. The first is a person; the second is a truth. This is saying that the person of God and the truth of God cannot be separated.
It Moved Them Away from the Gospel
Paul plays on the word different and the word another. The first refers to something of a different kind than something else. The second word refers to something added in addition to something else. The Galatians were going for the “gospel with a difference.” Yet, there can be no such thing because there is only one gospel, and to change it is to totally destroy it. There may be no additions, no subtractions, and no modifications. When he speaks of their pursuit of a different gospel, the question naturally arises, “Different from what?” Paul will answer that question in verses 8 and 9 by showing that the gospel he preaches is the only true gospel. In short, the true gospel is the Pauline gospel. The word some in verse 7 refers to the teachers who were infiltrating the Galatian churches with a false gospel. It is noteworthy that Paul does not dignify them by calling their names. The word some almost carries a note of disdain.
The false teachers are said to be attempting to do two things. First, they are disturbing the Galatians. This is a term that is used to indicate mental agitation. They are working on their minds. Second, the word want points to their evil motivations. The word distort means to reverse, to make something totally different from what it once was.
The defection in Galatia, then, has three aspects. First, it had a human aspect, seen in the emotional impact it had on Paul. Second, it had a doctrinal aspect, proved by their failing relationship to grace and the message of the gospel. Third, it had a personal aspect; they were departing from Him.
ITS GRAVITY 1:8-9
As Illustrated by a Hypothetical Case 1:8
“But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed.”
The word even introduces a third class conditional sentence, mean-ing the case is hypothetical. Yet, when Paul speaks of an angel from heaven, he is not using a hyperbole (exaggerating to make a point). In Greek culture, charismatic speakers were often treated as though they were gods, as Paul and Barnabas learned at Lystra (Acts 14:8-18).
The word contrary is a Greek preposition meaning besides or beyond—it sets definite boundaries. Satan always works to compli-cate things. The simplicity of the gospel points to the purity of the gospel. The gospel as defined by Paul is the gospel; there is no other. The expression accursed means to be set apart for the eternal judgment of God.
As Demonstrated in an Actual Case 1:9
“As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.”
The if in this verse introduces a first class conditional sentence, meaning Paul assumes the condition described to be real. The verb is preaching is the indicative mood, meaning this is a fact.
THE CONCLUSION 1:10
“For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”
The force of these words is obtained by noting that the word now is first in the sentence and therefore emphatic. Paul is saying, “Now, considering the strong words of verses 8 and 9, would you say I am seeking to curry the favor of men?” This verse also shows a great threat to those who preach the gospel—making adjustments in the message to please men. Paul will now use the rest of chapter 1 to establish that the origin of his gospel is a direct revelation from God.
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