CARRY ONE ANOTHER’S BURDENS
Galatians 6:1-10
1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted. 2 Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 Let each person examine his own work, and then he can take pride in himself alone, and not compare himself with someone else. 5 For each person will have to carry his own load.
6 Let the one who is taught the word share all his good things with the teacher. 7 Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap, 8 because the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9 Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith. [1]
 
Galatians 6:6-10
6 Let the one who is taught the word share all his good things with the teacher.
- Paul is talking about sharing material goods for those who are teaching the Gospel.
 - Not a tax like the Jews were required to pay to their rabbis.
 - Leavener is not interested in taxing you a percentage or pressuring you to buy a ticket to the show.
 - If the teacher is sharing “good news”, people will gladly share their good things.
7 Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap, 8 because the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9 Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.
 - Goods… not just money… are given to “Leavener”.
 - Once they are given… there are no strings attached.
 - Even the government understands that principle. (designated gifts vs unrestricted gifts).
 - I have a pre-determined salary just like you do.
 - The goods that come into our ministry do not determine my take home pay.
 - The passage says to share goods with the teacher.
 - It doesn’t say the counselor, the crisis manager, the burden carrier.
 - My desire is to focus on the Word and teach the Word.
 
Galatians 6:1-5
1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted.
- “caught” – 2 points of view
 - Either caught by someone else doing something wrong.
 - Or caught by the sin itself… Like a cheetah on a gazelle.
 - Either way, the “brother” is surprised or overtaken.
 - “spiritual” – Those who are walking with and by the Spirit vs those who are acting “religious”.
 - James 3:13 - Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom.[2]
 - “gentleness” – A product of the Holy Spirit. (5:23)
 - “tempted” – 2 points of views
 - Either that the person restoring falls into the same temptation.
 - Or that person becomes completely judgmental and places their self above the wrong doer.
 

• They have to have ears to hear.
• Like a teenager wearing headphones.
• Proverbs 25:11-12 - A word spoken at the right time is like gold apples in silver settings.
• A wise correction to a receptive ear is like a gold ring or an ornament of gold. [3]

 
2 Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 Let each person examine his own work, and then he can take pride in himself alone, and not compare himself with someone else. 5 For each person will have to carry his own load.

 - Not the Law given to Moses but Jesus’ interpretation of the Law of Moses.
 - “Love the Lord… Love your neighbor as yourself.”
 - “burden” – Heavy load

• The legalist adds to the burden by adding more rules and restrictions.
• Matthew 23:4 – “They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry and put them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves aren’t willing to lift a finger to move them.”[4]​
• It is all about perspective…
• Line up – From the most positive person in the room to the most negative person in the room.

 
When you are struggling and you are seeking advice, you will do 1 of 3 things:
1) You will find someone (it may take you a few 
people) to sympathize with you and They will say 
what you want to hear. Someone that agrees with 
you no matter if you are right or wrong.
2) You will go to someone for wisdom in a situation and you will receive good advice but you come up with every excuse not to pursue that advice. You 
continue down the same path of destruction. 
3) You will go to someone for wisdom, understanding and comfort and they will walk with you through the situation.

 - Wisdom – See life from God’s perspective.
 - Therefore it would make sense to know God.

 - Advice for a successful marriage…
 - Magic trick – Advice - “Walk by the Spirit”
 - You either walk by the flesh or walk by the Spirit.
 - Galatians 5

 - So when people contact me it usually because of unwise behavior… otherwise known as foolishness… otherwise known as chasing selfish desires.
 - So if they contact me, they are confessing their foolish pursuit.
 - And I am going to point out to you that you are acting foolish by it being about yourself.
 - I will encourage you to pursue God and walk by the Spirit in you.
 - I will do this for a season…

 - Some falsely believe freedom is for the flesh rather than the spirit

 - I expect to go through ups and downs with you… I get that we still have a flesh suit and bad habit patterns.
 - My prayer is that you will see others around you that can do the same.

“The First Time” - MercyMe

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ga 6:1–10). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jas 3:13). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Pr 25:11–12). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mt 23:4). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

How do you deal with people that hurt you?
-       I rarely give direct suggestions on what to do…

THE SPIRIT VERSUS THE FLESH
Galatians 5:16-26
16 I say then, walk (live) by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh.
- Flesh vs Sinful Nature (* NIV 84 & New Living)
- NIV changed sinful nature to flesh in 2011 version
 - The Message - My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness.[1]
- “the flesh” does not mean “the body”

• It is a far more encompassing term involving the mind, will, and emotions as well as the physical body.
• According to R. Jewett, the flesh was Paul’s term for everything aside from God in which one placed his final trust.
• Everything outside of faith
• Only the Spirit of God who has made us free from sin and given us new life (regeneration) can keep us truly free as we walk in him through the power of sanctification.
• Sanctification – Knowing that you are vs trying to attain it.
• Here in Gal 5 Paul used four distinct verbs to designate the Spirit-controlled life of the believer, all of which are roughly equivalent in meaning:

1. to walk in the Spirit (v. 16)
2. to be led by the Spirit (v. 18)
3. to live by the Spirit (v. 25a)
4. to keep in step with the Spirit (v. 25b).

Each of these verbs suggests a relationship of dynamic interaction, direction, and purpose.

• In Paul’s vocabulary, to walk in the Spirit or be led by the Spirit means to go where the Spirit is going, to listen to his voice, to discern his will, to follow his guidance.[2]
• It is not only the Spirit’s direction… but His empowerment!
• So if that is the case it becomes:
• The Spirit’s direction vs our Selfish direction
• The Spirit’s empowerment or our own selfish power. (self-help)
• This is where you have to be careful.
• Society does a wonder in making things of the flesh seem like the “right thing”.
• Think about the acceptance of things today as compared to 10 years ago… 50 years ago.
• You can have a new heart and still live out of your flesh.
• Learn to live out of your new heart. Know God.

17 For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.
- The Spirit and the flesh are not in a stalemate.
 - The flesh does not frustrate the desires of the Spirit; rather, the Spirit frustrates the desires of the flesh.[3]
 - Here is the bad news/good news:
 - Bad news: So long as we remain in this present life, we never outgrow or transcend the spiritual conflict Paul was describing in this passage.
 - There is no spiritual technique or second blessing that can propel the believer onto a higher plane of Christian living where this battle must no longer be fought.[4]
- Good news: Knowing this is the case… allows you to walk on in victory.
- I will not become a judge of qualifying grace.
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

• If you don’t completely grasp this battle, it is difficult to walk in victory… in fact, it could destroy you.
• Paul now states the obvious. Let me show you what it looks like as you walk on a daily basis.
• As we read through these lists, we not only filter our own sin issues, but we begin to attach names to the others.
• It is easy to become judgmental to others while at the same time justifying our own issues.
• I am sure Paul did not make a list (that is not exhaustive) for the purpose of analyzing each of your faults.
• This list indicates whether you are a believer or not.

 
19 Now the works (plural) of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things—as I warned you before

• More than half of this list causes conflict with other people.
• Those putting selfish needs before others.

—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

• The Greek participle here, prassontes, is used in the present tense, referring to people who continually orient their lives toward deeds of the flesh[5]

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.

• It is not about having each item in this list...
• It is about grasping that we have the Spirit who produces these items in us.
• I am not responsible for producing the fruit.
• I am responsible for choosing to walk with the Spirit.

24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
- There is no stalemate in this battle between flesh and spirit.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.[6]
- We must encourage one another!

[1] Peterson, E. H. (2005). The Message: the Bible in contemporary language (Ga 5:16). Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.
[2] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, p. 386). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ga 5:17). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[4] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, pp. 387–388). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[5] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ga 5:21). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ga 5:16–26). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

To be posted...

Pizza dough

• 16 oz. / 3 ½ cups all purpose flour (King Arthur unbleached)
• 1 ½ teaspoons large grain salt (sea salt)
• 2 teaspoons dry yeast (Red Star – opaque sealed canister in fridge – keeps it dormant; yeast dies at 110 degrees) (do not use quick rise yeast, causes it to lose flavor/texture)
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 oz. / 4 teaspoons of olive oil
• 10 oz. / 1 ¼ cups warm water (keep below 110 degrees, otherwise yeast is at risk)

 

• Stir the yeast, salt and sugar into the flour. (Pour salt on one side and yeast on the other before mixing. Salt retards yeast as well as sugar)
• Add the honey, water and olive oil to the flour mixture and knead the dough for 7-9 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.
• After kneading the dough, place it in an oiled container. Cover the dough and allow it to rise for 30-45 minutes or until it is doubled in size. (Dough rising places: On top of refrigerator is 85 degrees causing it to rise faster, in the window seal it is cooler and causes it to rise slower. Create a hot box by boiling water in microwave and then immediately closing the dough in the oven. The humidity/heat combination will cause it to rise rapidly.)
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into two equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and allow the dough to rest, covered for about 5 minutes.
• After resting, roll the dough pieces out to about ½” thickness making sure to retain the circular shape of the dough.

FREEDOM OF THE CHRISTIAN
Galatians 5:1-15
1 For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.
- Summary of Chapter 3 & 4
 - Yoke – Oxen, slaves & interpretation of law.
 - Yoke – Control by someone or something over your behavior.
 - The unsaved person wears a yoke of sin (Lam. 1:14)
 - The religious legalist wears the yoke of bondage (Gal. 5:1)
 - The Christian who depends on God’s grace wears the liberating yoke of Christ.[1]
2 Take note! I, Paul, am telling you that if you get yourselves circumcised, Christ will not benefit you at all. 3 Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to do the entire law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace.
- According to Acts 15:1–2 (1 Some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom prescribed by Moses, you cannot be saved!” 2 But after Paul and Barnabas had engaged them in serious argument and debate, the church arranged for Paul and Barnabas and some others of them to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem concerning this controversy.), the Judaizers believed that acceptance of this ancient Jewish ritual was absolutely necessary for salvation and incorporation into the people of God.[2]
 - Paul was strongly opposed to the Judaistic theology which insisted that circumcision was necessary for salvation.[3]
 - His point is that anyone who insists on living under the law fails to trust in Christ.[4]
 - Paul is saying that you cannot mix Law and grace.
 - If you choose to live by 1 law you choose to live by all the Law… rather than to live by only grace.
 - 99% grace and 1% law = bondage to all Law.
5 For we eagerly await through the Spirit, by faith, the hope of righteousness.
- “Hope of righteousness” – Glorification concerning our behavior.
 - Hope “of righteousness” – Glorification of those who are already in the state of righteousness.
 - It has to filter with all 66 books.
 - Abraham was credited righteousness.
 - The Church was made righteous.
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love.
- This enables us to contrast the two ways of life.
 - When you live by grace, you depend on the power of the Spirit; but under Law, you must depend on yourself and your own efforts.
 - The efforts of the flesh can never accomplish what faith can accomplish through the Spirit.
 - And faith works through love—love for God and love for others. Unfortunately, flesh does not manufacture love.
 - Too often it produces selfishness and rivalry (see Gal. 5:15).[5]
 - In 2 verses, Paul incorporated faith, hope & love.
 
7 You were running well. Who prevented you from being persuaded regarding the truth?
- Mike Rodgers was running well
 - But someone posted lane restrictions
 - They became disqualified.
 - Still Olympians… you just competed and came away disappointed.
8 This persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough.
 - The process of leaven (yeast)
 - Matthew 13:33 –  He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into fifty pounds of flour until all of it was leavened.” [6]
10 I myself am persuaded in the Lord you will not accept any other view. But whoever it is that is confusing you will pay the penalty. 11 Now brothers and sisters, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12 I wish those who are disturbing you might also let themselves be mutilated!
 - Paul actually wants them to cut themselves off from the religious community claiming to principles of Christianity.
 - Become impotent and unable to produce new converts.
 
13 For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.
- We are prone to go to extremes.
 - One believer interprets liberty as license and thinks he can do whatever he wants to do.
 - Another believer, seeing this error, goes to an opposite extreme and imposes Law on everybody.
 - Somewhere between license on the one hand and legalism on the other hand is true Christian liberty.[7]
 - Anytime you want negative things to occur to someone, we call that “walking according to your flesh.”
 - Paul, is saying, “It’s not about you… look around.”
14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself. 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.[8]
- Flesh refers to fallen human nature, the center of human pride and self-willing.
- Flesh is the arena of indulgence and self-assertion, the locale in which “the ultimate sin reveals itself to be the false assumption of receiving life not as the gift of the Creator but procuring it by one’s own power, of living from one’s self rather than from God.”[9]
 
- Wild animals in a deadly fight—to warn the Galatians that attacking one another ultimately will destroy their community.[10]

• How you “feel” vs what the Spirit leads you to do in love.
• The key word, of course, is love. The formula looks something like this:
• liberty + love = service to others
• liberty − love = license (slavery to sin)[11]

License – Cheap grace

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 713). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[2] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, p. 356). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Campbell, D. K. (1985). Galatians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 605). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ga 5:2). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 715). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mt 13:33). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 717). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[8] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ga 5:1–15). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[9] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, p. 377). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[10] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ga 5:15). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[11] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 717). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Paul uses six different arguments to prove that God saves sinners through faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law.

1. He begins with the personal argument (Gal. 3:1–5) in which he asks the Galatians to recall their personal experience with Christ when they were saved.
2. Then he moves into the scriptural argument (Gal. 3:6–14), in which he quotes six Old Testament passages to prove his point.
3. In the logical argument (Gal. 3:15–29) he reasons with his readers on the basis of what a covenant is and how a covenant works.
4. He then presents the historical argument (Gal. 4:1–11), explaining the place of Law in the history of Israel.
5. At this point, Paul’s love for his converts comes to the surface. The result is a sentimental argument (Gal. 4:12–18) as the apostle appeals to them to remember his love and their happy relationship in days past.
6. But then Paul goes right back to his close reasoning, and concludes with the allegorical argument (Gal. 4:19–31), based on the life of Abraham and his relationships with Sarah and Hagar.

• Practical application of his doctrinal argument follows in the last two chapters.[1]

Galatians 4:21-31
21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, don’t you hear the law?
 - the Galatians would be rejecting God’s gift and missing the purpose of the law altogether.[2]
22 For 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and the other by a free woman. 23 But the one by the slave was born as a result of the flesh, while the one by the free woman was born through promise. 24 These things are being taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slavery—this is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,
Rejoice, childless woman, unable to give birth. Burst into song and shout, you who are not in labor, for the children of the desolate woman will be many, more numerous than those of the woman who has a husband.
28 Now you too, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But just as then the child born as a result of the flesh persecuted the one born as a result of the Spirit, so also now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Drive out the slave and her son, for the son of the slave will never be a coheir with the son of the free woman.” 31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of a slave but of the free woman.[3]

Breakdown – Genesis 12-21

Age 75— (Gen. 12:1–9) - Abraham is called by God to go to Canaan; and God promises him many descendants. Both Abraham and his wife, Sarah, wanted children, but Sarah was barren.
 - God was waiting until both of them were “as good as dead” before He would perform the miracle of sending them a son (Rom. 4:16–25).

85— (Gen. 16:1–3) - The promised son has not yet arrived, and Sarah becomes impatient. She suggests that Abraham marry Hagar, her maid, and try to have a son by her.
 - This act was legal in that society, but it was not in the will of God. Abraham followed her suggestion and married Hagar.

86— (Gen. 16:4–16) - Hagar gets pregnant and Sarah gets jealous! Things are so difficult in the home that Sarah throws Hagar out.
 - But the Lord intervenes, sends Hagar back, and promises to take care of her and her son. When Abraham is 86, the son is born, and he calls him Ishmael.


99— (Gen. 17–18) - God speaks to Abraham and promises again that he will have a son by Sarah and says to call his name Isaac.
- Later, God appears again and reaffirms the promise to Sarah as well.

100— (Gen. 21:1–7) - The son is born. They name him Isaac (“laughter”) as commanded by God.
 - But the arrival of Isaac creates a new problem in the home: Ishmael has a rival.
 - For fourteen years, Ishmael has been his father’s only son, very dear to his heart.

103— (Gen. 21:8–14) - It was customary for the Jews to wean their children at about the age of three, and to make a great occasion of it.
 - At the feast, Ishmael starts to mock Isaac and to create trouble in the home.
 - There is only one solution to the problem, and a costly one at that: Hagar and her son have to go.
 - With a broken heart, Abraham sends his son away, because this is what the Lord tells him to do.

- On the surface, this story appears to be nothing more than a tale of a family problem, but beneath the surface are meanings that carry tremendous spiritual power.
 - Abraham, the two wives, and the two sons represent spiritual realities; and their relationships teach us important lessons.[4]

- Paul begins with the two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, and explains that they illustrate our two births: the physical birth that makes us sinners and the spiritual birth that makes us the children of God.

The Old Covenant
The New Covenant

Law
Grace

Hagar the slave
Sarah the freewoman

Ishmael, conceived after the flesh
Isaac, conceived miraculously

Earthly Jerusalem in bondage
Heavenly Jerusalem which
is free

Isaac illustrates the believer in several particulars.
He was born by God’s power. In fact, God deliberately waited twenty-five years before He granted Abraham and Sarah their son.
 - Isaac was “born after the Spirit” (Gal. 4:29), and, of course, the Christian is “born of the Spirit” (John 3:1–7).
 - Isaac came into the world through Abraham (who represents faith, Gal. 3:9) and Sarah (who represents grace); so that he was born “by grace … through faith” as is every true Christian (Eph. 2:8–9).

He brought joy. His name means “laughter,” and certainly he brought joy to his aged parents.
 - Salvation is an experience of joy, not only to the believer himself, but also to those around him.
He grew and was weaned (Gen. 21:8). Salvation is the beginning, not the ending.
 - After we are born, we must grow (1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:18).
 - Along with maturity comes weaning: we must lay aside “childish things” (1 Cor. 13:11).
 - How easy it is for us to hold the “toys” of our earlier Christian days and fail to lay hold of the “tools” of the mature believer.
- The child does not enjoy being weaned, but he can never become a man until it happens.

He was persecuted (Gen. 21:9). Ishmael (the flesh) caused problems for Isaac, just as our old nature causes problems for us.
 - Ishmael created no problems in the home until Isaac was born, just as our old nature creates no problems for us until the new nature enters when we trust Christ.

 - In Abraham’s home we see the same basic conflicts that we Christians face today:
Hagar versus Sarah = Law versus grace
Ishmael versus Isaac = flesh versus Spirit
It is important to note that you cannot separate these four factors.
 - The Judaizers taught that Law made the believer more spiritual, but Paul makes it clear that Law only releases the opposition of the flesh and a conflict within the believer ensues.
 - There was no Law strong enough either to change or to control Ishmael, but Isaac never needed any Law.
 - It has well been said, “The old nature knows no Law and the new nature needs no Law.”
 
Ishmael and Isaac represent the two lines of descendants that sprang from Abraham.
- According to Gen 25:13–18, Ishmael begot twelve sons who became the ancestors of the Arab tribes, which occupied the territory “from Havilah to Shur,” that is, the desert lands between Egypt and the Euphrates River.
- The birth of Ishmael was the result of the outworking of the philosophy that “God helps those who help themselves.”[5]
 - Not even in the Bible.

Having explained the significance of the two sons, Paul now turns to an explanation of the two wives, Sarah and Hagar.
 - He is illustrating the contrasts between Law and grace and is proving that the believer is not under Law but is under the loving freedom that comes through God’s grace.

 - Notice, then, the facts about Hagar that prove that the Law no longer has power over the Christian.
Hagar was Abraham’s second wife. God did not begin with Hagar; He began with Sarah.
As far as God’s dealings with men are concerned, God began with grace.
 - In Eden, God provided for Adam and Eve by grace. Even after they sinned, in His grace He provided them with coats of skins for a covering (Gen. 3:21). He did not give them laws to obey as a way of redemption; instead, He gave them a gracious promise to believe: the promise of a victorious Redeemer (Gen. 3:15).


In His relationship with Israel also, God first operated on the basis of grace, not Law.
 - His covenant with Abraham (Gen. 15) was all of grace, because Abraham was in a deep sleep when the covenant was established.
 - When God delivered Israel from Egypt, it was on the basis of grace and not Law, for the Law had not yet been given.
 - Like Hagar, Abraham’s second wife, the Law was “added” (Gal. 3:19). Hagar performed a function temporarily, and then moved off the scene, just as the Law performed a special function and then was taken away.

Hagar was a slave. Five times in this section she is called a “bondmaid” or “bondwoman” (Gal. 4:22–23, 30–31).
 - Sarah was a freewoman, and therefore her position was one of liberty; but Hagar, even though married to Abraham, was still a servant.
 - Likewise, the Law was given as a servant.
 - It served as a mirror to reveal men’s sins (Rom. 3:20) and as a monitor to control men and ultimately lead them to Christ (Gal. 3:23–25); but the Law was never meant to be a mother!

Hagar was not meant to bear a child. Abraham’s marriage to Hagar was out of the will of God; it was the result of Sarah’s and Abraham’s unbelief and impatience.
 - Hagar was trying to do what only Sarah could do, and it failed.
 - The Law cannot give life (Gal. 3:21), or righteousness (Gal. 2:21), or the gift of the Spirit (Gal. 3:2), or a spiritual inheritance (Gal. 3:18).
 - Isaac was born Abraham’s heir (Gen. 21:10), but Ishmael could not share in this inheritance.
 - The Judaizers were trying to make Hagar a mother again, while Paul was in spiritual warfare for his converts that they might become more like Christ.
 - No amount of religion or legislation can give the dead sinner life. Only Christ can do that through the Gospel.

Hagar gave birth to a slave. Ishmael was “a wild man” (Gen. 16:12), and even though he was a slave, nobody could control him, including his mother.
 - Like Ishmael, the old nature (the flesh) is at war with God, and the Law cannot change or control it.
 - By nature, the Spirit and the flesh are “contrary the one to the other” (Gal. 5:17), and no amount of religious activity is going to change the picture.
 - Whoever chooses Hagar (Law) for his mother is going to experience bondage (Gal. 4:8–11, 22–25, 30–31; 5:1). But whoever chooses Sarah (grace) for his mother is going to enjoy liberty in Christ.
 - God wants His children to be free (Gal. 5:1).

Hagar was cast out. It was Sarah who gave the order: “Cast out this bondwoman and her son” (Gen. 21:9–10), and God subsequently approved it (Gen. 21:12).
 - Ishmael had been in the home for at least seventeen years, but his stay was not to be permanent; eventually he had to be cast out.
 - There was not room in the household for Hagar and Ishmael with Sarah and Isaac; one pair had to go.

- It is impossible for Law and grace, the flesh and the Spirit, to compromise and stay together.
 - God did not ask Hagar and Ishmael to make occasional visits to the home; the break was permanent.
 - The Judaizers in Paul’s day—and in our own day—are trying to reconcile Sarah and Hagar, and Isaac and Ishmael; such reconciliation is contrary to the Word of God.
 - It is impossible to mix Law and grace, faith and works, God’s gift of righteousness and man’s attempts to earn righteousness.

Hagar was not married again. God never gave the Law to any other nation or people, including His church. For the Judaizers to impose the Law on the Galatian Christians was to oppose the very plan of God.
 - In Paul’s day, the nation of Israel was under bondage to the Law, while the church was enjoying liberty under the gracious rule of the “Jerusalem which is above” (Gal. 4:26).
 - The Judaizers wanted to “wed” Mt. Sinai and the heavenly Mt. Zion (Heb. 12:22), but to do this would be to deny what Jesus did on Mt. Calvary (Gal. 2:21). Hagar is not to be married again.

From the human point of view, it might seem cruel that God should command Abraham to send away his own son Ishmael, whom he loved very much.
 - But it was the only solution to the problem, for “the wild man” could never live with the child of promise. In a deeper sense, however, think of what it cost God when He gave His Son to bear the curse of the Law to set us free.
- Abraham’s broken heart meant Isaac’s liberty; God’s giving of His Son means our liberty in Christ.[6]

 - We must keep in mind that legalism does not mean the setting of spiritual standards; it means worshiping these standards and thinking that we are spiritual because we obey them.
 - It also means judging other believers on the basis of these standards.
 - A person can refrain from smoking, drinking, and attending theaters, for example, and still not be spiritual. The Pharisees had high standards; yet they crucified Jesus.[7]
- Legalism is one of the major problems among Christians today.
 
Galatians 4:31 - Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of a slave but of the free woman.[8]

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 697). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[2] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ga 4:21). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[3] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ga 4:21–31). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 709). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, p. 338). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 709–711). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[7] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 712). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[8] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ga 4:31). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

Paul uses six different arguments to prove that God saves sinners through faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law.

1. He begins with the personal argument (Gal. 3:1–5) in which he asks the Galatians to recall their personal experience with Christ when they were saved.
2. Then he moves into the scriptural argument (Gal. 3:6–14), in which he quotes six Old Testament passages to prove his point.
3. In the logical argument (Gal. 3:15–29) he reasons with his readers on the basis of what a covenant is and how a covenant works.
4. He then presents the historical argument (Gal. 4:1–11), explaining the place of Law in the history of Israel.
5. At this point, Paul’s love for his converts comes to the surface. The result is a sentimental argument (Gal. 4:12–18) as the apostle appeals to them to remember his love and their happy relationship in days past.
6. But then Paul goes right back to his close reasoning, and concludes with the allegorical argument (Gal. 4:19–31), based on the life of Abraham and his relationships with Sarah and Hagar.

• Practical application of his doctrinal argument follows in the last two chapters.[1]

Galatians 4
1 Now I say that as long as the heir is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. 2 Instead, he is under guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elements of the world.
- In this section of the text, Paul draws a contrast between sons and slaves.
 - In doing so, he aims to help the Galatians understand that reliance on the law is a sign not of maturity, but of immaturity.
 - In contrast to the law, faith in Christ produces children who become heirs of God’s promises.[2]
 - One of the tragedies of legalism is that it gives the appearance of spiritual maturity when, in reality, it leads the believer back into a “second childhood” of Christian experience.[3]
 - Their motives may be right, but their methods are wrong.
 - Their old nature felt an attraction for the Law because the Law enabled them to do things and measure external results.
 - As they measured themselves and their achievements, they felt a sense of accomplishment, and, no doubt, a little bit of pride.
 - They thought they were going forward when actually they were regressing.[4]
 - Once I flew a plane. “I was flying pretty aimlessly because I thought I was heading in the right direction. That’s the bad news. But the good news is that we are making very good time.”
4 When the time came to completion, God sent his Son,
 - God sent his Son not just from Galilee to Jerusalem, nor just from the manger to the cross, but all the way from heaven to earth.
 - The full implications of this text can hardly be grasped in human language.
 - In sending Jesus, God did not send a substitute or a surrogate. He came himself.[5]
born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
 - Jesus was born incarnate… He did things that resembled His mother.
 - as a Jew… under the Law.
6 And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir.
- Intimately
 - I John 2:12-13 - I am writing to you, little children,
since your sins have been forgiven
on account of his name.
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
because you have come to know
the one who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have conquered the evil one.[6]

- An intimacy with the Creator. The One who started it all. The One who is from the very beginning.

- It is unfortunate that many translations of the New Testament do not make a distinction between children of God and sons of God.
 - We are the children of God by faith in Christ, born into God’s family.
 - But every child of God is automatically placed into the family as a son, and as a son he has all the legal rights and privileges of a son.
 - When a sinner trusts Christ and is saved, as far as his condition is concerned, he is a “spiritual babe” who needs to grow (1 Peter 2:2–3);
 - but as far as his position is concerned, he is an adult son who can draw on the Father’s wealth and who can exercise all the wonderful privileges of sonship.
 -
The Child
The Son

-by regeneration
-by adoption

-entering the family
-enjoying the family

-under guardians
-the liberty of an adult

-cannot inherit
-an heir to the Father[7]

8 But in the past, when you didn’t know God, you were enslaved to things that by nature are not gods. 9 But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and bankrupt elemental forces? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?
 - The Law could never give a person God’s nature within.
 - All it could do was reveal to the person his desperate need for God’s nature.
 - So, when the believer goes back into Law, he is denying the very divine nature within, and he is giving the flesh opportunity to go to work.[8]

10 You observe special days, months, seasons, and years. 11 I am fearful for you, that perhaps my labor for you has been wasted.
 - Celebrating one day out of the year, when it is an everyday journey!
 - You fight for the term “Merry Christmas”.
 - There is a better way to communicate Jesus.
 - Jesus is the reason for the season… come on…
 - Romans 14:5 - One person judges one day to be more important than another day. Someone else judges every day to be the same. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind.[9]

1. At this point, Paul’s love for his converts comes to the surface. The result is a sentimental argument (Gal. 4:12–18) as the apostle appeals to them to remember his love and their happy relationship in days past.

12 I beg you, brothers: Become like me, for I also became like you. You have not wronged me; 13 you know that previously I preached the gospel to you because of a physical illness. 14 You did not despise or reject me though my physical condition was a trial for you. On the contrary, you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself.
 - Paul was no felt board character wearing pastel colors with a nicely trimmed beard and pale skin.
 - That dude had something atrociously wrong with him.

• Malaria, epilepsy, eye issue.
• You don’t mention something terrible about yourself if it is just a slight issue. But when it is absolutely noticeable, you talk about it too!
• There is definitely a following of teachers.
• It is not only because of what the student receives from the message, but also the experience with the teacher.
• The task of the spiritual leader is to get people to love and follow Christ, not to promote himself and his ministry.[10]
• Take what I teach and compare it to others, but only after you compare it to the Word of God.
• Not for the sake of making one better, but for the sake of being able to filter Truth.

15 What happened to this sense of being blessed you had? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17 They are enthusiastic about you, but not for any good. Instead, they want to isolate you so you will be enthusiastic about them.
 - Create divisiveness.
 - One of Satan’s greatest plans of attack.

18 Now it is always good to be enthusiastic about good—and not just when I am with you. 19 My children, I am again suffering labor pains for you until Christ is formed in you. 20 I would like to be with you right now and change my tone of voice, because I don’t know what to do about you.[11]
 - Paul’s tone of voice changes in the letter from a harsh warning to a caring parent, in the form of a mother!
 - They had not lost the experience of salvation—they were still Christians;
 - But they were losing the enjoyment of their salvation and finding satisfaction in their works instead.
 - Sad to say, they did not realize their losses.[12]
 - Have you ever been at a loss of words for someone because they are not in a place to hear your words?
 - The person is so consumed by their own situation, whether it be love, pride or selfishness… they can’t hear you?
 - Or worst yet… they refuse to listen.
 - Paul loves the Galatians and wants nothing but the best for them.

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 697). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[2] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ga 4:1–7). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 705). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 705). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, p. 302). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (1 Jn 2:12–13). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 706). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 706). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[9] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ro 14:5). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[10] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 708). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[11] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Ga 4:1-20). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[12] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 708). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Paul uses six different arguments to prove that God saves sinners through faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law.

1. He begins with the personal argument (Gal. 3:1–5) in which he asks the Galatians to recall their personal experience with Christ when they were saved.
2. Then he moves into the scriptural argument (Gal. 3:6–14), in which he quotes six Old Testament passages to prove his point.
3. In the logical argument (Gal. 3:15–29) he reasons with his readers on the basis of what a covenant is and how a covenant works.
4. He then presents the historical argument (Gal. 4:1–11), explaining the place of Law in the history of Israel.
5. At this point, Paul’s love for his converts comes to the surface. The result is a sentimental argument (Gal. 4:12–18) as the apostle appeals to them to remember his love and their happy relationship in days past.
6. But then Paul goes right back to his close reasoning, and concludes with the allegorical argument (Gal. 4:19–31), based on the life of Abraham and his relationships with Sarah and Hagar.

• Practical application of his doctrinal argument follows in the last two chapters.[1]

If salvation does not involve the Law, then why was the Law given in the first place?
- Paul quoted from the Law to prove the insignificance of the Law.
- If the Law is now set aside, then his very arguments are worthless, because they are taken from the Law.[2]
​
Galatians 3
15 Brothers and sisters, I’m using a human illustration. No one sets aside or makes additions to a validated human will.
- Paul was quoting from the Law, now he has to show in his argument that the Law did not change the covenant.
 - Once two parties conclude an agreement, a third party cannot come along years later and change that agreement.
 - The only persons who can change an original agreement are the persons who made it.
- To add anything to it or take anything from it would be illegal.[3]
 - The promise made to Abraham in Genesis 15 was around 2000 BC.
 - The Law was given to Moses around 1450 BC, after 430 years of slavery.
16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed.
Genesis 12:1-3 - The Lord said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.[4]
He does not say “and to seeds,” as though referring to many, but referring to one, and to your seed, who is Christ.
 - Interesting interpretation of the word “seed here.
 - Refers to the “singular seed” vs “plural seed”
 - Romans 4:13-18 – Paul refers to “plural seed”
 - Paul is showing greater fulfillment of this promise is through Christ rather than biological.
17 My point is this: The law, which came 430 years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously established by God and thus cancel the promise.
- The presentation of the Law did not change the promise made between God & Abraham.
 - Ratified by God alone because Abraham was asleep when it was presented to him. (Gen 15 – “Came in a vison”)
 - This covenant can only be changed by God… It is not based upon us perfecting the Law.

18 For if the inheritance is based on the law, it is no longer based on the promise; but God has graciously given it to Abraham through the promise.
- Abraham could not revise the covenant.
 - Neither could Moses, who was given the Law.
 - The law is not, and never was intended to be, the means by which believers experience their inheritance as God’s children.[5]
1 Corinthians 15:56 - The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.[6]
 - The law demands, “Do this!” The promise grants, “Accept this!”[7]

THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW
19 Why then was the law given? It was added for the sake of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. The law was put into effect through angels by means of a mediator.
- The Law came to:
 1) Define sin (Romans 4:15 - because the law produces wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression. [8])
 2) Increase sin (Romans 5:20 - The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more[9]
 - The Law was temporary – It was after the covenant and ended before the covenant was fulfilled.
 - There were no “ifs” in the covenant with Abraham like there was in the Law given to Moses.
 - “It was added” – Came in by a side road.
20 Now a mediator is not just for one person alone, but God is one.
- Moses was this mediator.
 - The Law needed a “go between person”
 - The Law was given to Moses - by God - through angels.
 - The Covenant between God & Abraham did not need a mediator.
21 Is the law therefore contrary to God’s promises? Absolutely not! For if the law had been granted with the ability to give life, then righteousness would certainly be on the basis of the law.
- While Law and grace seem to be contrary to one another, if you go deep enough, you will discover that they actually complement one another.
 - Think about it… Are Law and Grace opposites?
 - The opposite of Law is lawlessness.
 - The opposite of Grace is disgrace.
 - Why, then, was the Law given?[10]
 - If we could attain righteousness but fulfilling the Law, then Christ’s sacrifice on the cross would be pointless.
 - It was “worship of the Law” that led Israel into a self-righteous religion of works, the result of which was the rejection of Christ [11]
22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin’s power, so that the promise might be given on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ to those who believe.
- Romans 7:12 - So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good.[12]
 - It is here that we see the way that Law and grace cooperate in bringing the lost sinner to Jesus Christ.
 - Law shows the sinner his guilt, and grace shows him the forgiveness he can have in Christ.
 - The Law is “holy, and just, and good” (Rom. 7:12), but we are unholy, unjust, and bad.
 - The Law does not make us sinners; it reveals to us that we already are sinners (see Rom. 3:20).

23 Before this faith came, we were confined under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed. 24 The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith.
- Eat a powdered donut in one bite.
 - Look in the mirror
 - Someone else clean their face
 - The Law is a mirror that helps us see our “dirty faces” (James 1:22–25)—but you do not wash your face with the mirror!
 - It is grace that provides the cleansing through the blood of Jesus Christ (see 1 John 1:7b).[13]
25 But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian (tutor), 26 for through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus.
- Highly educated slaves escorted children to and from school. They watched over them through the day.
 - Paul was saying they were not born though the Law but were raised up by the Law.
 - The Law did not give life to Israel… it regulated life.
 - The Judaizers taught that the Law was necessary for life and righteousness.
 -Once the child came of age, they no longer needed the guardian.

 - The Law has performed its purpose: the Savior has come and the “guardian” is no longer needed.
 - It is tragic that the nation of Israel did not recognize their Messiah when He appeared.
 - God finally had to destroy the temple and scatter the nation, so that today it is impossible for a devoted Jew to practice the faith of his fathers.
 - He has no altar, no priesthood, no sacrifice, no temple, no king (Hosea 3:4).
 - All of these have been fulfilled in Christ, so that any man—Jew or Gentile—who trusts Christ becomes a child of God.[14]

SONS AND HEIRS
27 For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.
- Faith in Jesus baptizes us “into Christ” (Gal. 3:27).
 - This baptism of the Spirit identifies the believer with Christ and makes him part of His body (1 Cor. 12:12–14).
 - Water baptism is an outward picture of this inner work of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 10:44–48).[15]
 - To believe in Jesus Christ and water, Jesus Christ and bread and wine, Jesus Christ and church membership, Jesus Christ and anything else is to profane the grace of God and render useless the death of Christ (2:21).[16]
28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.
- The Pharisee would pray each morning, “I thank Thee, God, that I am a Jew, not a Gentile; a man, not a woman; and a freeman, and not a slave.” Yet all these distinctions are removed “in Christ.”[17]
29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.
- Genesis 12:1-3 - The Lord said to Abram:
Go out from your land,
your relatives,
and your father’s house
to the land that I will show you.
2 I will make you into a great nation,
I will bless you,
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt,
and all the peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.[18]
 - Your Christian life ought to take on new wonder and meaning as you realize all that you have in Christ.
 - And all of this is by grace—not by Law!
 - You are an adult son in God’s family, an heir of God.
 - Are you drawing on your inheritance?[19]

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 697). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 701). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 701). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ge 12:1–3). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ga 3:18). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (1 Co 15:56). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, pp. 249–250). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[8] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ro 4:15). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[9] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ro 5:20). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[10] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 702). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[11] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 702). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[12] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ro 7:12). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[13] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 703). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[14] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 703). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[15] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 704). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[16] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, p. 277). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[17] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 704). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[18] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ge 12:1–3). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[19] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 704). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

I hope you get this right:
 - In the Gospels, what did Jesus teach?
 - Did Jesus obey God’s Law?
 - How many times did Jesus die on the cross?
 - What did His blood do?

• Hebrews 10:14 – For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified. [1].
• Hebrews 10:4 – For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. [2]
   - What were Jesus’ last words?
   - As believers, what do you have to do now?
   - Are you now a “child of God”?

JUSTIFICATION THROUGH FAITH
Galatians 3
 - (1) Paul’s Personal argument (v 1-5)
1 You foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell on you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
- It would be like asking our country, “Have you gone mad?”
 - Is it mental incompetence or just lack of wisdom?
 - “Foolish” here means “spiritually dull” whereas being called actual fools in the Gospel meant “godless person”.
 - But I focus on the part of the question, “Who has hypnotized you?”
 - “Who told you that you were naked?” – Genesis 3:11
 - The scheme of the evil one is to confuse the truth. To make it seem like something it is not.
- Paul did not say that the Galatians had had less than a fully genuine experience of the Holy Spirit.
- Indeed, he argued from precisely the opposite premise: since they had certainly received the Holy Spirit and witnessed his mighty works, why were they now retrogressing back from the Spirit to the flesh, that is, from faith back to works and from grace back to law?
- The answer is implied in Paul’s critical word of address: somehow the balance between sound doctrine and Spirit-filled living had gotten out of kilter among the churches of Galatia.[3]
2 I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard?
- Did we not teach you that as Jews, you are no longer subject to circumcision, food restrictions and calendar observances? As a Gentile, you never were?
 - Gentiles didn’t even start with the Law. Why would you bring that into your beliefs?
 - What saved you? Your works or your faith?
3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh? 4 Did you experience so much for nothing—if in fact it was for nothing?
- Did you not learn your lesson enough in the flesh that you want to give up on the Spirit already?
 - “flesh” being things done in your own strength… whether bad or good.
5 So then, does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law? Or is it by believing what you heard--
- This is what the Spirit does:
 - John 16:8-11 – The Spirit convicts the world of its unbelief.
 - Acts 7:51 - “You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit. As your ancestors did, you do also.[4]
- Ephesians 1:13-14 - 13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory. [5]
 - (2) Paul’s Scriptural argument (v 6-14)
 - In verses 1-5 Paul asked 6 questions
 - In verses 6-14 Paul uses 6 OT quotes
6 just like Abraham who believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness?

• Genesis 15:6 - Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.[6]
• Genesis 17:9-12 - God also said to Abraham, “As for you, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations are to keep my covenant. 10 This is my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you, which you are to keep: Every one of your males must be circumcised. 11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskin to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 Throughout your generations, every male among you is to be circumcised at eight days old—every male born in your household or purchased from any foreigner and not your offspring.[7]
• Exodus 20 – The Ten Commandments.

7 You know, then, that those who have faith, these are Abraham’s sons. 8 Now the Scripture saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and proclaimed the gospel ahead of time to Abraham, saying, All the nations will be blessed through you.
- Genesis 18:18 - Abraham is to become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him.[8].
9 Consequently those who have faith are blessed with Abraham, who had faith.
- The logic here is evident: if God promised to save the Gentiles by faith, then the Judaizers are wrong in wanting to take the Gentile believers back into Law.
 - The true “children of Abraham” are not the Jews by physical descent, but Jews and Gentiles who have believed in Jesus Christ. All those who are “of faith” (believers) are blessed with “believing Abraham.”[9]
- Serve carrots… then a donut… back to carrots!
LAW AND PROMISE
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, Everyone who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed.
- Paul uses contrasts/antithesis:
        - Crucified with Christ - Alive to God
        - The hearing of faith - The doing of works
        - Beginning in the Spirit - Ending in the flesh
        - Promise – Fulfillment
        - Blessed - Cursed[10]
        - Vs. 9 – Blessed – Vs. 10 – Cursed
- Deuteronomy 27:26 -  ‘Anyone who does not put the words of this law into practice is cursed.’
And all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ [11]

 -Deuteronomy 28:58 - “If you are not careful to obey all the words of this law, which are written in this scroll, by fearing this glorious and awe-inspiring name—the Lord, your God[12]
 - James 2:10 -  For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all.[13]
11 Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith.
- It is obvious…
 - Habakkuk 2:4 -
        - The Righteous – Romans 1:17
        - Will live – Galatians 3:11
        - By faith - Hebrews 10:37
 - It doesn’t say “those who live by faith are righteous.”
 - Nor is it a command.
 - It is a simple statement of fact.
 - Those who have been made righteous will naturally live by faith.
 - If these are words by Habakkuk… they were still under the law… This was about the future.
 - If Daniel was here today… could he see the righteous.
 - Paul saw and experienced living under the Law vs living by faith because of his righteousness.
12 But the law is not based on faith; instead, the one who does these things will live by them.
- Leviticus 18:5 - Keep my statutes and ordinances; a person will live if he does them. I am the Lord. [14]
 - The Law is based on doing… not trusting!
 - God never intended the Law to make people righteous.
 - God intended to send a Savior to save us from our own works.
 - God intended to send a Helper to live our life for us.
 - “How in the world am I going to get through this?”
 - You’re not in your own strength.
 - You will by trusting Him to do it in your own life!

 - Eating carrots vs eating a donut
 - Why go back to carrots!?!
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. 14 The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith.
  - Deuteronomy 21:22 -  “If anyone is found guilty of an offense deserving the death penalty and is executed, and you hang his body on a tree, 23 you are not to leave his corpse on the tree overnight but are to bury him that day, for anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not defile the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.[15]
 - Jews were stoned first and then hung on a tree for display.
 - They are not talking about crucifixion here.
 - This was major since the Jews were careful with treatment of a dead body.
 - The word redeemed means to purchase a slave for the purpose of setting him free.
 - It is possible to purchase a slave and keep him as a slave, but this is not what Christ did.
 - By shedding His blood on the cross, He purchased us that we might be set free.
 - The Judaizers wanted to lead the Christians into slavery, but Christ died to set them free.
 - Salvation is not exchanging one form of bondage for another.
 - Salvation is being set free from the bondage of sin and the Law into the liberty of God’s grace through Christ.[16]
 - God’s provision through Christ’s death on the cross enables believers to no longer live under the threat of condemnation.[17]
 - You… my friend… have been released from the curse.
 - There is no one who can condemn you for what you have done or going to do.
 - There will be logical negative consequences.
 - But you can never be condemned.
 - Judgment Day will be a good day.
 - To the Jew – “Do you want the blessing of Abraham? It comes through Jesus.”
 - To the Gentile – “Do you want to be included in the blessing?” It comes through Jesus.

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Heb 10:14). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Heb 10:4). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, p. 206). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ac 7:51). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Eph 1:13–14). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ge 15:6). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ge 17:9–12). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[8] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ge 18:18). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[9] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 699). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[10] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, p. 229). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[11] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Dt 27:26). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[12] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Dt 28:58). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[13] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jas 2:10). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[14] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Le 18:5). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[15] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Dt 21:22–23). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[16] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 700). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[17] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ga 3:13). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Galatians 2
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. 12 For he regularly ate with the Gentiles before certain men came from James. However, when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party. 13 Then the rest of the Jews joined his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.[1]
------
14 But when I saw that they were deviating from the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas in front of everyone, “If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel Gentiles to live like Jews?”

• 1) Circumcision 2) Food laws & 3) Calendar observances
• Paul is separating Peter’s personal convictions vs Truth of the Word.
• Suppose Peter and Barnabas had won the day and led the church into legalism? What might the results have been?
• Would Antioch have continued to be the great missionary church that sent out Paul and Barnabas? (Acts 13)
• Would they, instead, have sent out the “missionaries” of the circumcision party and either captured or divided the churches Paul had already founded?
• You can see that this problem was not a matter of personality or party; it was a question of “the truth of the Gospel.”
• And Paul was prepared to fight for it.[2]

 

• What was the purpose of Paul confronting Peter in front of everyone?
• Was there emotion involved?
• What is the difference in communicating truth with anger vs no emotion?
• The same message is communicated.
• It never says what Paul’s emotions are… we just assume.
• You realize your reaction to news/information or the correction given will impact future exchanges of a relationship.
• Between a husband and a wife
• Between a parent and a child
• Between a boss and an employer
• Between friends or even siblings.
  ​
  

15 We are Jews by birth and not “Gentile sinners,”

• They were “Gentile sinners” from birth because they were not given the Law like the Jews were.

16 and yet because we know that a person is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we ourselves have believed in Christ Jesus. This was so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified.

• “How should [a] man be just with God?” (Job 9:2) was a vital question, because the answer determined eternal consequences.
• “The just shall live by his faith” (Hab. 2:4) is God’s answer.
• Justification is not simply “forgiveness,” because a person could be forgiven and then go out and sin and become guilty.
• Once you have been “justified by faith” you can never be held guilty before God.
• Justification is also different from “pardon,” because a pardoned criminal still has a record.
• When the sinner is justified by faith, his past sins are remembered against him no more, and God no longer puts his sins on record.

 

• So important is this concept that three New Testament books explain it to us: Romans (see 1:17), Galatians (see 3:11), and Hebrews (see 10:38).
• Romans explains the meaning of “the just”;
• Galatians explains “shall live”;
• Hebrews explains “by faith.”[3]
• Christ died one time and based upon our belief in the Son of God, we were justified one time.
• Proven “not guilty”
• Double Jeopardy – Cannot be tried twice for the same crime.

17 But if we ourselves are also found to be “sinners” while seeking to be justified by Christ, is Christ then a promoter of sin? Absolutely not! 18 If I rebuild those things that I tore down, I show myself to be a lawbreaker. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live for God.

• If a man is justified by the works of the Law, then why did Jesus Christ die?
• What died?
• The Law demanded death for those who broke it, but Christ paid that death penalty for all sinners. [4]
• To go back to Moses is to return to the graveyard!
• We have been “raised to walk in newness of life”[5]

20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,

• Paul does not refer here to physical death, but to the death of his former self (see Eph 4:22).
• The self-righteous, self-centered Saul died.
• Paul’s understanding of union with Christ begins with the cross of Christ.
• This enables Paul to endure shame, contempt, and false accusations like Jesus, God’s Suffering Servant (Col 1:24; Phil 1:29).
• Christ lives in me Refers to new life in Christ as well as the presence of God’s Spirit, which empowers obedience to the gospel (Gal 3:2; 4:6; 5:16–18, 22–25).
• the Son of God Faith in the Son of God transforms a person from a slave to a child of God.

who loved me and gave himself for me.

• Paul describes the sacrificial love of Christ in personal terms.
• Christ’s willingness to die on behalf of sinners brings deliverance from the power of sin for those believe in Him (1:4).
• Grace says, “There is no difference! All are sinners, and all can be saved through faith in Christ!”
• But Peter’s actions had said, “There is a difference! The grace of God is not sufficient; we also need the Law.”
• Returning to the Law nullifies the Cross: “If righteousness came by the Law, then Christ is dead in vain” (Gal. 2:21).
• Law says DO! Grace says DONE! “It is finished!” was Christ’s victory cry (John 19:30). “For by grace are ye saved through faith”[6]
• In essence Paul affirmed, “If He loved me enough to give Himself for me, then He loves me enough to live out His life in me.”[7]

21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.[8]

• Faith in the Son of God transforms a person from a slave of the Law to a child of God.
• Paul’s opponents had accused him of using God’s grace to justify unrighteous living.[9]
• We have no record of Peter’s reply to Paul’s rebuke, but Scripture would indicate that he admitted his sin and was restored to the fellowship once again.
• Certainly when you read his two letters (1 and 2 Peter) you detect no deviation from the Gospel of the grace of God.
• In fact, the theme of 1 Peter is “the true grace of God” (1 Peter 5:12); and the word grace is used in every chapter of the letter.
• Peter is careful to point out that he and Paul were in complete agreement, lest anyone try to “rob Peter to pay Paul”
  
  
• Ask yourself:
  1) Have I been saved by the grace of God?
  2) Am I trying to mix Law and grace?
  3) Am I rejoicing in the fact that I have been justified by faith in Christ Jesus?
  4) Am I walking in the freedom of grace?
  5) Am I walking by the Spirit (that aligns with the Truth of the Gospel)?
  6) Am I willing to walk by the Spirit in defense of the Gospel?

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ga 2:11–13). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 694). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 695). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[4] Campbell, D. K. (1985). Galatians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 596). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 695). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 696). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[7] Campbell, D. K. (1985). Galatians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 596). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[8] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ga 2:1–21). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[9] Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible (Ga 2:21). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

1. Paul’s early Christian experience and his first encounter with church leaders in Jerusalem (1:11–24)
2. The summit meeting between Paul and the Jerusalem leaders over the scope and sphere of his missionary work (2:1–10)
3. The confrontation with Peter at Antioch leading to the central pronouncement of justification by faith (2:11–21).[1]

- Paul’s first fight for Christian liberty was at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:1–35; Gal. 2:1–10); his second was at a private meeting with Peter (Gal. 2:11–21). [2]
-  Paul had already returned from Antioch and 1st Missionary Journey with Barnabas when reports about all the Gentiles being “saved” returned to Jerusalem.
 - The Jewish leaders were upset with what they heard and went to Antioch and began telling the Gentile believers that they needed to become Jewish first (circumcision) before they became Christians.
 - The Jewish leaders had forgotten the true purpose of circumcision.
 - The new believers had a circumcision of the heart.
 - They did not need a physical operation.
 
GALATIANS 2
PAUL DEFENDS HIS GOSPEL AT JERUSALEM
1 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also.

• Titus was a Greek Gentile and companion of Paul.
• He is mentioned to demonstrate that the leaders of the church in Jerusalem did not pressure him to be circumcised.
• This would have discredited any claim that the leaders in Jerusalem required that Gentiles be circumcised.[3]

 
2 I went up according to a revelation and presented
(make clear to you) to them the gospel I preach among
the Gentiles, but privately to those recognized as
leaders. I wanted to be sure I was not running, and had
not been running, in vain. and wonders.

• They met privately with the 3 pillars
• “According to a revelation” – The Lord told Paul to meet privately with these 3.
• Peter, James & John
• James is Jesus’ half-brother.
• The other James (brother of John) was killed by Herod in Acts 12.
• Attests to Paul’s motivation for traveling to Jerusalem.
• He was responding to God’s direction, not human invitation.
• He was concerned with aligning his ministry to the Gentiles with the work of the Jerusalem apostles.
• In essence, he was not the rogue minister that his accusers claimed he was.[4]
• Paul wanted to provide a “united” front in the public meetings.
• If the “pillars” sided with the Judaizers, or tried to compromise, then Paul’s ministry would be in jeopardy.
• He wanted to get their approval before he faced the whole assembly; otherwise a three-way division could result.[5]
• Paul was being proactive rather reactive.
• This is an awkward situation… so let’s fight through the awkwardness.
• The Spirit will lead you to be proactive… your delay causes you to be reactive.

3 But not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4 This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus in order to enslave us. 5 But we did not give up and submit to these people for even a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would be preserved for you.

• Titus was 100% Gentile. Didn’t need to be circumcised (It was obvious from his behavior that he was a believer).
• Timothy – Was 50% Gentile and 50% Jewish. He needed to be circumcised so as not to bring confusion to the Jews he was trying to reach with the Gospel.
• Paul’s concern was “the truth of the Gospel” (Gal. 2:5, 14), not the “peace of the church.”
• The wisdom that God sends from above is “first pure, then peaceable” (James 3:17).
• “Peace at any price” was not Paul’s philosophy of ministry, nor should it be ours.

6 Now from those recognized as important (what they once were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism)—they added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter was for the circumcised, 8 since the one at work in Peter for an apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in me for the Gentiles. 9 When James, Cephas, and John—those recognized as pillars—acknowledged the grace that had been given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to me and Barnabas, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.

• Ever since Paul’s time, the enemies of grace have been trying to add something to the simple Gospel of the grace of God.
• They tell us that a man is saved by faith in Christ plus something—good works, the Ten Commandments, baptism, church membership, religious ritual—and Paul makes it clear that these teachers are wrong.
• It is a serious thing to tamper with the Gospel.[6]
• This act of “giving the right hand of fellowship” indicates the acceptance of Paul’s apostleship and gospel message by the apostles in Jerusalem, as well as the recognition of their partnership as ministers.
• If the Galatians were formerly concerned that Paul might be a rogue apostle, they no longer needed to be.[7]

10 They asked only that we would remember the poor, which I had made every effort to do.

• Correct doctrine is never a substitute for Christian duty (James 2:14–26).
• Too often our church meetings discuss problems, but they fail to result in practical help for the needy world.
• Paul had always been interested in helping the poor (Acts 11:27–30), so he was glad to follow the leaders’ suggestion.[8]
  ​
  

FREEDOM FROM THE LAW
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch,

• Antioch was 300 miles north of Jerusalem (Syria)
• During the New Testament period Antioch was the third largest city in the Roman Empire and boasted a population of more than half a million.
• Peter came to Paul’s home turf.
• The Jewish community formed a significant segment of the city’s population, numbering some sixty-five thousand during the New Testament era.[9]

I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. 12 For he regularly ate with the Gentiles before certain men came from James.

• These were not the same men mentioned in 2:4 (false teachers).
• These men were sent from Jerusalem by James.
• They ate differently (law vs no law) – piety
• It wasn’t the fact that he was just eating with the Gentiles.
• He ate like the Gentiles… forgetting Jewish rituals that he practiced with the Jews.
• How does this differ when Paul says, “Be all things to all people.”?
• When the Judaizers came along, they expected the Gentiles to eat like them.

However, when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party.

• What did Peter have to be afraid of? Intimidation?
• Power of sin working on Peter… He was the one who had authority… not James’ men.
• Peter’s fear was robbing him of his freedom.
• Proverbs 29:25 - 25 The fear of man is a snare, but the one who trusts in the Lord is protected.[10]

13 Then the rest of the Jews joined his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

• That speaks of the influence that James had back in Jerusalem.
• Or how strong Jewish rituals were taught.
• Paul used two very strong words in his public condemnation of Peter and the other Jewish Christians at Antioch who had separated from their Gentile brothers and sisters: playacting and crooked walking.
• The word in v. 13 translated “hypocrisy” (hypokrisis) comes from the world of the theater, where it refers to the act of wearing a mask or playing a part in a drama.
• By negative transference it came to mean pretense, insincerity, acting in a fashion that belies one’s true convictions.
• Here is the brunt of Paul’s charge against Peter: He should have known better!
• Peter was not guilty of an honest mistake, nor was there any evidence that he had changed his mind about the extension of salvation to the Gentiles.
• Peter had donned a mask of pretense; he was shamefully acting a part contrary to his own true convictions.

What Paul rebuked was the inconsistency of his conduct.[11]

[1] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, pp. 105–106). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 689). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[3] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ga 2:1). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[4] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ga 2:2). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 691). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 692). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[7] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ga 2:9). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 693). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[9] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, p. 170). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[10] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Pr 29:25). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[11] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, p. 177). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.