DAY 9 - GALATIANS

March 9, 2023

Galatians 2:15-19 (NLT)

“You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.” But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God.

Thought:

This is the first appearance of the important word “justification” in this letter. Justification is the act of God whereby he declares the believing sinner righteous in Jesus Christ. Each word here is important. It’s an act of God (not by man’s character or works). God declares the believing sinner righteous (He does not make him righteous). Going further, justification is not simply “forgiveness” (once you have been justified by faith, you are declared “not guilty” and you can never be called guilty again). Finally, God justifies sinners (not “good people”).

In contrast: If we are justified by “works of the law,” we have a lot of work to do. The Jewish rabbis counted 613 laws in the Old Testament. We would need to obey them all without failing at any point. That’s a ridiculous requirement, yet these false teachers believed that’s how God set us right - a little grace from him and a lot of effort from us.

Application:

1. The gospel frees. The law binds. When you look at God, what do you feel? If you don’t feel freedom, return to the message of the gospel until you do!

2. Do you rejoice in being justified by faith in Christ alone? Explain.

DAY 8 - GALATIANS

March 8, 2023

Galatians 2:11-14 (NLT)

But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?

Thought:

Some Bible teachers think this is one of the most tense episodes in the New Testament. Here are two leading apostles of Jesus Christ face-to-face in conflict. Paul, still fighting for freedom in Christ, confronts Peter over a theological issue. Peter believed and preached the gospel of grace, yet in this instance, his life contradicted his message. It’s possible to unsay with our actions what we say with our mouths, and that’s hypocrisy.

When Peter was in mixed company in Galatia, he chose the path of least resistance; he chose to separate himself from the Gentiles because he lost his courage to stand for the truth. He was driven by fear of what James and other leaders would think. By joining the Judaizers, Peter sent the message that Gentiles could not be set right with God unless they abstained from certain foods. He was adding law on top of grace, which erased grace entirely. Compromise is an important element in getting along with others, but we should never compromise the truth of God’s Word.

Application:

1. Does your life contradict your message?

2. Paul insisted that he and Peter were justified by grace through faith in Christ and that the rules of Jewish culture had thereby become optional. If a person today is saved by grace through faith in Christ, are the rules of Christian culture optional? Explain.

DAY 7 - GALATIANS

March 7, 2023

Galatians 2:6-10 (NLT)

And the leaders of the church had nothing to add to what I was preaching. (By the way, their reputation as great leaders made no difference to me, for God has no favorites.) Instead, they saw that God had given me the responsibility of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as he had given Peter the responsibility of preaching to the Jews. For the same God who worked through Peter as the apostle to the Jews also worked through me as the apostle to the Gentiles. In fact, James, Peter, and John, who were known as pillars of the church, recognized the gift God had given me, and they accepted Barnabas and me as their co-workers. They encouraged us to keep preaching to the Gentiles, while they continued their work with the Jews. Their only suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor, which I have always been eager to do.

Thought:

At the beginning of this text, it sounds as if Paul is downplaying the apostles’ leadership and importance when he says “their reputation as great leaders makes no difference to me, God has no favorites.” But Paul is merely saying that God’s grace levels us all. It does not matter to Paul who Peter, James, and John once were. All that matters is the grace they’ve received and the gospel they proclaim. Paul, again, is seeking unity in the message of the gospel.

The Jerusalem Conference began with a great possibility for division and dissension, yet it ended with cooperation and agreement. Peter, James, and John (all circumcised Jewish Christians) recognized Paul’s ministry as effective and valid. Paul took the gospel to the uncircumcised. Peter took the gospel to the circumcised. Same message, different people groups, Jesus unifying the world around his good news.

And don’t miss verse 10 where they move from the theological to the practical - helping the poor. Certainly, these things go together, but correct doctrine is never a substitute for loving others!

Application:

1. Do you think Paul would find modern Christian rules more justifiable than the Jewish ones he opposed?

2. How can you practice the same unity displayed in these verses? How is God calling you to work with others to build His church?