Galatians Is:
- The Magna Carta Of The Early Church
- The Manifesto Of Christian Liberty
- The Impregnable Citadel, and a Veritable Gibraltar against any attack on the heart of the gospel.
Key word – Grace.
Key verse is Galatians 5:1
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
The Theme is Living in Freedom!
We begin with an overview of the three approaches to grace found in Galatia. They are present in every church today.
The Grace – The
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel, not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.” – Galatians 1:6-7
“Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery.” Galatians 2:4
“But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.” – Galatians 2:11-13
Legalism says, “Do!” Grace says, “Done!”
Grace – The
“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another; And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” – Galatians 5:13, 24
“It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.” – Romans 14:21
Grace – The
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” – Galatians 5:1
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9
Grace Evaluation
- Do you tend to be a grace assassin where you focus on external works instead of unmerited grace?
- Do you tend to be a grace abuser where you push the edges of God’s grace to suit your passions and desires?
- Do you tend to be a grace ambassador who embraces God’s grace and freely extends God’s grace to others?