L i v i n g in f r e e d o m Studies in Galatians

Eis(bert) & Maja van Dijk-Thalmann

 Born in 1956  2 brothers + one sister(USA)  Reformed Church + Baptist Church  13 years as High School teacher  1 Year Freedom in Christ Ministr.  4 years Theology  13 years at Tauernhof(Austria) History

I work as… - a Ski-instructor - a Hiking-instructor - a Freelance Bible-teacher / Speaker

Q: Why do you study the Bible? Information or Transformation?  Information or Transformation?  Head- or Heart knowledge? – 1 Cor.8:1  You into the Word or the Word into you?  You judge the Word or is the Word judging you?  Does it lead you to Christ or to…? – John 5:39  …

Paul’s goal of writing: Gal.4:19 My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you,

Studying scripture should lead us… to Christ, to receive the life of Christ and… to be transformed into the image of CHRIST! Christ!

L i v i n g in f r e e d o m Studies in Galatians

1) Learning Goal: To understand myself & the background of the situation in the churches in Galatia. (Acts 13 – 15)

Read Galatians and meditate on it by asking yourself: Did I desert the grace of Christ? - 1:6 Do I try to please men or Christ? – 1:10 Is God able to reveal his son in me? – 1:16 Has there been any change in my life? – 1:23 Do I experience freedom in Christ? – 2:4 +5:1

What is really the truth of the g. for me? – 2:5+14 Am I acting like a hypocrite? – 2:13 Am I crucified with Christ? – 2:20 Do I live by the Spirit or by the law? - Ch.3 Am I a righteous person? – 3:10 Do I posses the Holy Spirit? – 3:14

Have I clothed myself with Christ? - 3:27 Can I call God my Father? – 4:6 Do I still have joy? - 4:15 Is Christ formed in me? – 4:19 Do I obey the truth? – 5:7

a)Never forget: Most of the epistles are… - ordinary letters (= s) from… - ordinary people to ordinary people, - living in an ordinary time and - experiencing ordinary problems - asking ordinary life-questions; - dealing with ordinary life situations! (having NO Scripture/BIBLE!!!) (having NO Scripture/BIBLE!!!)

b) Problem: glasses of 21-st century We tend to read our Bibles through the glasses of 21-st century people! But: Although the Bible is not written to us it is written for us!

c) Galatians is an epistle to… Spiritual people, who didn‘t have a Spiritual book nor… Spiritual leaders nor … Spiritual insight and… didn‘t know how to live the Spiritual life! (Same problems in John and in the epistle to the Romans ) epistle to the Romans )

Situation? Confusion! They were confused and tried to find their own spiritual solutions =legalism/circumcision 1:7 + 5:10 Confused means ‘not being single minded, but double minded’

It Was not how to become a Christian, but how to live and develop as a good Christian. It was all about living the Christian Life!!!

Nowhere …  in the preaching of Jesus, or…  in the book of Acts, or…  in the NT epistles… is „going to heaven“ ever the reason to become a Christian.

Heaven? Heaven is not the reason to become a Christian- it is a consequence of being a Christian (not it‘s substance!)

Christianity is all about… a) being reconciled to God and be HIS own! b) being filled with HIS Spirit! c) Being transformed into HIS likeness! Being equipped to live the Spiritual life and becoming the Spiritual person God wants us to be through the indwelling Life of Jesus Christ = Holy Spirit