Galatians 1

grace: unmerited goodness towards humanity, given freely by God, which manifests in the giving of blessings and granting of salvation righteousness: conformity to God’s accepted standards of morality; right standing with God Judaizer: a person who observes, adopts, or favours the adoption of Jewish religious practices prescribed in the OT Law

IA. Greeting (1:1-5) vv. 1-5: How do Paul’s greetings here compare to his greetings to other churches? (similarities? Differences?) 1 Corinthians 1:1-4 Ephesians 1:1-2, 15-16 Philippians 1:1-3 Colossians 1:1-3

IA. Greeting (1:1-5) Foreshadowing in the greeting (these themes will come up again): 1:1 – Where does Paul’s apostleship come from? 1:2 – Who else agrees with the gospel Paul preaches? The new age of salvation has broken into time by Christ’s death and resurrection, which has delivered believers from this present evil age (1:1, 4) 1:5 – Whom does the gospel give glory to?

IA. Greeting (1:1-5) v. 1: apostle: “one who is sent, a messenger”  by whom? “not from men nor through man” Why all this emphasis on Paul’s apostleship coming from God? Tone? v. 4: Paul always thinks about the saving work of Christ on the cross (introduces it right away) Jesus not only saves Christians from their sins but also sets them free from being slaves of this world (slavery as a motif later on)

IA. Greeting (1:1-5) v. 5: “to whom be glory” – contrast with the false teachers (6:12)

IB. Initial rebuke (1:6-9) v. 6: “turning to a different gospel” – Is this disagreement over a minor issue? Are Christians allowed to disagree over certain matters? justification: the action whereby human beings are freed from the penalty of sin and counted righteous by God What is Paul’s tone in these verses?

IIA. Paul’s defence of himself and the gospel (1:10-24) v. 10: Uses a rhetorical question for emphasis “OR”: Can someone try to win the approval of both men AND God? rhetorical question: a question asked only to produce an effect or make a statement, rather than to elicit an answer or information vv. 13-14: What human reason did Paul have to become a follower of Jesus?

IIA. Paul’s defence of himself and the gospel (1:10-24) v. 15: Who took the initiative here? v. 16: Which group of people was Paul primarily to preach to? How is this idea revolutionary?

IIA. Paul’s defence of himself and the gospel (1:10-24) vv. 17-22: Why does Paul stress that he didn’t see or talk to anyone after he became a Christian? (Hint: think about what Paul has been trying to do so far) Independence of Paul’s gospel Why does Paul stress the independence of his gospel?