1. powerpoint presentation designed by claro ruiz vicente http://clarovicente.weebly.com Adult Bible Study Guide Oct Nov Dec 2011 Adult Bible Study Guide Oct Nov Dec 2011

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3. Carl P. Cosaert Principal Contributor

4. The Gospel in Galatians Contents 1 Paul: Apostle to the GentilesBackground 2 Paul’s Authority and Gospel1; 5:12 3 The Unity of the Gospel2:1-14 4 Justification by Faith Alone2:15-21 5 Old Testament Faith3:1-14 6 The Priority of the Promise3:15-20 7 The Road to Faith3:21-25 8 From Slaves to Heirs3:26-4:20 9 Paul’s Pastoral Appeal4:12-20 10 The Two Covenants4:21-31 11 Freedom in Christ5:1-15 12 Living by the Spirit5:16-25 13 The Gospel and the Church6:1-10 14 Boasting in the Cross6:11-18

5. The Gospel in Galatians Our Goal {167} T o reflect on our own understanding of the gospel. Allow God’s Spirit to spark a spiritual revival in our hearts as we rediscover what God has done for us in Christ.

6. The Gospel in Galatians Lesson 14, December 31 The Gospel in Galatians Lesson 14, December 31 Boasting in the Cross

7. Key Text Galatians 6:14 ESV B ut far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

8. Boasting in the Cross Initial Words {325} N owhere do our “glorious” human wisdom, our riches, and our might appear more clearly in all their futility and vanity than before the Cross of Christ—the focus of Paul’s letter to his erring flock in Galatia.

9. Boasting in the Cross Quick Look 1. Boasting in the Flesh (Galatians 6:12, 13) 2. Boasting in the Cross—1 (Galatians 6:14) 3. Boasting in the Cross—2 (Galatians 6:15)

10. Boasting in the Cross 1. Boasting in the Flesh Galatians 6:12, 13 NLT T hose who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don’t want to be persecuted for teaching that cross of Christ alone can save. … They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples.”

11. 1. Boasting in the Flesh “A Good Showing” {328} P aul is saying that these people were like actors seeking the approval of an audience. In a culture based on honor and shame, conformity is essential, and those teaching the errors appear to have been seeking to improve their honor rating before their fellow Jews in Galatia and other Jewish Christians back in Jerusalem.

12. 1. Boasting in the Flesh “A Good Showing” {328} Paul makes an important point about one of their motives—the desire to avoid persecution. Although persecution can certainly be understood in its more dramatic forms involving physical abuse, it can be just as damaging even in its more “mild” forms of harassment and exclusion.

13. 1. Boasting in the Flesh “A Good Showing” {328} The Jewish religious leaders had the official sanction of Rome; hence, many Jewish believers were eager to maintain good relations with them. By circumcising Gentiles and teaching them to observe the Torah, the troublemakers in Galatia could find a point of common ground with the local Jews.

14. Boasting in the Cross 2. Boasting in the Cross—1 Galatians 6:14 NLT A s for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our L ORD Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.”

15. 2. Boasting in the Cross—1 Dead to the World {330} F or Paul, the gospel is based on two fundamental tenets: (1) centrality of the Cross (vs. 14) (2) doctrine of justification (vs. 15). Today the cross of Christ is a common and cherished symbol that evokes positive feelings for most people.

16. 2. Boasting in the Cross—1 Dead to the World {330} In Paul’s day, however, the cross was not something to boast of but something to be despised. Jews found the idea of a crucified Messiah offensive, and Romans found crucifixion so repulsive that it was not even mentioned as a form of punishment suitable for a Roman citizen.

17. 2. Boasting in the Cross—1 Dead to the World {330} The cross of Christ changes everything for the believer. It challenges us not only to reevaluate how we view ourselves but also how we relate to the world. The world—this present evil age and all that it entails (1 John 2:16)— stands in opposition to God.

18. 2. Boasting in the Cross—1 Dead to the World {330} Because we have died with Christ, the world no longer has the enslaving power it once held over us, and the old life that we once lived for the world is no longer. Following Paul’s analogy, the break between the believer and the world should be as if the two died to each other.

19. Boasting in the Cross 3. Boasting in the Cross—2 Galatians 6:15 NLT I t doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation.”

20. 3. Boasting in the Cross—2 A New Creation {332} legalism— one does one doesn’t do P aul does not want the Galatians to conclude that being uncircumcised is more pleasing to God than being circumcised. One can be just as legalistic about what one does as about what one doesn’t do. True religion is not rooted in external behavior but in the condition of the human heart.

21. 3. Boasting in the Cross—2 A New Creation {332} Becoming a “new creature” is not something that can be brought about by any human effort— whether it be circumcision or anything else. It is the divine act in which God takes a person who is spiritually dead and breathes spiritual life into him. Another metaphor to describe justification by faith.

22. 3. Boasting in the Cross—2 A New Creation {332} Becoming a new creation means far more than just a change in our status in the books of heaven; it brings about a change in our lives today. Becoming a new creature, however, is not what justifies us. This radical change is, instead, the unmistakable manifestation of what it means to be justified.

23. Boasting in the Cross Final Words {336} T rue religion does not consist of outward behavior but the condition of the heart. When the heart is surrendered to God, a person’s life will more and more reflect the character of Christ as he or she grows in faith. The heart must be subdued by Christ; when that happens, all else will follow.