1. Paul’s wish. Our lesson begins with this stunning question, after extolling the value of harmony in God’s church: Should unity be preserved at the cost of truth? Do we sometimes debate issues on the basis of who agrees with us (or them) rather than on the merits of a given position? 2. The importance … Continue reading –>
Our Sabbath afternoon introduction to this weeks’ lesson has: Hymn 518, “Standing on the Promises”, and Hymn 610, “Stand Like the Brave” ringing in my ears. To these we may add: Hymn 618, “Stand Up! Stand Up for Jesus!”. Martin Luther stood firm and as Ellen White says “his unwavering firmness was the means of … Continue reading –>
Read Galatians 2:1-10. Paul says that the false brothers “slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery” (Gal. 2:4, ESV). What are Christians free from? Read John 8:31-36; Rom. 6:6-7; Rom. 8:2-3; Gal. 3:23-25; Gal. 4:7-8; Heb. 2:14-15. How do we experience for ourselves the reality of this freedom? Freedom, as a … Continue reading –>
Why was circumcision such a focal point in the dispute between Paul and certain Jewish Christians? See Gen. 17:1-22; Gal. 2:3-5; Gal. 5:2, Gal. 5:6; Acts 15:1, Acts 15:5. Why is it not that hard to understand how some could have believed that even the Gentiles needed to undergo it? Circumcision was the sign of the covenant relationship that God established with Abraham, … Continue reading –>
Key Thought: The early church was in danger of losing its understanding of the gospel by depending on Jewish traditions that led them away from faith in Christ’s work. Lesson 3, July 15, 2017 1. Have a volunteer read I Corinthians 1:10-13. a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important … Continue reading –>
Read 1 Corinthians 1:10-13. What does this passage tell us about how important Paul believed unity in the church was? Having refuted the allegations that his gospel was not God-given, Paul directs his attention in Galatians 2:1-2 to another charge being made against him. The false teachers in Galatia claimed that Paul’s gospel was not in harmony with … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Gal. 2:1-14, 1 Cor. 1:10-13, Gen. 17:1-21, John 8:31-36, Col. 3:11. Memory Text: “Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind”(Philippians 2:2, ESV). Protestant reformer John Calvin believed that disunity and division were the devil’s chief device against the church, and he warned … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: “In almost every church there were some members who were Jews by birth. To these converts the Jewish teachers found ready access, and through them gained a foot-hold in the churches. It was impossible, by scriptural arguments, to overthrow the doctrines taught by Paul; hence they resorted to the most unscrupulous measures to … Continue reading –>
This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead. Galatians 1:1 NLT I remember sitting in church, no more than four years old, watching the preacher preach, and … Continue reading –>
The troublemakers in Galatia were claiming that Paul’s gospel was really driven by his desire to obtain the approval of others. What might Paul have done differently in his letter if he were merely seeking human approval? Consider Gal. 1:6-9, Gal. 1:11-24. Why did Paul not require Gentile converts to be circumcised? Paul’s opponents claimed it was because … Continue reading –>
