Read Galatians 4:8–20. Summarize on the lines below what Paul is saying there. How seriously does he take the false teachings among Galatians? Paul does not describe the exact nature of the Galatians’ religious practices, but he clearly has in mind a false system of worship that resulted in spiritual slavery. Indeed, he deemed it … Continue reading –>
Key Thought: As we accept Jesus Christ into our lives, we are called children of God, not because of our merits, but because of His gifts to His children. [Teaching Plan for From Slaves to Heirs November 16, 2011] 1. Have a volunteer read Galatians 3:27-29. A. Ask class members to share a short thought … Continue reading –>
In Galatians 4:5–7, Paul expands on his theme, stressing that Christ has now “redeemed those who were under the law” (vss. 4, 5, ESV). The word to redeem means “to buy back.” It referred to the price paid to buy the freedom of either a hostage or a slave. As this context indicates, redemption implies … Continue reading –>
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law”(Gal. 4:4, ESV). Paul’s choice of the word fullness indicates God’s active role in working out His purpose in human history. Jesus did not come at just any time; He came at the precise time God … Continue reading –>
Seventh-day Adventists have traditionally looked at the Sabbath from the standpoint of law that reflects back on creation. This is derived from the commandment itself, “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day” (Ex 20:11 NKJV). So we … Continue reading –>
Having just compared our relationship to God with that of sons and heirs, Paul now elaborates on this metaphor by including the theme of inheritance in Galatians 4:1–3. Paul’s terminology evokes a situation in which an owner of a large estate has died, leaving all his property to his oldest son. His son, however, is … Continue reading –>
Keeping Galatians 3:25 in mind, read Galatians 3:26. How does this text help us understand what our relationship to the law is, now that we have been redeemed by Jesus? 1 The word for at the beginning of verse 26 indicates that Paul sees a direct connection between this verse and the preceding one. In the same way that a master’s … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Gal. 3:26–4:20; Rom. 6:1–11; Heb. 2:14–18; 4:14, 15; Rom. 9:4, 5. Memory Text: “So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Galatians 4:7, ESV). Paul tells the Galatians that they should not live and act as slaves but as the sons and daughters of … Continue reading –>
In 1879, teens Luther Warren and Harry Fenner wanted to do evangelism for Jesus. Praying together often for ideas and vision, young Fenner and Warren initiated the first Adventist youth group. Their Michigan Adventist Youth Society was successful from the beginning, and soon spread to other conferences. In the early years of Adventism, youth work … Continue reading –>
“I am asked concerning the law in Galatians. What law is the schoolmaster to bring us to Christ? I answer: Both the ceremonial and the moral code of ten commandments. “Christ was the foundation of the whole Jewish economy. The death of Abel was in consequence of Cain’s refusing to accept God’s plan in the … Continue reading –>
Chinamo Mashiri I live in Zambia in southwestern Africa. My parents died when I was little, and my aunt and uncle took me in. They sent me to a boarding school to study. There I met some Adventist students who shared their faith with me. They taught me about God from the Bible, and I … Continue reading –>
Many have interpreted Paul’s comment in Galatians 3:25 as a complete dismissal of the law. This makes little sense, however, in light of Paul’s positive comments about the law elsewhere in the Bible. 1 What does he, then, mean? First, we are no longer under the law’s condemnation (Rom. 8:3). As believers, we are in Christ and enjoying the … Continue reading –>
