129. Beginner Bible Course: Paul's letter to the Galatians (Grace-lations)

EPISODE 129:  THE LETTER TO THE GALATIANS (GRACE-LATIONS)

My father-in-law. Chuck was a man who loved life.

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He didn't just chew life down to the bone. He chewed through the bone and sucked out the marrow may I illustrate he was in Washington, DC for a conference. When the conference ended, he had about two hours before he had to be at the airport for his flight home. I say, had to be because my father-in-law was never anywhere before he had to be. He had too much life to experience with my mother-in-law in tow. He made a deal with the cabbie to run them around for two hours. His goal, to see every major museum in Washington, DC, he saved his best for last, the air and space museum. My mother-in-law reminded him.

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We have to leave for the airport in 10 minutes that didn't stop. Chuck. He told the cabbie drop us off at the South entrance and meet us at the North entrance in 10 minutes. Got it. I'm not kidding. If you haven't been there. The air and space museum is 635 feet long. Multiply that times two. If you go to both levels at a brisk walking paced, it would take over five minutes to walk into and on both levels. That is, if you didn't have to pause or slow down for clumps of the 8 million visitors who pack the place every year, that's five of the 10 minutes. And that's, if you don't even pause to look at any one of the 60,000 displayed items, that's how I feel.

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Walking you through the new Testament letters. I have 10 to 15 minutes to walk you through something you could linger over for days. I'm going to channel my father-in-law Chuck. And I'm going to start as we dive into the first letter Galatians, or as we call it in my class Grayslake sessions, my students need to know the theme of every new Testament book. And this one's easy. This is all about grace. So going in, we've got to know what that word means. The Greek word is chorus. That word appears repeatedly in the letters of Paul. It literally means gift. If you gave somebody a gift, you graced them.

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When it comes to salvation. Some people like the acronym for grace God's riches at Christ's expense, God gifting us by something. He gives us through Christ. If you miss my word picture for grace in episode 23, the pizza party in the hall, I'd encourage you to listen to at least the beginning of that podcast. Galatians is written to the churches. Paul visited in his first missionary journey and Asia minor there in synagogues, on street corners. And in homes. Paul had talked about our broken relationship with God. Most Romans and Greeks, along with the Jews believed there was a God or guides and that they had messed up that the guide or guides needed to be appeased or something done to cover their missed upness.

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They probably thought the solution to fix it was one of three things. The first group thought I've got to do a lot of chores to appease the gods it's on me, but Paul preaches the other end of the spectrum. We can't fix it. How do you appease a God, especially a Holy God. How are you going to fix a broken relationship with a Holy God with chores? Instead he preaches grace. God has to fix that relationship. And he can't just look the other way on our brokenness. Sin requires a penalty or payment. Otherwise, God, isn't just so Paul preached that penalty was put on Jesus. And when this perfect lamb of God shed his blood, he made a payment to a Holy God.

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Now it's just a matter of accepting that grace, that gift, but there was a third group in the middle of the, how do you fix your broken relationship with God or gods spectrum? It was people that thought God does his part. And I do my part and together, both parts are necessary. We're going to find this tension is in most of Paul's letters early in his life. Paul had been in that, do it yourself, fix it. Camp. A Pharisee of Pharisees do chores for God meticulously. And someday God will say you did pretty good come on in, but they're on the road to Damascus. Paul had met Jesus. And in that encounter, Paul swung to the other side of the spectrum.

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Something happened where he realized no amount of chores will ever do it. I have to receive the gift. God gives me through the penalty for my sin being placed on Jesus. What triggered the letter to the Galatians was the same issue that triggered the Jerusalem council, that group in the middle people that said getting our relationship with God fixed was a group effort. It was what Jesus did on the cross. And what I do with him being circumcised and keeping the rules Paul's letter to the Galatians is a frontal attack on the other two camps. The I have to fix it. Rule keepers and the people in the middle we'll fix it together called Judaizers.

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Before we go into the Galatians exhibit, if you didn't listen to the last podcast, number one 28, please do at least listen to the last three minutes. When I have a Chuck style walkthrough of the characteristics of the 21 new Testament letters on second thought, listen to the whole thing. It really sets up this first letter. It's the same issue Paul deals with you don't have to get very far into the Galatians exhibit before you realize Paul is really mad. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall. When this four foot six inch missionary and theologian got wind of what was happening in the province of Glacia those cities of Antioch Presidio, I conium list DRA and Derby.

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He had to have kicked some furniture, want proof. Here's a sampling of some statements he makes in Galatians three verses in. He says, I'm shocked that you're turning away so soon from God. The one who in his mercy called you to eternal life through Jesus. A little later, he says, if anyone we, or even an angel from heaven preaches a different gospel than grace, let him be damned. No, he says that a little later. He says you foolish Galatians whose puts you under a spell. Are you so foolish having begun by the spirit? Are you now thinking you can become perfected with your own fleshly efforts?

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Duh, a little later, Jesus set you free. Why on earth? Would you ever subject yourself again to a yoke of slavery? You've been severed from Christ. You who are seeking to be justified by rule, keeping you fallen from grace. Then in chapter five, my favorite toward these Judaizers, that middle camp, who said you had to cut off a little for skin to be right with God. Paul writes this would that those people even mutilate themselves. Translation. If cutting off a little skin makes you right with God, just think how right you will be. If you lop off the whole thing. No, it's there. Read it.

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Galatians five 12. Paul is really ticked. Grace is not something to mess with. Paul's gotten a message. These Judaizers are preaching that his gospel is wrong. They're preaching. The gospel is not grace. Faith in Jesus alone equals salvation. It is faith in Jesus. Plus obeying the law of Moses and especially the right of circumcision. So Paul responds carried along by the Holy spirit and wired as he is this zealous theologian and church missionary dictates the letter to the churches in Glacia. Paul had spent almost a year preaching the gospel in these cities and taking a beating for it.

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The Judaizers are telling his audience, you know what Paul says sounds nice, but it don't work that way. Paul made this stuff up and he probably made it up just to tickle your ears and be popular. You know, compensating for his height. Maybe this is too easy. Folks. You can believe in Jesus, but you have to contribute to your salvation. You have to obey the laws he gave through Moses. He didn't write them with a pencil and he certainly has any race them. They still apply. So get busy in the first four chapters of grace, Galatians Paul, the theologian takes dynamite to the get busy, do chores theology of the Judaizers.

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This is a Hill. Paul is willing to die on. He tells the Galatians don't be fools. Don't be Bewitched. What they're teaching you is just plain stupid. And here's why first he says, these Judaizers are saying, I made this up. This isn't just the me message. Now, not that I have to get the big shots to agree. God agrees with this message, but they agreed. Salvation is a free gift. Then Paul tells them about the time in Antioch, where he gets into Peter's face. That's right. The rock Peter had come up to Antioch, but when some hoity toity rule keepers come from Jerusalem, he stops going to the park barbecues.

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He's two faced. Paul said when I saw him being carried away in this hypocrisy, communicating, it's not just grace. I got into his face in public. Paul further tells the Galatians Barnabas got carried away too. Just like Peter, can you believe it? Barnabas. So be aware readers, this stuff is dangerous. Be careful not to get sucked into it. Paul moves on to his third reason, believing them as stupid Jesus gave himself to save our sins. Why would he do this? If keeping the lock could save us. If we could be made right with God, by keeping the law, why would God do that to his son?

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And if keeping the law makes us right with God, then people, Jesus died for nothing. I stopped here and asked my students, how would you feel if you heard a stranger desperately needed a kidney to survive. You happen to be a match. You agreed to give up your kidney. You knew it would be a long, painful recovery and some risks to you, but you did it anyway. When you came out of surgery and open your eyes there on your side table was a tray with a bloody thing in it. You asked the attending nurse. What's that? Oh, that's your kidney. Why isn't it in the Doni? The nurse says, yeah, about that. They decided they really didn't need it or want it.

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After all Paul moves on with his fourth reason, that's stupid because of the Holy spirit came. When you believed did the Holy spirit ever come when you kept the law, tell me ever fifth, read your old Testament. You claim Abraham as your model, your father. How is Abraham made right with God? Tell me by keeping the law. No, by believing with faith, go read it. Abraham believed God and God said, we're good. It was a gift. Then go read Genesis 12, three through you, Abraham, all nations will be blessed. Abraham is the model for all of us, from all nations believing God is the way God made a covenant with Abraham, that this would be his way to be made, right?

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We can't change a covenant. God makes, he makes the rules and his rule, his grace six, if you try to be right with God, by keeping the law, you have to keep it perfectly. Every law Paul reminds them of Deuteronomy 27, six cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the law to perform them, know them and do them do them all you say, why would God demand that kind of perfection? I explained this in episode 21, my students know this one. Well, the turd in God's Punchbowl, Paul moves on Jesus took on the curse of sin for us.

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That's what he did on the cross. My God, my God. Why have you forsaken me? Paul? The lawyer then talks about the old Testament law making us right, was not even the purpose of the law to begin with. The law was to show us how wrong we are. It actually stirs up in us, the desire to break it. What would you feel like doing if a grumpy neighbor put a sign up at the corner of his yard, keep off my yard. Some of my students smile and say, I get it. I'd look for any way I could to go on his yard. I suggest to my students, I would want to throw my dog's poop into his yard. I pound this home to my students.

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The law in the old Testament was not a prescription to make us better. It was an MRI to show us how bad we are inside. Paul hardly agrees in chapter three. Paul tells his readers, the law was a tutor, bringing us to Christ. A tutor, brought a child to their school each day. If Paul was speaking to us today, he'd say the law was a school bus to deliver us to Jesus, to be schooled. These teachers are telling you stay on the school bus rather than go to Jesus school. Paul goes on to say, don't be stupid. There are not separate rules for Jews and Gentiles or for that matter for slaves or free people or for men or women, that's just stupid.

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And it doesn't fit with the nature of our God who wants all of his kids back by a gift of grace. Then Paul moves to the inside. Did you notice how, when you believed and the Holy spirit entered you, God, your taskmaster father became your daddy. Did you notice that how you now felt like his child? Why would a child ever go back to being a slave? Why would you go back to viewing God as your task master when you've experienced him as your daddy? In chapter four of his letter, Paul goes Paul, with a deep analogy. He compares rule keeping and grace to Hagar and Sarah to Ishmael and Isaac, if you Wade through this analogy, two or three times, or perhaps two or 300 times, it'll really start to make sense.

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Paul's swinging for the fence. He's using every possible means to shake some sense into these foolish Galatians in the letter, Paul wraps up his argument like this, it's your choice. You can choose grace accepting the free gift of salvation by believing in Jesus, or you can choose keeping the whole law perfectly. Let me know how that's working for you. I tried that for 30 years in chapters, five and six, he's also been accused of offering them a simple solution. Cheap grace, the false teachers are saying, Paul's telling you, you can do whatever you want. Paul uses words in chapters, five and six, running loose and freedom chained up to rules, biting and devouring.

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It's really difficult for me not to put chapters five and six of his letter into a dog analogy. When you get a new puppy, you've got to figure out how to store this dog. I mean, you can't just keep it in the house all the time. Nature's going to call. So what are you going to do when you need to let it outside? There are generally two extremes opening the door and letting them run free or chaining them up outside. Or perhaps in a concrete kennel, a dog allowed to run free, can wreak havoc on the neighbors. They can also lick up antifreeze or run in front of cars and hurt or kill themselves. A dog allowed to run free is seldom healthy and the neighbors don't like it.

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But a dog kept on a chain or in a concrete kennel is never happy. They were bred to run and jump and play and poop. Paul agree is God never intended us to be chained up to rules. We were created to run and jump and play, but God doesn't want us running the hood and wreaking havoc on our neighbors. So Paul lays down the invisible fence of loving your neighbor as yourself, freedom and Christ with a perimeter of love. He concludes his letter. Speaking of dog fights, if you don't live with freedom within this perimeter of love, it leads to dog fights. And if you've seen a dog fight, it's ugly.

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Paul tells his readers, you actually have two dogs inside of you. Did you know that a flesh dog and a spirit dog, Paul lists the characteristics of the flesh dog breed, things like strife, jealousy, anger, and disputes. Then he lists the characteristics of the spirit dog. You might already know these love, joy, peace, patience, and so forth. Both dogs are even in a person who've accepted. God's gift of grace. Both dogs fight within you daily. And according to Paul, the one that wins each day is the one you feed the most. Paul urges, the Galatians to feed the right dog.

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Then Paul concludes his letter by encouraging us to live life in a pack and help each other. We're going to screw up the old dog. We'll occasionally win sometimes in a big way. We should take these screw up seriously because there's consequences for acting with the flesh dog, but we also should pick each other up and in there together. And if we do over time, as we feed the spirit dog, it will prevail and the pack will flourish. And with that, we exit the letter of Grayslake oceans. My father-in-law Chuck would be proud of us. I urge you to come back to Galatians and linger over these verses in Grayslake sessions at a lesser pace.

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When Paul finished this, I'm sure it triggered in his brain. This is too important for just a letter. I need to get back there and see these people face to face. So he and Barnabas began planning to revisit these churches. We call it the second missionary journey of Paul and we'll go on that journey in our next wordpicture.