Galatians 1:1-10 Teaching Notes

Learning Objectives:  

• What do I want them to understand and believe?
• There is one, unchanging gospel, from God alone, and we must live for his approval. When the need of approval of man seeps into the gospel or the messenger, we can corrupt it and come up with an imaginary, ‘other gospel.’
• What do I want them to feel?
• I want them to feel devotion to the one true gospel and God.
• How do I want them to respond to Christ? (aimed at heart-level resistance to Christ)
• I want them to recognize our tendency to live for the approval of man and not God, and repent from this as it is a corruption of the gospel. I want to be aware that we can desert the gospel, and that we need to fight furiously to protect it. Another one is not to be tolerated.

Pray

Read Galatians 1:1-10.  Paraphrase text together.  

1. What are some of the repeated words in this passage?

God the Father the gospel

God the Son, Christ let them be accursed

2. What is the tone of this passage? (Key words:  astonished, let them be accursed.)

Astonished and shocked (vs. 6)

Adamant (vs. 8-9)

3. What are some things contrasted in this passage?

True gospel vs. different gospel (vs. 6-9)

New ‘preachers’ vs. old ‘preachers’ (vs. 6-9)

Approval of man vs. approval of God (vs. 10)

4. What are the connectives/transitions? (Key word:  “For” vs. 10)

The approval of God and not of man is a bedrock to the preservation of the true gospel message.  

5. What do we learn about each of the following:

God the Father (used 5x, find and list them all first, and then unpack the ones with notes.  Do the same with other key words.)

• Grants apostleship (vs. 1) 

• Raised Jesus from the dead (vs. 1) 

• C.f. Acts 2:24-34: Peter speaking.  Ask, “Why does Peter emphasize that Jesus rose from the dead?  What are some reasons that the resurrection is important?

• gives grace and peace (vs. 3)

• His will that Jesus would die for our sins and rescue us (vs. 4) 

• C.f. Romans 8:3-4:  share “adoption and son” anecdote (at end of lesson)

• Calls us in grace of Christ (vs. 6)

• Approves of man (vs. 10)

God the Son (used 5x)

• Grants apostleship (vs. 1)

• Gives grace and peace (vs. 3)

• All turn to Heb. 10:11-23 and read the passage.  Ask: “What is the grace of God and Jesus in this passage?  Where do you see peace?”

• Gave Himself for our sins (vs. 4)

• c.f. John 10:18; Jesus is talking about His life here.  Both He and the Father were willing; neither was reluctant.  John Stott says: “In the cross the will of the Father and the will of the Son were in perfect harmony.”

• Called in His grace (vs. 6)

• Gospel is His gospel (vs. 7)

• Being his servant is about his approval, not man’s (vs. 10)

The Gospel (used 4x)

• Alternatives out there, but not the real thing (vs. 6-7_)

• The word used for ‘other’ in the Greek specifically means “another of a different type,” as opposed to “another of the same time.”  For example, you would say “Here is a man, and here is another, a woman” and use “another of a different type.”  You would use “another of the same type” if you were introducing 2 men.

• Of Christ.  It’s His gospel, through Him, and belongs to Him (vs. 7)

• Alternative gospel cause for curses x2 (vs. 8-9)

• C.f. 2 Tim. 4:3-4; All turn to Rev. 2 and look at three comments Jesus had for churches that did this well and poorly:  vs. 2, vs. 14-15, vs. 20.  Ask and discuss:  “Why must we vigilantly defend the true gospel?  What is at stake?”

Ghost question: “Based on these observations, how would you describe the gospel?” 

(Not explicitly stated, but in content):  the gospel is unchanging 

Mankind (not used as one word, but read through and observe what you learn about man from each verse)

• Not the source of apostleship (vs. 1)

• Have sins and need to be delivered (vs. 4)

• In present evil age (vs. 4)

• Can quickly desert the gospel (vs. 6)

• C.f. 2 Cor. 11:3; Jer. 2:12-13; Isa. 29:12:  Ask “What are some words used to describe turning from the gospel and God?  What does it look like?”  The word used for ‘desert’ here is the same word used for a deserted in an army, a traitor.  They had shifted their allegiance from the true gospel to another; they had betrayed God for another.]

• Can distort the gospel (vs. 7)

• Can preach a faulty gospel (vs. 8-9)

• Can seek approval of man & not God (vs. 10)

• C.f. Romans 2:29:  Ask “What does God see?”  2 Cor. 5:9-11:  Ask: “How do these verses describe our accountability before god?  Matt. 22:16:  Ask:  “What does Jesus see?  What does He not see?”

6. Now that we have unpacked the passage, go through and re-paraphrase the content of the passage.  Include words and meanings that we learned along the way.  

Take some time to let them share

7.  What do you think is the big idea or main point of this passage?  Write it out below.

Take some time to let them share

Application

On living for the approval of God: 

1. Discuss:  What does it look like to live for the approval of God but still respect and submit to authority?  What about when someone, especially a spiritual leader, confronts you?

You want to let them wrestle with the truth that living for God’s approval doesn’t make them independent of the body of Christ or spiritual leaders, but that we still live in dependence on the body for many things

2. Practically, what are some ways you can live for the approval of God and not man (maybe steps to take or ways to check)?

On turning from the Gospel:

3. As a Body:

a. What ways can Christianity in America add to the gospel?  

I.e.- we have a very specific idea of what a ‘good Christian’ looks like:  goes to church; reads Bible; doesn’t drink; dresses modestly; etc.  

b. What are some ‘broken cisterns’ that are easy to turn to as a body of believers?

One thought:  Legalism is a huge one in America.  When we find ourselves in uncomfortable situations, we often turn to dos and don’ts 

4. Personally:  (These are really introspective.  If you are running short on time, don’t rush them; ask them to think through them in a quiet time with the Lord and pray over them with a prayer partner.)

a. How can you turn from the gospel in your own heart?

b. What are your ‘broken cisterns’?

 Notes for Teacher:

Adoption and Son Anecdote

I knew someone once who was adopting a little girl from China.  He and his wife already had a son, and they went to China to get their little girl.  When they got there, they could see here on the other side of a window, but the officials were ‘nickel and diming’ them.  My friend said in that moment we would’ve given all he had to get that little girl.  She was already his.  He emptied his wallet for her.  If asked, he would’ve sold his home before he walked away without her.  Yet, there was one thing he would not give.  If they would’ve asked, he wouldn’t have given his son.  Yet, that is what God did for us.  He gave his son.  

Verses Cross-Referenced

(One good way to do this is to write them all on separate sticky notes and pass them out at the beginning of the study.  Let people mark their verse with their sticky note then, and then have them read it aloud when we get to the part where we reference that verse.)

Romans 8:3-4

Acts 2:24-34

John 10:18

2 Tim. 4:3-4

2 Cor. 11:3

Jer. 2:12-13

Isa. 29:12

Romans 2:29

2 Cor. 5:9-11

Matt. 22:16

The following you will turn to and read together:

Heb. 10:11-23

Rev. 2:2, 14-15, 20