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All things work together….
Count it all joy……
For I know the plans…
The Lord is my shepherd…
Do not be conformed…
I can do all things…
Do not be anxious…
Seek first…
Cast all your anxiety…
Fear not, for I am with you…
Be strong and courageous…
Whoever dwells in the shelter…
Read this 4-minute introduction to help you find your bearings in the Bible story, and be inspired to read Galatians!
This overview video illustrates for us the literary design of the book of Galatians using creative animations.
Book of Galatians Summary: A Complete Animated Overview is copyright 2016 by BibleProject and is available for viewing at www.bibleproject.com.
This compelling dramatization of the book of Galatians introduces us to the main theme of the book and how it points to Jesus through spoken word poetry.
This video was originally published by Spoken Gospel on their YouTube Channel.
This video is part of the series, The Gospel One Chapter at a Time, where Paul David Tripp summarizes each book of the Bible and shows how it points us to Jesus.
This video was originally published by Paul Tripp Ministries, Inc. on their YouTube Channel.
This video helps us understand the blessing given in Galatians 1:3-5.
By John Piper. © Desiring God Foundation. Source: desiringGod.org
The apostle Paul wrote this letter.
From Bibles.net: Remember that the ultimate author of every book of the Bible is the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). He has written this book to equip you for life, to help you know the true God, and to give you hope (2 Timothy 3:16; Romans 15:4). The Holy Spirit wrote Galatians for your good and to lead you into joy.
The apostle Paul wrote this letter about AD 48. The Galatians are probably believers in the churches of the southern region of the Roman province of Galatia. Paul is more critical of his audience here than in any of his other letters.
The Setting of Galatians
c. AD 48
Paul’s letter to the Galatians was likely written to the churches he had established during his first missionary journey (Acts 13:1-14:28). He probably wrote the letter from his home church in Antioch in Syria, sometime before the Jerusalem council (Acts 15:1-31).
—ESV Global Study Bible
This letter addresses a social and racial division in the churches of Galatia. The first Christians in Jerusalem were Jewish, but as the gospel spread out from that center, increasing numbers of Gentiles began to receive Christ. However, a group of teachers in Galatia were now insisting that the Gentile Christians practice all the traditional ceremonial customs of the law of Moses, as the Jewish Christians did. They taught that the Gentiles had to observe all the dietary laws and be circumcised for full acceptance and to be completely pleasing to God.
—Tim Keller
Source: Galatians for You by Tim Keller, copyright 2021 by The Good Book Company, used by kind permission.
Unless otherwise indicated, this content is adapted from the ESV Global Study Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright ©2012 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
How to Be a Good Christian and Other Religious Nonsense by Britt Merrick
In this 14-part message series, Pastor Britt Merrick walks us through the book of Galatians. He highlights the good news about the wonderful grace of God towards us sinners. His preaching will lead you to joy, and into a deeper understanding of God’s great love for you.
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As you read through Galatians, you might come across words and ideas that are foreign to you. Here are a few definitions you will want to know! Note that this dictionary was created for the New International Version (NIV) Bible.
To praise or make holy. The word bless is used in different ways in the Bible: (1) When God blesses, He brings salvation and prosperity and shows mercy and kindness to people. (2) When people bless, they (a) bring salvation and prosperity to other persons or groups; (b) they praise and worship and thank God; (c) they give good things or show kindness to others.
The Greek word that means “God’s Chosen One.” “Messiah” is the Hebrew word meaning the same thing. Jesus was the Christ.
To cut an unneeded flap of skin, called the foreskin, from the penis. For the Israelites, circumcision was a sign of the special agreement (or covenant) they had with God: If they worshiped and obeyed Him, He would be their God and they would be His people. Abraham was the first Hebrew to be circumcised. After Abraham, Hebrew baby boys were circumcised when they were eight days old. Leaders in the Early Church said that it was not necessary for men or boys to be circumcised to become part of God’s family.
An agreement. In the ancient Near East, sometimes covenants were made between two people or groups of people. Both sides decided what the agreement would be. However, in the Bible, the word usually refers to agreements between God and people, when God decides what will be done and the people agree to live by the covenant. The Old Covenant of law set standards of behavior in order to please God. The New Covenant of grace presents God’s forgiveness based on faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
(1) To be certain about the things we cannot see or to trust someone because of who he or she is. For example, a Christian has faith that Jesus is God’s Son. (2) The whole message about Jesus Christ—that He is God’s Son and that He came to take the punishment for our sin so that we may become members of God’s family. This describes the faith of a Christian.
All people who are not Jewish.
(1) Literally, “good news.” The good news of the Bible is that God sent His Son, Jesus, to take the punishment for sin and then raised Him from the dead so that any person who believes may have new life. (2) The story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ told in the first four books of the New Testament. The books are also called the four Gospels.
Someone who has the right to receive the property or position of another person when that person dies. In Bible times, the heir was usually a son. The Bible says that anyone who is a member of God’s family is His heir. God will never die, but because we are His children, God keeps on giving us great love, care and kindness.
Money, property, or traditions received from another person. Often a person receives an inheritance after another person’s death. The Bible tells us that everything that is God’s belongs to Jesus Christ. By His death on the cross, Jesus made it possible for us to share His inheritance with Him.
The most important city of Bible times. Jerusalem was the capital of the united kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah. The temple was built in Jerusalem, so many people traveled to the city to worship God. In 587 BC, Jerusalem was captured and mostly destroyed by Babylonian armies. The city was rebuilt when the Jews returned after 70 years of exile in Babylon. Jesus taught in the city of Jerusalem, was crucified outside the city wall, was buried near the city, and then rose again. The first Christian church began in Jerusalem after the Holy Spirit came to the believers there.
(1) All the rules God gave to help people to know and love Him and to live happily with each other. The Ten Commandments are part of God’s law. (2) The first five books of the Bible. These five books are often called the Law. (3) The entire Old Testament. Sometimes the Old Testament is referred to as the Law. (4) Any rule that must be obeyed, whether it was decided by God or by people. (5) God’s rules in the Old Testament plus other rules added by Jewish religious leaders. (6) The conscience of an unbeliever who knows he or she has not followed his or her own moral code (see Romans 2:14-16).
A person who settles differences or arguments between two or more people. Jonathan was a mediator between David and Saul. Moses was a mediator between God and Israel. By paying the punishment for sin, Jesus became the Mediator who makes it possible for us to have peace with God.
(1) To gather ripe grain and fruit. (2) The reward or punishment people receive for their actions (see Galatians 6:9).
To buy back. In Bible times, a person could buy a slave and then set the slave free. The slave had been redeemed by the person who had paid the price and then given the slave freedom. The New Testament tells us that by dying, Jesus paid the price to buy us back and set us free from our slavery to sin.
To make known something that was hidden or unknown.
Thinking and doing what is correct (or right) and holy. God is righteous because he does only what is perfect and holy. A person who has accepted Jesus as Savior is looked at by God as being free from the guilt of sin, so God sees that person as being righteous. People who are members of God’s family show their love for him by doing what is correct and holy, living in righteous ways.
(1) A wooden bar that goes over the necks of two animals, usually oxen. The yoke holds the animals together when they are pulling something such as a cart or plow. (2) Two oxen yoked together. (3) A word picture for any burden or demand. Slavery, imprisonment, taxes or unfair laws may be called yokes. (4) A partnership.
Dictionary Source
This content is from What the Bible Is All About, written by Henrietta Mears. Copyright © 1953, 2011 by Gospel Light. Copyright assigned to Tyndale House Publishers, 2015. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
We have found answers to some tough questions that we anticipate may arise as you read Galatians. We know we can’t answer every question you will have; therefore, we have written this article, so you know how to find answers for your kids: How Do I Answer Tough Questions About the Bible?
The following insights are from pastors and scholars who have spent significant time studying the book of Galatians.
In this short letter, Paul outlines the bombshell truth that the gospel is the A to Z of the Christian life. It is not only the way to enter the kingdom; it is the way to live as part of the kingdom. It is the way Christ transforms people, churches and communities. We’re going to see Paul showing the young Christians in Galatia that their spiritual problem is not only caused by failing to live in obedience to God, but also by relying on obedience to him. We’re going to see him telling them that all they need—all they could ever need—is the gospel of God’s unmerited favor to them through Christ’s life, death and resurrection. We’re going to hear him solving their issues not through telling them to “be better Christians”, but by calling them to live out the implications of the gospel. We’re going to watch Paul challenge them, and us, with the simple truth that the gospel is not just the ABC of Christianity, but the A to Z—that Christians need the gospel just as much as non-Christians.
—Tim Keller
Source: Galatians for You by Tim Keller, copyright 2021 by The Good Book Company, used by kind permission.
Galatians sounds a clear call to the doctrine of justification by faith alone. It teaches that Jesus, and only Jesus, provides the way for us to be accepted by God and fully a member of his family. We are righteous through his righteousness. Any addition to Jesus as the basis for our standing before God is ultimately a deadly subtraction; to say we need more than Jesus to be justified before God is to lose everything. Beyond proclaiming to us the way we become members of God’s family, Galatians also provides guidance for how we can experience the ongoing freedom of being his children, the freedom that Christ has won for us. Even as Christianity must begin by faith in Jesus, so also must it continue in the same manner. Avoiding the dangers of slavery to either religion or irreligion, a Spirit-led trust in Jesus enables the believer to discover the joyful freedom of serving others in love.
—Geoff Ziegler
Source: Content taken from Galatians: A 12-Week Study by Geoff Ziegler ©2015. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Law reveals sin but does not remove it. The Law proves that we are all sinners by nature and directs us to Christ! We so often think that we become sinners when we commit some sinful act. But it is because we are already sinners that we commit the act. We lie because we are liars. We steal because we are thieves. We do not become liars when we utter the lie. The Law only proves we are liars.
The Law too was given to drive us to Christ by showing us our need. The gospel tells us that Christ is the only One who can meet that need (see Galatians 3:23–4:11). Paul says the law was our “guardian” to shock us into a sense of our need of Christ so that we could be justified by faith in him (Galatians 3:24). God’s Law is not like the cruel and tyrannical schoolmaster of the past. His Law is not meant to always torment us. God’s Law is like the good teacher who trains children to find pleasure in doing the things they formerly detested.
The Law really has a place in leading us into a Christian experience. Did you ever see a woman trying to sew without a needle? She would never make anything with only a thread. This is like God’s dealing with us. He puts the needle of the Law first, for we sleep so soundly in our own sins that we need to be aroused by something sharp. Then when he has the needle of the Law squarely in our hearts, he pulls through it a lifelong thread of gospel love and peace and joy.
—Henrietta Mears
Source: This content is from What the Bible Is All About, written by Henrietta Mears. Copyright © 1953, 2011 by Gospel Light. Copyright assigned to Tyndale House Publishers, 2015. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Just as the earth does not generate rain and cannot of itself work to produce it, but receives it by the mere gift of God from above, so this heavenly righteousness is given us by God without our working for or deserving it. See, then, how much the earth is able by itself to do in getting showers of rain to make it fruitful; that much, and no more, are we able to do by our own strength and works in winning this heavenly and eternal righteousness. We shall never be able to attain it unless God himself bestows it on us, imputing it to us by his gift beyond words…
Anyone who strays from Christian righteousness must fall into the righteousness of the law; in other words, when people lose Christ, they slip back into reliance on their own works.
—Martin Luther
Source: Content taken from Galatians by Martin Luther ©1998. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
This is also the point of Galatians: Galatians exists for grace! That’s why Paul writes this letter: he wants to see grace unleashed on a desperate situation.
More importantly, God wants to unleash grace. That’s why the church needs not only Galatians but all of Paul’s letters, each one of which begins and ends with grace. Indeed, this is why we have the Scriptures as a whole, both Old and New Testaments, because God desires to unleash his grace in our lives through his inspired Word, the Bible!
From Genesis to Revelation the Word of God is a treasure trove of grace. Golden coins of comfort, costly pearls of assurance, precious jewels of promise are all found in the pages of Scripture. In fact, everything that was written in the Bible was written for us, that “through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4).
Therefore, every time we make a mess of things, we must go back to grace by going back to the Word of God. When we blow it, we must not neglect Scripture. Instead of closing our Bible let’s open it, read it, look to it, dwell in it! Again, when we sin our tendency is to neglect or even hide, because the Word of God is indeed “living and active…discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). But nowhere else we will find the very things we need when we make a mess of things. There alone, in God’s Word, will we find a message of grace—the gospel. Part of what it means to go back to grace, then, is to go back to the Bible, where the message of grace can be found.
—Todd A. Wilson
Source: Content taken from Galatians: Gospel Rooted Living by Todd A. Wilson ©2013. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
I also have been encouraged to better understand the struggle which takes place between our old fleshly desires and the competing desires put in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:17). Though the flesh has been decisively defeated through our union with Christ in His death, our old fleshly desires still war against our new spiritual nature. We and those whom we counsel should not be surprised by this desire battle which rages in our hearts…Paul tells us, however, that the existence of a struggle is a strong indication that the Spirit is at work in you. The person who is lost is still under the dominion of the flesh and experiences no spiritual warfare. Luther writes, “The wicked do not complain of the rebellion of their flesh or of any battle or conflict, for sin reigns mightily within them.” Though the unbeliever may experience pangs of conscience, he remains enslaved to the desires of the flesh and has no power to bear spiritual fruit.
—Jim Newheiser
Source: Newheiser, Jim. “The War Within: Galatians 5:16-18.” Biblical Counseling Coalition (March 20, 2013).
Discover music inspired by the message and content of the book of Galatians.