Galatians 4-6QuestionsTuesday,November 5, 2013
Galatians 4
v. 12 Have you encountered Christians today who do not acknowledge the reality of there being different spiritual maturity levels and who think that everyone’s opinion on spiritual matters are of equal worth? Are you aware of any field of substantive knowledge or practice where such a view would be valid? What do you think Apostle Paul would say about such a perspective?
Consider v.12 and these verses from of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians:
- 1 Cor 4:15-16 “Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me.”
- 1 Cor 11:1-2 “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings, just as I passed them on to you.”
vv. 15-16 The Galatians were being besieged by false teachers who were seeking to teach a false gospel that taught that the strict observance of Jewish law and tradition was required for salvation. Paul saw this as an attempt to corrupt the gospel in order to minimize the persecution they would receive (cf. Gal 6:12). By adhering to the observance of all the requirements of Judaism, they would not receive criticism and persecution from the Jews. Because Paul opposed this false teaching and insisted on teaching the truth, he anticipated being considered an enemy by the Galatians.
What examples of false teachings in the Christian community have you encountered that similarly endorses a Christian life devoid of suffering and cost? Do you welcome and invite those who speak truth into your life? Have you treated (if only in your mind) someone as an enemy because he/she told you the truth?
v. 16 By speaking to others the truth about sin and its consequences, we risk being rejected by others. Of course speaking the truth must be done with love and discernment. Are there relationships in your life, in which out of fear of rejection, you have been less than faithful in speaking the truth?
v. 19 As you minister to those whom God has placed in your life, is your heart’s sentiment to see Christ formed in them at all costs? Are you willing to bear the “pains of a childbirth” in order to accomplish this? What are some pains that you might have to endure in order to see Christ formed in people you are ministering to? What “reward” allows a mother to endure the pains of a delivering a child?
vv. 19-20 From vv.19-20, Paul’s intense love for the Galatians is very evident. Have you experienced the forging of deep personal relationships because of the gospel? What are some steps you can take to strengthen your spiritual relationships?
v. 23 The Galatians who were influenced by the Judaizers must’ve identified with the “son of the free woman” in this early part of Paul’s history lesson. Their insistence on keeping ceremonial law, especially the rite of circumcision, derived from the need to bear proof in the flesh that they were indeed descended from Isaac.
What kind of attitude toward God and others would this type of “assurance” foster? How does this run contrary to the very core of the Gospel message?
v. 26 Paul refers to the vision of the new Jerusalem “coming down out of heaven from God…Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” (Rev. 21:2-3) The Jews believed that this was a reality that was still firmly rooted in the future and to the extent that the Judaizers insisted on keeping Jewish law and customs, they held this vision at bay. Why would the Judaizers be interested in continuing their religion of achievable, tangible actions rather than ushering in the era of the New Jerusalem? What would they seek to protect and what would they be avoiding? How is a focus on ceremonial or visible form of religion tantamount to enslavement?
v. 30 Paul makes a final plea with the Galatians to cast aside the entire system of enslavement to a lifeless code of law. But this code of law is not to be renounced and discarded. Elsewhere, Paul writes that Christians do indeed have a code of law but it is “written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” (2 Cor. 3:3) So being an heir means to have a heartfelt understanding of the Law. This is why Paul exhorted them to hear again the Law (v.21). When asked for the greatest commandment from the Law, Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
What are some ways you can potentially turn this into a cold, lifeless code to follow? How can a proper understanding of your identity as a child of promise who has an inheritance of freedom make this code a heartfelt desire instead?
Galatians 5
vv. 1-6 Examine your spiritual life. Why do you do good works (loving others, serving the church, etc.)? Is it to become right with God or are good works the natural consequences of your love for God? Explain.
vv. 5-6 “By faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope…The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”
Think about waiting for something eagerly, and why there would be an eagerness in the waiting. What does this reveal about the nature of faith? How does faith express itself through love? Explain. In what ways are you expressing your faith through love?
v. 13 Paul ends this section with a call to responsibility. Christ has set us free and we are to stand firm in this freedom (verse 1). This freedom, however, is not a license to do anything we want, but rather a call to serve one another in love.
Has your understanding of grace ever contributed to a temptation to “indulge the sinful nature?” Meditate on each of the words: “rather, serve one another in love.”
v. 17 The sins we commit on a regular basis is a manifestation of the reality of the sinful nature that resides within us. However, v. 17 speaks of another desire at work in a Christian, the desires of the Spirit, which is “contrary to the sinful nature.” What concrete course of action for your life is suggested through this passage regarding these two inner forces?
v. 17 V. 17 says that the two desires are in conflict with each other. Imagine a person torn by two desires or attractions, for e.g., attracted to two people; drawn to two different careers; wanting to remain single but also wanting to get married. Is being able to fulfill both desires the only way that such a person can experience fulfillment? What are the actual prospects of joy in fulfilling opposing desires? How can such a person experience peace, joy or strength?
vv. 19-21 As you look at the list in vs. 19-21, think about how these sins would be destructive of peace and wholeness in persons, families, churches and the entire society. Do you agree that the very sinful nature which lurks in the dark corners of your own heart, when gratified consistently, would lead to such “acts of the sinful nature”?
v. 22-23 Now look at the list in vss. 22-23. How do you feel about the fact that Jesus was crucified and raised in order to bring you such Spiritual fruit? Meditate on John 15:5 “ I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
vv. 22-23 Chart your progress in the areas of the fruits of the Spirit since you surrendered your life to God. What have been some notable areas of progress? What facts can you point to that demonstrate your development of a particular characteristic in your life? What are some ways in which you can “crucify the sinful nature with its passions and desires?”
Galatians 6
v. 1 The word Apostle Paul uses for sin (paraptoma) does not mean a deliberate sin, but an uncharacteristic moral slip. Think about the word “restoration.” You “restore” something when it has fallen into disrepair, i.e., slightly damaged but not entirely destroyed. And in restoring, you return it to its original, pristine condition. Why is it necessary for restoration to occur even after a moral slip? In other words, what fact about sin is being taught here? What would the restoration entail? Who should be the ones doing the restoring? Why is this important? Why is it important to do it gently? (Elsewhere, for more grievous sins, Paul specifically instructs the church leaders to rebuke sharply.) i.e., in his advice to be gentle, what reality about sin, and what reality about human feelings is Paul instructing the church to recognize? In his admonition to be careful of temptation, what reality about sin is Apostle Paul warning them of? How does the advice to “carry each other’s burdens” fit with all this?
v. 2 Which seems more difficult accept, and why: To carry another person’s burden, or to be another person’s burden? How does the admonition to carry “each other’s burdens” challenge our understanding of how we should be in this community of faith?
vv. 3-4 The phrase “he can take pride in himself” means he should keep his boasting to himself instead of flaunting it. What are the areas of your life that you particularly feel the need to boast in? Why do you think you feel that way in that area? What advice of Apostle Paul should you heed?
v. 3 Verse 3 implies that it is possible to be self-deceived and arrive at a wrong assessment about ourselves. What does Apostle Paul prescribe as a way to get out of that self-deception? What is the difference between “testing your own actions” and “comparing himself to somebody else”? What personal application can you make from this?
vv. 7-8 How is it “mocking God” when a person sows to please her sinful nature yet thinks she can reap spiritual fruit? Think back to the last time you felt frustrated about your lack of spiritual growth. What are the words that you find yourself saying during those times? Verse 7 says, “A man reaps what he sows.” In what way is this verse shown to be true (or disputable) by your experience?
vv. 7-9 Verses 7-9 are an indictment against Christians who sow to please the sinful nature every day and wonder why they do not reap holiness. Some Christians sow to please both, and wonder why they do not reap holiness. What must you do in order to reap a harvest of holiness?
v. 10 Why do you think Apostle Paul tells us to do good to all people, and then suggests that we concentrate our efforts on the people who belong to the family of believers? Who are the people that you can serve with your good deeds right now?
v. 14 John Stott notes the efficacy of the cross in getting us to see our true nature as he suggests, “Nothing in history or in the universe cuts us down to size like the cross. All of us have inflated views of ourselves, especially in self-righteousness, until we have visited a placed called Calvary. It is there, at the foot of the cross, that we shrink to our true size” (The Message of Galatians, p.179). In what ways do you have an “inflated view” of yourself? What does the cross reveal of your true state and condition before God? How can a life of focusing on trying to “make a good impression outwardly” (v. 12) contribute to an inflated, boastful view of the self? What is there to boast about in the cross?
v. 15 How have we mistakenly placed the greater emphasis on the external tasks at the cost of neglecting the inward spiritual renewal in line with being a “new creation”?
v. 17 Paul confidently can point to the marks of Jesus that he bears—which were the actual scars of the years of physical persecution and suffering he endured. Such evidence causes his opponents to take his words seriously and they cannot dismiss him lightly. How have we grown in welcoming and bearing the marks of Jesus through this past year? What ways can we commit to bearing the marks of Jesus for the upcoming year? Reflect on Paul’s challenge in Philippians 3:10 “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” as we commit to have such fellowship together with Christ.