Galatians Outline and Preaching Sections[MAP1]

  1. Introduction, 1:1-9
  2. Greeting, 1:1-5
  3. Apostleship from Jesus and God the Father
  4. Galatian churches – where, timing
  5. Substitutionary atonement
  6. Purpose to deliver us from this present evil age. This is the will of God.
  7. Occasion and theme, 1:6-10
  8. Astonishment
  9. Apostasy
  10. Another Gospel
  11. Anathema
  12. Not pleasing man, 1:10
  13. The Gospel Defended As to Its Origin and Content, 1:11-2:21[MAP2]
  14. The source of the Gospel, 1:11-17[MAP3]
  15. Gospel not sourced in man but in Jesus Christ, 1:11-12

i)I.e. it was independently verified

  1. Paul’s former conduct in Judaism, 1:13-14

i)Paul abandoned that system, why had not Judaizers?

  1. God’s intervention, 1:15-16a
  2. Gospel not sourced in man (again), 1:16b-17
  1. Paul’s first trip to Jerusalem, 1:18-24
  2. Paul’s second trip to Jerusalem, 2:1-10[MAP4]
  3. Deal carefully with the p. 28 notes in Combs Acts & Pauline as to why this is the Acts 11 visit.
  4. Paul’s confrontation with Peter at Antioch, 2:11-21
  5. Peter knew what Paul was saying but his practice was inconsistent and wrong[MAP5]. He was not straightforward with the truth of the gospel.
  1. The Gospel Explained, 3:1-4:31[MAP6]
  2. The Galatians’ previous Christian experience, 3:1-14
  3. The relation of the law to the Abrahamic Covenant, 3:15-22
  4. The relation of the law to Christian faith, 3:23-4:7[MAP7]
  5. The folly of returning to the law, 4:8-20
  6. The allegory of Abraham’s sons, 4:21-31[MAP8]
  7. The Gospel Applied, 5:1-6:10
  8. Exhortation to stand firm in freedom, 5:1-12
  9. Exhortation to walk by the Spirit, 5:13-26
  10. Exhortation to fulfill responsibilities to others, 6:1-10
  11. 6:1
  12. 6:2-5
  13. 6:6-10 – all of these are about doing good.
  14. Concluding Summary, 6:11-18

[MAP1]Compare with the KJV Study Bible outline

[MAP2]1Combs has “Paul’s Authority Defended” but it seems clear from v. 11 that it is the larger issue of the gospel that is at issue here, not Paul’s authority only.

[MAP3]1This point expands on what Paul briefly mentioned in 1:1. The next three subpoints really are supports for the first—namely that Paul’s gospel was from Jesus Christ. He had limited contact with the other apostles—and even that which he did have was not like he just folded up to their errors. He firmly pointed out the truth of the gospel and its implications for Peter’s behavior.

[MAP4]Notice the independent verification of the gospel.

[MAP5]Peter was pleasing man by stopping his fellowship wit h the Gentiles.

[MAP6]Particularly as to its relationship to the Law.

[MAP7]The division here is somewhat dissatisfying.

[MAP8]4:29 does not talk about Muslims.