Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
Being foolish is a failure to use moral and spiritual discernment. Bewitched is saying this is the only way to account for their theological deception is by malicious magic.Paul is saying that their actions are foolish.Paul reminds them that they have been blessed with the glorious Truth. God thought enough of them that He sent Paul to them to open their eyes to the Truth of God. Paul taught Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Paul taught that Jesus fulfilled the law and became the substitute for our sin. The law was fulfilled and all who believe live in the grace of God. We need to always keep our focus on the truth of the Word of the Word of
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
This tells exactly what happens to the believer in Christ. When we turn ourselves over to God we are in a sense crucified with Christ. We die to the fleshly desires of the body and Christ takes up residence where theses desires lived. We turn our will over to God. It is our faith in God which gives us the confidence to turn ourselves over to the will of God. Temptations fade away, because we turn the decision making over to Him. Christ in us, the hope of glory. The last verse tells us that those who insist they can earn salvation by their own efforts undermine the foundation of Christianity and render unnecessary the death of Christ. If we could have been saved by the law, then it would have been useless for Jesus to give His body on the cross for us. But the law was there to show us just how much we needed a savior Christ died on the cross and shed His blood for our salvation so we can spend eternity with Him.
Galatians 2:18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
Paul is simply saying here if he goes back to following the law and saying this is the way to salvation then he is becoming a a transgressor of the true word of God. This is just saying if you go back into sin after you have received forgiveness for the sin, you make yourself a transgressor. The next verse tells s that through the we are dead to the law because it it is of no consequence to us any more for we are born again unto Christ. We are a new creature no longer under the law but under grace. Jesus became our substitute for our sin on the cross. He fulfilled the law for each of us who will accept it. The law is of none effect in the believer. The price has been paid in full.Sin for the Christian, died on the Lord’s body on the cross. We live in Him.
Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
I believe this scripture is familiar to some of us in saying that we are not justified by the works of the law but by our faith in Jesus Christ. Throughout Scripture it refers to God’s declaring a sinner not guilty and fully righteous before Him by attributing to him the divine righteousness of Christ and attributing the man’s sin to his sinless Savior for punishment. Paul is reminding Peter and the others, that even though they had been Jews, they had to come to Christ through faith, not works. By the law, no one would be saved, because all have sinned and deserve death. A Christian is a believer in and a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we have made Christ the Lord of our life, then we no longer make our decisions. Christ makes the decisions. Christ will never decide to sin. The Lord Jesus Christ will not live in the person who habitually sins. We must let Jesus Christ become so real in our lives that we will be a reflection of Him.
Galatians 2:14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
Paul is questioning Peter, why he lived one way before these Jewish brothers arrived, and then changed when they came. Even though Peter knew the Gentiles had been accepted of God in their uncircumcised condition, he still felt that it would be good if they would not fight the Jews on this issue. It seems that many of the Christians were afraid of the Jews. It appears to me that Paul is saying, make up your mind whether you are a Jew or a Christian, and live accordingly. Let the Gentiles alone. If they are good enough for God in the condition He called them, then leave them alone. Do not try to make them conform to Jewish customs. Paul is saying that he too, had been a Jew by birth. The gentiles were sinners by nature because they had no revealed divine written law to guide them toward salvation or living righteously. Again it is not for us to try to make someone conform to a legalistic salvation because it is by grace that we are saved. Please attend a church today that will help you understand the word of God the way it should be understood.
Galatians 2:11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.
12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.
13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
We see in theses verses that even with the people who help establish the church, and preach Jews an gentile alike , even have disagreements. Paul was upset with Peter because he was turning his back on the gentile believers whom he had even eaten with because some of the legalistic Jews were not agreeing with what was being done. They were upset because they could not believe you could only be saved by grace and putting your faith in God. They felt that you could not totally abandon the law. These were Jews who had converted to Christianity and it was a little hard for them to totally forget the law. What really surprised Paul was that even Barnabas was siding with the legalistic Jews. All of this was happening in the early days of the church and you say struggles were expected. Even today form this we can relate this to a new convert who has lived in the world today for years, how easy it would be for them to slip back into some the bad habits they might have had if they do have someone to help them stay on the right path. This is why we need to be well grounded in the word of God.
Galatians 2:10 Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
Paul was asked one thing in particular and that was to remember the poor. Paul was more than eager to help the poor even though the ministries of him and Peter were to different groups of people. Paul did not need instruction in this; he had been doing that very thing from the very beginning. It seems the believers in Jerusalem had been poverty stricken, and Paul had brought the message of charity to the Gentile churches. He encouraged the gentile believers to help the converted Jews that had come to the christian belief but had left everything to do so. This is telling us that we need to look out for the poor in our communities but also to share the Gospel with them in doing so in hopes of leading the salvation.
Galatians 2:6 But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man’s person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me: 7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; 8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) 9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
Paul continues here talking of those he had met with when he returned to Jerusalem. Also he is referring to some of the troublemakers that wanted to bring the law back into the church. He reemphasized that what they had to say added nothing to what the Lord had taught him. He had been preaching you did not have to be circumcised to the gentiles for them to be saved.While the others were still holding to the law of circumcision and his is what the Jews still believed. When the leaders of the new church saw Paul was given grace by God to preach to the gentiles they did not have to be circumcised and gave him Barnabas and their blessings to continue to preach to gentiles and they would continue to preach to the Jews. This helps us to see we need the blessings of those that agree with same truth we believe and we can also uphold the message they preach.
Galatians 2:3 But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:
4 And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
5 To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
In theses verses we it tells us that Titus,being a Greek, was not circumcised and according to the gospel Paul was preaching he did not have to be to be saved. But the ones proclaiming to Christians was saying he needed to be because of the Jewish law. These false believers came in secretly to spy on the gospel Paul was preaching hoping to catch him in false teaching so they could lock him up. But Paul stood his ground because he had been confirmed by Peter and the other church leaders as teaching the true Gospel which did not adhere to all the Jewish laws.The trouble makers wanted to keep the law operating in church but Paul held his ground against them. We can learn from this that sometimes when we get new converts we need to make sure they do not get led astray by trouble makers in our churches today.
Galatians 2:1 Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also.
2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.
Now Paul after preaching mostly to the gentiles for the 14 years he returns to Jerusalem with two of his companions. Barnabas was one that helped him to be accepted by the Christians as a preacher of the gospel. Titus was a gentile convert that continued to travel with Paul to gain as much knowledge as he could from him. He went this time because the Holy Spirit sent him to reveal to the leaders of the Jerusalem church the gospel that he preached to the gentiles. Paul new the message he preached was given to him by God and so it was correct but he wanted the approval of the church leaders about preaching this message to the gentiles and bringing them into the church. This helps us to see that when we are out on our own leading people to Christ it does not hurt to have someone we hold to a higher standard to be someone we can bounce our ideas in how we do things off them.
"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." I John 5:7
