Who is talking in galatians

These men from Jerusalem agreed that it was necessary to believe in Jesus. However, they also claimed that, in order for non-Jewish people to truly be included in the family of God, the men must be circumcised and all must follow the law of Moses.

Paul begins this chapter by calling the Galatians Christians foolish for beginning to believe such teaching. He then presents three separate arguments for why it does not make sense for the Galatians to begin to follow the law of Moses.

First, Paul talks about the Galatian believers' own experience of coming to Christ. Not only did they "see" Christ crucified in Paul's teaching, they experienced firsthand the arrival of the Holy Spirit after they believed Galatians Often in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit demonstrated God's power in some supernatural way when coming to indwell new Christians.

That had apparently happened to the Galatians. Perhaps they spoke in tongues or experienced some other supernatural event. In addition, they saw miracles happen through the work of God's Spirit. Paul asks them directly: Did the Spirit come from God as a result of your hearing the truth by faith or did it happen by doing works of the law? Since they had not done any works before believing in Jesus, the clear answer is that God sent His Spirit in response to their faith.

What, then, do they have to gain from following the law Galatians —5? Second, Paul begins to quote the Scriptures. Perhaps the Galatians will be persuaded from the same parts of God's Word the Judaizers are distorting to mislead them. Paul shows that the Scriptures have always pointed to God's blessing coming by faith and a curse from God coming through the law.

Paul states flatly that people of faith —not "people of the law"—are Abraham's children. After all, Abraham was counted righteous—"justified"—for believing God Genesis , and God told Abraham that all the nations would be blessed through him Genesis Thus, those of faith are the ones blessed along with Abraham Galatians —9.

Paul then quotes Deuteronomy, Habakkuk, and Leviticus to show that the law brings only a curse to those who fail to follow it in any way. It's not about faith; it's about action. Since all people fail to keep the law in some way, Christ had to pay the curse with His own life. That's how He redeemed those in slavery under the law so that they could be justified by faith in Him Galatians — Finally, Paul presents to the Galatians a legal argument.

Covenants are legal documents. As such, the covenant God made with Israel, recorded in the Law, did not undo the covenant He made with Abraham. The promises of that covenant remained in place all the way until the arrival of Jesus, who legally claimed those promises. Now all who come to Christ by faith are entitled to share in that inheritance, including non-Jewish people known as Gentiles. In fact, that legal transaction gives believers a permanent standing as God's children, whether Jewish, Greek, slave, free, male, or female.

All are one in Christ, since all are equal heirs to the inheritance God promised to Abraham Galatians — Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Carol Stream, Illinois No, you took me in and cared for me as though I were an angel from God or even Christ Jesus himself. I am sure you would have taken out your own eyes and given them to me if it had been possible. They are trying to shut you off from me so that you will pay attention only to them. I feel as if I'm going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives. But at this distance I don't know how else to help you.

But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God's own fulfillment of his promise. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. She is the free woman, and she is our mother. Break into a joyful shout, you who have never been in labor! For the desolate woman now has more children than the woman who lives with her husband!

Christian Standard Bible 1 Now I say that as long as the heir is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? You have not wronged me; 13 you know that previously I preached the gospel to you because of a weakness of the flesh.

On the contrary, you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus himself. For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. They want to exclude you from me, so that you would pursue them.

One is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slavery--this is Hagar. Burst into song and shout,you who are not in labor,for the children of the desolate woman will be many,more numerous than thoseof the woman who has a husband. What does Galatians chapter 4 mean?

In Galatians 4, Paul continues teaching an important lesson to the Galatian Christians. According to Paul, it would be foolish for them to begin to follow the law of Moses in hopes of being acceptable to God.

In this passage, he takes three additional approaches. His first argument has to do with a kind of servitude endured even by heirs of a wealthy man. Paul's illustration this time comes from the Greek culture of his day. A child might have been destined to inherit everything his father owned, but until the day of his inheritance came, he continued to live under the supervision of managers and guardians. He was not truly free.

Jesus gave the greatest gift He could; He gave himself. There is a sense in which we do not even begin to give until we give ourselves. Jesus gave Himself for our sins. This is why Jesus had to give Himself. Our sins put us on a road to ruin and destruction. If God did not do something to save us, our sins would destroy us. So out of love, Jesus gave Himself for our sins!

The love was always there; but there would never have been the need for Jesus to give Himself if our sins had not placed us in a terrible place. He wanted to tell the Galatians straight out that atonement for sins and perfect righteousness are not to be sought anywhere but in Christ… So glorious is this redemption that it should ravish us with wonder.

That He might deliver us from this present evil age : This explains why Jesus gave Himself for our sins. In many ways, the Galatians battled with and sometimes lost against this present evil age. They needed to know that Jesus had come to save them from this present evil age. The idea behind the word deliver is not deliverance from the presence of something, but deliverance from the power of something.

We will not be delivered from the presence of this present evil age until we go to be with Jesus. But we can experience deliverance from the power of this present evil age right now. According to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever : The purpose of this saving work is not primarily to benefit man though that is part of the purpose.

Instead, the primary purpose is to glorify God the Father. False doctrine was a real problem among the Galatian churches, and their false doctrines robbed God of some of the glory due to Him. By emphasizing the rightly recognized glory of God and His plan, Paul hoped to put them on the right path. I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel.

I marvel that you are turning away so soon : Paul seemed amazed not so much that they were turning away this might alarm him, but not amaze him , but that they were turning away so soon. Missing here are the expressions of thanks or praise that Paul often wrote in the beginning of his letters. Romans , 1 Corinthians , Philippians , Colossians , and 1 Thessalonians are each examples of Paul giving thanks and praising the churches in his opening words.

But he did not do this with the Galatians and the directness of his approach indicates the severity of their problem. Paul omits to express his thanksgiving in addressing any church. From Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel : They were turning away from a Person from Him who called you as they turned to a false idea to a different gospel. To turn away from the true gospel is always to turn away from the Person of Jesus Christ. From Him who called you in the grace of Christ also connected their turning away to a turning away from the principle of grace.

However the Galatians were turning , it was away from the grace of God, not towards it. Which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.

Which is : Galatians tells three things about this different gospel. First, it was an illegitimate gospel which is not another. Second, it was not good at all but trouble who trouble you.

Third, it was a distortion of the true gospel pervert the gospel of Christ. Which is not another : Paul recognized that this different gospel was not really another gospel at all. He has his truth, and we have ours. He has his gospel, and we have ours. This is not another gospel at all. The King James Version translates this passage like this: unto another gospel: Which is not another.

Actually, the New King James Version translation is much better at this place, because it makes a distinction between different and another , accurately reflecting the difference between two distinct ancient Greek words used. It is all together different. There are some who trouble you : Those who brought this other gospel to the Galatians brought them trouble.

Some who trouble you means that someone brought this false gospel to the Galatians. People bring them, and the people who bring them may be sincere and have a lot of charisma. Heretics do not advertise their errors. Murderers, adulterers, thieves disguise themselves. So the devil masquerades all these devices and activities.

He puts on white to make himself look like an angel of light. To pervert the gospel of Christ : The other gospel was really a perversion or a distortion of the true gospel of Jesus Christ. It used the names and ideas familiar to the Galatian Christians, but it slightly twisted the ideas to make their message all the more deceptive.

The gospel of Christ : Notice that Paul was really not contending for the gospel of Paul , though it was his gospel also. Want to pervert the gospel of Christ : Paul plainly wrote that these people want to distort the good news of Jesus.

It is sometimes hard for us to understand why someone would want to pervert the gospel of Christ. There is something about the message of the true gospel that is deeply offensive to human nature. To understand this, we should first understand what the true gospel is.

Paul stated his gospel most succinctly in 1 Corinthians The message of the gospel is what Jesus did on the cross for us as reveled by the Scriptures and proven by the resurrection. When we understand how offensive the true gospel is to human nature, we better understand why someone would want to pervert it.

It tells us we need a savior, and that we cannot save ourselves. It gives no credit to us at all for our salvation; it is all the work of Jesus for us. It saves us by something many consider foolish — God becoming man and dying a humiliating, disgraceful death on our behalf. It tells us to believe something which goes against scientific knowledge and personal experience — that a dead man, Jesus Christ, rose from the dead in a glorious new body that would never die again.

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.

As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. Even if it were himself, or an angel from heaven , it was to be rejected. Any person who spreads a false gospel was worthy only of a particular curse from God let him be accursed. Let him be accursed : Paul seemed to have in his mind the solemn curses pronounced by God upon those who break His covenant Deuteronomy So now I say again : The curse was repeated for extra emphasis; it is really impossible for Paul to express this idea with any more strength than he did here.

I want to do everything right before God to warn people away from the wrong rescue ship.