"—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ." (NIV)
In this verse, the New International Version, English Standard Version, and the Message translations of the Bible all have very distinct wordings that reveal things that each of the other translations do not. NIV says that the gospel the Galatians have turned to is "no gospel at all." That's a very bold statement. In my group Bible study the other day, the leader for the day defined the word "gospel" as "good news of a great king." by saying that the gospel of the Galatians is not really a gospel, Paul is saying that it is not good news, and he is pulling their false king down from his throne.
ESV goes even further, saying, "not that there is another [gospel]." In this translation, we see the truth of John 19:11a: "Jesus answered, 'You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above" (NIV). No king has come into power against the will of God, which means that God is the only true King. There is no good news except that of salvation through Christ, and since only Jesus is King, there is no gospel—no good news of a great king—other than the gospel of Christ.
And again, the Message puts its own unique spin on this verse by calling the Galatians' "gospel" a "no-message, a lie about God." Now, not only are the Galatians accepting a false gospel of a non-existent king, they are also blaspheming the God who made and saved them. They are perverting (NIV), or distorting (ESV), the gospel of Christ. and that makes Paul furious. It would for me too.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Galatians 1:6
"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—" (NIV)
Now Paul begins to admonish the Galatians for their actions. Apparently, the people of Galatia have been convinced to turn from the gospel of Christ in favor of another message that better suits their desires.
The Message translation of the Bible, I think, captures Paul's anger toward the Galatians best:
"I can't believe your fickleness—how easily you have turned traitor to Him who called you by the grace of Christ by embracing a variant message!" (The Message)
Clearly Paul does not take this decision lightly. After all, he stated in verse 4 that Christ "gave Himself for our sins to rescue us" (NIV). That seems like a pretty radical act of love. By turning away from Christ, the Galatians essentially nullify the effect of the drastic measures Christ took on our behalf. That's a pretty big deal.
Now Paul begins to admonish the Galatians for their actions. Apparently, the people of Galatia have been convinced to turn from the gospel of Christ in favor of another message that better suits their desires.
The Message translation of the Bible, I think, captures Paul's anger toward the Galatians best:
"I can't believe your fickleness—how easily you have turned traitor to Him who called you by the grace of Christ by embracing a variant message!" (The Message)
Clearly Paul does not take this decision lightly. After all, he stated in verse 4 that Christ "gave Himself for our sins to rescue us" (NIV). That seems like a pretty radical act of love. By turning away from Christ, the Galatians essentially nullify the effect of the drastic measures Christ took on our behalf. That's a pretty big deal.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Galatians 1:5
"to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen." (ESV)
No matter what the circumstances, all the glory belongs to God the Father. All praise and honor in the present age, ages past, and ages to come are God's, and His alone.
"Amen" signifies Paul's acceptance and desire for the previous statement to be carried out. He is, metaphorically, giving God permission to claim all glory.
No matter what the circumstances, all the glory belongs to God the Father. All praise and honor in the present age, ages past, and ages to come are God's, and His alone.
"Amen" signifies Paul's acceptance and desire for the previous statement to be carried out. He is, metaphorically, giving God permission to claim all glory.
Galatians 1:4
"who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father," (NIV)
God's will was that Jesus should die so that we may live. So Jesus gave up His life on the cross in order to free us from the shackles of sin, which so actively works to keep us bound. God was more willing to sacrifice His Son than to watch His beloved creation be lost in hell forever.
God's will was that Jesus should die so that we may live. So Jesus gave up His life on the cross in order to free us from the shackles of sin, which so actively works to keep us bound. God was more willing to sacrifice His Son than to watch His beloved creation be lost in hell forever.
Galatians 1:3
"Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ," (NIV)
"Grace" and "peace" can be found in the greetings of all of Paul's letters, so it is no surprise that his letter to the Galatians keeps the trend alive.
The phrase "God our Father" seems especially significant to me in this context. As explained in the notes of my study Bible, Galatians lacks thanksgiving in the greeting, an element found in almost all of Paul's letters. This gives us a hint that Paul was disgusted with the Galatians (for reasons explained later in his letter). However, despite his anger, Paul remembers that we are all children of God. Galatians is a letter of rebuke, but it is a loving rebuke, from one child of God to another: a brotherly rebuke. In this way, Paul assures the Galatians that he is correcting them for their own good and not for his pleasure.
"Grace" and "peace" can be found in the greetings of all of Paul's letters, so it is no surprise that his letter to the Galatians keeps the trend alive.
The phrase "God our Father" seems especially significant to me in this context. As explained in the notes of my study Bible, Galatians lacks thanksgiving in the greeting, an element found in almost all of Paul's letters. This gives us a hint that Paul was disgusted with the Galatians (for reasons explained later in his letter). However, despite his anger, Paul remembers that we are all children of God. Galatians is a letter of rebuke, but it is a loving rebuke, from one child of God to another: a brotherly rebuke. In this way, Paul assures the Galatians that he is correcting them for their own good and not for his pleasure.
Galatians 1:2
"—and all the brothers with me,
To the churches in Galatia:" (NIV)
I didn't understand the importance of this verse until I read the explanation in my new ESV study Bible. Paul emphasizes here that the other apostles, and those taught by them, agree with Paul's words. The Galatian churches that have been led astray, then, would be wise to heed his words and accept them as true doctrine of the Christian faith.
To the churches in Galatia:" (NIV)
I didn't understand the importance of this verse until I read the explanation in my new ESV study Bible. Paul emphasizes here that the other apostles, and those taught by them, agree with Paul's words. The Galatian churches that have been led astray, then, would be wise to heed his words and accept them as true doctrine of the Christian faith.
Galatians 1:1
"Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead—" (NIV)
For much of his life previous to his conversion, Paul spent his time persecuting Christians and living up to the stereotype of a Pharisee. His statement here is especially significant because, prior to his miraculous encounter with Christ, his sole purpose was to carry the message of the Roman government that the followers of Christ would be executed for their beliefs and heretic teachings.
To hear Paul declare that his new message is from the Man whom he had so fiercely rebelled against is such a miraculous concept that it was the perfect argument to convince the Galatians that they needed to hear what was about to be said. The fact that Christianity's greatest persecutor had become its greatest advocate could have been nothing less than an act of God; therefore, his words could be regarded as the personal words of God Himself spoken through him.
For much of his life previous to his conversion, Paul spent his time persecuting Christians and living up to the stereotype of a Pharisee. His statement here is especially significant because, prior to his miraculous encounter with Christ, his sole purpose was to carry the message of the Roman government that the followers of Christ would be executed for their beliefs and heretic teachings.
To hear Paul declare that his new message is from the Man whom he had so fiercely rebelled against is such a miraculous concept that it was the perfect argument to convince the Galatians that they needed to hear what was about to be said. The fact that Christianity's greatest persecutor had become its greatest advocate could have been nothing less than an act of God; therefore, his words could be regarded as the personal words of God Himself spoken through him.
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