Today, after reading the first 134 pages of Revolutionary Bible Study, originally titled The Power of God’s Word…Unlocked, I read the letter from Paul to the Galatians with an understanding I never previously had.
Were you aware that in the year 63, when Luke wrote The Acts of the Apostles, he had already read Paul’s letter to the Galatians (written in the year 50 – probably in the time frame of Acts 15:40)?
Before today, I never noticed Paul’s righteous anger as reflected in the letter. See 1:6 where he says: “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel.”
After he and Barnabas had planted 4 churches in Galatia (at Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe), legalists traveled to Galatia and attempted to convince the Christians (primarily Gentile converts) in those four cities that they had to be circumcised.
In chapter 2, Paul recounts how he confronted Peter about this very subject… in fact, he ends the chapter (of course, his letter didn’t have chapters or verses) saying: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and delivered himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”
Well, sorry to be rambling on about this, but I’m gaining a lot of insight into the Word and into the history of the time. I’ll try not to refer to this stuff too much because I know a lot of people probably have no interest in it though I find it fascinating.
Until next time…
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