Paul opens the letter to the Galatians by identifying himself to be an apostle, "not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead." (1:1)

What is an apostle? "men who were commissioned by the Lord Himself and given the task of speaking authoritatively on doctrine and practice in the church." Therefore he establishes that his authority is from Christ Himself, for one issue in the 1st century church was a debate of whether to consider Paul an apostle since he was not among the original 12 disciples. We are to heed Paul's instructions as authoritative and from God.

Paul intended this letter to be distributed "to the churches (plural) of Galatia." (1:2)

Verse 1:3, sounds like a standard salutation:

3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

4who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of ^(J)our God and Father,

5to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.

Paul immediately launches into the gospel and reduces it down to just two verses- 1:4, 5

After the greeting, Paul launches directly into the central issue with the Galatians, they are "so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel." (1:6) "A different gospel" is an oxymoron as Paul explains in 1:7 that it is "really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and what to distort the gospel of Christ."

There is a sad irony in these first few verses of Galatians. Paul opens the letter by briefly procaiming the gospel in 1:3-5, which is the true gospel. Yet, in Chapter 1, the word "gospel" appears five times all within the first 11 verses:

1. 1:6 "a different gospel"
2. 1:7 "distort the gospel of Christ"
3. 1:8 "a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you"
4. 1:9 "gospel contrary to what you received"
5. 1:11 "gospel which was preached by me is not according to man"

In the first four appearances of the word "gospel" it is in the context of being contrary or perverted to the true gospel (1:3-5). Further, Paul clearly points out that the false gospel is from man (1:7, 9) as opposed to being from God and says twice in successive verses that any man who preaches a gospel that is contrary to what he has preached should be accursed! This is really important when we see something repeated two times like this.

Paul then poses the rhetorical question which may seem a little oddly placed. He says in 1:10-

10For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

Paul was talking about the true gospel being from God versus the false gospel from man. Suddenly Paul is talking about seeking favor from God or men. Imagine that Paul is the messenger carrying the gospel. In modern times, perhaps this is a spokeperson, or in Washington D.C. this would be the White House Press Secretary who conveys the Administration's message to the press. The messenger's job is to deliver the message, but who is the judge of whether that message is delivered accurately and well? Who is the messenger trying to please? The sender makes all the difference- is the gospel of God or of man? Paul of course is preaching the true gospel which is from God, hence he is seeking the favor of God and not of man.

This is a very important point for all of us to heed, for we all carry the gospel message wherever we go. And I hope you are praying for oppourtunities to preach the gospel wherever you are. We must remember that we are seeking to please God as we carry forth His message, and not men. "Men" could our parents, our pastor, our Christian friends, our manager at work- it could be anyone other than God! The gospel is not of man, but of God, so let us please the true Sender.

In 1:11 does Paul finally refer to the true gospel is "not according to man," "received it from man," "nor taught it" and then proceeds to explain that it is from God (1:12). Note how Paul talks about the gospel. We(man) do not give the gospel, nor teach it, but others received the gospel by revelation by Jesus Christ Himself!

Following, Paul recounts-

1. His life before Christ as a persecutor of Christians (1:13-14).
• "My former manner of life" 1:13
  
• Note the "I" pronoun.
  
2. How he became a Christian by God's calling through grace and by the revelation of Christ (1:15-16)
• Subject is God, not "I" - God is the active participant in a person's salvation.
  
• Pronoun is now "me"
  
3. His life after becoming a Christian: preaching the faith (1:16b-23)
• "I" pronoun again.
• Parenthetical statement ("Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying") likening to 1:1.
  
4. What it means to be a Christian (1:23-24)

• "They" pronoun
• Others would glorify God because of you!
  

In short, Paul is giving his testimony!

Note that Paul says that he was called to the Lord "through His grace." (1:15) Grace is receiving things you do not deserve. Grace is central to the salvation of Christ. "Not by works so that no one can boast." Notice that when Paul talks about his personal salvation story, the focus is not what he did to be saved, rather the focus is on what God did. In verses 1:15-16, God is the subject and the verb clauses are "set (me apart)", "called (me)", "was pleased to reveal." God is setting us apart (another way to say being made holy), calling us to Him through His grace and not by our works, and revealing His Son in us so that we might do what God's called us to do. For Paul that would be to preach Him among the Gentiles. Paul could have phrased it differently, but he says "to preach Him." (1:16) Very interesting. This kinda of recalls John 1, where the Word refers to Jesus. So Paul is to preach Jesus, the Word!

In 1:16-24, Paul recounts his early days as a Christian and makes a point to say that he was nor influenced by man-

1:16 "I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood"
1:17 "nor did I got to Jerusalem to whose who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus(Acts 9:2?)"
1:18 "The three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days.
1:19 "But I did not see any other of the apostles except James..."
1:21 "Then I went into the regions of Syria(Acts 15:23, 41) and Cilicia(Acts 6:9?)"
1:22 "I was still unknown by sight tot he churches of Judea which were in Christ"

Paul seems to be saying that he spent very little time with other Christians in his early days and even when he did they were apostles(Cephas) or an early church leader (James). This isn't revisionist history by Paul either. Looking back in the book of Acts, after Saul's conversion in Acts 9, Luke writes very little about Saul. Is whisked away from Jerusalem for the Hellenistic Jews there were seeking to kill him. We don't hear anything of him until Acts 11, when Barnabas brings him back from Tarsus to help with the church in Antioch.

I belive Paul is making a point of this "gospel of God vs. Man" thing because this establishes the foundation for the rest of this letter. And so he must establish that he is sent from God as an apostle and not sent by man.

Remember the innocuous salutation at the beginning of the chapter? In 1:3-

3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

4who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

5to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.

Paul is in fact greeting the Galatians with the whole point of his letter. The thesis is to live by the true gospel of Jesus Christ, a gospel of grace, liberty and freedom, which is from God, as opposed to living a gospel from man which is of the flesh, bondage and the Law.

New Schedule

Hello Brothers and Sisters,

Here is the new schedule for the men and women's groups where Dorman will teach us how to study the Bible.

Studying the Bible Catch-up Seminar/Workshop

When: April 21, Saturday, 8am-12noon
Where: At church
Who: Anyone, men and women, who need to jump-start or review the Bible Study process Dorman taught in the prior Saturday morning Men's Group.

Studying the Bible (On-going Class)

When: Beginning April 22, on 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Sundays each month, 12:30-1:30pm
Where: At church
Who: Men who were in the Saturday morning Men's Group, and anyone else who attended the catch-up seminar.
Note: Lunch will be ordered and participants may make freewill donation to cover the cost.

You may find these sessions in the new church calendar by clicking HERE.
Please bring a Bible (New American Standard Bible preferred), pen/pencil, paper and an eager heart to learn!

Please let me know if you require childcare at the catch-up seminar or at the ongoing class. Vicky and I will see what can be arranged, but please keep it in prayer.

In Christ,
Wilson

Outline & Main Theme (Mar 24)

This session we shared some of the additional 50 observations from Genesis 1:1-2:3.

A few random notes:

1. Phil observed that the creation account includes much more detail about the earth, but very little about the heavens.

• Dorman remarked that that is a trend seen throughout the Bible: the focus is on what happens on earth, while there is little detail about heaven.
• A question was raised if "heavens" refers to Heaven or to the sky and space in general.
• Dorman noted the Hebrew word for heavens is literally "up there."
  

2. Jean Marc noted that only seed bearing plants are given to man to eat. Why?

• Dorman pointed out that there is a general theme of reproduction in the passage and that God's command to man was to "be fruitful and multiply." The word "seed" also appears a few times, noting that it comes up in Genesis 3 later. (a little look ahead)

3. JM also noted the structure of Genesis 1:27 :

• A = God created man

B = in His own image
B' = in the image of Go
A' = He created him;
C = male and female He created them

• The mirror structure of the verse poetically emphasizes that God created man in His own image. Man is a reflection of God.

• Both man and woman are created in His image.

4. Genesis 2:3, for the first time, states a reason for God's action: "because" - a causal link.

Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

• Rest is a huge theme throughout the Bible
• O.T.: Rest in the (promised) land. (Joshua)
• N.T.:
• Matthew 11:28-30
• Hebrews 3, 4
• Revelation 21, 22
• God rested: the all powerful rested->balance->integrity->Hebrew "echad"
• "Hear O Israel, the Lord your God is one(echad)"

[Sorry if your observations aren't listed above, I didn't write down everything!]

Homework:

1. Make a one page outline of Genesis 1:1-2:3

• Consider: How would you teach this passage? (i.e. make a teaching outline)
• How is the passage organized?
• What are the big principles?
• Be careful not to get caught up in the minutiae and miss the big picture.

2. Describe the main theme of Genesis 1:1-2:3 in 60 seconds

• 60 seconds = approx 8-9 sentences

50 More !!! (Mar 10)

As we gathered for our session, the buzz around the group was, "How many did you get?" "Did you get 50?"

So right off the bat, Dorman asked who came up with 50 observable facts from Genesis 1:1-2:3.

We spent the majority of the session, sharing observations in just Genesis 1:1,2. Towards the end, we shared observations from the entire passage. It was a wonderful time of learning from each other. Many times I found myself saying, "I totally missed that one, I wish I saw it!" after someone shared a keen fact from the passage.

One thing to do, if you haven't already, is to make a chart to diagram the patterns of each day and see where the pattern breaks. You can find these patterns in the things that are repeated each day (or not in some cases!); i.e. "Then God said..." "And it was good" etc.

My short summary here does not do justice to the awesome time we had as brothers this past Saturday.

And so... the next Homework: 50 more observable facts from Genesis 1:1-2:3 !!!

Most of guys were in shock, "50 MORE!?" But we should have see it coming as we saw this play out in the poem, "The Student, the Fish, and Agassiz," [pdf] Dorman shared with us last time.

Note that we will NOT be meeting this coming Saturday, March 17, as Dorman is out of town. So you have 2 weeks to come up w/ 50 more!

Bible Study (Feb 24)

Dorman gave each person a pine cone and instructed us to write down ten observable facts about it such that if someone else read our list, they would readily agree. We each shared one of our observations and then looked to find any that were related.

He then shared a story titled "The Student, the Fish, and Agassiz" [pdf] from Appendix American Poems (Houghton, Osgood & Co., 1880). The story, about a student's training in zoology by observing a preserved fish, splendidly expresses the essence of Bible Study. Ask Dorman or me for a copy if you missed this meeting.

The keys to Bible Study:

1. Read, Read, Read (i.e. read the passage over and over again)
2. NO outside aids (commentaries)
   
3. Observable facts - incontrovertible
4. Guidance is available from the ... the Holy Spirit, the author of the Scriptures!
5. Make notes or draw what's described
6. Don't be content

Dorman noted that at Dallas Theological Seminary, a new student would be asked to make 25 observable facts on just one verse: Acts 1:8 !

Reading the passage over and over again helps to reveal things in the passage not apparent earlier.

Dorman used Psalm 23, as an example of "read, read, read," a passage very familiar to people and which many have memorized. He observed that in verses 1-3, the shepherd is ahead of the sheep, leading them. Yet verse 4 is the turning point- in the darkest moment, the shepherd is right next to the sheep, "for you (God) are with me."

Homework: 50 observable facts from Genesis 1:1-2:3

Can NOT just repeat what it says.
i.e. Genesis 1:1 facts:
#1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

rather...

#1 The subject of the first verse of the Bible is God.
#2 1st action taken by God as recorded in the Bible was to create.
#3 Creation of heavens mentioned before the creation of the earth.
#4 The Bible begins at the beginning.

You can make observations by breaking down the grammar, but that's not the only way.
Look for patterns and breaks in the pattern.
At this point, do not draw any theological conclusions, just make observations.

How would you introduce yourself? (Feb 17)

(This was the Chinese New Year weekend, so many guys were absent.)

Dorman posed the question, "How would you introduce yourself?"
Imagine you were introducing yourself so someone would know who you are. (i.e. not just, "I'm Wilson. I know Phil from college..." as you would at a party.)

Further, "Where do you get your identity and your security?"
A secure man is not competitive with other men.
A secure man doesn't give you his resume' when you meet him.

Dorman proceeded to introduced himself, followed by Wilson doing same.

Romans 1:1
End of Paul's 3rd Missionary Journey.
Famine in Jerusalem
Paul knew he would go to jail and be killed
Romans is Paul's last will and testament

How does Paul introduce himself? "Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God"

• Bond-servant: slave by his own choice, for life
• Supreme humility
• Supreme identity in Jesus the Messiah

• Called apostle: "sent one," "called messenger"
• Goes where the Master says to go

• Set apart for the gospel: Romans 1-8
• Our sin problem: Romans 1:18-3:20

Our identity and security is in Christ alone.

Introduction

The purpose of this blog is to summarize the men's group led by Dorman at Hope EFC for both those participating as well as those unable to so all can keep up with the group.

Our meeting schedule:

• 2nd, 3rd, 4th Saturdays of each month, generally
• 10am-12pm
• Room 206, enter church building on 34th Avenue

There will be 4-5 hours of homework each week.

A New American Standard Bible is recommended. All Scripture quotations and web-links are NASB unless otherwise noted.

Personal sharing and prayer requests will NOT be posted here.