An Urgent Appeal - Week 2

Galatians 1

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The Threat of a Different Gospel

Read Gal. 1:1-10

1. See how Paul introduces himself in vs. 1. What does he seem eager to do in the way he writes about himself?
(a) Paul is eager to establish his credibility. He states that he is an Apostle and that his authority is from God, not from man.

2. What two words does Paul use in his greeting in vs. 3? Think about what they mean. Why does that simple greeting sum up all that is best in the Christian life?
(a) Paul uses "grace" and "peace" in his greeting. (b) These are both gifts from God. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

Our justification comes from the grace of God. Grace is favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life.

Grace is a participation in the life of God. It introduces us into the intimacy of Trinitarian life: by Baptism the Christian participates in the grace of Christ, the Head of his Body. As an "adopted son" he can henceforth call God "Father," in union with the only Son. He receives the life of the Spirit who breathes charity into him and who forms the Church.

This vocation to eternal life is supernatural. It depends entirely on God's gratuitous initiative, for he alone can reveal and give himself. It surpasses the power of human intellect and will, as that of every other creature.47

The grace of Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it. It is the sanctifying or deifying grace received in Baptism. It is in us the source of the work of sanctification:

Therefore if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself.49 (CCC, 1996-1999)

And from the Gospel of John:

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." (John 14:27, RSV)

Also from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

Peace is not merely the absence of war, and it is not limited to maintaining a balance of powers between adversaries. Peace is "the tranquillity of order." Peace is the work of justice and the effect of charity. (CCC, 2304)

And from the Book of Isaiah:

And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust for ever. (Is 32:17, RSV)

From these passages we see that the Grace of God is the fruit peace here on earth. Also, we receive a peace from God unlike any other. It is more than a feeling and more than a lack of aggression. It is an untroubled heart and a spirit that is unafraid.

3. In vs. 4, Paul writes about deliverance from the present evil age. What do you think Paul is referring to there? His culture? The government? What s the distinction between an evil age and an evil world?
(a) The evil age to which Paul refers is ambiguous. Noted Theologian Father William G. Most provides the following thoughts:

Christ is the one who died to free us from our sins, and from the present evil aeon. That word aeon is ambiguous. He most likely means here the present evil period of time, when Satan exerts so much influence, but yet the time in which Christ has indeed died for us, and so begun our liberation, but that freedom and salvation will not be complete until the age to come. The world does not really operate on the principles of Christ.

It can also, less likely, mean aeon, which refers to a type of spiritual being imagined by the Gnostics. God himself produced the first pair of aeons, male and female. They produced the second, and so on, each pair less perfect, until one pair went bad, and was thrown out of the pleroma, the full assembly of the aeons. This initiated a line that created our world. Paul often has to combat various errors. In Colossians it is fairly likely, even though not certain, that he is writing against such opponents. It is not very likely that he had such opposition in Galatia.

(b) The difference between an evil age and an evil world is that an evil world would be an evil creation, but God did not create the world evil. The world is only evil in the sense that at this time evil exists in the world.

4. In order to compare the way Paul begins this letter to the Galatians with other letters he wrote to other churches, read I Cor. 1:4-6; Eph. 1:15; Phil. 1:3,4; Col. 1:3,4. What is missing from this letter? What does that tell you about what you can expect to find in it?
(a) A look at different greetings in Paul's letters:

I give thanks to God always for you because of the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him with all speech and all knowledge -- even as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you -- so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 1:4-7, RSV)

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers (Eph 1:15-16, RSV)

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, (Phil 1:3-4, RSV)

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you have for all the saints, (Col 1:3-4, RSV)

The letter to the Galatians is missing a statement of thanksgiving for the faith shown by the people. (b) We can expect to find an admonishment for this lack of faith.

5. What problem is threatening the churches in Galatia, described in vss. 6,7?
(a) A different gospel is threatening the churches in Galatia.

6. What does Paul reveal to be of absolute, utmost importance when it comes to preaching the gospel (vss. 8,9)? How dramatically does he make his point?
(a) That only the true gospel be preached. (b) Paul states that let anyone, angel or otherwise, be accursed for teaching a gospel "contrary to that which we preached to you".

7. The Judaizers were suggesting that Paul wasn't requiring circumcision of the Gentiles because he was trying to please men, not wanting them to be turned away from the gospel by requiring something difficult of them. How does he answer that criticism, in vs. 10?
(a) Paul states that he is trying to please God. He goes on to say " If I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ".

8. Read I Cor. 9:19-23. What explains Paul's willingness in this passage to become all things to all men ? How can we make the distinction between what can be adapted to different people or cultures in the gospel and what cannot?
(a) From First Corinthians:

For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews; to those under the law I became as one under the law -- though not being myself under the law -- that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law -- not being without law toward God but under the law of Christ -- that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (1 Cor 9:19-23, RSV)

Paul's willingness to become all things to all men stems from his hope of sharing in the blessings of the gospel. (b) The way to distinguish what can and cannot be adapted in the gospel to different people or cultures is to ensure that any adaptation within the Law of God and under the Law of Christ. This is best accomplished by heeding to the quidance of the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

9. Is there anything in the tone of how Paul writes about the truth of the gospel that is still in the tone of the Church s teaching today?
(a) The tone is one is that there is no compromising the truth of God's message. The Church to this day is persecuted from all sides for maintaining these truths.

Paul's Unique Apostleship

Read Gal. 1:10-End

10. What does Paul say was unique about the way he received the gospel (vs. 12)?
(a) Paul received the Gospel by way of revelation from the Risen Christ. This is unique from the other Apostles who received instruction directly from the Man Christ and the Risen Christ.

11. In recounting his conversion, Paul says he was set apart before he was born for preaching among the Gentiles. Do you know any other great figures from the Bible who were also chosen from the womb?
(a) Some that come to mind are Jeremiah, Isaiah, and John the Baptist:

Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." (Jer 1:4-5, RSV)

And now the LORD says, who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, and my God has become my strength (Is 49:5, RSV)

And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (Lk 1:41:43, RSV)

12. If God chooses His servants while they are still in the womb, what does that teach us about the call of God?
(a) This tells us that the call of God is ever present, we need only to listen and obey.

13. After Paul's conversion, he went to Arabia, not Jerusalem. He may have spent 3 years there, then he briefly returned to Damascus, before going to Jerusalem. What do you think happened out there in the Arabian desert (remember: Paul did not consult with flesh and blood, vs. 16)?
(a) Paul most likely spoke and listened to God.

14. Why did Paul go straight to Jerusalem, after he returned from the desert?
(a) To go and consult with the Church leaders, namely Cephas (a.k.a. Peter). The following is an excerpt from an article that appeared in Envoy Magazine concerning the primacy of Peter:

Although St. Peter never called himself "pope" in Scripture, he did indeed have a special apostolic primacy and jurisdiction. The Scriptural evidence for this is substantial and explicit.

Of the Twelve Apostles, St. Peter is by far the one mentioned most often in Scripture. He appears 195 times. The next most often mentioned Apostle was St. John, who comes in at a whopping 29 times. St. James the Greater is mentioned 19 times, St. Philip 15, and the numbers dwindle rapidly for the others. Does this in itself prove St. Peter's primacy? No, but it does shed considerable light on his importance. What does that light reveal?

Among other things, we see that when the Twelve Apostles are listed by name (Matt. 10:2-5; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-17; and Acts 1:13), St. Peter's name is always first -- and Judas Iscariot is always listed dead last. Far more commonly, though, the New Testament refers to simply "Peter and the Twelve," as if to say that the tempestuous fisherman signified in himself the unity of the whole apostolic college.

There are many other biblical signs of St. Peter's preeminence among the Apostles. He is the only one who receives a name change from Christ. He was Simon, but Christ calls him "Rock" (Matt. 16:18). Name changes given by God that we read about in Scripture have huge significance and imply an elevation in importance and a special mission given to that person by God (eg. Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel). He is also singled out by Christ to receive the keys of the kingdom of heaven and is promised, "Whatever you (singular) bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you (singular) loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 16:19).

St. Peter is the lone Apostle Christ calls out of the boat to walk on water (Matt. 1:28-29). At the tomb of Christ, St. John waits to allow St. Peter to enter ahead of him (John 20:6). It is to him among the Apostles that God first reveals the Resurrection (Mark 16:7). The risen Christ appears to him first, before the other Apostles (Luke 24:34). Christ preaches the gospel to the crowds from St. Peter's fishing boat (Luke 5:3). St. Peter is told by Christ, "Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your (singular) faith may not fail. And once you (singular) have turned back, you (singular) must strengthen your brethren" (Luke 22:31-32).

Christ makes St. Peter the shepherd of His Church (John 21:15-17). In Acts 1:13-26, St. Peter leads the other Apostles in choosing Matthias as successor to Judas, and he leads the Apostles in preaching on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14). He performs the first Pentecost miracle (Acts 3). He speaks in the name of all the Apostles and for the whole Church when the Twelve are brought before the Sanhedrin for a trial (Acts 4). It is to St. Peter alone that God sends the revelation that gentiles are to be allowed into the Church (Acts 10), and he is the Apostle who first welcomes them into the Church (Acts 11). St. Peter's dogmatic pronouncement is accepted, and causes all disputes to cease at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15). After his conversion and healing from blindness, St. Paul visits St. Peter to have his teachings confirmed by him (Gal.1:18).

Having said that, what should we make of St. Peter's reference to himself in 1 Peter 5:1 as a "fellow presbyter"? Does this signal that he was unaware of his special role as chief of the Apostles? The answer is found in the same passage. "Clothe yourselves in humility in your dealings with one another," he says, "for God opposes the proud but bestows favor on the humble. So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time" (1 Peter 5:5). Since he was cautioning his Christian audience to be humble, it makes perfect sense that he would take his own advice and, setting an example for them, speak of himself in humble terms. And in doing so, he was following Christ's command, "Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant, whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave" (Matt. 20:26-27). But this humility shouldn't blind us to the substantial body of biblical evidence showing that he did receive a special apostolic preeminence and authority from Christ -- evidence that critics of the papacy often ignore or strain to explain away.

St. Paul, like St. Peter, was also humble when referring to himself. He was by far the most prominent and prolific New Testament writer, responsible for about half of the New Testament, but he said, "I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God" (1 Cor. 15:10), and, "To me the very least of all the holy ones, this grace was given" (Eph. 3:8). On numerous occasions he called himself a mere deacon, the very lowest level of ordained ministry in the Church (cf. 1 Cor. 3:5, 4:1; 2 Cor. 3:6, 6:4, 11:23; Eph. 3:7; Col. 1:23, 25). But clearly, St. Paul had an authority far greater than that of a deacon.

As with St. Peter, these examples of St. Paul's humility are balanced by statements of his authority: "Although I have the full right to order you to do what is proper, I rather urge you out of love" (Phil. 8-9), and, "[A]lthough we were able to impose our weight as apostles of Christ. Rather, we were gentle among you, as a nursing mother cares for her children" (1 Thess. 2:7).

St. Peter's calling himself a "fellow presbyter" doesn't disprove his primacy any more than St. Paul's habit of calling himself a "deacon" proves he had no authority greater than a deacon's. (Pope Fiction by Patrick Madrid)

15. Look at vs. 20. Why do you think he makes that impassioned statement?
(a) To hopefully make the Galatians understand how serious he is in his statements.

16. Up to that point in his ministry, what was Paul's reputation?
(a) Paul's reputation was a a persecutor of the Church

17. How has your understanding of St. Paul deepened as a result of this lesson?

(a) My understanding of Paul is now of one who was very passionate and commited to his beliefs. This zeal which at one time was directed against the Church, God turned to the good of the Church.

Disclaimer: I do not wish to present myself as an expert in either theology, history, or scriptural interpretation. I am merely someone who is attempting to answer the call of Christ. The ultimate authority and interpreter of scripture is our Holy Catholic Church. If at any point I deviate from the teachings of the Church, please correct me, alfredo@nevarez.net, as this is my shortcoming and in no way meant to be an expression of my views superceding those of the Church founded by Jesus Christ.

San Jose Bible Study
Alfredo Nevarez
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