For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin, for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. —Galatians 1:11-12

In anxious times, we need

ground to stand upon.

“For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” —Galatians 5:1

Paul’s Letter to the Galatians

Galatia was a Roman province in what today is central

.

Paul traveled, started

, and taught in Galatia. (Acts 14:1, 5-7; 18:23)

After traveling on, Paul would write

back to churches to encourage, teach, and

Reveal Answer

them.

Galatians may have been one of Paul’s earliest letters, written around the year

A.D.

My additional notes:

An Unhappy Occasion

Paul’s letters typically began with a greeting, followed by an expression of

. (Philippians 1:1-5, Galatians 1:1-5)

In Galatians, Paul finds nothing to give

for. (Galatians 1:6)

The occasion for the letter is the arrival of

missionaries insisting that the Galatians follow the Jewish practice of circumcision.

For Galatian Christians who recently began to follow Jesus, the missionaries’ claims

their new way of life.

“One of the reasons why the Galatians found the message of the Missionaries tempting is that it offered the apparent security of fixed rules and structures.” —New Testament Scholar Richard B. Hays

Paul’s chief concern throughout the letter is that

faithfulness on the cross is the source of our salvation, not anything humans do.

My additional notes:

The Source of Paul’s Gospel

Paul was not teaching something he came up with, but what was

to him. (Galatians 1:11-12)

Before becoming a follower of Jesus, Paul saw Christians as a

to traditional Jewish beliefs. (Galatians 1:13)

One day, while traveling to Damascus to arrest Christians, Paul encountered

on the road. (Acts 9:3-9)

After meeting Jesus, Paul realizes that he has placed

above what God revealed in Christ.

When we place tradition above the

for the tradition, we have created an idol.

My additional notes:

Encountering Jesus

Paul’s encounter with Jesus changed the course of his life—and the

—forever. (Galatians 1:15-17)

In the wilderness of Arabia, Paul may have

to seek God’s guidance for his new life.

Only three years later did Paul travel to Jerusalem to

with the other apostles. (Galatians 1:18-19)

“Over the years of his own pilgrimage with the risen Christ, Paul

Reveal Answer

to listen to and cooperate with Jesus through the Holy Spirit.” —Dr. Elaine A. Heath, Theologian and Evangelism Scholar

The source of Paul’s authority was his

experience with Jesus.

Often we are

of people claiming to hear directly from God.

We can

to hear the Holy Spirit’s leading in our daily lives.

“The mystical element of spirituality is vital to knowing and loving God and to loving and serving our neighbors.” —Dr. Elaine A. Heath

Walking with the Holy Spirit enables us to

, even when the ground beneath us is falling away.

My additional notes:

Action Steps

Galatians 1 this week.

Ask yourself what

have gotten in the way of your relationship with God.

Spend

alone listening to God every day this week.

My additional notes: