But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir through God. —Galatians 4:4-7

These

chapters changed the world by making Christianity a world religion instead of a Jewish sect.

Must outsiders become insiders before they are

?

Rival missionaries had infiltrated the church in Galatia announcing

having faith in Jesus Christ, a Christian was obligated to keep the Mosaic

Reveal Answer

.

Paul writes back to insist on the contrary that we are saved

by the faithful act of Jesus and not by performance of good works, ritual observances, or giving to building projects.

It’s not about the deed, it’s about the

!

Our goal is

in walking with Jesus.

The test or character of the child is what they do and who they are when the

are away.

My Additional Notes:

Galatians 1:3-4: What Jesus came to do – to give

to free

Reveal Answer

from real evil and danger.

Paul states he was a

man, advanced beyond others in knowledge and zeal for tradition. (Galatians 1:13-14)

“Tradition is the living faith of the dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.” —Jaroslav Pelikan

Paul neither

nor disrespects his tradition, yet has been humbled to see it as a small, important part of Jesus’ plan to save the world for all time.

The

of our salvation is Jesus’ faithfulness on the cross, not anything humans do. (Luke 23:42-43)

“We are unceasing spiritual beings with an eternal destiny in God’s great universe.” —Dallas Willard

The continual problem is

“good news for all” to mean “good news for us.” (Galatians 1:7)

Who does this? People who want to get

in line. Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots, Politicians,

Reveal Answer

.

Why? People are afraid of what might happen if we stay

to people who don’t obey us.

My Additional Notes:

Galatians 2: “God shows no partiality.” – Galatians 2:6

“There can be no outer circle and inner circle within the grace of God.” —N.T. Wright

Peter, James, John, and Barnabas recognize God’s real action through Paul and encourage him to remember the

. (Galatians 2:9-10)

G od’s
R iches
A t
C hrist’s
E xpense

G od’s
R eal
A ction
C ontinuously
E verywhere
(Galatians 2:21)

Justification/Righteousness/Salvation/Rightness comes through

with our loving Lord.

“Life in God is received, not achieved.” —Michael Slaughter

My Additional Notes:

Galatians 3:23-24: The law was our

until Christ came.

Until

, humanity was unable to choose what was right without the law. (Galatians 3:25-28)

“Just as we accept the good and bad in ourselves, we need to accept them in others.” —Dr. Henry Cloud

My Additional Notes:

Galatians 4:1-3: “What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is

.” – Dad (Galatians 4:4-7)

What does it mean to be a “child of God” and “heir of the kingdom?”

What will we do with the

God has given us? (Galatians 4:16-17)

Will you be a

or a lock picker?

“When offense slides into judgment, it’s easy to become what we despise.” —Jean Marie

When it comes to your salvation, it’s Jesus Plus

. Anyone who tells you different wants something from you.

My Additional Notes:

Action Steps

Confess the ways you

yourself from other Christians in order to protect your reputation.

Ask God to give you a warm heart and genuine concern toward believers who are

from you.

Ask God to

you when you have supported an inner circle that kept others out.

My Additional Notes: