Galatians 1:1-2:10

Paul wrote this letter to the churches in the region of Galatia at a time when there was a major controversy about whether Gentiles who converted to Christianity needed to be circumcised. Paul said they did not need to be circumcised; faith in Christ is enough.

1:1-5 Paul's apostolic authority comes from Jesus Christ and God the Father rather than from men. He gives a very brief greeting of grace and peace from God, reminding his readers that Christ gave His life for them to rescue them from "this present evil age." This rescue mission was according to the will of God the Father.

v. 6 Paul is astonished that the readers have deserted the one who called them (God) and are so quick to follow "another gospel" which is no good news at all. Usually Paul spends some time reminding his readers how much he loves them and building them up with encouraging words. But in Galatians he skips the usual pleasantries and gets right to the matter at hand. This underscores the importance of this issue to the health and growth of these churches.

v. 7-10 "Some people" are confusing the believers in an attempt to "pervert" (distort or damage) the true gospel. Twice Paul calls down a curse upon anyone, even himself or an angel, who preaches a gospel other than the one they were originally given. These are very strong words that again emphasize the importance of this matter of "another gospel." Paul makes it clear he's not trying to please men, but rather please God. The motive of those who were preaching another gospel may have been just to please men.

Why did Paul mention "an angel from heaven" in verse 8? Perhaps he was thinking of an event that's recorded in 1 Kings 13. A prophet received a word from the Lord and then ignored it to follow a different word that someone told him came from an angel. The story didn't end well for the prophet. (Read 1Kings chapters 12 and 13.)

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Romans 6:8-7:25     

v. 8-13 The believing readers died with Christ and will always live with Him. Christ will never die again. His victory over death is concrete evidence of His victory over sin. The believers are dead to sin (meaning sin is no longer their master) and alive to God (their new master). That's why they should no longer live as though sin rules their lives. They must now offer themselves to God "as instruments of righteousness."

v. 14-16 Believers are no longer under law but are now under grace. Does this give them an excuse to sin? No! They must now offer themselves as slaves to God. A slave is obligated to obey his master. Being a slave to sin would result in death but obedience to God results in righteousness. Paul's readers were familiar with slavery. In those days it was not unusual for a person who had no money to sell himself to a master just so he wouldn't starve to death. Naturally, a man would try to offer himself to a good master rather than an abusive one.

v. 17-22 Paul says they used to be slaves to sin, but now that they are believers they are slaves to righteousness. Therefore, just as they used to offer themselves to "ever increasing wickedness," now they are slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. Back when they used to be slaves to sin they were not being controlled by righteousness. But what good did it do them to be free from righteousness? It was of no benefit to them at all! But now they are "free from sin and slaves to God." The result will be eternal life.

v. 23 Here Paul contrasts "wages" with a "gift." If sin is their master, then he says they work for sin and will receive wages for this work. Unfortunately, death is their paycheck. But eternal life is something they are not working for at all. It's a gift that is graciously given to them by God the Father through Jesus Christ. A person will either receive the wages or the gift, not both.

7:1-3 In this section Paul is speaking to "men who know the law," that is, the Jewish Christian converts. They all knew that the law only has power over a man while he is alive. Once he dies, the law no longer has authority over him. Paul gives them an example from the law. A woman whose husband dies is free to marry someone else. But if she marries another man while her husband is still alive then she is an adulteress. Every Jew would have understood and agreed that this is what the law says.

v. 4-5 Now Paul takes it one step further and refers to his readers as the woman and the law as the husband. The Jews were bound to the law the same way a woman is bound to her husband. Only death can break that bond. The law cannot die. But the bond has to be broken so they can be free to be bound to Christ. The Jewish Christian converts must die to the law so that they can be bound to Christ. If they try to be bound to both the law and Christ at the same time then they are just like a woman with two husbands. They would be committing spiritual adultery. According to Paul they have already "died to the law through the body of Christ." Why did they die? So they "might belong to another," to Christ, and bear fruit to God.