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Galatians: New Testament with Lynne Wilson (Come, Follow Me) · Scripture Central

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Welcome back to Scripture Central.
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I'm Lynn Hilton Wilson, part of the Come Follow Me team.
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And today we get to talk about the wonderful book of Galatians.
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This is one of Paul's authentic books.
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He has the same vocabulary. We find a lot of continuity
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between these authentic early books.
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And there's a wonderful message here that Paul was called by
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revelation. The challenge with the book of
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Galatians is we are coming into the book like in the middle of a
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second act and we don't know what happened in the first act,
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that something has gone wrong and everyone is mad and angry
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and Paul is sharing some experiences when he was having a
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really bad day. In addition to talking about
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Paul's authority, the text also talks about the Savior's
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sacrifice and resurrection. You know, Paul always refers to
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Christ, and his atonement is usually central to that theme.
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The Book of Glacians was probably written during Paul's
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third mission, which makes it possibly the 1st letter or the
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second or third letter, but very early, probably before he's
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imprisoned in Caesaria and in Rome.
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There's nothing evidence in the text that give us some clues on
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when these things happened. It also appears that he's
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writing this from Macedonia in the Book of Acts.
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If you want to follow along, just go back to chapters 13 to
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16 and you can see where it falls in.
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Paul is probably riding this at the end of his third mission as
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he's going to spend the winter in Corinth.
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Remember he's leaving too late in order to go by boat across
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from Ephesus directly W to Corinth and so he has to walk
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because the winds are so bad in the in the winter time in the
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water. So he's starting to walk across
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into Macedonia, northern Greece, and as he comes down he stays
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for a while in Philippi. And this is where we think this
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letter was written. He refers that he's writing it
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to all the brothers and sisters with me as coauthors.
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So the Saints, they are part of his joint work.
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And instead of this just being to one church, it looks like
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it's a circular letter. It's written to many churches in
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Galatia, possibly up to 8 churches that are there that he
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first saw on his first mission with Barnabas, and then again he
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came back again with Silas on his second mission.
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He's writing them and reporting, but it sounds like between his
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visits and this letter there has been some people coming in
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trying to not just usurp Paul's authority but also change the
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story. And Paul is defending himself
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over and over again. In this letter we've got four
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major themes in the book of Galatians.
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The number one is that Jesus fulfilled the Mosaic Law of
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sacrifice. The second is that the Law of
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Moses should not be a burden to the Christians.
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Then he gives us some powerful autobiographical details so we
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don't have anywhere else. But they do collaborate with
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consistency with the Book of Acts.
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He corrects faults teachers, and he especially attacks the
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Judaizers. And just as a reminder of this
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vocabulary, this is a word that Josephus used.
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We find it in certain translations of the New
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Testament. But it means one who is a Jewish
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convert who loves the Savior, who accepts him as their
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Messiah. But they also want to keep all
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the Law of Moses. They want to keep every detail.
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They don't want to give up any of it.
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Christianity is just one more profit idea rather than a
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fulfillment of the law. So those Judaizers is what he
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attacks this whole letter long. I've written out a long outline.
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My handout should be attached to this video as well as my slides.
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I'm just going to go through it briefly.
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There's only 6 chapters. His introduction is beautiful
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about being one gospel one Christ, and he receives it only
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through Christ. And then he gives his thesis.
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We're still in chapter one, and his thesis is that God has
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called and trained him through revelation.
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He then turns next, at the end of chapter one and beginning of
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chapter 2, to this wonderful autobiographical information.
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He recounts the Jerusalem Council.
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He tells the story about a time when Peter came to visit him,
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and he rebuked Peter in front of everybody else.
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I think it was a bad day for both of them.
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He then in chapter 2, verse 15 to 21, talks about being
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justified by faith. And then chapter 3 begins with
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this interesting allegory. He talks about Abraham.
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He starts out with Abraham's experiences with faith and not
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with the law. And then the second-half of
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chapter three, he says the law was just the schoolmaster to
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bring us to Christ. Then we turn to Chapter 4 and he
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continues with this idea a little bit of Abraham.
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He says we are God's sons and heirs.
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We are no more servants, but there will be a righteous
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remnant that will be saved if they are zealous.
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And then chapter 4 ends with Abraham's first two wives, Hagar
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and Sarah, as symbols or an allegorical form of the Jews and
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Gentiles. Chapter 5 talks about Christian
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liberty. He sort of changes his approach
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here. He talks about faith and hope
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and love and the gifts of the Spirit.
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And then in chapter six, he concludes with his exhortation
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to walk in the spirit to seek revelation, to bear one
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another's burden. And he ends with his own hand
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and his own benedictions, like he usually does in the end of
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chapter 6. So let's dive into the text,
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chapter one verse one. Paul and apostle not of men,
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neither of man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father.
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In many of Paul's letters he is clear to talk about the Father
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and the Son, but here especially he is clear to say he was called
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by revelation. First line you can tell he's
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very skilled in saying and writing and he wants to say it
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clearly. Right from the start I was
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called of God. I was not called by Peter.
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I was not called by the church at Antioch.
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I was not called by the church here in Galatia I was called by
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Jesus Christ. And then starting in verse 6
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from about chapter one, verse 6 to 10, he talks about this need
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for unity. He says there is one gospel and
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it is all through Christ teachings.
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Verse six says, I marvel that you are so soon removed from him
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that called you unto the grace of Christ into another gospel.
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He's the one that called them. Or possibly is it the Spirit
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that called them, but he was their missionary.
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Obviously the missionary is not doing the work of conversion, it
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is the Spirit. But I think he might be
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referring to himself there and then continuing on in verse 7.
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This is the NIV. Evidently some people are
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throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the
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gospel. So right from the start we
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learned that there is a huge problem going on and he is
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addressing it. We don't know why or how or who,
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but it's very clear that he's trying to reroute and align
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these people once again with Christ teachings, Verse 10 says.
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Am I trying to win the approval of men or God?
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If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant
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of Christ. By reading through the lines, it
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sounds like one of the ways that Paul is being attacked is saying
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he's just doing this to receive the approval of man.
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He's just doing this so that he can have power and prestige and
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esteem and he's just saying, you know, you find to pull out his
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hair. This is ridiculous.
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This is not what I'm trying to do.
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And then we get his thesis, verse 11 and 12.
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In chapter one, I make it clear to you, this is the Neb
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translation. The next is the NIV translation.
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I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I
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preached is not of human origin. I received it by revelation from
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Jesus Christ, and he's referring back to his first vision, his
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second vision. Remember, the book of Acts has
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seven visions, and he's been filled with the gift of prophecy
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and revelation the entire time he's been a missionary.
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And now that he's an apostle of Jesus Christ, verse 13 continues
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on being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my
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Father's. So he goes back to say, remember
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I was a Pharisee. Remember I was fighting against
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the church. I was so zealous.
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I was trying to live all the thousands and thousands of these
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oral laws. I was going in the wrong
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direction and it was Jesus Christ.
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It was the vision where he came and corrected me.
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That is what changed me around. In verse 15 it says in the new
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King James version God who separated me from my mother's
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womb called me by his grace. Now I want to just remind you
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that that word separated is also translated sometimes as set
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apart and when it says my mother's womb that means before
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I was born. We have so many examples in the
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New Testament where a pre mortal life is referred to.
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But I think that we are one of the only Christian traditions,
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if not the only Christian tradition, that has that in our
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theology, that has that in our doctrine, that not only are we
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going to live afterward eternally with our Father, but
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that we have lived before with him as well.
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And that we do have that personal relationship.
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And now Paul turns it on to his autobiographical information and
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he gives us some details we don't have in the book of Acts.
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He says in verse 18, after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to
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see Peter and abode with him 15 days.
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So he's been converted. He's had his experience.
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He stays with Elias. He was made.
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He is healed of his blindness. He stays there and preaches for
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a while. And after three years from this
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first vision, he comes down to Jerusalem.
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But he's so frightened to see other people, he just stays with
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Peter and for 15 days he lives with his family there.
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So even though he's a Christian, no one in Jerusalem has seen him
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yet. I guess the problem was someone
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is claiming so I knew him in Jerusalem before and I know this
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and this. He's saying nobody saw me, only
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Peter and James. Now James is the name for
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Jacobs. We have lots of James, just like
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we have lots of Marys. In the New Testament we have at
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least three. The first one, of course, is the
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son of Zebedee and Solomon, the brother of John the Beloved.
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So that would be Peter, James and John.
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But he has already been a martyr by this point of the writing,
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the Glaciians. And then we have the account of
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James the other apostle, and then the brother of the Lord,
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and this is that one. And we know that he becomes a
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great leader in the Church. We learn in the New Testament
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that even though he didn't follow Christ all during his
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ministry, that he didn't believe Jesus was the Messiah.
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Once Jesus died and was resurrected, he appeared to
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Peter and his brother James and from that appearing he was able
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to change as well and he becomes a great leader for the church in
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Jerusalem. Continuing on with this
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autobiographical information to chapter 2, Chapter 2, verse one
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reads 14 years after, I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas
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and I took Titus with me also. Now this collaborates with Acts
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Chapter 15, as well as several other verses in Galatians.
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So he's come down this 170 miles down to Jerusalem and he is
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meeting with the Saints again after his first mission.
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He needs to talk to Peter. He needs to talk to the whole
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church to say we've got to have some continuity on this question
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of how much of the Law of Moses should we be asking our Gentile
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converts to be living. And that became what we call now
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the Jerusalem Council. Let me just give you a timeline
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here. Galatians won parallels with
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Acts chapter nine with Paul's conversion, and then we have a
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short verse or two on his time in Damascus.
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That's verse 17 in Glacians one. Then we refer to his visit to
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Peter and John and Galatians 18, and then Galatians chapter 2.
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Verses 123 correlate with Acts. Chapter 15 with this Jerusalem
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council, but continuing on with verse two in the BSBI went in
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response to a revelation, and I set before them the gospel that
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I preached them in the Gentiles. But I spoke privately to those
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recognized leaders for fear that I was running or had already run
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in vain. This is fabulous.
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We're learning that the missionaries are obedient to the
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leaders of the church, that there's an organization
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sometimes in biblical history and early Christian history.
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The series developed like Paul started a church.
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Peter started a church. No, no, no, it's Christ Church.
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It's not even President Nelson's or Joseph Smith's church.
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It is the Church of Jesus Christ and he is running it on the
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other side of the veil for Peter and Paul as he is now and and as
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he did on earth during his ministry, Paul goes to speak to
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them privately because he wants to make sure he hasn't made a
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mistake. The tricky part about this is
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Paul as a Pharisee really knew the law.
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In fact, I think Paul knew the Old Testament law better than
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any other Christian, the least that we know of in the
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scriptures, and as a result he does not want to burden the
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Christians with these. He sees it very differently.
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First three reads in the NIV. Yet not even Titus was compelled
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to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.
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We're saying we had this discussion.
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I said what portions of the law do they need to live?
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I had tied us with me and he was not made to be circumcised.
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You don't need to be circumcised.
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You can tell that Paul in this letter is attacking the
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Judaizers who are saying everyone needs to live.
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Every aspect of the Law of Moses versus 4 to 6 continue to attack
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these Judaizers. And remember that in addition to
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the laws of Moses that were later counted up to be 613 after
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they came back from Babylon, the Israelites built what they call
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a fence around the Torah and it included thousands.
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Some people count 10 thousands, what they called Oral Laws.
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And in the New Testament, Christ calls them the traditions of the
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Jews. But that's where you get how
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many steps you can take on the Sabbath and what you have to
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tie, then how much you can carry on the Sabbath, and where a
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woman should be and who she can talk to.
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And all these things that are the micromanaging of the law,
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instead of allowing the Spirit to take over, they're living the
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letter of the law. And Paul says this is bondage.
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And in verse four we read false brethren have come in under
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false pretences to spy out our freedom in Christ Jesus in order
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to enslave us. In the BSB verse seven we read I
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had been entrusted to preach the gospel to the uncircumcised,
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just as Peter had been to the circumcised.
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So he's saying we each have different responsibilities, we
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each have different callings, and of course I'm going to be
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like a she bear to my Gentile conference because that's my
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calling, that's my responsibility.
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And Peter had his responsibility and he felt strongly about his
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too. I want you to notice that he is
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speaking respectfully and honor ethically about Peter.
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Not only did he go back to talk to him in Jerusalem after his
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conversion three years and then 14 years later, but even here
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he's saying Peter has this great call.
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He calls Peter a pillar of the church.
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In fact versus 7 to 10. James K Foss, that's Peter and
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John, those esteemed as pillars, that's verse nine in the MIV and
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they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship.
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They're saying when we came down for the Jerusalem Council, we
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made these decisions that we would only have to have the
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Gentile Conference live four of the laws.
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They did not have to be circumcised, you know, they had
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to keep the law of chastity. They called it don't commit
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adultery. But really poor NIA means all
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aspects of that. But that's where our route from
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pornography comes. It was it was against the law of
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Moses, and it's against our law as well as Christians.
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And then don't eat things offered to idols, don't eat
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things strangled. And he said we were all in
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agreement in the NIV. Also in the NIV verse 10 reads
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all they asked us for, that we should continue to remember the
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poor. The very thing I had been eager
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to do all along, and may I add that that is still our Christian
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call, is to see that we have no poor among us and to be generous
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with our means and to strive to live the law of consecration in
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every way we can. And then comes verse 11.
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Now this is their bad day. Both of them I think, are having
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a bad day, and it I'm sort of surprised that Paul even
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mentions it in this letter, but it's embarrassing for both of
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them. But I just want to remind you
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that just as a 2 year old can have a bad day, and just as I
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can have a bad day and you can have a bad day.
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We are all mortal. We do not believe in the
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infallibility of an apostle. They can have a bad day, just
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like your Bishop and your primary president and your
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seminary teacher. We can all have a bad day and
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repent. But this was a bad day.
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Verse 11. But when Peter came to Antioch,
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so it sounds like as head of the corner of the 12, he's going
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around visiting the churches. It goes up to see Paul and
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Barnabas and how they're leading the church up there in Antioch.
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I withstood him to the face because he was to be blamed.
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Paul's mad about something and in front of a congregation he
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points it out to Peter and says you are doing that wrong and you
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need to repent. So this is Paul's personality
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coming out a little bit here actually, I still think it's a
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bad day. He didn't keep his natural man
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in tow. Continuing on in verse 12, he's
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talking about when Peter came, you had the Gentile converse
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that we're all meeting with Peter and then you had some
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Jewish converts come in to see Peter.
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And I'm going to read from the ESV.
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Before certain men came from James, he, meaning Peter, was
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eating with the Gentiles. Now the certain men from James
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would be James, the brother of the Lord, the leader in
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Jerusalem. And you have people who are
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coming there who are very strong in the Judaic faith.
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They are what is referred to as the Judaizers.
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And he continues on. But when they came, he Peter
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drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.
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Now in the Jewish world it was unclean to eat with a gentile.
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It was unclean to to brush your shoulder with a gentile who's
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unclean. To walk where a gentile had
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spat. It's unclean to even be in a
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city, you have to do a mix of baths, after all those
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contaminating things. And so the idea of eating with
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someone, since you're sharing, you're using your fingers,
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you're sharing the same serving bowl, You know, it's very you
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don't eat with someone that's not clean.
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So Peter leaves the Gentile Christians when these Judaizers
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come into the room and Paul's furious and he calls him on it.
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Verse 13 in the MIV reads The other Jews joined him in his
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hypocrisy so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led
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astray. Paul says everyone started
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following Peter, including my companion who knew better, who
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is an apostle. And he's referring back to his
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first or second mission. Because remember, Barnabas does
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not go with Paul on that second Gentile mission, but they are
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together up in Antioch between the 1st and 2nd. 1st 14 I said
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into Peter before them all, if thou being a Jew, livest after
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the manner of the Gentiles and not do as the Jews, why compels
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thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
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After that explosion Paul calms down, or at least his quill
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takes a break and he now speaks from chapter 2, verse 15 to 21
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on the justification through faith in Christ.
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And we mean that we're justified is Diako means to show, to be
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righteous, to declare righteousness, it reads in the
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NIV of verse 16. A person is not justified or
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righteous by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus
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Christ. So we too have put our faith in
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Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith, He's saying.
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I used to think that the law saved me.
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I thought it was obedience to the law that got me to heaven.
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That is wrong. It is not obeying the law.
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It's your humble, meek reliance on our Lord.
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It's faith in Jesus Christ. It's the Savior that saves us.
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It's just a deception that the Satan has used.
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This is consistent with what we read in the Doctrine Covenants
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chapter 19, verse 16 says. I God have suffered these things
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for all that they might not suffer if they would repent.
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So we have to add on to this information that we received
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from Paul and now say one is justified when 1 repents in
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faith and if we have faith in Jesus Christ and repented his
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name then we can become cleansed.
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In the Galatians chapter 2 verse 17, it says if while we seek to
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be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found
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sinners. Is there for Christ a minister
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of sin? God forbid.
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So he said hey if we make a mistake and we're sinners even
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after we've committed ourselves to be Christ servants, is there
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just repent, change, keep going. Verse 21 in the BSB reads if
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righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for
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nothing. He's saying if we could be saved
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by obeying these thousands of laws, why did our Savior go
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through this whole atoning sacrifice for us?
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In chapter 3, the 1st 5 verses talk about how revelation comes
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by faith, not the works of the law.
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And he says in verse 10 foolish Galatians who have to be
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witched. You know, this is just fabulous,
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he said. You guys, I taught you, I knew
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you. What happened, and I just want
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to say this to some of my friends sometimes, who bewitched
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you? Are you hypnotized?
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What happened to you? You had a testimony you've got
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to remember back. He then follows through with six
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questions in these next 5 verses of chapter 3.
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I'm going to read some of them from the MIV after The Who has
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Bewitched to? He says.
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Did you receive the Spirit by the works of law or by believing
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in your heart? Are you so foolish after
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beginning by the means of a spirit?
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Are you now trying to finish by the means of the flesh?
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Have you experienced so much in vain?
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If it really was in vain? Does God give you His Spirit and
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work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your
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believing what you heard, meaning what you heard of Jesus
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Christ? Miracles come by our Savior.
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He is the answer. The next few verses of chapter
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3, verse six through 14, Paul goes back to talk about our
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father Abraham, but instead of just using him as the father of
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the tribes of Israel of the Jews, he refers to him as the
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father of the Christians because of his faith.
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Verse six reads as Abraham believed God and it was
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accounted for him for righteousness and then he says
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you know, so too should we. And verse seven in the MIV
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reads, those who have the faith are children of Abraham, and all
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nations will be blessed through you.
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He's saying he already exhibited faith before he received a law
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of circumcision, and he goes on to talk about this in verse 10.
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This is in the BLB translation, for as many as are of works of
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the law are under a curse. Cursed is everyone hanging on a
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tree. This idea of being cursed for
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hanging on a tree is repeated three times in the Old
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Testament, Deuteronomy 2127, Habakkuk 2 and Leviticus 18.
23:30
Three different books, four different times.
23:31
And all these references are in my handout as well.
23:34
This is one reason why the Jews had a hard time with Christ's
23:37
death is he's hanging on a tree being crucified, and they know
23:41
that that means he's cursed. Well, as you would call the
23:43
Gentiles that he was cursed because no God would ever have
23:47
to die. You know God is immortal, so
23:49
everyone has their own problems with this.
23:51
But I just see this as Satan trying to tear away from
23:54
anyone's faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior our world.
23:58
In chapter 3, verse 14 it reads that the blessings of Abraham
24:02
might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we
24:07
might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
24:10
Now did Paul or the false teachers and Galatians first use
24:13
this example of Abraham? I don't know, but he goes on and
24:16
finishes it up quite a bit and he uses this idea of Jewish mid
24:19
rashing with sort of a discussion where you're arguing
24:22
against an opponent and giving examples like it was a dialogue,
24:26
verse 15 and 16. In chapter 3 read in the NIV
24:29
brothers and sisters, the promises were spoken to Abraham
24:33
and to his seed, meaning one person who is Christ.
24:38
So Seed is singular. Abraham Seed, the only person
24:42
who was born with only one mortal parent is our savior
24:46
Jesus Christ and he's taking us not only back to Genesis chapter
24:50
2, but then references in Genesis 1315 and Genesis 24/7
24:55
1st 19 Paul continues asking these questions and the NIV
24:58
reads, Why then was the law given at all?
25:03
It was added because of transgression until the Seed to
25:09
whom the promise referred had come.
25:11
So we had to live it because of transgression.
25:14
We had a lower law, and we are in a position today where more
25:17
can be revealed as soon as we are ready to receive it, As soon
25:21
as we live, all that the prophets have given us, we know
25:24
that there's more scripture coming, and I feel like the
25:26
Spirit can teach us ahead of time, in general conferences, in
25:30
our scripture study and on our knees and in our temples when we
25:33
are ready. The Joseph Smith translation
25:35
adds a huge difference in chapter 3 verses 19 and 20, and
25:39
it'd read just the JST. But on my handout and on my
25:42
slides I've got all the places that were crossed out as well.
25:45
Wherefore then the law was added because of transgressions, till
25:49
the seed should come to whom the promise was made in the Law
25:53
given to Moses, who was ordained by the hand of angels to be a
25:57
mediator of the First Covenant or Law.
26:01
And now this mediator was not a mediator of the new Covenant.
26:06
But there is one mediator of the new Covenant, who is Christ as
26:12
it is written in the law concerning the promises made to
26:15
Abraham and his seed. Now Christ is the mediator of
26:18
life. And for this is the promise of
26:21
God made unto us. Beautiful changes there on the
26:25
JST that again focus on Christ that talk about the Atonement.
26:30
You know, I just feel like this is exactly what Nephi said.
26:33
We talk of Christ. We preach of Christ so that our
26:36
children may know to what source to look for a remission of their
26:38
sins. I feel like there's never a
26:40
meeting. There's never a time when we
26:42
cannot preach of Christ or testify of Christ or praise our
26:47
Savior Jesus Christ. Continuing on in verse 21 to 23
26:51
in the BSB, is the law then opposed to the promises of God?
26:55
Certainly not. You saying don't throw out the
26:58
law. The Scripture pronounces all
27:01
things confined by sin and before this faith came we were
27:06
held in custody under the law, he continues on in verse 24.
27:10
And again there's a little bit of JST change here where for the
27:13
law was our school master until Christ.
27:17
Now you said before to bring us unto Christ and Joseph changed
27:20
that. The law was there until Christ
27:23
that we might be justified by faith.
27:25
So the Mosaic law was to act as one under with direct
27:29
responsibility. It's sort of like you're the
27:31
schoolmaster, you're the tutor, or you're the one who has
27:33
responsibility over these children and you've got to raise
27:36
them correctly. Another translation is a
27:38
guardian in the NIV or a trainer in the BLB or a guide.
27:42
You know that the law was a guide or a tutor or something
27:45
for these children. Paul's thoughts are very
27:47
consistent with the Book of Mormon, and I just like to share
27:50
an idea of another group of devout Christians who believed
27:54
in Jesus Christ, but they were still under the law.
27:57
This is second Nephi, Chapter 11, verse four.
28:00
My soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the
28:03
coming of Christ. For for this end hath law of
28:08
Moses been given, and all things which have been given of God
28:12
from the beginning of the world, and to man are the typifying of
28:15
him. Now, it's not just the Law of
28:18
Moses that typifies Christ, or that is symbolic or allegorical
28:22
of the coming of our Messiah. So is the law of the harvest.
28:25
So is nature, So is the heavens, So is the lives of the prophets,
28:29
we're told, You know, everything is to lead us to Christ, and our
28:33
Savior has created this world with so many messages to take us
28:37
to our knees. But Satan is counterattacking,
28:40
and we have to fight him every day, Chapter 3, verse 26 reads.
28:45
For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
28:51
Me saying you're not going to become adopted into Christ's
28:54
family unless you have faith to join, Unless your faith is so
28:59
strong it's going to end you to become like him.
29:02
It's going to motivate you to work like him and live like him,
29:06
Verse 27 reads in the BSB. All of you who are baptized into
29:10
Christ have closed yourself with Christ.
29:14
And this is an interesting use of the word clothed here in the
29:16
BSB, because the word clothes, remember in Greek, is endued or
29:20
endowed, and it refers to a ceremony where there is an
29:23
endowment of power given, like when a king is is coronated or
29:27
something, or a priest is given his first robes and his
29:31
cleansing and his washings and anointings.
29:33
You know that's that clothing that a priest receives, is what
29:36
he's saying. Here you've been clothed with
29:38
Christ's message, verse 28. There is neither Jew nor Greek.
29:43
There's neither bond nor free, there's neither male nor female,
29:46
for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29:49
So whatever is being attacked against Paul, he's trying to say
29:53
no divisions. Let's allow the Gentile converts
29:57
and the Jewish converts to sit together and to be one in
30:00
Christ. Not having separate tables, not
30:03
eating separately, not doing things separately, but combining
30:07
our faith to have a stronger church here in Galatia.
30:11
Now you turn to chapter 4 and it begins off with the 1st 11
30:14
verses talking about how gods, sons and daughters are heirs.
30:18
They are no more servants. It reads in the new King James
30:22
version, the heir, as long as he has a child, does not differ at
30:27
all from a slave. Now remember, in this world we
30:30
talked about this earlier in the Gospels, the Roman world has 1/3
30:35
slaves and servants. It's the same word, although
30:37
they do different things. And in the big cities it's about
30:40
1/2. There's an enormous
30:42
understanding of the pyramid, the social hierarchy in the
30:45
Greco Roman world and in the Judaic world actually.
30:48
So Paul's making this analogy between in a normal household, I
30:52
mentioned earlier that there's usually 8 servants or slaves,
30:54
middle class, normal home. So he's saying a child in this
30:58
home is doing the same work as a slave.
31:00
They're going to help their father eat.
31:02
They're going to get them dressed, they're going to be
31:03
helping in the kitchen, they're going to be helping in the yard,
31:05
they're going to be doing their chores.
31:07
You know they're they are servants to their parents until
31:11
they come of age, and then the heir after age 12 1/2 is no
31:17
longer considered a child. They are an adult and they
31:20
become an heir and will receive what their father has upon the
31:24
passing of their father. So Paul takes this idea in
31:28
Galatians chapter 4 verse seven, and I'll read it in the NIV.
31:31
So you are no longer a slave, but God's child, and since you
31:37
are his child, God has made you also an heir.
31:42
We become adopted into Christ's family through obedience to His
31:45
laws, through faith. And remember, faith is an action
31:49
verb in the Greek. It's not a passive verb.
31:51
It's those people that can actually become like our Savior
31:55
and apply the gifts of the Spirit.
31:57
Now the second-half of Galatians, starting in chapter
32:00
4, verse 12 to 20, toxic Christians should remain zealous
32:05
in righteousness just because you were zealous in the Judaic
32:08
cause. Stop counting your steps and
32:11
spitting on rock instead of on dirt or whatever you know.
32:13
Now take all that zealousness and apply it to our Savior Jesus
32:17
Christ. We don't want any passive
32:19
Christians here. We don't want anybody who says
32:21
I'll just try to get into heaven as long as I'm the last one
32:24
there, I'm happy. No, we have to sacrifice to get
32:27
in. We have to serve God with all
32:29
our heart, might mind and straight to get in.
32:31
And he says in verse 12 with the Joseph Smith translations,
32:35
Brethren, I beseech you to be perfect as I am perfect, for I
32:41
am persuaded, as ye have a knowledge of me, that ye have
32:45
not injured me at all by your sayings.
32:48
This Joseph Smith translation, I think, is saying, we're trying
32:52
to be complete. Remember, the word perfect is
32:54
whole and finished. And he's trying to say, I'm
32:56
trying to perfect your faith, I'm trying to help you move
33:00
through the gospel of Jesus Christ, that you can become like
33:04
Christ. The whole thing is to come unto
33:06
Christ. That's the whole reason why we
33:08
have ordinances and covenants. It's to come unto Christ.
33:11
So he's saying, you're not hurting me, you're hurting
33:14
yourself, You're hurting our Savior. 13 and 14.
33:18
Continue on. You know how through the
33:21
infirmity of the flesh, I preached the gospel unto you at
33:24
the 1st? And you received me as an Angel
33:26
of God? So there's some challenge that
33:29
he has physically that he doesn't go into detail about.
33:32
The Saints knew all about it. He says, I was not feeling well,
33:36
I was not doing well. And you received me like an
33:39
Angel. Do you remember our first
33:41
meeting? And he's having them go back
33:43
through this trial and then continuing on in verse 17 to 18,
33:46
he says those people are zealous for you, but not in a good way.
33:52
It is good to be zealous if it serves A nobler purpose.
33:56
That was the BSBKJV says they zealously affect you, and the
34:00
NIV says they are zealous to win you over.
34:03
Or the Neb says they are envious of you, or they eagerly seek to
34:07
you. What he's trying to say is,
34:09
can't you tell they're trying to proselyte you away from Christ's
34:13
teachings? Can't you see that there is
34:15
actually a war going on spiritually here and you need to
34:19
defend your faith. You don't need to succumb to
34:22
their efforts to take you away from our savior?
34:25
Verse 19 reads in the new King James Version, my little
34:29
children, for whom I labor in birth again, until Christ is
34:34
formed in you. He's saying please go back to
34:38
that infancy state where you received the gospel.
34:42
I will continue to labor with you as a woman labors in
34:44
childbirth. The last part of chapter 4 now
34:48
refers to Abraham again as becoming heirs of Abraham.
34:51
This is chapter 4, verse 21 to 30.
34:54
Abraham had two sons. His son by the slave woman was
34:57
born according to the flesh, and his son by the free woman was
35:01
born because of the promise. Now the slave woman is referred
35:04
to as Sarah's handmaiden, Hagar. She's an Egyptian slave or she's
35:08
an Egyptian servant who's living with them getting room and
35:12
board. And her son is Ishmael.
35:14
And you recall that there was animosity and contention between
35:19
the two wives and their sons. And the Lord said allow them to
35:24
establish two different nations and allow them to leave.
35:26
That's what he was referring to here.
35:29
Verse 24 in the NIV reads, these things are being taken
35:32
figuratively. The women represent the two
35:36
covenants. So he is talking obviously, to
35:39
people who really are saturated in the Jewish law because to us
35:42
this doesn't sound quite right. I mean, why would you ever want
35:45
to be equated to Hagar? Why would you ever want to be
35:47
equated to, you know, it's just, it's just crazy.
35:50
But it made sense to his audience.
35:52
This is a very wellknown story and he's trying to say, can't
35:56
you realize that? And Abraham's example through
35:59
Isaac is Jesus Christ. It's the freedom that we can
36:03
receive through his atoning sacrifice if we would repent.
36:07
Chapter 4, verse 25, the NIV reads Hagar, and I'm skipping
36:11
ahead a little bit, bears children who are to be slaves or
36:15
to the oral laws, you know, to all these Jewish laws.
36:18
He's just making analogy. It really isn't true.
36:20
And then he turns to talk about Soraya or Sarah's son, and with
36:25
Abraham, Isaac, and so reading in verse 28 and 30 in the MIV.
36:30
Now you brothers and sisters like Isaac are children of the
36:33
promise. And what do the scriptures say?
36:36
Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's
36:39
son will never share in the inheritance with the free
36:43
woman's son. Now that is what the scripture
36:45
say, but I don't think we understand the whole picture and
36:47
I'm looking for more light and truth on that one in heaven when
36:50
we can sit down and talk to Hagar and Sarah on that one.
36:55
Chapter 5 begins the first half verses one through 15 on the
36:59
liberty that comes through our Savior Jesus Christ.
37:03
And he's not saying that there are not laws, but they're saying
37:07
the abilities to repent, to take off your barnacles, to come into
37:11
Christ and be forgiven is so much greater than the fear and
37:16
trembling and anxiety that would have existed in living every
37:19
single little oral law. And no one knew that better than
37:22
Paul because he had been a Pharisee.
37:25
Josephus says there's only 6000 Pharisees and Paul had received
37:28
that level of obedience to live it, which means they were
37:33
entangled in these 10,000 oral laws.
37:35
First one reads stand fast. Therefore in the Liberty where
37:40
with Christ hath made us free, be not entangled again with the
37:44
yoke of bondage. So he's saying, you know, we are
37:47
to put on share our yokes with Christ, and when we are shared
37:51
with Christ, it's not a yoke of bondage, it's a yoke to grow and
37:55
progress and have freedom. First two continues on in
37:58
chapter 5I Paul saying to you that if ye be and he's using the
38:03
word circumcised as the sign of the Law of Moses, If you be only
38:08
circumcised, then Christ, meaning your Messiah, shall
38:12
profit you nothing. If all you're going to do is
38:15
think that the sign of the covenant that was given to
38:17
Abraham is sufficient, you've lost the message.
38:21
It wasn't the sign of the covenant.
38:22
It's Abraham's faith. It's his obedience.
38:24
It's his charity. It's his long-suffering.
38:26
It's his sacrifice that allowed him to become the promised
38:31
Galatians. 55 continues on. We, through the Spirit, eagerly
38:35
wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
38:38
Now remember that this idea of waiting implies that our growth
38:42
righteousness takes time, while faith implies that our growth
38:45
and righteousness includes action.
38:48
I want you to keep that in mind. Don't become disappointed in
38:51
yourself. Realize I can do better and move
38:53
on, but don't become disappointed because we make
38:56
some mistakes. That's Paul's whole message is
38:58
we need a savior. We need to be redeemed and and
39:02
utilize the grace of our dear God.
39:05
Verse 6 continues on in the BLB. Neither circumcision nor
39:09
uncircumcision has any power, but only faith working through
39:14
love. The actual act of circumcision
39:17
was just a sign of entering into the covenant to to prepare for
39:21
the Messiah and to defend his laws.
39:25
But the word circumcision continue to grow At this time,
39:27
don't tell. It encompassed the whole Law of
39:29
Moses, so they use them interchangeably.
39:31
Chapter 5, verse 7 to 10 now starts with an analogy of
39:34
running a race. You are running a good race.
39:37
Who cut in to keep you from obeying the truth and skipping
39:42
down a little ways. The one who is throwing you into
39:45
confusion will have to pay the penalty.
39:48
That's the NIV translation and he's saying you are completely
39:51
messed up, but it's not your fault.
39:54
You've got a false teacher and they'll have to pay the penalty
39:56
with God. In verse 13 we beat.
39:58
In the NIV, you, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.
40:03
And then verse 14 for the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this
40:08
one commandment. Love your neighbor as yourself.
40:11
But I would just like to pause and say Paul was not there at
40:15
the Last Supper. Christ said I give you a new
40:18
commandment to love as I love. I feel that's much greater, much
40:22
harder to achieve, but also much more important.
40:26
Also Paul is quoting the 2nd commandment.
40:29
It's always important to remember that we must obey God
40:32
before we try to appease humanity.
40:36
God is our first commandment and then we love our neighbors.
40:39
But the new commandment for Christians is to love like
40:42
Christ. Love verse 16.
40:45
If you are guided by the Spirit, you won't obey your selfish
40:49
desires. Now that's the CEV translation.
40:51
Now in the KJV it says walk in the Spirit and you shall not
40:55
fulfill the lust of the flesh. But the whole idea is if we have
40:59
the Spirit as our guide, we aren't going to be as tied down
41:04
to the natural man. The Spirit can encourage us, you
41:07
know, If we take upon ourselves the name of Christ and
41:10
everything we do during that day, if we are doing it in the
41:14
name of the Savior, we can be empowered.
41:17
We can receive the enabling gift of his atoning sacrifice to be
41:22
overcome, Satan's temptations, and our natural inclinations of
41:26
the natural mortality. In chapter 5 now he sets up two
41:30
parallel accounts. He talks about the works of the
41:33
flesh, and then he turns and talks about the works of the
41:35
Spirit. The acts of flesh are sexual
41:38
immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry,
41:41
witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish
41:45
ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness,
41:49
orgies, desirous of fame, glory, provoking one another, envying
41:54
one another. You know, he's just listing a
41:56
whole lot of of awful things that go on.
41:59
And then he says, but if you're going to work under the Spirit.
42:03
And now he turns in verse 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is
42:07
love and joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,
42:12
faithfulness, gentleness, and selfcontrol.
42:15
Against such there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus
42:20
have crucified the flesh with its passions.
42:24
When we have the Spirit, we do not have the desires to break
42:29
Christ's laws. We want to do better.
42:31
We want to become more like Him. When we have the Spirit, we
42:34
don't want to say anything wrong or do anything wrong.
42:36
It's when we offend the Spirit that those things come in.
42:39
I want to just pause for a minute and talk about the
42:41
differences between the gifts of the Spirit and the fruits of the
42:44
Spirit. One is the means and one is the
42:48
end. The fruits of the Spirit are the
42:49
end of the law. And when people say to me
42:52
sometimes, but I've never felt the Spirit, I just say, have you
42:54
ever felt patience or love or joy or kindness or selfcontrol
42:59
or gentleness? Those are all fruits of the
43:02
Spirit. If you felt those things, you
43:03
felt the Spirit. But the way that you get there
43:06
is by using the gifts of the Spirit.
43:08
We have to testify. We have to seek greater faith
43:11
and hope and charity and revelations and healings.
43:14
You know, those are all the things that are mentioned in
43:16
First Corinthians 12, as well as Doctrine Cabinets 46 and in the
43:21
Book of Moroni and in the seventh article of Faith.
43:23
You know, we've got him in all four standard works.
43:25
It's a very important part. I think it was one of Joseph
43:28
Smith's favorite topics, actually.
43:29
Now we move to the last chapter six.
43:32
First one through 15 talks about burying 1 another's burdens.
43:36
I'd like to read verse four in the new King James Version, but
43:39
let each one examine his own work.
43:42
Do you remember back in First Corinthians, Paul told us to
43:45
examine ourselves before we partook of the sacrament to see
43:49
if there was anything we needed to repent of.
43:51
He's saying the exact same thing here.
43:52
Now I want you to look inside. I want you to carefully take
43:56
note as if you were a scientist looking through a microscope.
43:59
You know, let's be conscientious of our need for a savior.
44:04
And then in verse 8 and the NIV, it reads, Whosoever sews to
44:08
please the Spirit from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
44:12
And verse 11 reads in the BSB. See this large letter that I've
44:16
written to you in my own hand. Now in the King James it sounds
44:19
like he wrote the whole thing, but in other translations it
44:22
sounds like he writes at the very end his own signature.
44:25
We're not told who the scribe was, but he writes large letters
44:29
saying, hello, it's me. This is how you know why I'm
44:31
approving this letter. I've read it.
44:33
And we do not have the original Greek copies, but we have copies
44:37
of copies of copies, and we have thousands of them and we're very
44:39
blessed to have them. He concludes by saying in the
44:43
NIV, chapter 6, verse 14, May I never boast except in the cross
44:50
of Lord Jesus. He's tried to defend himself
44:53
this whole letter long. And then he says, I don't need
44:56
to defend myself. I never want to boast.
45:00
I am a human with a lot of faults.
45:04
I just want to boast in my Savior because he is the Son of
45:08
God and I believe that with all my heart.
45:13
Jesus is the Son of God and we are His servants and we are here
45:18
to do His bidding. In the name of our Master Jesus
45:23
Christ, Amen.