Drifting from the Way of Justification by Faith to a Pathway of Human Efforts
Galatians 1: 1-11
- Session: 1
- Week: 1
- Day: 1
Introduction
Outcomes for Galatian churches. Dealing with the root causes of drifting from justification by Faith in Jesus
Paul visited the province of Galatia three times to establish the roots of faith of the Galatian fellowship. They first received both Paul and his gospel preaching warmly, but later, when the agitators and false teachers challenged Paul and his teachings, the church started drifting away from Faith in Jesus. This letter was written as a defense of the justification by faith in Jesus as the only basis of membership in God’s new family, not circumcision or following the Jewish law. The outcome of this letter is to understand how the King’s blessing (Kingdom of God) would bring the hearts of the sons back to their father, and the heart of the father back to the sons, by confronting bewitching strongholds in his sons from the Galatian region. We will learn how a father confronts disloyalty in his sons, which robs them of the most important elements of discipleship, namely, trust and obedience. This condition brought about bleeding of the fathers and barrenness of the sons.
This study helps to turn believers who were drifting away from their Faith in Christ to different religions by confronting six strongholds of
- Introducing a different Jesus, a different gospel, and different spirits
- Discrediting the spiritual leaders of the community
- Controlling and manipulating the followers’ minds (bewitching)
- Followers’ immaturity in spiritual dimensions
- Believers’ limited knowledge of the right way and not knowing the dangers of the wrong ways. (believers indifferent to the right Way and ways of culture)
- Leaders silent over followers’ burdens
Welcome to the journey of discovery
Introduction
In this session Galatians chap 1: 1-11, we focus on understanding the difference between the only true Gospel and the other gospel. We will also seek to understand the difference between religion and the relationship between the Way and the pathways. We will understand the principles of a testimony by looking at a case study of Paul’s （father’s） call. The study will guide us to confront the stronghold of another gospel made up of a false Jesus, false gospel, and false spirit.
Objectives
By the end of this session, the learner will have:
- Appreciated the unique rescue from the evil world but still lives in it. We are in the evil world, but we are not of the World
- Challenged to reflect on the six questions we need to answer in our temporal stay in the world as we engage the mission of God.
- Differentiated between the only gospel and the other gospel (what is the difference between religion and relationship, the Way, and pathways)
- Understood the power and principles of a testimony
Outline
- In the evil world but not of this world
- Justification by faith only
- Twisting the truth.
- The testimony
- The main Way of relationship versus the byways/pathways of religion
Group Study Time
Galatians 1: 1-11
Connecting
- Gather with two or more people for a community discovery bible study session.
- Start with a heartfelt prayer, inviting God to guide and bless your understanding.
- Explore the passage by reading it at least twice, using different Bible versions if available, then retell the story together as a group.
- Reflect and share the challenges and blessings you experienced from the previous study.
Comprehending
- Who is a true apostle? Where does he get his authority from? Galatians 1: 1
- What is said about God the Father and God the Son concerning the good news presented to the Galatian Church? Galatians 1: 3-6
- Who was the target audience of this letter? Galatians 1: 2.
- Why was Paul writing to the Galatian church? Galatians 1: 6-11
Committing
- Engage with the Bible—read, study, memorize, meditate, pray, listen, and live it out.
- List three lessons you have learnt as an agent of change that you would like to put into practice and teach others about.
- Take time and worship Jesus with the attributes revealed about Christ.
- Use the SPACEPETS model, to assist you in putting God’s word into practice. Look for:
- Sin to confess
- Promise to claim
- Attitude to change
- Command to keep
- Error to change
- Prayer to make
- Example to copy
- Truth to obey and
- Something praiseworthy
Communicating
- Identify one person you can connect with and share the valuable insights and lessons you gained from this session.
- Reach out to a new believer—either in person or by phone—and pray with them to support them through their challenges, including any concerns about attending church.
- Create a new group and guide others through this study to help them grow in their understanding.
Post Lesson Teaching Summary
Great job completing the study! Take a moment to listen to this summary to reinforce your group’s understanding of the text and ensure you’re all on the same page. We’re here to support your learning journey!
Drifting from the Way of Justification by Faith to a Pathway of Human Efforts
Galatians 1: 1-11
Audio Summary
Galatians 1:1-11
Context
- The book of Galatians is a logical interpretation of the gospel, dealing with root causes of drifting from faith in Jesus Christ.
- Believers are on a pilgrimage following Jesus, the only way to heaven, but there is a way that seems right to a man yet leads to death.
- Two parallel ways exist: the highway of faith in Jesus Christ and byways or pathways created by enemies to draw people away.
- Enemies or agitators introduce a false gospel involving a fake Jesus, fake spirit, and fake gospel, and discredit pastors so children no longer believe their fathers.
- Paul writes to the churches in Galatia, a province with multiple churches like Derbe and Lystra, to confront this drifting.
Paul’s Greeting and Astonishment (Galatians 1:1-11)
- Apostolic Greeting: Paul, an apostle sent not from men nor by a man but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead, along with all brothers and sisters, writes to the churches in Galatia.
- Grace and Peace: Grace and peace come from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for sins to rescue from the present evil age, according to God’s will, to whom be glory forever.
- Astonishment at Desertion: Astonishment arises that the Galatians are so quickly deserting the one who called them to live in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel, which is no gospel at all.
- Confusion and Perversion: Evidently some people are throwing the Galatians into confusion and trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.
- Curse on False Preachers: Even if we or an angel from heaven preaches a gospel other than the one preached, let that person be under God’s curse; if anybody preaches a different gospel than what was accepted, let that person be under God’s curse.
- Pleasing God, Not People: The question is posed whether approval is sought from human beings or from God, or if trying to please people; if still trying to please people, one would not be a servant of Christ.
Application
- Keep looking at the true gospel and do not exchange it for another.