Galatians 1: Something Heavenly

Read: Galatians 1:1-24

Background
Galatians is Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia.  Paul wrote the Galatians to instruct, defend, and exhort the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  As false teachers infiltrated into the Galatians churches and taught the observances of the Law, especially circumcision for their basis of salvation, Paul wrote the Galatians to teach and defend the true gospel.

Outline
1:1-3 Paul’s greetings to Galatians
1:6-9 Paul’s rebuke on the false gospel
1:10-24 Paul’s defense of his calling for the true gospel

In chapter 1, I would like to turn our focus to how Paul makes case against distortion of the gospel unapologetically (vv. 6-9) and defends his calling for the gospel exhaustively (vv. 11-24).  All of these he does for the gospel in order to please God, seeking the approval of God, not of men (v. 10).

Does the gospel compels you to live a life, first and foremost pleasing to God?  When you try to please your parents and/or friends, I wonder, how often you have succeeded in meeting their expectations and satisfaction.  Often we find it difficult and even impossible to please everyone.  If so, wouldn’t it be more difficult and challenging to please God because His standard is the perfect holiness.

This is where faith in Jesus Christ make pleasing God possible. The writer of Hebrews says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Heb. 11:6).  Hence, the gospel takes a crucial place in our lives as those who are in faith not only shall live, but shall live by faith (Rom. 1:16-17).  

Reflect on a song below, Whatever You’re Doing by Sanctus Real, let us examine the deepest desire of our hearts to see how much of it is ’something heavenly’.  Is there anything taking precedent over your life besides your desire, living a life pleasing to God?  Reevaluate, repent, and pray.

Whatever You’re Doing by Sanctus Real

It’s time for healing time to move on
It’s time to fix what’s been broken too long
Time to make right what has been wrong
It’s time to find my way to where I belong
There’s a wave that’s crashing over me
And all I can do is surrender

Whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there’s peace
Though It’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see
but I’m giving in to something Heavenly
(Something Heavenly) 

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Reevaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is You want from me
I give everything I surrender… To…

Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I’ve wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears

Whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You’re up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly

Whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This *is* something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly
Something Heavenly

It’s time to face up
Clean this old house
Time breathe in and let everything out

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