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LEADER'S GUIDE Memory verse: Galatians 1:10 NOTE: Answers are provided for only some of the questions. Many questions are primarily to stimulate discussion and there are no right or wrong answers. 1. In verse 1, Paul refers to himself as an apostle. What does this mean? When was he made an apostle? Paul uses the term apostle in all of his letters to mean "an ambassador or one sent on a mission with full authority of representation." Since he had seen the risen Christ, he was qualified to be an apostle (Acts 1:21-22). 2. The greeting in verse 3 is typical of all of Paul's letters. Why does he always start by saying "Grace and peace?" First, grace is a Christian adaptation of a Greek secular form of greeting and peace is a traditional Hebrew greeting. More important, Grace means unmerited or undeserved favor and is a gift to all of us from God and the basis for our restoration with the Father. Peace, in this context, doesn't mean peace as opposed to war, but is a state of contentment and quietness of the heart, a sense of well-being. 3. Paul reminds us (v. 4) that Christ rescued us from the present evil age (2,000 years ago). So why is there still so much evil in the world? (2 Corinthians 4:4) This is explained in Paul's letter to the Corinthians where he speaks of the "god of this age" (the devil) who is the unseen power behind unbelief and ungodliness. Those who follow him have in effect made him their god. By saying, "blinded the minds of unbelievers," Paul uses the imagery of a veil that covers the divine glory so that those who reject the Gospel fail to see that glory. 4. In verse 4, Paul says it was the will of God that Jesus died to save you. Does your life reflect your gratitude for that rescue? In what ways does your life reflect (or not reflect) this? 5. Paul is clearly angry at the Judaizers (v. 6-9). Who were they and what were they doing? Judaizers were Jewish Christians who believed that most of the OT ceremonial practices were still binding on the NT church. Following Paul's successful missionary campaign in Galatia, they insisted that Gentile converts to Christianity abide by certain OT rites, especially circumcision. They may have been motivated by the Zealot Jews who objected to their fraternizing with Gentiles. The Judaizers argued that Paul was not an authentic apostle and that out of a desire to make the message more appealing to Gentiles he had removed certain legal requirements. 6. What are some of the different or distorted gospels you have heard? How might you refute them? Of course there are the non-Christian religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and New Age, but among so-called Christian religions, we have Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism, Christian Science, Freemasonry, Unification Church (Moonies), Eastern Orthodoxy, Unitarianism, Hare Krishna, and the International Churches of Christ. The plumb line of basic truth for a Biblical Christian is the word of God as is found in the Bible. Paul lays out the three key points of Biblical Christianity in 1 Cor 15:3-4.
7. What are the requirements for salvation? (John 3:16, James 2:14) 8. Have you ever been told about or heard of additional requirements for salvation from parents, teachers, church leaders, or others? 9. What happens when people set up additional requirements for salvation? How do we know what to believe? 10. In verse 10, we see that Paul has apparently been accused of being a "people pleaser." Why do you think his enemies would say this about him? 11. What is wrong with trying to win the approval of men? 12. Whose approval do you seek? |
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