Introductory Statements:

The Protestant world is getting ready to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, when Martin Luther — guided by the Holy Spirit — brought to millions crucial biblical truths that were long hidden under centuries of superstition and tradition. One could argue that out of the pages of Galatians (along with Romans) Protestantism itself was born half a millennium ago! It was while reading Galatians that Martin Luther first was touched with the glorious good news of righteousness by faith, the great truth that spawned the Protestant Reformation, which freed millions from centuries of theological and ecclesiastical error. What he read in this book changed Luther, and the world has never been the same again.

Seventh-day Adventists, many centuries after Luther, also are indebted to Galatians. Through the study of Galatians, E. J. Waggoner and A. T. Jones helped the Adventist Church in the 1880s and 90s rediscover the truth of righteousness by faith.

What is it about Galatians that has made it such a backbone of the Protestant Reformation? Why has it been able to touch the hearts of so many, such as Martin Luther? In a manner unlike any other book in the Bible, Galatians addresses a number of themes crucial to the Christian soul. It is in Galatians that Paul tackles issues such as freedom, the role of the law in salvation, our condition in Christ, and the nature of the Spirit-led life, as well as the age-old question, How can sinful humans be made right before a holy and just God? It was this question, perhaps more than any other, that spurred Martin Luther on the track he started and from which he never turned back.

Galatians One
1.3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
1.4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
1.5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

These introductory verses contain the whole gospel.
--Jesus Christ gave Himself for our sins
--God the Father raised Him from the dead
-- that Jesus might deliver us from the present evil age
--To God and Christ be all the glory forever!
Grace and peace-- these are the gifts God the Father and Son bestow.
To save mankind through Jesus Christ IS THE WILL OF GOD

ANOTHER GOSPEL

What constitutes this other gospel --
Can we tell the difference?

1.6 I am astonished that you are so quickly desert him who called you into the grace of Christ and turn unto another gospel:
1.7 not that it is not another gospel; but there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
1.8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
1.9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

Paul says they accepted another gospel. How many gospels are there? Revelation 14:6 refers to the true gospel as the everlasting Gospel that is preached to every nation and kindred, tongue and people.
There is only one gospel, but these false teachers are teaching not a variation of Paul's gospel, BUT ANOTHER different gospel, which is not the gospel.

1.10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
1.11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.

Here is our first clue as to what constitutes the false gospel.

A false "gospel" is based on PLEASING MEN!
Jesus rebuked those who put on a religious "show", "to be seen of men" yet will receive no heavenly reward. (Matt. 6:1-6)


Christ rebuked those who
"outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. (Matt.23:28)
"Blind leaders, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel. (Matt. 23:24)
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. (23.25)

The true gospel results in yielding up our pride, our love of the approbation of an unbelieving world. The true gospel is not about doing things to have men speak well of us, but knowing that God speaks well of us, and that we are His servants.

I would like to point out a difference in what Paul had to say and what the quarterly says.



Paul was writing to "believers" and asking them how someone had led them to believe something foreign to what he had taught them, to another gospel that isn't really a gospel at all. He didn't classify those teaching these things as believers for they were actually drawing people away from Christ. In referring to these people he said the following:



Where does Paul actually call these people teaching the believers to abandon their faith in Christ believers? He does not. Believers are not accursed. It is only non-believers who are accursed, and by that I mean those outside the grace of Christ because they have not accepted Him. Someone who has truly accepted Christ will not lead others away from Him.

Another thought in addition to my previous post is that Paul, in referring to those in Jerusalem who were requiring Gentiles to be circumcised called them false brethren.



The Greek word translated as false is rendered as followed by Strong's:

He called them spurious brothers, or pretended associates. That cannot be in any way be said to mean a fellow believer.

Good thoughts, Gary. Obviously, a "false brother" is not a "brother." It reminds me, as an English teacher, of "false cognates"--words that look the same between languages, but are not.

For example: "embarrassed" in English is NOT the same as "embarazada" in Spanish. The latter means "pregnant"! These are "false cognates," sometimes also referred to as "false friends." Second language learners often stumble over these. Just for fun, I'll copy in a table found on Spanishcognates.org that illustrates a few more of these.

English Word	Correct Spanish Word	Confused With	English Translation
actually	en realidad	actualmente	currently
assist	ayudar	asistir	to attend
attend	asistir	atender	to attend to
bizarre	extraño	bizarro	gallant
carpet	alfombra	carpeta	folder
choke	estrangular	chocar	to collide
deception	engaño	decepción	disappointment
embarrassed	avergonzado	embarazada	pregnant
exit	salida	éxito	success
idiom	modismo	idioma	language

On the forum here, much confusion arises from individuals who have conflated intra-language (English only) "false friends," assuming their meanings are related when this is simply not so. I like the fact that God's law is said to be so precise as to not suffer the change of a single jot or tittle. That means words are important. It behooves us to use words with precision and carefulness, and to pay attention to the words and expressions used by Biblical authors. At the same time, we must understand that errors have entered the text through translation (such as "Easter" instead of "Passover" in the KJV in one place) and be willing to look at the words in their original language when warranted.

Paul uses the term "false brethren" only twice in his writings. They are the only uses of the Greek word behind them in the Bible.



It nearly seems something like a combination between the concepts of "hypocrite" and "infiltrator." To what degree the "false brother" professes to be a true Christian remains undefined. The term might comprehend a spectrum of individuals, and yet none of them would be a true "brother" (Christian). As Paul pointed out in his time, there are many non-Christian Adventists today. Beware of the wolves in sheep's clothing!

PAUL PRESENTS THE PROBLEM:
He recounts a previous experience when he and Barnabas, along with Titus, a Gentile go to Jerusalem. Titus was a Gentile convert to Christianity and dear to Paul who called him "my own son after the common faith" (Titus 1:2)

Most will agree that this is referring to the same event recorded in Acts 15, as it deals with the same issue, which was then brought before the council at Jerusalem.

Here we find ourselves in the heat of the Jewish mindset. A person was "a heathen" unless he was a Jew. The only way one could be a Jew was to undergo circumcision and purification rituals and take studies in the Torah. So again we see the "Jewish party" insisting that a person FIRST had to become a "Jewish proselyte" before they could be offered any salvation privileges from God.

As the lesson points out, circumcision was the sign of the covenant relationship that God established with Abraham, the father of the Israelite nation. It had symbolic meaning of stripping away dependence upon one's own abilities, and depending totally on God. However, that symbolic meaning had been lost, and there was a general concept that circumcision was their ticket to heaven. Yet, for

Thus the Jewish Christians had a hard time setting aside the 'sign" that had so much importance to their religious/national identity.

So why does Paul go to Jerusalem?



Paul seems to have been reluctant about going to Jerusalem to argue the situation, but the Lord impressed him to go. First he had a private meeting with some of the apostles. God gave Paul the truth of the gospel through revelation, but God also revealed to Paul to go to Jerusalem to confirm the gospel revealed to him, and to do this privately with the apostles BEFORE the controversial element presented their side.
God wants His ministers to have unity. It is apparent that the Judizers were pointing to the church in Jerusalem and citing the apostles in Jerusalem as their support; they were accusing Paul of faulty teachings, and out of line with the "men of repute" (apostles) in Jerusalem. This was a serious charge for the apostles had walked and talked with Christ for 3 1/2 years and were obviously chosen by Christ as His ambassadors, while Paul came later on the scene. This was why Paul started this letter with such emphases on his calling and how he was taught by Christ Himself the message he was carrying to the Gentiles.

There in Jerusalem the church leaders sided with Paul, shattering the whole contention of the Judaizers who were insisting Gentiles had to become "Jews" first before they were acceptable to God and eligible of the benefits bestowed by God.

After much disputing in that council, Peter stands up and recounts his experience with the Gentile Cornelius, telling them that God "put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith." Acts 15:9

And so the Jerusalem Church Counsel votes against the Judiazers and supports Paul. The apostles are not divided.


IS UNITY IN LEADERSHIP IMPORTANT?

The answer is, YES!
If the church is serious about preaching truth in a convincing way, there needs to be unity amongst the leaders.
The old saying "divide and conquer" still holds a lot of truth.

While in Jerusalem some "believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up, and said, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them'"

They used devious means to spy out whether Titus, who was a Gentile, was circumcised. The “church council” itself apparently voted that Titus should not be compelled to be circumcised and they also gave their blessing to Paul and Barnabas to continue their mission to the Gentiles, without requiring their converts to submit to circumcision, nor to the ceremonial Jewish laws.


It has been suggested that these "false brethren" were infiltrators, (slipped in to spy out our liberty) to "spy" on what they were doing and to make sure Jewish customs and laws were observed.

Paul says, "No! to their insistence that Titus (and all Gentiles) who convert must be initiated into the Jewish economy by circumcision. He told them that all are made one at the cross -- all are unclean sinners without Christ. Grace is available for all peoples, there's no distinction between Jews and the rest.

In our day a popular teaching has come in suggesting Paul, in Galatians is freeing the Gentiles from their obligation to obey God's law (particularly the Ten Commandments). But remember that Titus was the "test case" to resist the circumcision party. Yet in the book of Titus chapter one we read what Paul wrote this young man. Paul admonishes Titus to live a moral life (See Titus 1:5-9; 2:1-19) He even tells Titus that Christ's redemption includes cleansing us from every lawless deed and purifying a people, zealous for good works (Titus 2:11)

Paul explains a bit more to Titus about those "false brethren" of the circumcision, who infiltrated the church.
Notice what type of characters they have –
•insubordinate
• idle talkers
• doing this for monetary gain
• they follow the commandments of men
• They (these Judizing men) profess to know God but in works they deny Him living in abominable disobedience and disqualified for every good work. Titus 1:16
In spite of their insistence on Jewish initiation rituals, and other ceremonies, their lives and actions show they have never been circumcised of the heart. insubordinate idle talkers doing this for monetary gain they follow the commandments of men They (these Judizing men) profess to know God but in works they deny Him living in abominable disobedience and disqualified for every good work. Titus 1:16 In spite of their insistance on Jewish initiation rituals, their lives show they have never been circumcised of the heart.

dedication,

Have you read F.C. Gilbert's book, From Judaism to Christianity? In it he talks about how he was raised to be a rabbi and how hatred for Christians was deliberately instilled in him starting at a very young age.

I know this is centuries after Paul's day, but when we see how the Jews pursued and persecuted Christians in Paul's day it's hard to see how the levels of hatred were that much greater in Gilbert's day than in Paul's day. The point i'm getting at is that it was drummed into a Jewish boy's mind from a very, very young age and onward that circumcision and Jewishness was something that made them very, very special, and that Gentiles were of less value than dogs. Thus even in the minds of the Jews who accepted Christ it was almost impossible for them to understand how someone could be accepted into the church without being circumcised.

I think sometimes we overlook how difficult it must have been for a Jew to accept a Gentile as an equal inside the church, let alone that the Gentile didn't need to be circumcised. To me, the fact that there were Jews who did accept the Gentiles as equals points to the amount of power that was exercised by the Holy Spirit during that time, because only through the transforming power of the Spirit could such change take place.

This level of power is also implied by Paul's statements in ICorinthians 1:10:


This also implies a level of self-surrender and commitment that is very, very rare to day in the Christian world. We are far too self-driven and self-motivated these days. I think we have forgotten, or maybe even never really known, what true surrender really means. If we aren't ignorant of it, then what excuse do we have so many, and so large, divisions in the church? In Acts Paul says that all believed alike: they were of one heart and one soul.

To me this points to the fact that we don't really understand what it is we lack. And I'm not excluding myself from this either. I am part of the problem. "I" is the problem, at least in my understanding. We have been raised and surrounded by the "me" culture all of our lives, and it's effect upon us is just as strong as the Jewish education was upon the Jews.