First Stop in Galatia

During Paul’s first missionary trip from the great church of Antioch they first preached in the city also called Antioch but was in the province of Pisidia. This city was then called Pisidian Antioch. The first week in the synagogue Paul preached about Christ by using Old Testament scriptures. (Acts 13:16-41) One week later the whole city of Pisidian Antioch showed up to hear Paul’s message. (Acts 13:44) This crowd obviously included Jews, but there were many Gentiles there also. The Jews were initially interested to hear Paul, but when they saw the crowds they were filled with jealousy. (13:45) Reason For Jewish Resistance Jealousy—Paul had gathered a huge crowd in the Jewish synagogue from the Gentile city. Gentile Crowds—Paul was not telling the Gentiles to become Jewish proselytes. Paul was not converting people to a religious system Gospel Message—They were against what Paul was saying (13:45) Even today people resist the work of God because: 1– they are jealous 2– the converts are being led to God, and not led to people 3– people resist the gospel message Acts 13:45 The Jews responded by “talking abusively”. This is two Greek words. The first means “to speak against, to contradict”. The second means to “blaspheme, to slander, to defame”. Those that oppose God’s message first begin with verbal abuse: 1) Contradict what God’s witnesses say 2) Blaspheme God himself Acts 13:46 Paul and Barnabus answered “Boldly”. This word suggests that their response was filled with abnormal eloquence and emotion. Paul and Barnabus said, “We had to speak. . .” which means it was “urgently necessary, compelling, and a pressing need.” It was necessary to speak to the Jews first since it is a God ordained purpose for Israel to take the gospel to the world. Israel’s rejection of the truth of the gospel and their responsibility for the gospel released Paul and Barnabus to go directly to the Gentiles. “do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life” is an interesting phrase in 13:46. The phrase eternal life would have been understood by the Jews as a reference to the very thing they had been waiting for over the centuries. It is a reference to the Hebrew phrase “The Life of the Age to Come.” It is the resurrection life. Notice, the gospel was offered to them but they decided to reject it. The gospel forces the individual to decide. The Bible shows many examples of where the individual is responsible for their decision towards the gospel and towards God. Several points to consider: God’s judgment on man demands that man is responsible for his decisions. Ezekiel 18:4 “The soul who sins is the one who will die.” The people of Ezekiel’s day had developed several theological arguments to release them from their own spiritual responsibility. Ezekiel had to teach them They were saying things like, “The way of the Lord is not just” (Ez.18:25) because God’s judgment was random, pointless and had nothing to do with the peoples own hearts. Luke 8:15— “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” Notice it was the same seed that fell on the road, the rocks, the weeds and the different kinds of soil. God sent the Word, but the individual decided. Hebrews 6:7-10— “Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. IN the end it will be burned. . . God is not unjust.” Notice you can say the rain (or, God) produced the thorns and thistles, but that same rain (God) also produced a crop. The variable in this example was the seed that was in the soil. The rain (God) simply made it produce what was already there. Hebrews 4:12 says the word of God is a “double-edged sword.” The same sword can defend you or it can kill you. There is much to consider here but our point is there is no room for hiding behind a false wall of spiritual irresponsibility. We are all responsible to how we respond to God’s word. How we respond simply shows our hearts and our attitudes. The Word of God “judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) Paul and Barnabus said to the Jews in Pisidain Antioch “Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.” 13:14—Paul and Barnabus now take a passage of scripture intended for the Jews and personalize it for themselves: “I have made you (singular in the Greek and not plural) a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”

We to should personalize the appropriate scriptures for ourselves. Today you are the light for the Gentiles. Today you are bringing salvation to the ends of the earth. Today it is up to you to either do the work or the Lord or not. 13:48 Gentiles were “glad”. They began to rejoice Gentiles honored the “word of the Lord”. “Honored” comes from a word that comes from “doxozw” (glory or glorify) and means to glorify and to praise. The Jews had blasphemed the word of the Lord. “All who were appointed for eternal life believed.” “Appointed” is the word “tetagmenoi”. It is the perfect passive participle of “tassw” which means “to put in place, to appoint, to arrange, to assign.” It may have the sense of having been “enrolled” or “inscribed” in a book ahead of time. The perfect tense of the verb indicates a past event that is now completed or accomplished has a continuing effect or consequence in the present. The passive voice expresses that the subject receives the action of the verb. The subject (here, the believers) do not cause the action of the verb. Generally speaking, the Jews in Antioch rejected the word of the Lord and the Gentiles accepted it. These Gentiles are said to have been: “appointed for eternal life” or to have been “put in place and appointed by being enrolled in the past with the continuing effect in the present by a subject other than themselves” for eternal life and so they believed. Book of Life “Another book was opened, which is the book of life. . .If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:12,15 Exodus 32:33- “ ‘Please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.’ The Lord replied to Moses, ‘Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book.’ ” Psalm 69:28 “May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.” Isaiah 4:2, 3 “In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem.” Daniel 12:1- “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.” Luke 10:20— “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Philippians 4:3— “I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names re in the book of life.” Revelation 3:5 - “He who overcomes will like them be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.” Revelation 13:8— “All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.” Revelation 17:8— “The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, . . .” Revelation 21:27— “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Review of Book of Life: Ex.32— blot out a name among names already there Ps 69—blotting out a mane already written; names left are righteous Isaiah 4—book records those who are left to live in Jerusalem Dan.12:1—People in book will be delivered in the end Luke 10—disciples’ names are in the book Phil 4— Paul’s fellow workers re in the book Rev. 3:5— Overcomers are never blotted out Rev. 13:8—Names not in the book worship the beast Rev. 17:8—Names not written in the book from creation of world Rev.21:27— Names in the book enter the city. Names of shameful and deceitful are not in the book. The Book of Life may be a book of all the living, or those born into the world. Those who do not trust in Christ are blotted out. Even in the book names are eliminated based on what they did in life.

Parts of the Book of Galatians Chapters 1 and 2 Paul’s personal story used to defend his apostleship and so defend his message Chapters 3 and 4 Doctrinal attack on Judie's and their false message Chapters 5 and 6 Emphasizing the ministry (work) or the Holy Spirit in contrast to work of the flesh. Reason for Writing the Book The Galatians do not appear to have written a letter to Paul (for he does not answer it in his letter.) Paul does not appear to hear rumors or personal reports (for he does not question the truthfulness.) Paul has not recently been in Galatia to see first hand (for it appears from the letter things were OK when he left.) Most likely Paul was approached in Ephesus by accredit3ed representatives from the churches in Galatia that told him in detail the things that were happening and being said in Galatia.