happysheep

Q5. (Galatians 2:20) In what sense have we been "crucified with Christ"? What does that mean? In what sense do "I no longer live"? Whose life now motivates us? How does this verse relate to Paul's closing comments about the "new creation" (Galatians 6:15)? What does Galatians 2:20 teach about Christ's attitude toward us? We have been crucified with Christ in the sense that we have died to ourselves, to sin, to living like we once did when we did not know God. I no longer live from my own desires, my own cravings, my own philosophy or by the precepts of the world. I live through the Spirit of Christ living in me. He gives me desires, cravings according to God's will in my life, I live according to the precepts of the Word. The life of Christ now motivates us. This verse relates to the new creation comment, in that he says that whether we are from the law or from outside the law, what matters is salvation through faith and living the new life afterwards. Here after being crucified, Jesus lives again-a new life. We too have that new life, leaving behind old ways. This verse teaches us that what Jesus for us, he did so willingly, out of great love for us.

Q4. (Galatians 2:15-21) What happens to the importance of Christ's death if circumcision is deemed necessary to salvation? Why was this issue of the sufficiency of the Messiah's death so important in Paul's day? Why was this issue important to Luther and the reformers? Why is it so important in our own day? How does it affect the relative legalism of our congregations? Christ's death becomes immaterial for salvation, or just one in a list of things to be done or observed or believed, to be saved. Because, the Jewish believers were still coming to terms with the fact that the law had been fulfilled in Christ, that observing it would not reconcile them to their God; they needed assurance that salvation was by faith. This same issue was important to Luther and the reformers because the church of Rome had been leading the people into believing that salvation was by works. Whatever spiritual forces have opposed the truth of the cross in Paul's day, still are acting against the church, against every generation of believers. So whether legalism or licence, the fundamental basis of the the Messiah's death and reconcilation with the Father needs to be continually emphasised.

Well, because all said and done, we are products of our cultures. Unless we separate our own culture first from the truth of the gospel, we will continue to do the same. Because, christian religion is packaged in tradition and handed down to new believers. While missionaries take their culture with them, the other practice has been to just infuse the gospel into existing cultures. Both are wrong. The gospel is supra-cultural. We need to strip culture off missions and go with just the basic gospel, and here, yes, Jesus, Yeshua was a Jew. If that is offensive to some, they need to step out of their cultural moorings and accept him for what he is.

Q2. (Galatians 2:14) Why do you think Paul confronted Peter publicly rather than privately? Do you expect Paul had talked with Peter about this previously? How did a public discussion of this benefit the Jewish Christians? How did it benefit the Gentile Christians? What kind of pressure do you think this put on Paul? Paul probably had tried every other avenue to sort the matter out and when it became a do or die issue, he chose to confront Peter publicly. So, yes, I expect Paul to have reasoned out with Peter about this previously. The public discussion must have helped to put on the table all the differing view points, so that people no longer had to speculate and wonder and argue and not know what was right. The pressure on Paul must have been tremendous, because the entire ministry to the Gentiles was at stake.

Q1. (Galatians 2:11-14) Why do you think Peter first embraced the Gentile believers in Antioch and later withdrew from them to eat only with Jews? What does this tell us about his character? Why should he have known better? What does this tell us about Barnabas? What does it tell us about the political clout of the visitors from Jerusalem? Have you ever acted like a hypocrite to impress others? What should you do when you recover your senses? Peter first embraced the Gentile believers because he knew that was the right thing to do, after the revelation to him in Cesarea. So he was doing what he had been practising. However he later withdrew from them to eat only with the Jews out of fear of the circumcision group. This tells us that he was concerned about his reputation and that he did not have it in him to openly fight for his convictions. He should have known better simply because he was one of the first apostles to be given the revelation about embracing the Gentiles. Barnabas it seems was too impressed with the visitors and their stature that he was willing to compromise his principles. The visitors seem to have been very powerful in the structure of the early church in Jerusalem. Oh yes, several times-unfortunately. The right thing to do after recovering my senses would be to ask God for forgiveness and repent of the hypocrisy; and behave differently in the future.

I think Paul wanted the apostles in Jerusalem to endorse his ministry to the Gentiles so that those being sent out to spy and Judaise the Gentiles would stop doing so. Perhaps he thought that if he had the public approval and fellowship of the apostles and if they supported his positions on Mosaic law and circumcision, he would be free to preach the gospel of grace, instead of arguing against circumcision all the time. To this end, he wanted to distance himself from the Jerusalem leaders so that there would be no talk of him being influenced by them, in what he preached. He wanted to hold on to the fact that he received the gospel by revelation, and the more time he spent and the closer he got to the apostles, there would always be the continued speculation that he was teaching what he had learnt from them.

Titus was helping Paul in preaching the gospel to the Gentiles. Paul had not asked him to be circumcised, like he had asked Timothy, when they went to the Jews, in order that Timothy would not give offense to the Jews. In the case of Titus, the fact that the apostles did not force him to be circumcised, supports his argument that neither circumcision nor the observance of any other Mosaic law, was necessary to obtain salvation. That salvation is free, through grace by faith in Jesus the Messiah for both Jew and Gentile. So, the significance of Paul's mention is that the case of Titus was sort of a 'living proof' of his argument being right.

Paul was a Roman citizen, speaking Greek, having a trade-although he was a Jew, he was familiar with Gentile cultures and customs. This made him an ideal apostle to the Gentiles. Of course God prepared and called him to this position-his training as a Rabbi was also central, in his own understanding of the gospel and in sharing them with other Jews. God used his differences for his own glory-Paul was able to prove to the Jews everytime, from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah. And his zeal for the God of Israel which he mistakenly used to persecute the fledgling church, God used this to build up the church. Everything about Paul, that was different from say, the other apostles, God used in places and ways he couldnt have used the other apostles.

The source of Paul's gospel is a revelation from Jesus Christ himself. How do we know its true? Because Paul never deviates from the revelation. Besides he (in chapter 2: 1-10) he also checks this gospel with the one preached by Peter and the other apostles and finds it to be the same. The other foundational sources-the Old Testament and other New Testament writings and this gospel revealed to Paul conform with one another. Like the Galatians who were taking the Judaisers' teaching, if we take anybody's teaching, contemporary or old, we stand the same risk of following something false and in due course, not inheriting the kingdom.

i walked in this 'gospel' for several years and when my 'faith did not work for me', i was told that i was far away from God. the first thing the Holy Spirit did was to get me away from these teachings and he taught me once again, what the true gospel is. years later, i can see that those times when the 'working of my faith' did not get the desired results was when God was holding me in the palm of his hand and rescuing me, all by himself, paying the ransom and getting me back, bit by bit from the enemy. its grace and grace alone-with complete trust in God and faith in him, that we grow. the problem with the faith gospel is that there is a 'desired state' that all followers are brainwashed to aspire to, whether it is wealth, health, prosperity, whatever. when we aspire for anything but Jesus and him crucified ( 1 Cor 2:2;Gal 6:14) we know we are in trouble.

The Judaiser's message was dangerous to the Galatians because, while it sounded 'good' and 'right' and gave them 'something to do' to 'earn their salvation', it negated the one true gospel, that of Christ dying for their sins. If they believed in this perverted gospel, they stood the risk of losing their salvation, in time!!!! Likewise, perversions of the good news as well as unbalanced interpretation of the gospels lulls people today from staying in the truth or building on the foundation of the true gospel. People today who follow anything but the good news of Jesus dying for us, also stand a risk of losing their salvation, or not being saved at all.

According to Galations 1:4, Jesus gave himself for the purpose of rescuing/redeeming/buying/saving us from the present evil age, which gets everyone to sin. Jesus rescues us today as he has always done, by paying the price for us, that is himself, being judged in our place, for our sins, according to God's will. Jesus sent us God the Holy Spirit to counsel, guide, teach and keep us in the Way-the Holy Spirit helps us to get back when we slip, he helps us to discern between the way of the present evil age/our old ways and the one Way.

this psalm teaches that God is the one to whom the greatest majesty and glory can be ascribed. and this is reflected in His creation. yet, even though we human beings seem insignificant, in Him, through Him we ARE significant. this psalm teaches us that God made Christ lower than the heavenly beings - for our sake. our responsibility is to take God's command and live as rulers of this earth

This study was an effective way to learn, understand and meditate on the Book of James. At the end of 8 weeks, I am convinced that to call myself a Christian I need to have active faith that gives rise of acts of kindness, love and generosity as Jesus Himself did when He walked on earth. The study has also helped me to think through my

Dead faith is selfish faith and it does not care for anyone save oneself. But active faith is a faith that cares, that motivated by love, it reaches out to others. In this light, when a wandering sheep is found and brought home, it is done because of love and faith. This is part of the works that James has talked about.