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Q2. (Galatians 6:7-8) What does it mean to "sow to the flesh"? What does this look like? What synonyms does Paul use for "sow to the Spirit" in Galatians? (Hint: see 5:16, 18, 25). What does sowing to the Spirit look like in a congregation? What are the results in a congregation of sowing to the flesh? To ‘sow in the flesh’ is to gratify our sinful nature with its evil passions and desires. Earlier, in Galatians 5:19-21, Paul told us and warned us about the acts of the sinful nature, ‘The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God’. This sowing to the flesh looks like, and will result in decaying flesh, disaster, destruction and corruption. However, we have a choice; instead of sowing to the flesh we can sow to the Spirit. The synonyms Paul uses for ‘sow to the Spirit’ are: live by the Spirit, led by the Spirit, in step with the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, and set the mind on the Spirit. We must decide either to invest in the flesh or in the Spirit. We shall reap whatever we have sown, and we shall reap in proportion as we have sown, 2 Cor 9:6. ‘Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.’ The believer who walks in the Spirit and sows in the Spirit is going to reap a spiritual harvest. If his sowing has been generous, the harvest will be plentiful, if not in this life, certainly in the life to come. When we come to sowing the flesh or the Spirit in a congregation, we have the same results (harvest) depending on what we sow. Paul distinguishes between the two harvests as well as between the two sowings. The results are logical. If the congregation sow to the flesh, they shall from the flesh reap corruption, and a process of moral decay will set in. The alternative is moral and spiritual growth. The good seed of God’s Word must be sown faithfully, no matter how distasteful it may be to the congregation. We will do well to remember what Paul said in Colossians 3:1-2, ‘Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.’

Q1. (Galatians 6:1-5) What does Paul mean, "caught in a sin"? What would restoration of a such brother or sister look like in his or her life? Who should restore this person? In what spirit should it be done? What is the result of trying to restore a person without humility? When Paul writes ‘caught in a sin’, he depicts a believer running from a sin but not getting away and being trapped by the sin. As believers we are all still sinners saved by grace and none of us are completely free from sin, as sinful desires still exist in us. The way we react to someone caught in a sin is an excellent test of whether we are walking in step with the Spirit. The restoration of such a believer would be to get them back on the right track, and to encourage repentance as well as accountability, yet, at the same time providing assistance if needed. Only mature believers who walk by the Spirit and who are able to do this gently and lovingly in the spirit of meekness should attempt this restoration. It must also be done with care knowing that they are not immune from falling into sin. If done in a heavy-handed or domineering way without humility this restoration process can completely fail and have just the opposite effect. If we loved one another more we would bear one another’s burdens, and if we bore one another’s burdens we would not shrink from seeking to restore a brother who has fallen into sin.

Q4. (Galatians 5:24-25) What does it mean to "crucify the flesh with its passions and desires"? Can a person be a Christian without "crucifying the flesh"? How have we produced such a crop of lukewarm Christians? To ‘crucify the flesh’ means we have to turn our back on the old life of selfishness and sin, rejecting it finally and absolutely. This rejection of our old nature is to be done decisively, without clinging to our old passions and desires – in other words they are to be nailed to the cross and left to die. Maybe we have such a huge crop of lukewarm Christians because they are so self-centred and do not take this rejection of their old sinful nature seriously and they are still holding on to this world with its evil desires, and there is therefore not much time to live a life centred on our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Without crucifying the flesh and renewing every day this ruthless and uncompromising rejection of sin I doubt very much if we would be able to become a Christian. Of course, for this to happen we must yield to the Spirit, we must be led by the Spirit, and we must walk by the Spirit.

Q3. (Galatians 5:22-23) How does the Holy Spirit produce this fruit in our lives? What theological term would you use to identify this process? How can it be that a person who has been a "Christian" for years displays few or none of these fruits? Are they saved, but just immature? What does James 2:17-19 say about this? Is that too harsh? The Holy Spirit gives us new life, and empowers us to produce fruit in our lives. We see that ‘the flesh’ and ‘the Spirit’ are always in active conflict with one another, but as the Spirit gets the upper hand we start displaying the various character traits Paul mentions – this process is called sanctification. It is a lifelong process. We must ask ourselves if these fruit are being produced in our lives, and do we sense these attitudes in our hearts, and do others see these traits exhibited in our lives? If there is no spiritual growth we must begin to question our salvation. In genuine salvation there is also a constant relationship with our Lord and Saviour Jesus who said ‘Abide in Me, and I in you’. In James 2:17-19 James said it is not enough to believe in the existence of God, as even the demons believe. When we truly believe the result is a changed life, and we find ourselves wanting to do good deeds; knowing that we are not saved by faith plus works but by grace only. As Calvin once said ‘ We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone’.

Q2. (Galatians 5:22) The fruit of patience should be understood as forbearance, that is, putting up with people around us without exploding. Why is this patient forbearance such an important personal character element? Why is it so important for peace in the family and in the Christian community? The fruit of patience, as with the other fruit, is not produced by us as believers but by the Holy Spirit controlling our lives. There is therefore no need for a believer to display the works of the flesh as we read in Galatians 5:16, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature”. Without this fruit, and of course the Holy Spirit, there can easily be disruptive arguments in both our families and our Christian communities. It is this fruit of patient forbearance that allows us to patiently put up with family members and members of our congregation that irritate us, increasing our endurance.

Q1. (Galatians 5:22a) Love is the first and primary fruit of the Holy Spirit, but joy and peace are inseparable from love. Why can't joy and peace exist apart from love - love for God and love for our neighbours? Love is the foundation of all the other fruit. Each being an outgrowth of love, as they all have their beginning in love. For this reason both joy and peace cannot exist apart from love. This is confirmed when we read of the characteristics of love in 1 Cor 13:4-8, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails …”. If we live with love in our hearts we will experience a joy and peace from our Heavenly Father that is not affected by outward circumstances.

Q4. (Gal 5:21) Why do some Christians resist accepting Paul's warning in 5:21 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-11? What statement might these Christians desire to substitute for Paul's warning if they could reword the Scripture? At times it is difficult to distinguish between a Christian and an unbeliever. This is especially true when the Christian allows themselves to be controlled by their sin nature. If this occurs very often then I doubt if they had ever been born again. Because if this was the case they would be controlled by the Holy Spirit and would be living a life honouring Christ. They may slip now and then, but otherwise they will start exhibiting more and more fruit of the Spirit. We will do well to head Christ’s warning in Matthew 7:21, ‘21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.’ These Christians would prefer to hear Ephesians 1:7, In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace’, than Paul’s warning in Galatians 5:21.

Q3. (Galatians 5:19-21) If you were to divide the works of the flesh into several groups, what would those groups be? WORKS OF THE FLESH SEXUAL SINS Sexual immorality - Any form of illicit sexual relationship including forbidden sexual behaviour Impurity - Moral uncleanness Debauchery - Open and excessive indulgence in sexual sins, with no sense of shame or restraint RELIGIOUS SINS Idolatry - Worship of pagan idols, creating substitutes for God, and giving in to sinful human desires Witchcraft - Involvement with the powers of evil, and demonic activities SOCIAL SINS Hatred – Enmity and bitterness Discord – Result of hatred Jealousy - A feeling of resentment against others Fits of Rage – Temper, selfish anger Selfish Ambition – Getting ahead at other people’s expense Dissensions - Strong disagreements or quarrels Factions – Causing hurtful divisions Envy – evil desire to possess what belongs to others UNRULY BEHAVIOUR Drunkenness - Excessive use of wine and strong drink Orgies - Drunken, carousing partying often filled with sexual promiscuity

Q2. (Galatians 5:16-18) We are told that it's impossible for a Christian to live a sinless life. What do these verses teach about that? In what way does yielding to the Spirit suppress the power of the old nature (the flesh)? If Spirit-led living is possible, why do people claim that it's impossible not to sin? We have a situation where the old nature and the Spirit are in sharp opposition to each other. As we learn to walk in the Spirit, the old nature becomes increasingly subdued. So we find by yielding to the Spirit the power of our old nature diminishes. However, this conflict continues and the closer our relationship with our Lord becomes the more aware we become of this struggle; the non-believer is not aware of this battle because they do not have the Holy Spirit. It is only with the help of the Holy Spirit that we can practise self-control, loving our neighbour, and obedience to the Word of God. This was the conflict Paul wrote about in Romans 7. The old nature will continue to assert its desires in opposition to the Spirit but all true Christians will obtain victory over sin by surrendering their will to the Holy Spirit. If we are being ‘led by the Spirit’ and are ‘walking in the Spirit’ we will find we will not be gratifying the desires of our old sinful nature.

Q1. (Galatians 5:13-15) Have you ever seen Christians act as if they were lawless? How do Spirit-led Christians fulfill the spirit of the law? What does backbiting and rudeness in a congregation say about the spiritual climate of that congregation (5:15)? Yes, I have unfortunately. We are all sinners saved by grace and are in the process of being sanctified, but every now and then our sinful nature takes control and we, myself included, act in disobedience to our Heavenly Father. We can only fulfill the spirit of the law by walking in obedience to the Word. Fortunately when we believe on Christ, the Spirit comes to dwell in us, and it is the Holy Spirit who enables us to live for Christ and to glorify Him. We cannot do it on our own. It is this Spirit that enables us to fulfill the law of love, and if the Holy Spirit is not permitted to fill our hearts with His love we get backbiting and rudeness reigning in our congregations.

Q5. (Galatians 5:11) What is "the offense of the cross" that offended the Jews? How does the cross offend people in our day? Have you noticed Christians softening their proclamation of the cross? Does this help them communicate more clearly to our age or does it compromise the true message? Then, as well as in our day, the ‘offense of the cross’ was offensive because it tells people that they are sinners, rebels, under the wrath and condemnation of God, that they can do nothing to save themselves, and that only through Christ crucified can they be saved. It is offensive to human pride – people hate to be told what to do and that they can only be saved at the foot of the cross. I feel there is a definite softening of our attitude towards the Word; this is even happening at our theological colleges. We see Christians who refuse to distort or dilute the gospel being made to suffer for their faithfulness. This softening clearly helps to compromise the ‘absolute truth’; for as Paul says "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough" contaminating some of our churches with errors and untruths.

Q4. (Galatians 5:5-6) Circumcision had been the primary "mark of identity" for a believer in God. In what way has the Spirit become the new "mark of identity" for the believer? What is the evidence of the Spirit's presence in a believer's life according to verse 6? We. as Christians, besides living a life of faith we also live a life in the Spirit. The new ‘mark of identity’ is now the Holy Spirit indwelt in us. The Holy Spirit in us now produces good works of love – which is evident for all to see. Under the law one depends on one’s self and one’s own efforts; whereas now we live by grace and depend on the Spirit to makes us eventually like our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Q3. (Galatians 5:4) Exactly what does Paul mean by "fall from grace" here? What has occurred that has caused this fall? How can present-day Christian legalism cause such a "fall from grace"? Once we believe that Christ alone is not sufficient for our salvation - we fall from grace. There cannot be two saviours; we must choose either Christ or the law. If we choose the law then we are severed from Christ – we have fallen from grace. Christ has done it all, and every time we resort to any form of legalism we are intimating that Christ’s death on the Cross was of no value - in other words He died for nothing. When we are justified by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we are truly believers.

Q2. (Galatians 4:19-20) How is Paul's grief over his spiritual children like that of a parent seeing children stray? What does it look like when Christ is formed in a person? What is the process involved in this spiritual formation? Paul is grieving over the Galatian Christians, his spiritual children, as he sees them backsliding. When he first came to them with the Gospel he worked hard to see them turn to the Lord, but now they were falling back into legalism and a ‘second childhood’ experience; almost another confinement! Paul is not satisfied that Christ dwells in them, he wants to see Christ formed in them, just the same as Christian parents long to see their children mature in the will of God. In other words to see them transferred into the image of Christ. The process involved in our growth in likeness to Christ is called sanctification. We become more and more obedient to God, and start experiencing the joy and peace that are part of the fruit of the Spirit which we will learn about later in Galatians 5:22. Others will start seeing the beauty of His character in our lives.

Q1. (Galatians 4:10-11) Is celebrating different special worship days essentially wrong? Why did Paul grieve over the Galatians' observances? What significance did these have in terms of their movement towards Judaism? How can we be blessed by observing special days in our era? How can observance of special days become legalistic for Christian believers? I personally do not think it is wrong to celebrate special Christian worship days. Paul was more concerned about the Galatians slipping back into their old habits and submitting themselves to Jewish legalism. We know the Jews had their special feast days, and ‘new-moon’ celebrations, with their religion revolving around the calendar. As believers, they are under grace as a rule of life and not under Law. He asks that since they are now children of God why would they want to turn back to the old slavery? By celebrating these different Jewish worship days they are returning to the routine of rules and regulations, instead of having a free and joyful communion with their Heavenly Father. Some standards and practices in our local churches are traditional but not necessarily scriptural. However, any special day that reveals the holiness of God and brings us closer to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ can only be a good thing. As believers I feel that every day should be a special day that we share with our Lord; thanking Him for His grace, love, and mercy.

Q4. (Galatians 4:6-7) How does the Spirit's filling demonstrate we are full sons? What is the special sense in which the Aramaic word abba is used to speak to one's father? What is the significance of being heirs of God? Are we sons in the same sense that Jesus was God's Son? When we as sinners put our trust in Jesus, God sends His Spirit into our hearts. And the Spirit immediately begins to cry ‘Abba! Father!’, indicating that we are full sons. We can also read about this in the parallel passage in Romans 8:15-16, ‘the Spirit Himself bearing witness with our spirit, that we are children of God.’ ‘Abba’ is a term of endearment much like todays ‘Daddy’, and is the same word Jesus Himself used in intimate prayer to His Father. As Christians we have been purchased by Christ, indwelt by the Spirit, and adopted by The Father, and as sons and heirs we now wait for the return of Christ when we will be like Him (1 John 3:1-3), knowing that the best part of our inheritance is yet to come (1 Pet 1:4-5). Finally, we are full sons in the same sense that Jesus is God’s Son. The only difference is that He is the First Born and seated at the right hand of God.

Q3. (Galatians 4:3-5) In what sense were both the Gentiles and the Jews enslaved? What does "redeem" mean in verse 5? What are the implications of adoption regarding a person's legal and spiritual rights? Both the Gentiles and the Jews were children in bondage – both being morally and spiritually immature. As Paul explained, they were like an heir during childhood – no better off than a slave. Only when the ‘fullness of time’ had come did God both redeem and adopt His children. So God first sent His Son into the world and then He sent His Spirit into our hearts – we now cry ‘Abba, Father!’ – having become heirs and children of God, adopted into His family. Redeem as mentioned in verse 5 means ‘to set free by paying a price’. Jesus came to set us free. He purchased us to make us sons and daughters. Since we are now adopted into God’s family and heirs we may begin drawing on our inheritance right now. I read somewhere what God has made available to us: The riches of His grace (Eph 1:7); The riches of His glory (Phil 4:19); The riches of His goodness (Rom 2:4); The riches of His wisdom (Rom 11:33); And all the riches of God found in Christ (Col 1:19).

Q2. (Galatians 4:4) Why do you think it took so long to send the Messiah? What about the first century world made it fertile ground for the revelation of the Messiah and the spread of the gospel? Our Heavenly Father chose the perfect time for the coming of His Son to make possible the transition from bondage under Law to spiritual sonship. From a historical perspective the conditions in the Roman Empire itself were right. The system of roads connected city with city, and all cities ultimately with Rome. Roman laws protected the rights of citizens, and Roman soldiers guarded the peace. At the same time koinē Greek was the common language. All of these conditions helped in the spread the gospel fairly quickly throughout the known world.

Q1. (Galatians 3:26-29) Do you think Jewish Christians regarded Gentile Christians as second-class citizens? What is the basis of our unity in Christ? In what way does this unity pull down barriers? Do any groups continue to be regarded as second-class citizens in our congregations? What should we do about this? Initially it must have been difficult for Jewish Christians to accept Gentile Christians as their equal. For centuries, the Jews in their religion, dress, diet, and laws, had been very different from the Gentiles. There was this hostility that had existed between the two groups – a cultural and religious hostility. The major cause of this enmity must have been the Law, as it made this definite distinction between them. The Jews justified themselves before God by means of the Law and excluded the Gentiles. For example the dietary laws reminded the Jews that God had put a difference between the clean and unclean; the Gentiles by not obeying these laws, were therefore unclean. Fortunately our Lord and Saviour Jesus changed all of this and reconciled us all by His work on the Cross. ‘In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith’ (Gal 3:26). There were, of course, initial problems. For example, the Jewish Christians reprimanded Peter for going to the Gentiles and eating with them; also must a Gentile become a Jew to become a Christian? The enmity was gone once it was realised that Jews and Gentiles are saved by the same faith in Christ. As Paul explains, we are all one person in Christ Jesus (v 28). There is therefore no distinction of race, rank, or sex. We recognise each other as equals, brothers and sisters in Christ. In our congregation there is no discrimination that I know of.

Q4. (Galatians 3:19-25) What was the purpose of the law? Was it intended to justify a person? In what ways did it restrain sin? In what ways did it expose sin? Paul states that the law had an essential part to play in the purpose of God. Its function was to convince us of the need for salvation. It in itself does not bring about salvation, we need Jesus for that. Another function Paul mentions is that it exposes our sin – making us aware of our own sinfulness and our rebellion against the will and authority of God. It makes us acutely aware of our unworthiness and the need of the gospel and for Christ to set us free from the bondage of sin. All the law could do was show us our hopelessness and impress on us that salvation could only be by the free grace of God.

Q3. (Galatians 3:10-14) What is Paul's argument for salvation by faith based on the concept of the "curse of the law"? On what basis do the Gentiles receive "the promise of the Spirit" (3:14)? Paul tells us that disobedience always brings us under the curse of God and exposes us to the awful penalties of His judgment. By breaking just one law we bring ourselves under the curse of the law, which is the curse of God. The law demands obedience in all things, as James says in James 2:10, ‘For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.’ So if we live by the law, obedience must be complete or absolute, and this is impossible for us to achieve. Since all have sinned, except of course, our Lord Jesus, no one can be justified before God by works. Paul continues that far from conferring a blessing, the law can only curse, whereas the blessing of God brings justification and life, and the curse of God brings condemnation and death. Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4, ‘...the just shall live by his faith’, again emphasizing that salvation can never come by obedience to law but only through faith in our Saviour Lord Jesus Christ. Paul goes on to tell us what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross. He has redeemed us, ransomed us, set us free from the awful condition of bondage to which the curse of the law has brought the Galatians. The blessing of Abraham that Paul mentions is really salvation by grace through faith. Christ had to die and be glorified before the Spirit could be given. He further states that the basis by which the Gentiles receive ‘the promise of the Spirit’ is solely by faith; by being united with Christ in faith. The conclusion therefore is that God's promise of blessing to the Gentiles is through Christ, by faith and not by law-keeping.

Q2. (Galatians 3:6-9) What is Paul's argument for salvation by faith based on Abraham? In what sense are we "children of Abraham"? Paul shows that people in OT times were saved in the same way as the Galatians – both on the basis of faith. Abraham simply believed God, and that’s it. Believing God is all we can do when it comes to our salvation; in fact those who do not believe are fools (Psalm 14:1). Most probably the Judaizers were insisting that in order to be real sons of Abraham, the Galatians had to be circumcised. Paul however refutes this by stating that the real sons of Abraham are not necessary those born Jews, but those who are saved by faith - those who believe. Reminding them that Abraham was reckoned righteous before he was circumcised. In the same way as Abraham, we are made righteous by faith. We read in Genesis 12:3, ‘In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ All of us who exercise faith in Christ are justified and in this sense are children of Abraham.

Q1. (Galatians 3:2-5) What argument for salvation by faith does Paul give from the presence of the Spirit? What does this tell us about the spiritual environment of the Galatian churches? How can we regain this dynamic environment in our own congregations? Paul’s question to the Galatians was whether they received the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith. When Paul visited Galatia God gave them the Spirit and worked miracles through him (2 Cor 12:12). They therefore, trusted Christ, and received the Spirit through hearing with faith. They had neither submitted to circumcision nor obeyed the law, and having begun with the gospel Paul was urging them not to go back to the law, imagining that the law was needed to supplement the gospel. These people had obviously experienced something in their lives when Paul had first visited them, but now the Judaizers came along trying to persuade them that this experience was not complete. I read once that the difference between the two is the law says ‘do this’ whereas the gospel says ‘Christ has done it all.’ I think this sums it up very neatly. Today in our own congregations it is important that we understand the work of the Spirit in salvation and Christian living; understanding that the Holy Spirit convicts the lost sinner and reveals Christ to him (John 16:7-11). So we are to hear the truth, believe it, obey it; the result will see us born into the family of God.

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? An amazing change takes place. By being crucified with Christ we are united to Christ in His sin-bearing death, our sinful past has been blotted out. As we read in 2 Cor 5:17, ‘old things are passed away, and ‘all things are become new.’ Once we have been united with Christ in His death, our old life is finished. We are a new creation. It is Christ who lives in us, giving us new desires for holiness, and for also God. We can sin again but we will not want to. Everything has changed. Christ’s attitude toward us changes as well – we are no longer sinners in His sight. We can truly say ‘it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.’

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? Among the foundations of Christianity are the grace of God and the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross. So if we insist on circumcision, or any other works, we undermine our Faith. We nullify the grace of God, saying salvation is by works and not by grace. This makes Christ’s death unnecessary, and we declare that salvation is our own work and therefore we do not need Jesus. In Paul’s day it was easy for Jewish Christians to slip back into their old culture and way of life. So it was of utmost importance that Paul stressed the fact that justification is through faith in Christ only. This issue was vital to Luther and the reformers. The primary issue was a dispute with the Roman Catholic Church over justification. Justification by faith was the watchword of the Reformation. Once Luther realised this truth he became a Christian and overflowed with the new-found joy of the gospel. Luther wrote ‘This is the truth of the gospel. It is also the principal article of all Christian doctrine,….” Even in our own day many make the mistake of ignoring this truth and try and do it their own way. Thereby basing their salvation falsely on good works. As Paul mentions in Rom 10:3, ‘people seek to establish their own righteousness’, and that is what is happening today. People are ignorant of the fact that God imputes righteousness on the principle of faith and not of works. They go about trying to produce a righteousness of their own by law-keeping. They try to win God's favour by their own efforts, their own character, their own good works. Stubbornly refusing to submit to God’s plan and acknowledging Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. The playing field has been levelled, we are all the same. There are not some who are better or worse – we are all sinners saved by Grace!