Galatians 1:1-5 - For What Did Christ Die?

There is controversy in the early church and it is controversy over matters of theological import. So important is this controversy that in Acts 15 the Apostles call together the first Church counsel to resolve the matter. The controversy is over the nature of the gospel and its relation to the Law of Moses. More specifically it is centered around these Gentile converts and what to require of them in order for them to be received into full fellowship with the Church. At the heart of the matter are the covenants, both Old and New (and Abrahamic) and how they relate to each other. Paul writes this letter to the churches of Galatia in order to correct some false teachers.

In our last look at this opening salvo/salutation we focused on what Paul had to say about his authority as an apostle and what that meant for us and to us today. In this next lesson we point out two other noteworthy items from this salutation, one that is stated explicitly, and one that is not.

The first point is the non-controversial way in which Paul refers to the deity of Christ. Paul clearly believes that Jesus is God. We point that out and then talk about the ramifications of that truth to some more modern controversies in the Church today as well as some recurring heresies brought to the fore through modern pseudo-scholarship.

The second point we spend more time on, and it stems from the language Paul uses to describe the death of Christ in verse four and what Christ intended to do through that death.

Clearly, to Paul, the very death of Christ and what he intended to accomplish through it should be enough to silence the arguments of his opponents who are trying to seduce the Galatian churches. Here he mentions it briefly, making a clear opening statement. Later he expounds on it in a greater way as we shall see when we get to passages like 2:20 and 3:13-14. But for now we point out the meaning of the words Paul uses to describe the death of Christ and what that tells us about what his death accomplished on behalf of those for whom he died.

Sometimes you will see people get hung up on arguing over the question of "for whom did Christ die." Did he die for every single person who ever lived or did he die for his elect people only? Instead of tackling that question we focus on the question of "what did Christ's death accomplish for those for whom he died." Answer that second question correctly and you will have the answer to the first.

I hope you will take the time to listen and think about the passage and what it means. This is not a sermon, this is an informal lesson in a small-group setting. I also invite questions so if you have them feel free to ask using the comments below. Most of all I pray that the Spirit of God will use the word of God to drive home the truth of God to your heart so that you will grow in grace and continue to experience all of the blessings we have in Christ Jesus--spiritual blessings purchased for us by Christ at the cross. Just click the link below to listen.


Click here: Galatians 1:1-5 - For What Did Christ Die?



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