Paul’s Concern for the Galatians
Today’s Daily Bible Reading is from Galatians 1:1-6. This is the study of the book of Galatians which is an epistle or letter written by Paul. Have you ever studied the book of Galatians? Paul introduces himself as an apostle of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and of God our Heavenly Father.
He is writing this letter to the churches of Galatia. The epistle is thought to have been written around 50 A.D. Notice the Scripture says churches. This letter wasn’t written to one specific church, as many of Paul’s writings were, but it was written to all the churches in the region of Galatia. Do you know who the people of Galatia were?
The region of Galatia was a Roman Province in Asia Minor. It was thought to be inhabited by Celtic people who were called Gauls. The name Galatia means land of the Galli or Gauls. There were two regions of Galatia a northern region, which was small agricultural cities, and the southern region, which was more commercial.
Paul starts with a greeting saying, “Grace and peace to you from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. 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: To whom is glory for ever and ever. Amen.” If Paul considered the world to be evil at that time, what do you think he would think of our world today?
Paul made sure the churches of Galatia knew who he was representing when he wrote this letter. He had some things to discuss with them and he wanted them to know where he got his authority from so they would respect his writings. Paul was not called by man to be an apostle. His call to be an apostle was directly from God.
Paul’s concern for the people of the churches of Galatia was that they had turned away from God and from the grace of Christ to another gospel so soon. When Paul started this chapter with the words grace and peace he knew that they couldn’t have peace without the grace of God in their lives. They were called by God through Jesus to be His followers, but yet they turned away from Him. You can’t turn to something else without first turning away from God.
Even though the people of Galatia lived long ago the messages Paul gives in the book of Galatians are messages and warnings for all of us. We need to be careful not to turn away from God, but to stay true to Him and His Word. In the next lesson we will look further into this matter and see how the churches of Galatia turned away from God and from the gospel of Jesus Christ. We will also see how Paul leads them back to God.
Daily Bible Reading:
Galatians 1:1-6
1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead:)
2 And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
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:
5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
Things to think about:
- What did you learn about Paul and his dedication to the Lord in this lesson?
- Who called Paul to serve the churches of his day?
- What was Paul’s concern for the people of Galatia?
- Have you ever turned your back on God? What was the circumstance? What happened?
Prayer of the Day:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for this Scripture in the book of Galatians where we see that Paul was an apostle, called by You. It doesn’t matter what other credentials he has. He had the highest calling and that was to be called by You to serve the churches of his day. Help us not to be worried about trying to impress men with our credentials, but to be more concerned about pleasing You. We see that Paul had a great concern for the churches of Galatia because they turned against You and against the gospel of the grace of Jesus Christ. Help us be on guard not to turn away from the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Daily Bible Verse:
– This is an excerpt from my book:
The Book of Galatians: Paul’s Letter to the Churches of Galatia
Click the link above to get your copy now!
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Featured Book:
The Book of Galatians: Paul’s Letter to the Churches of Galatia
By Deborah H. Bateman
The Book of Galatians: Paul’s Letter to the Churches of Galatia is a Daily Bible Reading Study of the book of Galatians. The book of Galatians is in the New Testament and is one of Paul’s letters. He wrote this letter to the churches of Galatia.
Paul is concerned that the people of Galatia are being taught something different than the true gospel, which he taught them earlier. Paul goes to great lengths to make sure they understand the difference between living under the law and living under the grace of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Book of Galatians: Paul’s Letter to the Churches of Galatia contains sixteen Daily Bible Reading lessons. Each lesson consists of a brief commentary, the Daily Bible Reading Scripture, a few questions for contemplation called, “Things to think about,” and a prayer for the day. This book is great to use for both personal Bible study and group Bible studies.
For those of you interested in Bible journaling, may I suggest you pick your favorite Bible verse from each lesson and journal about it. This will be a great reminder of the lessons you learn as you read and study this book.
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Have a blessed day,
Deborah
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