NEW TESTAMENT FOUNDATIONS NT 102

1. NEW TESTAMENT FOUNDATIONS NT 102 The Beginnings of the Gentile Church

2. GALATIANS Introduction Theme: What does it mean to be Christian? Nature of the gospel & basis of our relationship to God How should believers relate to each other (Jews & Gentiles) as one people of God?

3. Background and Occasion A. Addressees 1. Major question: who were the Galatians (1:2; 3:1)? The “North Galatian” theory versus the “South Galatian” theory

6. a. Traditional view: territory (= North Galatia) therefore ethnic Galatians (3:1) b. Contemporary view: province (= South Galatia) southern territories (designated as Galatia by Roman government)

7. Two issues: date & the relationship of Gal 2 to the Jerusalem council (Acts 15) a. If provincial (“South Galatian” theory), then could be before Jerusalem Council (AD 48-49) b. If geographical (“North Galatian” theory), then not until after (AD 53-55) i.e. a late date for Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Complex issues

8. 2. Characteristics of Galatian Christians: 1. Gentiles (not Jews), former pagan worshippers (4:8) 2. Paul’s converts (4:13-15) 3. Attracted to the agitators’ teaching (see 3:1-5; 4:21; 5:1-4, 6-8)

9. B. Agitators 1. Characteristics & teachings of agitators: a. Outsiders arrive and are disturbed at what they find b. Jewish Christians (issues largely Jewish/OT) c. Raise behavioral/ethical issues (5:13ff)

10. Question Paul’s law-free gospel (wrong/inadequate) & its implications for Jew-Gentile relationship (2:17) (central issue in letter) How can Gentile Christians be justified before God? Who belongs to Israel now that the Messiah has come and on what terms? Is Gen. 17 (“covenant of circumcision”) still valid? How should Jews relate to Gentiles?

11. Stress on circumcision & Torah obedience i Urge circumcision (5:2-3, 6-8; 6:12-15) Gen. 17:10-14 says: “Every male among you shall be circumcised ... so shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” ii. Encourage the observance of (other aspects of) the law (4:10)

12. 2. No reason to doubt their sincerity: a. seem to have agreed with Paul on the importance of faith in Christ (see 2:15-16) b. feel Paul is endangering the Galatians’ spiritual existence (by promoting “law-free” grace)

13. c. claim that Paul’s no “Torah-observance” stance is making Christ a minister of sin (2:17)! d. question Paul’s ethics e. But Paul’s perspective: opponents/agitators were not genuine Christians

14. 3. Criticisms of Paul’s character (1) a man-pleaser (2) duplicitous (3) lacks proper credentials

15. C. Main Issue The inclusion of Gentile believers as a people of God What does it mean to be heirs of Abraham?

16. The Issue A. What it is not 1. Anti-Nomianism or Legalism a. Paul cites OT Scripture; “whole Law is fulfilled” (5:14) b. fulfills “the Law of Christ” (6:2) 2. How one gets saved per se; i.e. saved vs. unsaved B. What it is The inclusion of Gentile believers as a people of God

17. For the “Agitators”: Christ is the fulfillment of Torah  like Abraham you have trusted (in Christ the fulfillment of Torah) AND since trusting Abraham received Torah (circumcision) so also you.

18. But Paul (having had a Damascus Road experience): Christ is the fulfillment of Torah  like Abraham you have trusted or have faith BUT temporary Torah pointed to the coming of Christ.

19. D. Paul’s response Purpose: refute the Judaizers’ “gospel”

20. Key passage: “… know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no-one will be justified” (Gal. 2:16)

21. To achieve that Paul had to do 3 things: 1. Defend his apostleship against the agitators (chapters 1-2) 2. Defend the essence of the gospel (chapter 3-4). 3. Defend the Christian’s freedom in Christ (chapters 5-6).

22. A. Defense of his apostleship (1:1–2:14) 1. The absence of thanksgiving (1:8) 2. His apostleship & gospel come from God (1:1-24) 3. Although independent, not different (2:1-14)

23. Faith, not Law, as the basis of the justification = participation in God’s new creational promises (2:15-21)

24. 1. Living in relationship with God: “righteously” (vv.15-16) a. NOT by law = observing Torah b. By “faith in/of Jesus Christ”

25. 2 significant expressions: “Righteousized” (= justified) Some argued Paul’s understanding of justification has 3 aspects: a. Past, i.e. death & resurrection of Christ b. Present, i.e. each believer by faith is made righteousness c. Future, i.e. wherein “we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope” (5:5)

26. Debate Forensic term only: simply declared “not guilty” Some ethical element: transformational “not guilty” (ethical renewal or uprightness)

27. Observations: (1) positional: right standing before God (2) relational: right standing with God, ethical implications

28. B. “Faith in” OR “faithfulness of” Christ Jesus (is the genitive objective—Christ is the one believed in – or subjective – the one who is faithful) i. Considerable debate due to ambiguity of the genitive “Christou” ii. Something of both? i.e. having faith in the faithfulness of Christ 2. Going back to Torah not an option (vv.17-21)

29. B. Defense of the gospel (3:1–4:21) In 3:1-18, Paul defends justification by faith.

30. The basic gist of his argument are 3-fold: 1. The Spirit was received by faith, not by works of the law (3:1-5) 2. The example of Abraham (3:6-14) 3. The permanence of God’s promise of blessing through faith (3:15-18) Paul’s gospel, based on faith, is not new and has its Scriptural roots in antiquity

31. Abraham’s example (3:6-18): great covenant chapters of Gen 15 & Deut 27-28 as background: a. Priority of trusting God’s saving intervention (Gen 15) i. trust/faith, not circumcision (before Gen 17!) ii. before the Law was given (vv.15-18)

32. b. true children/race/nation of Abraham are those who walk in his exemplary trust (Gen 12:3) c. On the other hand, the curse of the Law (vv.10-14)

33. Paul & the curse of the Law A. Traditionally: the general problem of the individual’s sin & God’s basic solution B. Christ was cursed by the Law (Deut. 27:6 in v.13) but the resurrection proved the Law wrong C. A hopeless mess characteristic of Pauline inconsistency

34. D. Jesus’ curse and later vindication means that formerly cursed Gentiles can now join the people of God E. The promise to Abraham of a new human family were entrusted to Israel but Torah brought exilic curse. Jesus bore that curse, brought Israel out of exile, and so the promises can now go the Gentiles. F. The Law, though good and God’s gift, became a curse at both the national & individual level (Deut. 27:26: the covenant with Israel)

35. The Law brings a curse because … (1) Disobedience results in a curse both nationally & individually. (2) The Law focuses on doing (Lev 18:5) when Scripture says the just will live by faith (Hab 2:4; cf. 1:4).

36. (3) Christ underwent the “curse” to deliver “us” from this “curse” … (4) … so that Abraham’s blessing might come to the NATIONS, in order that WE might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

37. The promise given to Abraham’s “seed” (vv.15-18) (1) made to “one seed” only (2) Torah which came later which cannot annul the earlier promises - but it created 2 families: Jews & Gentiles - whereas Abraham was promised one family — namely (corporately) CHRIST (cf. Gal 3:26-29) (2) and thus the promise is to be given to that one family/race who live by faith IN HIM

38. So why then the Law?

40. Purpose & significance of the Law (3:19—4:7) a. It was added—to lock us up—“because of transgressions” and “until the Seed had come” (v.19; 3:19-22) b. SO… what about the Law & promise?

41. Picks up imagery of slave & son (3:23-4:3) (1) the law served as guardian until the coming of the life-giving promise (2) no difference between sons & slaves when under the guardian (3) when the promise comes, the guardian is no longer needed

42. c. The Spirit in us testifies God as ABBA, father, and thus full heirs (4:4-7) (1) Promise has come. (2) We are true sons, and full heirs of all that God has.

43. Given this reality we face a choice between freedom and bondage: Don’t go back to observing Torah (4:8-5:12) a. Personal appeal as a loving father (4:8-20)

44. b. Analogy of Hagar & Sarah (4:21-31) i. returns to “the true children of Abraham” again ii. differentiates the 2 sons: one representing human effort, the other depending on God’s promise iii. compares child of law (Ishmael) versus children of Spirit/promise (Isaac) c. Warning of being alienated from Christ (5:1-12)

45. III. Implication of the gospel for Christian living (5:1— 6:10) Righteousness completed by the Spirit: a. Spirit-freedom means not license but love (5:13-15) b. Love command = the fulfillment of Torah

46. c. Life in the Spirit (5:16-26) 1. Imperative of the Christian life: live by the Spirit 2. Spirit vs. “flesh” 3. Crucified with Christ, yet alive in the Spirit

47. Doing the good which the Spirit brings (6:1-10) 1. Hallmarks 2. Growth in godliness 3. Sowing & reaping

48. Concluding remarks (6:11-18) 1. Only Christ and him crucified 2. Only the new creation counts

49. What is the Gospel? A. “Torah-observance” free & is relational B. Christian ethics life in the Spirit Therefore, we are… 1. justified by faith 2. living the life of God’s children 3. through the Spirit.

50. C. Torah as tutor D. Christ & the Spirit are crucial to the Pauline enterprise.