Galatians 4
Galatians 4:1-7: Moving back from the argument that the Galatian Christians are all a part of Christ and thus heirs of Abraham through baptism, he returns to the image of a will. This time he adds a twist – what status does a minor heir have? The status of a slave, at least
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Galatians 3:1-5: The previous section, 1:6-2:21, argues that Paul’s own history validates his gospel. This section shifts from narrative to theological arguments from Scripture. (People’s New Testament Commentary). Such arguments from Scripture, experience and theology will take us into chapter 5. In these verses, Paul argues from the experiences of the Galatian Christians
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Galatians 1:1-5: Paul begins his letter innocently enough, or does he? His self-identification is already making a point against his opponents. Paul is an apostle, and one sent by God and Jesus Christ, not by human persons. Paul wishes the Galatian Christians grace and peace from God and Christ, who “set us free
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To orient us to the material in Galatians, it will be helpful to briefly explore the who, when, where, why and what of this letter. Of course, most of the “what” will be explored as we read the letter itself.
Who? Paul. There is virtually no debate
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II Corinthians 12:1-10: While Paul has been boasting of his sufferings as providing extraordinary credentials for being an apostle, he will in the beginning of this chapter change the topic. He continues to argue for the integrity and legitimacy of his ministry, but this time comparing his spiritual experiences with those of
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