The Book of Galatians - Part 1: Paul's Apostolic Authority & The One True Gospel (Galatians 1:1-17)

Join us for the first part of our in-depth study through Paul's letter to the Galatians - one of the most passionate and theologically rich books in the New Testament. In this session, we explore the opening verses that establish Paul's divine calling and his urgent defense of the gospel.

• Paul's Apostolic Authority (1:1) - Why Paul begins by defending his calling as an apostle
• The Dating Debate - Was Galatians written before or after the Council of Jerusalem?
• Paul's Divine Commission (1:11-17) - How Paul received the gospel directly from Christ, not from man
• The Preparation Years - Paul's time in Arabia and his patient waiting for God's timing
• The One True Gospel (1:6-10) - Paul's astonishment at the Galatians' quick departure from the truth
• False Teachers and Their Danger - Understanding the Judaizers and their works-based message
• Modern Applications - How do we handle denominations and groups that preach "another gospel"?

✓ Liberty vs. Legalism vs. License ✓ The complete work of the cross - "Jesus plus anything equals nothing" ✓ Paul's unique calling to the Gentiles ✓ The importance of not adding to the gospel message ✓ Church unity and denominational differences

• Paul's 10-14 years of preparation before his missionary journeys
• The significance of Paul receiving the gospel through direct revelation
• Wrestling with how to engage with churches that preach a different gospel
• Understanding Paul's strong language: "Let him be accursed"

We'll continue with Paul's confrontation with Peter and dive deeper into the doctrine of justification by faith alone.

Study Leaders: Luke, David, and Alan Bible Translation: ESV (English Standard Version)

📖 Read Ahead: Galatians 1:18 - 2:21 for next week's study

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