Link to Rev James Philip’s notes on Galatians

Galatians

The Holy Spirit – God’s Gift, Not His Reward

In Galatians 3:14, we read about "receiving the promise of the Spirit through faith." What does this mean? It may be helpful to think, first, about what it doesn't mean. We must never think of the Holy Spirit as a reward that is given to us because we have faith - the more faith we …

Out of the shadows of our past, into the light of His future

Micah 5:1-7:20; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10; Proverbs 21:17-26 God wipes out the shadow of our past - He “pardons sin” (Micah 7:18). He shines in the light of His future - “We will be “clothed with our heavenly dwelling” (2 Corinthians 5:4). From this standpoint of privilege, we are called to fulfil our responsibility: to be soldiers of …

Is the Gospel still relevant?… Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

GALATIANS  1:1-2:10  -  ‘A revelation of Jesus Christ’ (1:12) - This is what the Gospel is all about. Christ is the Gospel. Without Him, there is no Gospel. What was Paul’s testimony? What did he preach to others? - God ‘was pleased to reveal His Son in order that I might preach Him…’ (1:15-16). We …

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…” (Galatians 5:22-23).

* The love in us comes from the love of God. * The joy in us comes from the joy of God. * The peace in us comes from the peace of God. ... The God of love, the God of joy, the God of peace ... Without God, there can be no love in …

More than a moral teacher

How are we to get to know Jesus Christ? Are we to look at his moral teaching - and look no further than that? Looking at Jesus' moral teaching will take us so far - but does it really take us to the heart of the good news concerning God's love for us? If we …

What no-one else could ever do for us, God has done for us.

"No one can ever buy back another person or pay God a ransom for his life" (Psalm 49:7). What no-one else could ever do for us, God has done for us -  "... the  Son of Man came ... to give His life as a ransom for many people” (Mark 10:45). "God forbid that I should …

Plenty of reasons for rejoicing in the Lord

The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice ... Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name" (Psalm 97:1,12). Psalm 97 begins and ends with joy - rejoicing in the Lord. True joy comes to us from the Lord. We think of who God is - the King of love. We …

Learning from the Apostle Paul

Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 2:2; 1 Corinthians 6:19–20; Galatians 6:14 Paul was no silent disciple, no half-hearted follower of Jesus. He was not ashamed of his Lord. He was glad to say, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith" (Romans …

“Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.”

Galatians 3:23-5:6 ‘God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts’(4:6). The Spirit is not a reward we earn by being good people. The Spirit is God’s gift (Titus 3:5). Paul connects the gift of the Spirit with Christ’s death for us and our faith in Christ(3:13-14). We do not come to God …

We listen to Jesus, we learn from Jesus, and we worship Jesus.

"I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin.  I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1:11-12). "By revelation from Jesus Christ": This was more than Paul's preaching. It was Christ's revelation. What a difference …

Our faith has come to us from above, from God.

Galatians 1:1-12  "The Gospel" came to Paul "by a revelation of Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1:11-12). This was important for Paul - and it's important for us. Our faith has come to us from above, from God. It doesn't come from ourselves. It is given to us by God. At the heart of our faith is …

Let us rejoice in Jesus, God’s Son. Let us rejoice in Jesus, our Saviour.

"God's Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:3-4). This post is a continuation of my earlier post, "This is my Son. This is your Saviour." You should, really, read that post before reading …

God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

"At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do" (Matthew 11:25-26). "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, …

Genesis 2

This chapter speaks to us with childlike simplicity. It builds on the teaching of the first chapter: God is our Creator. Chapter 1 shows us the bigger picture. Chapter 2 looks, more closely, at the creation of human beings. We were made by God. We were made for God. To say that we were made …

The Death of Christ

"This is My blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28). Early on in my Christian life, I read James Denney's book, The Death of Christ.  Reading this book gave me a real sense of the importance of the death of Christ. This has stayed with me over the …

Let it be to me according to Your Word.

‘Let it be to me according to Your Word’ (Luke 1:38). When we ‘walk in the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:16, 22-23), God sees that it is ‘good’ (Micah 6:8). Let us ‘walk in the light’ (1 John 1:7). May the Spirit's ‘living water’ flow in us (John 7:39-39). This is the way of fruitfulness.

Grace, faith and works – in that order

"I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received" (Ephesians 4:1). How are we to live a life worthy of our high calling? Let's go back from Ephesians 4:1, back to Ephesians 2:8-10. There, we learn about grace, faith and works - in that order. We begin with grace. We …

Receiving the promise of the Spirit through faith

Receiving the promise of the Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:14) What does this mean? It may be helpful to think, first, about what it doesn't mean. We must never think of the Holy Spirit as a reward that is given to us because we have faith - the more faith we have, the more the …

Galatians

This letter proclaims the Gospel of Christ. It tells us what the Gospel is not: it's "not a human message... given by man." It tells us what the Gospel is: it's a message which has come "through a revelation of Jesus Christ" (chapter 1). We are put right with God through faith This faioth enters …

Journey through the New Testament: Galatians

‘A revelation of Jesus Christ’ (1:12): Christ is our Testimony. Christ is our Message. He is the crucified Christ - ‘I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me’. He is the living Christ - ‘I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but …

Love, joy, peace… where do they come from?

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23). Love, joy, peace ... - Is this what we find when we look within ourselves? or Do we find something very different? What does Jesus tell us about ourselves? Does he pat us on the back and tell as that, at …

We are sinners. We’re called to be servants. Jesus is our Saviour.

"I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1:11-12). We read the words of Paul - and we look beyond him to Jesus …

The apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers… and Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord

"Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no …

Set free – to stand firm

" ... Christ has set us free. Stand firm ... " (Galatians 5:1). Why does Christ set us free? Does he set us free to do whatever we like? No! He sets us free - to be his soldiers and servants. Without Christ as our Saviour, we are defenceless and defeated - when Satan attacks us. …

The blessing of God is for you and me.

God loves us. This isn't for some perfect people who've never fallen into sin. There's nobody who's like that. All of us have made a mess of things, but God still says to us, "I love you." He says, "My Son, Jesus, died for you." This is what gives us the strength to choose his …

Free grace is not cheap. It is costly.

We preach free grace: salvation is received as a gift from God through Christ, and is not earned as a reward for our good works. The preaching of free grace points us away from ourselves to Jesus Christ, the Saviour of sinners. There is no place for a superficial moralism which says, "I've done more …

The Word and the words (13): God’s salvation covers our past, our present and our future.

"I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11). "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing" (Psalm 23:1). I lack nothing - God has given us a full salvation. It's a salvation that covers our past, our present and our future. -- We begin by emphasizing that God's salvation covers our past. "He makes me lie …

Our great privilege and our great responsibility

"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). These verses speak to us of our great privilege …

Saul replaced, Saul transformed

Two men with the same name - Saul, the first king of Israel, and Saul of Tarsus, the persecutor of Christ and His servants. In both stories, we read of a new man. * In the case of Saul, the first king of Israel, David was the new man. Saul was rejected. He was replaced. …

The Lord bless you and keep you.

"Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven" (Psalm 32:1). The forgiveness of sins - this is such a great blessing. The forgiveness of sins: it's just the beginning of so much great blessing which will continue throughout our life on earth and for all eternity. "Create in me a clean heart, O God,    and renew a right spirit within …

Praise the Lord. Thanks be to God.

"Praise the Lord, o my soul, and forget not all his benefits" (Psalm 103:2). When we read these words, we find our thoughts moving beyond the Psalmist to our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. We remember the words of Paul - "The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20), and …

Change me, today. Change me, every day.

"God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Galatians 6:14).  "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). This is more than a statement of our intention: …

The Lord is exalted, but He is also the God who draws near to us.

Isaiah 43:1-44:23; Galatians 3:26-4:20; Psalm 108:1-5 What a majestic description of God we have in Isaiah 44:6 – “This is what the Lord says – Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty; I am the First and I am the Last; apart from Me there is no God.” This is the God to whom we pray, “Be …

What does it mean to be free?

"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:17). In today's world, there are plenty of people who speak of freedom in terms of I, me and my. I: I'm free to think what I like and do what I like. Nobody can tell me what I'm to think and how …

Living as a new creation

How are we live as a “new creation” (Galatians 6:15)? Paul speaks to us about “faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6). What does it mean to have faith? How are we to live a life that is inspired, controlled, motivated and directed by love? Paul speaks about the beginning of the life of faith: …

A New Beginning: Some thoughts from the Scriptures

Genesis 1:1-3‘Genesis’ means ‘beginning’. Its opening verses challenge us to get our priorities right. (a) the priority of God(1) God comes first. Before anyone else is mentioned, He is there. (b) the priority of God’s Word (3) God is the first to speak. Before any human word is spoken, there is the Word of the Lord. (c) the priority …

Praying through God’s Word: Galatians

Galatians 1:1-2:10 Lord, we thank you that You have given to us “a revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:12). Christ is the Gospel. He is our testimony. He is our message. Help us to keep Him at the very centre of our life. In our ever-changing world, help us to keep on saying, “Jesus Christ …

Praying Through God’s Word: Galatians

Galatians 1:1-2:10Lord, we thank you that You have given to us "a revelation of Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1:12). Christ is the Gospel. He is our testimony. He is our message. Help us to keep Him at the very centre of our life. In our ever-changing world, help us to keep on saying, "Jesus Christ is …

Thinking back … remembering God’s faithful servants … and giving thanks to God

" I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). Many years ago, in the early years of my Christian life, I was …

The grace of God reaches us and changes us.

"I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy" (Leviticus 11:45). Where does holiness come from? How are we to become holy? Before we read about God's holiness, we read about his love. God says, "I am holy" - but, first, he says, "I ... …

Beginning with Esther – and moving on to Jesus

"Who knows, perhaps you (Esther) have come to the kingdom for such a time as this ... If I (Esther) perish, I perish" (Esther 4:14,16). When I read the words, "For such a time as this", I found myself thinking of the words of Galatians 4:4 - "When the time had fully come God sent …

With God, we shall gain the victory.

Isaiah 44:24-46:13; Galatians 4:21-5:6; Psalm 108:6-13 “I am the Lord, and there is no other” – This truth is repeated several times over in this part of Isaiah (Isaiah 48:5-6,14,18,21-22; Isaiah 46:9). The contrast, in Isaiah, is between God and the gods. The contrast, in Galatians, is between Christ’s salvation and other ways of salvation (Galatians …

The Scriptures and the Saviour

"Jesus' disciples saw him do many miraculous signs beside the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ , the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life" (John 20:30-31). There is such a close connection between the Scriptures …

What Christ has done for us… what he is doing in us…

It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. The life that I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God loved me and gave himself for me… God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 2:20; 6:14) – Here, Paul …

With God, we shall gain the victory.

Isaiah 44:24-46:13; Galatians 4:21-5:6; Psalm 108:6-13 “I am the Lord, and there is no other” - This truth is repeated several times over in this part of Israel (Isaiah 48:5-6,14,18,21-22; Isaiah 46:9). The contrast, in Isaiah, is between God and the gods. The contrast, in Galatians, is between Christ’s salvation and other ways of salvation …

Let’s set our feet firmly on the Rock of ages – our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 41:1-42:25; Galatians 3:10-25; Proverbs 22:28-23:9 The Old Testament looks forward to the coming of Christ – “Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One in whom I delight; I will put My Spirit on Him and He will bring justice to the nations” (Isaiah 42:1). He is the fulfilment of the Old …

Saved by the Lord, we are to give ourselves to Him in worship.

Isaiah 38:1-40:31; Galatians 2:11-3:9; Psalm 107:33-43 “The Lord will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the Temple of the Lord” (Isaiah 38:20). Saved by the Lord, we are to give ourselves to Him in worship. This worship is to be in the Spirit (Galatians 3:3). …