An Overview of Galatians
By Joe Guagliardo
1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Galatians 2:1-10
“We all have our part to do”
June 9, 2023
Whether you believe it or not, we all have a calling from God. Some of us are laborers, and others own companies. God calls us to do these jobs. As St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians, these types of gifts are “Given for the common good.”
Let’s take a moment and look at what Paul has to say about Spiritual Gifts:
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone, it is the same God at work.
Now to each one, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,(12:10 Or languages) and to still another the interpretation of tongues. (12:10 Or languages) All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
So, each and every one of us has been given a Spiritual Gift. As I mentioned previously, gifts sometimes change throughout our lives. God called me to be a youth minister, and intermittently I also preached. Now, as I am retired, God has given me the gift of writing (although I believe I could still preach a pretty good sermon if given a chance) 😊
In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he explains that God gave him the gift and appointment to preach and teach to the Galatians. (Although there are times, such as in the synagogues, Paul does preach to the Jews).
In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he tells the Galatians that God has chosen him and his followers to preach to the Gentiles. In contrast, God chose Peter and his followers to preach to the Jews.
Paul is received by the other Apostles’
“Then, after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along, also. I went in response to a revelation, and meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.
As for those who were held in high esteem—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—they added nothing to my message. On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised (2:7, That is, Gentiles) just as Peter had been to the circumcised. (2:7 That is, Jews; also in verses 8 and 9) For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles. James, Cephas (2:9 That is, Peter; also, in verses 11 and 14) , and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.
You may recall Paul had initially met and stayed with Peter for 15 days fourteen years ago. Now there was trouble brewing. Judaizers were prostituting Jesus’ Gospel, and something had to be done.
Please look at my previous devotion from June 5, entitled “The Jerusalem Council.” The findings from that meeting of Paul and the original 12 Apostles are described there. (Also read Acts 15)
As described in Galatians 2:1-10, Paul is visiting Peter and the Apostles for the first time in fourteen years. He, Paul’s conversion had happened just 17 years before.
These passages that Paul writes about (2:1-10) in Galatians brought all the Apostles together, and they were resolute in their findings. They adhered to what Paul was saying. We are saved by Grace through Faith, and that he was called by Jesus to preach to the Jews.
In Galatia, Paul pleads with his followers to listen to and adhere to his belief. We are saved by Faith alone; no works are necessary. If they or we would believe that works are required for salvation, then what Christ died on the Cross for was nothing.
He died on the Cross for our sins, not for our sins if we do something.
Finally, the Apostles sent Paul on his way with their blessings. He, Paul, and his followers had been called by God to preach and reach out to the Gentiles, just like Peter and the other apostles were called by God to preach to the Jews.
(Just as we have our part to do in reaching the people of the world, Paul, Peter, and all of the Apostles had theirs).
All that was asked of them, Paul and his followers, was to remember the poor. This was not a problem as they felt called to do it.
But the Judaizers were not so easily overcome. As we will see as we continue in our journey of Galatians.
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