Galatians Week 8, In Christ: Justified by Faith, Pam Larson

Galatians 2:15-21
November 20, 2019
Pam Larson

It is only in Christ that we are justified. By faith in Jesus we are made right with God. 

And in Christ, we are dead to the law and alive by grace because Jesus lives in us!

1- In Christ ...

• Justified by faith (15-16)

2- In Christ…

• Dead to the law (17-19)
• Alive by grace (20-21)

Galatians Week 7: Gospel Confrontation, Julia Dembeck

In our lesson this week, Galatians  2:11-14, we learned that Paul continued his story, to affirm his authority as an apostle and the authority of the gospel. Julia led us on a journey through this short, but impactful narrative together, using three points:

1. Cephas Opposed- (11)
2. Conduct Exposed- (12-13)
3. The Gospel Line to Hold- (14) 

Julia’s aim for us — “to so treasure the gospel that we would be compelled to confront others when we see the gospel compromised.”

Galatians Week 6: One True Gospel: Nothing Added, Pam Larson

1. What is the setting? “SOMEBODY” (verses 1- 3)   CONTINUATION of the story

• CONTEXT
• COMPANIONS
• CIRCUMCISION
• COMMUNICATE CLEARLY the GOSPEL
• At stake: CONFIRMATION of Paul’s gospel & CHURCH UNITY

2. What is the conflict? (verses 4-5)  CONFRONTATION with false brothers

"BUT…."

• CIRCUMCISION to be added??
• CONFRONT those who CONTRADICT gospel truth

4. What is the resolution? "THEN"  (verses 7-9) CONFIRMATION of Paul’s gospel and ministry

4 verbs:

• ADDED nothing
• SAW
• PERCEIVED
  GAVE the right hand of fellowship

5. What is the new setting? The “SO”?  (verses 9b-10) COMMISSION to ministry

• One true gospel is affirmed, but that gospel is presented in a way that seeks to connect with different groups. Same gospel, same content. The one true gospel message will come across with different nuances, depending on the audience’s circumstances, or religious or cultural background.
• Paul was eager to remember the poor, as he was eager to be like Jesus!

**3. What is the CLIMAX?  (verses 5-6) CORRECT DOCTRINE

Gospel truth preserved!! ONE TRUE GOSPEL! NOTHING ADDED to Christ! Christ alone for salvation!

Galatians Week 5: No Other Gospel, Jacque Boldt

Galatians 1:11-24

No Other Gospel

1. V.11: Paul’s Thesis: Not man’s gospel
2. V.12: Paul’s Argument: Not from man, but from God
3. VV.13-24: Paul’s Argument, cont’d: Let me tell you what happened
   1. VV. 13-17: Exhibit A: Paul’s miraculous conversion
   2. VV. 18-24: Exhibit B: They glorified God because of Paul

Galatians Week 4: Only One Gospel, Julia Dembeck

Do not turn to a false gospel, but trust in the pure gospel of Christ, which alone gives life. 

Julia will unpack this as she goes through these three points—

• Paul’s reason for writing, in verses 6-7

• Paul’s reaction to false gospels, in verses 8-9 

• Paul’s motivation for speaking, in verse 10 

For more information on joining this Bible study on Galatians, contact women@bethlehem.church

Galatians Week 3: A Grace-Filled Gospel Greeting, Pam Larson

Galatians 1:1-5 | A Grace-Filled Gospel Greeting

Pam Larson, October 9, 2019

Paul’s grace-filled greeting introduces us to the gospel that is from God and for God’s glory.

• 1-greeting ……..v1-2….. BELIEVE the MESSENGER, who is NOT from man Paul’s grace-filled greeting introduces us.. (this is the FROM/TO section)
• 2-gospel ……v3-4…...BELIEVE the MESSAGE: Grace to you and peace the gospel that is from God
• 3-glory …….. v5……..Closing for God’s glory.

Galatians Week 2: Jacque Boldt Overview

Jacque Boldt helped us to have a clear, working knowledge of the main point of the book of Galatians. She said, “Our destination is understanding the main point of Galatians.  To get there, we will travel through three stops: Background information, What does the text say?, and What does the text mean?” 

Here is how Jacque helped us to get there:: 

1. Used Google Earth to help us see the terrain of the region of Galatia in Paul’s day, which is in modern-day central Turkey.  
2. Brought us in on the method that the teaching team has been using to analyze and process the text, and gave us a chance to practice it.

Genre: The type of literature--Galatians is an epistle, or letter

Literary Context: The passages immediately before and after the passage you are studying

Biblical Context: Citations and allusions from Scripture, and historical connections to other books of the Bible

Historical Context: The circumstances of the audience

Melodic Line: The main theme of the book, which distinguishes it from all other books in the Bible. It is like a thread woven through the book, which each section helps to “unpack.”

Welcome to Galatians! Week 1 Introduction and Panel Discussion with Teaching Team

On Wednesday, Sept 25, Pam Larson introduced our Women’s Ministry theme for this year, “No Other Gospel,” which comes from Galatians 1: 6-7 followed by a panel discussion with our Wednesday morning Women's Bible Study teaching team: Pam Larson, Jacque Boldt and Julia Dembeck.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

This wonderful gospel of grace is sweet and precious and unique. One-of-a-kind good news. The wonderfully liberating news of the gospel is that Christ alone has performed perfectly for us! 

• We are not saved by what we do, but by what Jesus has done for us. 
• We are not saved by making promises to God (which we fail to keep) but by believing His promises. 

Adding any requirements to what Jesus has already done, on the Cross,  to save us, robs him of glory and robs us of the freedom his precious blood bought for us. Galatians reminds us to embrace and follow the true gospel message and not allow ourselves to be misled by the ‘false gospels,’ of our day. 

Our prayer for all of us this year is that we: 

• will fall more deeply in love with Jesus, 
• see more clearly the true wonders of grace, 
• and more readily recognize false teaching when we hear it. 

No Other Gospel: North Women’s Fall Kickoff and Panel Discussion

Bethlehem North Women's Ministry Kickoff ... our theme for the coming year is, “No Other Gospel,” based on Galatians 1:6–7.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

In this media-heavy age, we face a barrage of messages every day. Some are wholly and obviously untrue, but many more contain a confusing mix of truth and error. We have a crafty adversary constantly luring us with deceptively appealing and persuasive ideas, and the need for careful, biblical discernment is crucial.

Pam Larson opened the evening, introducing Women's Ministry at the North Campus and also introduced our theme, "No Other Gospel."  A panel of North women from across the generations discussed this theme, with Abigail Dodds as moderator, and four women from four generations on the panel, each offering her unique perspective on the issue:

• Adrien Segal

• Liz Stein

• Jenni Naselli

• Addalai Nowlin

*Note: this was recorded from the audience, using a phone, so the quality is not great.

John 14 Sam Crabtree

Pastor Sam Crabtree preached this memorial service message March 14, 2019 for Lyle Johnson, at Bethlehem Baptist Church, North Campus. Shared with permission from the family.