December 5, 2015
Home Group Questions
This week’s study is about Paul’s message in Galatians;
“The Freedom of The Gospel” or “The Bondage of The Law”.
What was Paul’s concern/shock regarding the churches in Galatia? Read Galatians 1:6-7.
Discuss his words which reflect how strongly he felt about those ‘deliberately twisting the truth about Christ’. Galatians 1:8-9.
What points does Paul make regarding what the Gospel is and is not? Galatians 2:14
What happens to a person once they have put their faith in Christ to be saved? Galatians 2:20, 6:15, 2 Corinthians 5:17
Discuss the meaning of the words’ My old self has been crucified with Christ’ Galatians 2:20, when none of us have literally, physically hung on a cross?
What are the results for a believer?
Read Galatians 3:10-13 and discuss in your group the following…. ‘The law’, ‘Gods curse’ and ‘What Christ did’.
What is the believer’s freedom referred to in Galatians 3:22, 5:1.
As you continue to consider the above read Luke’s words below and then summarize in a sentence or two the Gospel message of Paul’s.
“The Gospel is the remedy for my sin; I come back here to kill my attitude of pride and self centeredness. I am humbled under the Cross as I see myself through God’s eyes; more sinful than I ever dare dream and more loved than I ever dare hope. And I simply stand here and rest in Jesus finished work (Matthew 11:28-30 & John 19:30).”
How does God see you who by His grace have put your faith in Christ as your Saviour and Lord? Galatians 4:4-7.
Read again Galatians 2:20. How does a believer now live? What does this mean?
We are now free from the Law with it’s 613 commands of Moses but are there laws/rules we need to still follow who are now not under the burden of the law?
If so what are they?
Consider and write down the following verses.
How do we respond to the above without them becoming a burden and feeling like they are a set of laws/rules we are required by God to obey?
Read Philippians 2:13 and consider the quote below.
“If love was demanded, or self control expected as a command for our new life that wasn’t a result of God’s working in us by His Spirit, we have a legislation. Rather, Jesus reminds us that “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). The decisive factor is if. Do you love Jesus? Then, the command keeping will be life giving and freeing as we walk in the Spirit and fruit happens. Willingly love. As Jesus gave his life for me because He loved me (Galatians 2:20) so I now live that way for Him.”
How do you and I as a child of God experience and see operating in our lives the attributes/qualities mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23?
What does Paul call them and Who produces them? Galatians 5:22.
Read and makes notes on the role of the Holy Spirit and our response to Him in the following….
Galatians 3:2-5
Galatians 4:6
Galatians 5:5
Galatians 5:16
Galatians 5:17
Galatians 5:18
Galatians 5:22
Galatians 5:25
Read and be reminded of the summary below of this study and Paul’s message to the Galatians.
“The wheels of grace begin to seize up with the grinding noise of, “do better, try harder.” And the fruit of the Spirit, instead of a liberating, freeing walk, become a list of failed attempts at Christianity that leave me disappointed and tired of Jesus. The problem? The Gospel of Grace has lost it’s place in your life. You have drifted off track and done what the Galatians are doing; hearing the drum beat of do’s and don’ts and performance as the Christian life. Essentially, turning away from the Gospel in your doing. But, this will never work. With your first loved gone cold, there will be no fruit. Jesus says, If you love me, obey my commands. (John 14:15). Notice the first part. If you love me. That’s first. And from that there will be a result. Obeying Him. When our love is white hot and we delight in Jesus, we gladly obey. The fruit of the Spirit is the result of walking in the Spirit. And we walk in the Spirit by standing in the Gospel.”
Key Thought: The Spirit and the flesh beat to different drums and pull in opposite directions.
Key Question: Do you live to the tune faith and freedom found in Jesus?
Key Verse: Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
How do you live as a follow of Jesus? Once you have received God’s salvation by grace alone though faith alone, how does that influence and shape all of our doing? What does a new life, with God as our King and Father look like? What does our progress in life with Jesus look like?
It’s a good question. But, it’s also an unfinished question. There is another part to it. The next part we should follow on from this should be, what is God’s Holy Spirit doing in my life?
For while justification is entirely God’s Work and only received by faith. I cannot add anything to Jesus work to save me. I can do nothing to make God like me more, no morals or ethics will persuade God. That’s why Jesus says it is finished.
However, the practical outworking of salvation are a progressive work that both God and us cooperate in for the rest of our lives. Each of us have distinct and different roles. And this growth is called sanctification; the process of becoming more and more like Jesus and more free from sin. Or to say it another way, it’s what living a holy life is.
When I say cooperate, I’m simply mean that God and us both work for the same purpose. It is not that we have equal roles in this. Or that I am able to do this without God. Or that it’s about me doing a bit and then God taking over when I can’t. That’s not what I mean. Because none of that is Good News. Rather, we are simply cooperating with God in ways that are appropriate as His children. In Philippians 2:13 we read, “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” God causes us to want and desire His will and then gives us the means and power of doing it. In 1 John 2:6 we are told to, “walk in the same way in which He [Jesus] walked.” So Jesus is our example in this life. And finally we see that the Spirit of God leads us to walk in this way, giving us desires and promptings to follow God’s Holy. So God is very much the source and author of all our obedience.
And so our role, is to both depend upon God’s Spirit and activity obey God’s Spirit. They work together. You see, we have been declared right, by what Jesus has done, so that we can now live right. And when we get this right, each day, we hear the melody of both inability, brokenness and sin, colliding with the wonderful sound of God’s grace to us, flowing from the Cross, defining us as His children and causing us to walk in His ways. As a Christian we should be able to say, I delight in God. I want to follow Him and to serve Him and do good, to know Him more and more, and enjoy Him. This is your new nature hungering after the things of God and it’s good. But, even with these new desires, I cannot do what I want to do. Why? Because of the strong desire of what the Bible calls the flesh. It’s a competing tune, a competing drum beat that wants to grab your attention and pull you away from God.