Matt Slick Bible Study, Galatians 1

There we go, and now we're live. All right. Well, let's see. What is the date today the 5th of August, isn't it? Yeah, we've been here in Idaho 17 years now. It was on the second. We're 17 years. Yeah.

Move to Galatians and the Study Plan

So we can't believe we've been here that long. How long were you in Escondido total like 14 years? And in for Four and ten, I think that's what it was four years than ten years. We've been here longest.

Yeah. All right, so All right, we people to come in a little bit and what we're gonna do is go start we're gonna start to the book of Galatians will pray and I'm able to see people in the chat on the computer here that I'm pointing down at down there and We're gonna go through this is not gonna be stellar.

Because it's the intro to Galatians. But as we get into stuff, you know, it'll get more interesting and more more better and We'll be talking so let's pray let's go Lord Jesus thank you for this time and I asked Lord that you would bless this study and bless the Hearers Lord that your word would go forth and that we would benefit from learning from your word and the truth of your word Lord Jesus, we give you.

Thanks. We ask for your anointing your presence and For understanding as we let that that knowledge and encourage that knowledge in our hearts and minds to change us. So we give you thanks Lord we just bring you glory and we ask this your name.

Amen. All right. So if you go to Galatians 1 Then We'll go to Galatians 1 probably so Galatians was probably written around 48 AD. And it was written. It looks like Paul wrote it. We know that To the region of Galatia, which is present-day Turkey, and I've had the privilege of touring through Turkey.

He went there and saw the seven churches of Revelation. That was an interesting experience that I had and Went to Laodicea went to Ephesus but Galatia is kind of in the middle ish of Turkey a sliver that goes up in the area and So Paul had it was in his missionary journeys had been up in that area.

It started the Galatian Church and now Judaizers were coming in and saying hey This is what you've got to do be just to be due to be saved now as we go through the book of Galatians. What you're going to notice.

Justification by Faith and the False Gospel of Works

Yeah, anyway, so what we're gonna be doing is to go through the book of Galatians is we're going to To find out and experience more and more of what it means to be justified by faith without any works that any Combination of works as the cults and false religions like Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox advocate and we're gonna be going through some of that and At some points we're gonna be going a lot slower and at some points areas.

We're gonna be going a lot quicker so so there is a tendency within us to want to do in order to be justified by our own works and I Could tie that in probably to the inherited sinful nature through Adam, but I won't do that for now.

So the different topics that are caught are soon be covered in the book of Galatians or apostolic authority justification by faith Abraham sonship law of Moses circumcision freedom and The Holy Spirit there's gonna be a lot of good stuff in here as we get to it now just so you know Martin Luther used this really studied Galatians and exegetic Galatians.

In response of the Catholic Roman Catholic doctrine of salvation, which I'm going to get into in a little bit now I Just borrowed an outline form of Galatians from a commentary. I was reading. I've got it here my notes.

There's different ways of outlining books. No, I don't think you'll always come up with the exact same outline but pretty close and so. What we'll be doing is going through various things. They entered usually there's an introduction.

There's a reason for why something's being written who is being written to and the various topics and issues that are there. One of the things that you don't hear about very much is called task theology.

TASK. Task theology is why was this book or this issue addressed? What was the task at hand in Galatia? It was the task was to refute the Judaizers the people who were saying you have to believe in God and do something in order to be saved and we'll get into what.

Apostolic Authority and Paul’s Calling

Those things are so let's just jump right into Galatians chapter 1 verse 1 Paul an apostle not sent from men nor through the agency of man. But through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead.

Now before we get into it, I just want to ask if you guys can hear me. Okay in the chat room I didn't ask go to make sure you guys can I'm assuming you can just let me know you can say yes takes 10 or 15 seconds to go through and I'll just say yeah, you can hear me and stuff so what he's doing here is he's saying that he's an apostle not sent from man his Authority is important did not just come from men as though a bunch of people in a church laid hands on him and said That Thank You.

Melissa said that This is where my authority comes from. Now this is interesting because there are some groups that say the authority that they have comes from their church. But they'll say the church gets their authority from Jesus passed down through the lines.

I get so sick and tired of hearing that kind of stuff because Our church is a true church. Our church has the authority place like a brother. You know I hear that from the cults all the time and people who claim to be Christians will often do this instead of the authority found in Jesus Christ the authorities found in Their church which they claim comes from apostolic succession and stuff like that.

So In Acts 9, this is where we find that Saul was going along the road and he was going to persecute some Christians and Jesus knocked him off his horse. Go and then he says go to Ananias and talking to Ananias and a Tanner and he goes but this is the guy's been killing everybody persecuting your people and Jesus is one talking go for he's a chosen instrument of mine to bear my name before the Gentiles the kings of the sons of Israel.

This is one of the verses I will go to and people say that individuals are not elected for salvation or chosen for salvation. I say absolutely. Yes, they are. Here's the proof right here Paul was on his way to go kill Paul was on his way to persecute.

Paul was not in any way seeking Jesus or the truth of Christ. He's going after that and all of a sudden Jesus interferes. Jesus knocks him on the cliff. It says you're mine now. Sorry, Armenians and Catholics and East Northodox about your own libertarian pretty well but the fact is that this was an elected individual and there are other people Rufus and and Others who were chosen.

Individuals there are groups were chosen as well. But nevertheless, so Ananias departed and entered the house and after laying his hands on him said brother Saul The Lord Jesus has appeared to you on the road by which you are coming has sent me to.

So that you may regain your sight be filled with the Holy Spirit. Now I could really get into this comment back up in in Acts 9 Because he says receive the Holy Spirit, but was he say when was Paul saved?

I don't know how to answer the question. Would you say when he got knocked off his horse was he saved when he had little hands laid on him? He starts speaking in tongues. Did he speak in tongues? Let hands on him for what to receive the Holy Spirit.

And when you see the Holy Spirit in Acts 1 and 2 the charismatic gifts are manifested. So We don't know but anyway Paul in 2nd Corinthians 1 1 he says he's an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God in Timothy our brother, etc.

And in 1st Corinthians 9 1 Paul defends his apostleship. He says am I not an apostle? He says have I not seen? Jesus our Lord are you not to work in my work in the Lord? So he is defending his apostleship by saying I've seen the Lord.

Now if you go back to Acts 1 when Judas had hung himself they needed to have a replacement and So they said it had to be have someone who's been with us from the beginning and they drew lots. They got Matthias.

There's some discussion or whether that was the right approach, but doesn't matter for now and but yet Paul the Apostle was specifically called by Jesus and he's an apostle because he says have I have I not seen the risen Lord now.

Sometime on Sunday mornings, but not very often. Because I have a tendency to start yelling at the TV when I'm watching Varying religious programs and it'll be Apostle Joseph gets up and I'm gonna preach to the word.

Here's the Apostle Joseph. Like you're an apostle where'd you get this because the apostolic authority and the way to be called an apostle of the scripture is by By having seen the risen Lord now. There are differences at different kinds of apostles or seven kinds.

Even Jesus is called an apostle and it comes to the Greek word apostella, which means to send. So we're gonna be careful here not just to just to pooh-pooh them automatically. But the issue is I always take umbrage with someone who says, you know, I'm the Apostle so-and-so.

So I've been called an apostle and I've been called a prophet. I've been called a few other things as well but mostly by my wife, but that's another topic and When I've been called an apostle, I do not claim that title and I'm called a prophet.

I do not claim that title. I don't accept that. I'm not an apostle. I've not seen the risen Lord. I've been in his presence, but not seen the risen Lord and I don't work miracles. But could not all apostles did and I'm not a prophet the law the prophets were until John John John 14 14 the Luke 16 16 and so there aren't any more prophets like they were in the Old Testament sense.

There's prophets in the New Testament sense and those are the ones who you know prophesy. I have prophesied once just once and it came to pass in detail. And that happened like 30 no like 36 years ago before we were even married.

Wow. We've been married a long time. Yeah, marriage has been good for my wife. So Other ladies in the house are looking at her and my wife's going so. What's that? I'm listening. My wife's saying something over there because she's mumbling it gotta get what he's advanced microphones.

I can hear this. All right. It's like apologetics, that's right. So So anyway, this is an issue about apostolic authority and succession, yeah. The Roman Catholic Church the Eastern Orthodox Church other churches claim to have apostolic authority as does the Roman the Mormon Church, they'll say that the hands are laid upon Joseph Smith.

You know some people Watch sports and when their team fails they get irritated When I hear heresy. Particularly stupid heresy. I get irritated. I'm gonna fix the camera angle a little bit here. Hold on one sec.

And Of course in a weird way. I enjoy heresy. I Do I enjoy heresy? I don't know what it is about me. I got something wrong upstairs. See if my wife says yes or no, but She was yeah, she she probably is mocking me when I'm not looking at her so When I hear something heretical, I'm like, wow, that's cool.

I like that. It's a weird kind of a thing. It's because I'm made Inside to deal with apologetics to deal with heresies because I see how they relate to the truth and I know how to deal with these issues and.

So that's why I'm entertained by it, but not in a sense where hey look there, you know, it's stupid I'm laughing at him. It's just a weird kind of a thing. Okay, so So when I see these Oh Jesus apostles on TV, I'm an apostle I'm Bishop so-and-so I'm apostle so-and-so It's just to stop.

You know, oh I need to get on TV too. I need to get on on NRB and and And get tarred and feathered by the people that I point out. So anyway Verse 2 and all the brethren who are with me to the churches of Galatia now those churches Derby a city in Antioch Iconium Lystra.

These are all in the area of Turkey. There were churches that were planted because what Paul would do is do a missionary loop around certain areas. Wouldn't go up back up back up back up back, but make a circuit, you know and so there's a way to do a circuit inside the churches of Revelation is what we did when we toured in the tour bus as We're suffering in the air conditioning padded tour bus with our bottled water and our lunches that we brought and we went around.

And then we would get out and and and enjoy that the sites. But nevertheless so The Galatia is mentioned in Acts 16 6 acts 1823 first 15 16 1 and here of course in Galatians 1 2 so if you know where Israel is Geographically if you're looking this way Israel is here and it goes up like this and Turkey's up here so was it when we flew from Turkey to Israel is only a two-hour flight and.

And And on that small airplane I had to sit in between two humongous guys like 300 pounds each I literally was sitting like this for two hours. They both apologized. We're sorry. We're so big and I go, okay and They spoke English and everything and I still remember that I'm sitting like this and I was eating like this and for two hours, it's only two hours and I'll be fine and.

So when one guy left I popped out from the crack of between these guys. So Remember that we're gonna do no get out of the way. So grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ now.

Now notice something. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ now in Islam and the Quran if you're reading the Quran what you'll find is Allah and his prophet Allah and his prophet over and over and over and over and over and.

And that that's that's a ploy by that false prophet to to try and raise himself to a level of authority so that he would not be Challenged and I could teach on Islam, but I won't hear so but notice what Paul's saying a grace and peace to you from God and Jesus so he's relating Jesus with God the Father as the ones who From them come grace and peace this is.

This is an Slight demonstration of the deity of Christ. All right. Now, why isn't the Holy Spirit mentioned in here? You'd think the spirit what? The Holy Spirit, of course, he's been he's eternal he's part of the Trinity Manifested.

No, he's already been there to birth at the baptism of Jesus. Yeah, and an axe and all this he's there. Because if you go to John 15 26 when the helper comes, that's the okay the spirit Whom I will send to you from the Father that is the spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father.

He will testify about me the Holy Spirit bears witness of Jesus. He doesn't point to himself. So as he's inspiring the writer to write this Paul the I believe what's happening is the Holy Spirit in his humility.

His job is to bear witness of Christ as well as convict the world of sin and stuff like that and. So, that's what I think is why he's not there and it says verse 4 who gave himself for our sins. So that he might rescue us from the present evil age according to the will of God our God and Father.

So he gave himself for our sins. Now. This is reminiscent of the Old Testament sacrificial system and When it says he gave himself he offered up himself as a sacrifice. The second Corinthians 521 it says that he became sin On our behalf in first Peter 224.

He bore our sins in his body on the cross in first John 2 2. He's a propitiation only for our sin, but sins of the whole world now. When we consider this we look at this. There is some interesting stuff here because in East and Orthodox theology, which we're going to get into a little bit and in Roman Catholicism the imputation of Adam's sin to us is not accepted and Our and the our imputation of our sin to Christ is not really how it works.

So that it's not a forensic issue, but it's a progressive issue. We'll get into that maybe a little bit later, but still he says rescue us from this present evil age. All right. I've gone over this before.

Discussing eschatological issues. There's two ages mentioned in the Bible. This age and the age to come this is the model. Eschatological model that Paul uses that Jesus uses and that others use in the scriptures.

I Don't hear anybody on TV or radio or in pulpits teaching from this perspective. I Don't know why. But this age and the age to come. In this age blasphemy will not be forgiven. Nor will be forgiven in the age to come.

Matthew 13 31 to 32. Eternal life is received in the age to come now the context of what he's talking about in Mark 10 30 and Luke 18 30 here is the issue of the full resurrection glorification everything.

Because first John 5 13 says we have eternal life right now so It's talking about the future and the fulfillment of it in this age we have marriage. But there is no marriage in the age to come. In this age is power and superior superiority of God in this age.

But is also a power and superiority of God in the age to come. This age is called the present evil age, which is where we're at. Look now and it's called an evil age and it's also in the present age that will receive a hundred times more.

And the rulers of this age Satan is the god of this world. Satan Corinthians 4 or 4 but it literally is the god of this age and the wisdom of this age is you know brings to nothing and. So we see two ages and then if you do an eschatological study on what happens at the end of this age.

Usually what happens is it'll mess you up Matt. This is false. We do not believe since Catholicism is the true church and your church is false at the sin of Adam transfers to us in a sense. In a sense in what sense is it not or does you have to be more specific?

But here we go so to him to whom be the glory forever. Amen. All right, so so. The glory is to the Lord Jesus Christ forever. He's gonna receive glory. All right verse 6. I Am amazed that you are so quickly deserting him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel.

So what is the gospel in First Corinthians 15 1 through 4 now I make known to you brethren. The gospel which I preached to you which also you received in which also you stand by which you're saved if you hold fast the word.

Which I preached to you unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance. What I also received that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures that he was buried and that he was raised in the third day according to the scriptures so this clearly is what the the gospel is and.

So he says he says in verse 6 I'm amazed that you're so quickly deserting him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel. He's gonna explain what this different gospel is. It's the gospel of legalism and Judaism the gospel of performing a ceremony in order to be saved in order to contribute it's a false gospel and I'm gonna show you here a little bit and In verse 7 he said he says which is not really another gospel.

Only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. He says there's only one real gospel. There's isn't another one that counts. It's not it's it's just not real. But this is what is believed by people a false gospel, all right now.

Justification by Faith Alone Versus Self-Righteousness

Justification is the declaration of righteousness by God and is received by faith Romans 5 1 and This is a fundamental doctrine of the Reformation the Roman Catholic Church had gone into apostasy hundreds of years earlier and The Eastern Orthodox Church broke out of it or that they'll say no they broke out of us.

The 12th at 1254 I think it was and They also are apostate and I'll show you why. Because the Bible says that justifications by faith and there's something really interesting that Jesus himself teaches in Luke 18 9 through 14 because in that section he said he teaches a parable of The text gather in the Pharisee they both went up to the temple To pray and the Pharisee said Lord, I tithe I you know, I do fasting, you know, I'm not a swindler I'm honest.

I you know do all this stuff. So what he's doing is he's saying Lord. Here's the good things I do and here's the things about that. I don't know. I'm not doing best up. I mean who to blame the guy and.

But what Jesus does when he introduces that he says this is a parable to demonstrate those who are self-righteous. They put their confidence in themselves and their ability look at this Lord, this is what I've done.

This is what I've not done. Now the tax gatherer was some distance off and was beating his own breast. Saying Lord be merciful to me the sinner. There is no Lord. Look what I've done. Look what I've not done.

Didn't even confess his sin. He says Lord be merciful to me the sinner not a sinner I am the sinner is Contrite heart and he's broken before the Lord and Jesus says this man went down justified rather than the other.

Wherever exalts himself will be about look so what Jesus is saying is that the one who is exalting himself was the one who is appealing to what he was doing right and Not doing bad doing good and not the best but yet what he's doing is complying with the requirements of the law.

Because the law says to do that. So why is he condemned? Because it's an arrogance in his own heart where he's thinking that this in part Makes him right before God. This is the false gospel that Jesus is is teaching about and this is what Paul is also going to be dealing with now.

Look in the Mormon Church in the Book of Mormon 2nd Nephi 25 23. For we labor diligently to write to persuade our children and also our brethren to believe in Christ and to be Reconciled to God for we know that it is by grace that we are saved after all we can do.

I Have quoted this verse to Mormon. I mean to Roman Catholics repeatedly. They'll be talking and they'll be talking about how look you're not justified by faith alone in Christ alone. But by faith in what you do and the works that you do or the gift from God so that you have to be doing Them to prove your faith and that's how you're justified.

Anyway, and I'll say so then you're you know, you gotta do all these things. Yeah. Are you doing them? Yeah, so you're saved by grace through faith. That's all you can do. Yeah and they don't even realize I've quoted the Book of Mormon and I say he's quoted the Book of Mormon and I got had some get mad at me.

You know and I see this is what a cult teaches, you know, God from another planet. You're teaching the same thing that they are. Now, what are the job is witnesses say? In February 15th, 1983 page 12th of the Watchtower.

The fourth requirement it's connected to oh, man, I got this wrong. It's the second requirement and I quoted I Paged it a wrong one, but I know what it says. The second requirement is more difficult and that is to it is to obey the commands of God.

And it says that in order to be saved there's four steps you got to do and one of them is uh, uh be Connected with loyalty to God's government governing organization. So I messed up on this Quote, uh, but it's right instead of here the quote I was supposed to get was right here on my page.

Anyway, no big deal, but it says that the second requirement more difficult than the others. It is to obey God's commands. Yes to conform yourself to the image of Christ to his commands. And so they likewise are saying the same thing.

Now check this out, this is a roman catholic church. Paragraph 2068 of the catechism of the catholic church the mission of teaching all peoples and of preaching the gospel to every creature so that All men may attain salvation through faith baptism and the observance of the commandments.

So wait a minute. So they have to observe the commandments and I rip into this like a monkey on a cupcake just for shredding it. And uh love to do that, um because roman catholicism is bankrupt. It's apostate and it teaches the false gospel.

And check this out. This is what it says in paragraph 2036 before I read it i'm going to tell you that in paragraph 2070 it says. It says that the ten commandments are an express representation of the natural law.

The ten commandments Are an expression of the natural law. The ten commandments are an expression of the natural law. Get that paragraph 2070. The ten commandments are an expression of the natural law paragraph 2070.

What does paragraph 2036 say? The authority of the magisterium extends all extends also to the precepts of the natural law. Because their observance demanded by the creator is necessary for salvation.

So it's necessary in roman catholicism to keep the ten commandments in order to be saved. That's what it's teaching. Can anybody be saved that way? No, you're trying to get saved that way you're going to hell.

That's a false gospel. We're going to get into this more and more. This is going to come out more and more in the book of galatians. What does eastern orthodoxy say justification. And this is from orthodox wiki .org.

I'm going to also quote from orthodox bridge .com. These are eastern orthodox sites. Justification the impartation of righteousness begins At conversion through the mercy of god and it continues Throughout the life of the christian as one is conformed in righteousness to the image and likeness of god through the power of the holy spirit.

Here's another version of this. Justification is accomplished at baptism and maintained through a life of obedience to god and confession of sins. You know, I so for some reason I just picture myself in a gym and uh.

There's a a block of iron 10 foot by 10 foot by 10 foot solid iron and uh. There's I got to go underneath it and bench press it. It's all balanced and I can. Is it going to happen? Not going to happen.

That's the law. I'm gonna pick that law up and carry it as soon as you pick it up. You're crushed by it. There's no hope I need someone who's so super strong. They can lift that they can keep the law.

That's jesus. What the cults the false religions like roman catholicism and eastern orthodoxy don't realize is we can't get our salvation by our obedience. Now what they'll say is matt you don't know what you're talking about.

You see we don't say it's by our obedience. We say that the holy spirit is working through us. And that he's working the gifts through us and that the good works we have that are ordained by god. Prove and demonstrate the righteousness that we have based on faith that's manifested through the works because they work together.

Okay. Oh, so then you gotta do what good works and i'll ask him. Can you be saved by by uh faith alone in christ? Not faith that's dead not faith like james 2 talks about yeah god exists just like the demons not like that.

But faith where it's a heartfelt trust you're putting your faith and trust in christ. Can that faith save you they don't want to answer? Yes, because if they do why go to their priests for confession?

Why do their sacraments? Why do their baptism for all this stuff? No, no, no, they teach a false damnable doctrine from the pit of hell both of them. And this is the what paul is talking about. Later on you'll see this but he says in verse 8 and then i'm gonna you know, i'll repeat it repeats.

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you. He's to be accursed. That's anathema. And then in verse 9. As we have said before so I say again now if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you've received He's to be accursed.

So the the pope preaching a false gospel the priests in the eastern orthodox preaching a false gospel. Joseph smith preaching a false gospel the washtub bible and tract society is preaching a false gospel.

Because the bible teaches justification by faith alone in christ alone. And yeah, that's right i'm saying it roman Catholicism is apostates and uh, oh I like this. Jonathan talks i've debated and destroyed matchsticks several times.

I love that. Well, tell you what jonathan. If you have the time. Uh when we're done with a study you can come on in the room and you can debate me. All right. So i'm challenging you. Because he says he's debated me and destroyed me several times.

Okay. Thank you. So do you accept we've done about a half hour to 45 minute range? Do you accept the challenge to stay in i'll have you come in this room and we'll go at it just because you accept it.

Because let's see you can destroy me in public, okay. No problem. If that's what you want to do. All right. Sound good waiting for your answer. Everybody's waiting jonathan talks. You ready? You ready?

We'll do that. Jonathan talks puts the letter r I don't know. Are you serious? I don't know. I don't know this r. Maybe he's gonna you know, maybe he's going. Uh-oh. He's called me on it. Man up jonathan says marlene.

Yeah man up jonathan ray legray says do it. Come on. Let's see if he's gonna accept i'll give him another 10 seconds and then we'll get back into the study. Remember jonathan you destroyed me several times.

Remember, that's what you said. I'm waiting ray. Come on. Let's do it. Come on. Okay. Do. Wait, we did it already and I have plans but i'm fine to debate you tomorrow at the same time. You got plans. Look if you can't back it up don't step up.

All right, okay so, uh. Anyway, so, uh for now in the verse 10 for now i'm seeking the favor of men or of god. Or am I striving to please men if I were still trying to please men I would not be a bond servant of jesus christ.

That's that's a very diverse. Pleasing men are you men pleaser or god pleaser? I see so many people on tv men pleasers. Hey, you know what? You want to have a good day and be blessed just send your five dollars in here and get this free Handkerchief that I sweat on and and uh, you can get this.

You'll be blessed. Do this holy oil and put this water in your drink and you'll be blessed. And uh, you know you i'm pleasing you i'm tickling your ears that's what it is. Load of crap. Let's see. Hey, how many of you think it it's okay you can run.

Jonathan said man i'm running. He says i'm the one running. Wow. Okay, you guys tackle i'm in the in the uh in the in the room. Yeah, I remember talking to before and uh, basically he Didn't do very well.

Okay. Okay, let's go on verse 11 for I would have you know brethren that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. What is the gospel of man faith in works? What's the gospel of god faith in christ?

That's it. That's a difference. The gospel of man the false gospel is faith in what you do. But the gospel of god is faith in jesus not what you do. That's it. That's the difference, okay. And this gospel is divinely revealed now i've had the privilege of being able to study.

All kinds of cults or religions. They're all obviously from men and a couple of them from women and they are uh by far. Well, not by far they are. You do you have faith in god and you do good works and that's how you get that's how you're saved.

What. Always. Oh, yeah faith in works. Yeah. Because you have to have works to prove your faith and that's why they go together. But it's not the reward of faith of works. So sometimes they say it is some groups do but it's the faith that works with works.

And that's how you have to have the works to be saved. So I say well, what do you gotta do to keep yourself safe? And this is i'll ask him this can you lose your salvation? Of course, you can lose your salvation.