TODAY:

Galatians | Intro & Part 1

BIG IDEA:

Freedom comes from Jesus Christ alone

SCRIPTURES:

Galatians 1:1-5, Acts 15:9-11

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Q: How would you define legalism & how have you ever experienced or seen it? What effect does it have on people?

Q: How do the Scriptures/concepts from this week help you grow as a disciple who loves God, loves people & serves the world (lives on incarnational mission) in everyday life?

Q: Based on these Scriptures, how can you move from unbelief to belief, from just knowing to actually doing in your life?

Connect with God (UP)...

Q: Read Galatians 1:3-5. God willingly gave Himself for our freedom. How is this different from any other religion or cultural ideal?

Q: One of the common issues people have with the Gospel is that we often don’t feel like we need to be “rescued/saved”. How have or do you wrestle with this concept?

Q: Why do you think Paul decided to start off with a prayer for “grace & peace”?

Connect with Others(IN)...

Q: Read Acts 15:9-11. How can we as a church be sure to not create or allow a “Jesus +” culture or faith?

Connect with the World (OUT)...

Q: How can we lovingly influence the world around us by being salt & light instead of allowing ourselves to be influenced?

NOTES & QUOTES:

-Legalism = Belief that we need to or even can earn or keep God’s favor or salvation / a focus on performance, earned acceptance & love / an emphasis on (often man-made) rules & practices

-“Legalism, according to Galatians, was a religious system that combined Christianity with Mosaism in a way that demanded total commitment to Israel’s law as the climax of one’s conversion to Christ. This ‘deeper commitment to the law,’ according to Paul, was a subversion of the adequacy of Christ’s work and an abandonment of the Holy Spirit as God’s way of guiding Christian ethics. In other words, the legalism of the Judaizers is more than a problem; it has become a new message, a different gospel.” (NIV Application Commentary)

ACTION STEPS

1) Examine & test your faith to see if anything has tried to add to or change the Biblical “Jesus-only” Gospel – is there any evidence of legalism?

2) Look for ways to focus less on external performance or appearances & more on internal freedom, transformation & growth.