For a full description of the (Y3) reading plan, see the “About” page.
- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Gal. 1
Paul is evidence that the Gospel is true. He taught what Jesus revealed to him on the road to Damascus, without consulting with anyone else regarding the message. Yet his message was the same as that of the other apostles. Paul had not been part of Jesus’ core group during His time on earth. So for Him to arrive at the same truth without any collaboration could only be from God. We don’t need to take the word of any one individual or small group of people. In effect, God provided us two, unassociated witnesses to His Gospel. And, as Jesus pointed out to the Jews, “Even in your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true.” (Jn. 8:17).
Gal. 2
The Gospel is the good news of the victory of God’s kingdom. It is the good news of our salvation. They are one and the same, and it is really quite simple. God’s kingdom – our salvation – is not built by human hands, but by God’s work. That work can be boiled down to this: Jesus came, Jesus sacrificed, Jesus conquered. Thus, the Gospel message is God’s grace through Jesus Christ. There is nothing else to it. To add anything else to it is to, as Paul said, “set aside the grace of God” (from Gal. 2:21) and reject God’s work on our behalf. And we know there is no life in opposing God.
Gal. 3
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” (Matt. 5:17). The fact of the matter is that Jesus came before, not after the law. Paul pointed out that God made a promise to Abraham over 400 years before the Law came to be. It is that promise that Jesus came to fulfill. God’s blessing, His grace, comes to all of us, not through the Law, but through His promise to Abraham, which is Jesus Christ.