New Testament 6
Lecture 30
Galatians 6: 11-18
OUTLINE
•	Admonition to Close  6: 11-18

•	1. See how I write this letter
•	2. Judaizers are problem in this area
•	3. Don’t cause me more trouble
•	4. Benediction before closing letter
MacArthur Summarizes 
•	These  ______________________ quite nicely in relation to the rest of the letter.

The Essence of Christianity
•	Many times men have tried to summarize the Christian faith to a ________________ principle.  Men have not been able to exceed Paul’s presentation in these verses. Paul relates the ________________ of the Christianity as it really is.
The Epistle is Closing
•	And Paul takes the pen for himself.  He adds a few final comments. He had often used a ________________ to aid his efforts, but he chose to close them in his own ________________ (2 Thess 3:17 & 1 Cor 16:21, Col 4:18).  Remember that someone had forged a letter and put Paul’s name on it to the Thessalonians (2 Thess 2: 1-2) (W, 174-175) 
The largeness of the script
•	 would be a total contrast to that of the professional ________________ who would write neat and small. These large letters were probably intended to draw attention to these final remarks.  He pinpoints the vital ________________ at stake. 
Frederick Kenyon
•	Has pointed out that there were four classes of workmanship in manuscript copying in the first century.
•	1. The work of a thoroughly, ________________ scribe.
•	2. The work of a good ordinary scribe.
•	3. The work of educated men, but not professional scribes.
•	4. The ________________ hand of a common everyday man.   (W – 175)
Tertius
•	Has written for Paul in the letter to the Romans (Rom 16:22). ________________, Timothy and Silvanus had even written for Paul.  These would be educated men, but not professional scribes.  Kenyon believed that Paul’s letters were therefore written in small ________________ letters, called miniscules and not the large, one inch high capitals, called uncials. (W = 175). 
The Largeness: Due to Three Possibilities
•	1. Large because of its importance: like________________.
•	2. Paul not used to writing and the best he could do.
•	3. Paul’s poor, failing ________________ prevented him from writing smaller. (B, 55-56)
Kenyon’s Fourth Reason
•	Would be that Paul wrote with 
•	________________ in 
•	order to so the ________________ of his letter.  
Alford and Wuest
•	Reject the notion that Paul wrote using a amanuensis and wrote the entire epistle in capitals (uncials).  The base this on the use of an aorist verb for “________________”, being “wrote” in English.  This is used when I sees an event in its entirety.  They would appeal to Paul’s 2 Thess letter where Paul says, “so I write.” This is a present tense verb and they say, clearly refers only to the ________________ part of the letter.  (W = 176)
Why Did Paul Write This Letter
•	Himself then, if this position is true?  He wanted the letter to be as personal as possible. ________________ 4:20 shows he wanted to be with them. Perhaps the felt this would move them to compassion as they remembered his ________________ and the severe trouble he would have in writing this letter. (W = 176-177)
What is Paul’s Last Analysis?
•	The Judaizers wanted to have the Galatians circumcised. But why? “to make a good showing in the flesh” (v.12).  Their concern was ________________ shows and statistics for their reports. Who doesn’t like to boast in circumcisions for the year? (Baptisms?).  It is a natural tendency for the fallen ________________ to want to make a show in outward religion.
Ask the Judaizers about Motives?
•	They probably would have told us another viewpoint. They were wanting to ________________ the gap between Christianity and Judaism.  By getting Gentiles to accept________________, they could unite these and keep lines of communication open.  Unfortunately they did not understand they were perverting the gospel. 
Paul’s Opinion
•	Was they were seeking to avoid persecution for the cross of Jesus. He insists that by adding ________________ to the work of Christ, they were adding a condition to salvation.  They were negating salvation by faith. The made a religion of grace into a religion of works.  The ________________ draws persecution as it cuts across all works-religion.  Paul thought the price required by the Judaizers was just too high. 
Jesus Words of Warning
•	Are well worth remembering. How many times does He warn about ________________ religion in the Sermon on the Mount? Glance over Matthew 6 and notice that emphasis on public works before men and rewards in contrast to inward works done in ________________ and the rewards that accompany them.  How does this related to Luke 18:9-14?  What about Matthew 23:15?
Key Words in v. 12
•	“Cross” for Paul is the entire doctrine of salvation through the crucifixion of Christ viewed as a ________________ atonement for the sins of men. “to make a show” comes from a Greek compound word meaning “to present a ________________ looking face”.  It seems Paul is saying the Judaizers want to make a good show for their fellows back in Jerusalem. (W = 177).  
The Book of Galatians
•	Has been called the “Crucifixion Epistle” because it mentions the ________________ or crucifixion some seven times (2:20; 3:1; 5:11; 5:24; 6:12; 6:14 (2 times).  But the major reason for this title is that the cross became the means whereby the vgrace of God became effective for men. It was only through the cross of Christ. The sign of the cross points to grace. (M = 198). 
Paul Sees Irony
•	In the position of the Judaizers. He says that what they are trying to require from the Galatians, they can’t and don’t keep.  They fail to practice what they________________.  If they would see that they can’t keep the law, then they would stop pressuring the Galatians to keep it.  Paul says that if the Judaizers are looking for something to ________________ in, he has a better idea!
The Judaizers
•	Identified themselves with the church, but they could not bring themselves to identify with the ________________ of Christ. They claimed to make Him their Messiah, but they would have nothing to do with his crucifixion on the cross for their sins.  They wanted that ________________ to deliver them from their oppressors, but not from the bondage of sin, Satan and the flesh.  
Paul’s Idea 
•	Paul will not boast in circumcision. He has only one thing he dare boast about: the ________________ of Christ.  It is absolutely impossible to glory in our ________________ and in the cross at the same moment.  The gospel forces a choice to be made.  The Cross or the Law?
Boasting
•	In its basic idea can be conceived as being evil or self serving.  However Paul’s use of it has a somewhat different meaning.  The Greek term relates to that which brings________________. The thing that determines whether it is a sin or virtue, depends on whether it is praising men or praising God.  The praise of the Judaizers was toward ________________ and their achievement. Paul’s was constantly on God’s work. (M = 205)
The Gospel
•	Forces a choice.  The cross was absolutely essential to Paul’s ________________ of salvation.  What is the essence of Christianity? What God has done for us through________________, not what we have done for ourselves.
MacArthur points 
•	Out clearly the importance of the word “cross” in this context. He says, “When used in a ________________ context, as here, the cross does not refer to the pieces of wood on which Jesus was hung but to the entire work of ________________ redemption that His death on the cross accomplished. 
He continues:
•	It is not the fact that Jesus was crucified like a common criminal that is the offense of the cross, but the truth of the ________________ atonement, which allows no place for human pride, ________________, or achievement. (M = 198).  
When will we learn?
•	The believer and the world part because of the cross of Christ.  Paul says, “The world has been ________________ to me and I to the world. Prior to salvation, the thoughts of the world mattered a consider amount to Paul. Now that has passed. Now what matters to him is what his ________________ thinks.  Paul feels that all that matters about anyone is what does Jesus think about him/her?
The World for Paul
•	Is best seen in Philippians 3: 4-6. He had set all this aside. What is mentioned here? His Israelite history, Pharisaic________________, his zeal for the law. That had been his world. Now it was gone and dead to him. It had no ________________ or hold on Paul. (W = 178) 
Is the Essential Question
•	whether a person has been circumcised or not?  It is not the question for Paul.  For him the essential question is, “Is the person a new ________________ through Christ? (v. 15).  Religious ceremonies are mere outward acts of the flesh.  What matters is the________________, invisible reality and miracle performed by Christ.  What did Jesus tell Nicodemus in John 3:3? How does this relate to Rom 7:18? And how about 2 Cor 5:17?
Paul’s Accomplishments
•	He sets down two important points for us to consider in relation to the ________________ of Christianity.
Point One:
•	Christianity is not a ________________ of external ceremony, but ________________ and spiritual.  
Point Two:
•	Christianity is a religion of divine achievement, not human achievement.  It is what God has done for us, not what we have done for________________. The Judaizers hinted that a man had to find some way to merit ________________ with God. Paul has challenged this vigorously. What was the warning given to Paul’s student in the ministry, Timothy in 2 Tim 3:1-5? Take heed!
THE BENEDICTION (v. 16)
•	Paul’s words remind us of those of Psalm 125:5. The writer contrasts the crooked ways of the wicked with ________________ Israel who trusts in the Lord.  Paul contrasts those who look to outward ________________ for salvation with those who trust Christ alone for salvation. 
A Key Word of V. 16
•	“Walk” is from “________________” which means “to ________________ one’s life or 
•	to order one’s conduct.”    
God’s Blessings
•	Are on those who walk by the rule (canon) of faith and not the rule of law.  Canon usually carries the idea of a ________________ or norm.  How does this fit with what Paul is saying? 
•	If people can boast in the ________________ of Christ, they can be sure of God’s blessing. 
Paul’s Appeal
•	That the Judaizers stop harassing him is made.  His ________________ is very picturesque. For those Jews who insist that the mark of real Christianity is found on the body (circumcision), Paul insists he has all the ________________ on his body he needs.  What are these marks?
Stigmata
•	These refer to the ________________ marks used on slave to indicate who owned him. It would be like a tattoo.  Slaves in the Phrygian temples which the Galatians had contact with on a regular basis were familiar with this term. The slaves there were branded with the name of the deity. Even soldiers would have the name of their ________________ branded into their arms. (W = 179).
A Key Word in v. 16
•	“________________” carries the idea of “bearing what is burdensome.”  His body proved his ________________ to the cause of Christ. (W = 180).
Paul’s stigmata
•	 were those received in the service of Christ (2 Cor 4: 7-11).  These were public marks of his ________________ to Jesus. As a Jew, he bore circumcision. But he was more boastful of the ________________ belonging to Christ.
The Stigmata
•	Has always fascinated men. Frances of Assisi was said to have had a ________________ on a mountaintop in which he saw the love of God crucified on a cross.  When he finished the vision, he found he had ________________ on his hands which he bore for the rest of his life. (B., 56)
Closing
•	Paul invokes the grace of God to be with them. Without a question, this was the whole ________________ of the letter. This was the whole principle being threatened.  His final prayer is that the divine grace may come again and dominate the thinking of his Galatian converts. “________________! – so be it!”
Chuck Swindoll, 
•	Makes quite a remarkable application for us:
•	“Now is the time to stop talking about the free life and start living it. If  you haven’t already done so, open the door of your life to Jesus Christ. Let Him come in and begin circulating the crisp, clean air of ________________ liberty. Then submit yourself daily to the control of His Spirit, allowing His ________________ power to permeate everything you feel, think, and do.” (S = 141).
Sources To Be Credited
•	Clark Pinnock, Truth on Fire: The Message of Galatians. B = William Barclay, The Letters of Galatians and Ephesians. W = Kenneth Wuest, Galatians in the Greek NT.,  S = Chuck Swindoll, Galatians, Letter of Liberation, Study Guide.  John MacArthur, NT Commentary: Galatians,