Q

Why do you think Paul, in the book of Galatians especially, was so bitterly opposed to fellow Jewish Christians who sincerely believed that Jesus wanted people to continue to honor and obey the Jewish laws that God gave them through Moses? After all, Jesus himself had probably observed them throughout his life.

A

Paul taught that Jesus changed everything, and that the agreement God had with the Jewish people had expired and was replaced with a new agreement with all people.

Bible experts refer to those agreements as the old covenant (based on obedience to Jewish laws in the Old Testament) and the new covenant (based on faith in Jesus and guidance from the Holy Spirit who writes God’s laws on each person’s heart).

Paul seemed to know that if his opponents won the argument, Christianity would simply have become one more group in the Jewish religion. There would be Pharisees, Sadducees, and Christians. And they would all be Jews who felt obligated to observe all the ancient Jewish laws.

But Jesus told Paul that it was time to bring the non-Jews into God’s family. The Lord said about Paul, “I’m giving him the job of taking my teachings to non-Jews, kings, and Jews alike” (Acts 9:15).
Excerpt from Leader’s Guide & Atlas for Galatians

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Q

Galatians is the angriest surviving letter Paul wrote. He was fed up with Jewish Christians trying to pressure non-Jews into observing all the ancient Jewish laws. Those included laws that require all men to be circumcised, and that everyone eat only kosher food—no pork, no lobster, no softshell crabs. What’s your first clue in this chapter that Paul is going to bring the hammer down?

A

Paul gets pretty blunt in verse six, “Wow! I can’t believe you’re already deserting God.” Instead of “Wow!” other Bible translations used similar exclamations: “I am shocked” (NLT); “I am amazed,” (NASB); “I can’t believe your fickleness” (MSG). If that didn’t get the attention of the readers, verses eight and nine probably did: “If anyone stands in front of you and preaches a version of the Good News that clashes with the message you’ve already received, let that person be damned” (Galatians 1:9).

Excerpt from Leader’s Guide & Atlas for Galatians

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Q

Paul says something that might sound harsh and uncalled for: “So-called believers are frauds if they don’t take care of their own needy relatives—especially relatives in the immediate family. Frauds like that are worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8). What’s a Christian to do about a family member who’s always in need because he or she con­stantly makes hurtful decisions? And what’s a Christian to do if they have tried to help but all they end up doing is enabling their family member to continue living a life that puts themselves and others at risk?

A

Sometimes a family may need to say to one of their own, “Enough is enough.” An alcoholic goes from one financial crisis to another, always asking for a bailout. A mean-spirited widow makes life miserable for everyone around her. And for that reason, she gets no invitation to move in with one of her adult kids because each kid knows that Mom will decimate the peace of the family and perhaps destroy their marriage. Some people are that poisonous. So sometimes the loving thing to do for the person in need and for others in the family is to say no. That’s what Paul advised for some folks in the church family. He ordered one man “expelled from your community” (1 Corinthians 5:2) in the hope that the man, by having to face the full consequences of his behavior, would come to his senses and “be saved” (1 Corinthians 5:5). Even in writing to Timothy, Paul said that any widows added to the church charity rolls should have a good reputation for being a kind and helpful soul (1 Timothy 5:10).

Leader’s Guide & Atlas for 1, 2 Timothy

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Q

LIFE APPLICATION. Casual English Bible says John the Baptizer taught that baptism would show that people :

• regretted their sins
• were going to start saying no to sin
• were forgiven of their sins (Mark 1:4).

The footnote to the verse adds this. “A more literal translation says that John preached aa baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.’ Bible scholars have different ways of explaining what this means.” What do you think baptism means to most Christians today?

A

For many Christians, baptism is a public declaration of their faith.

Other Christians see symbolism in the ritual. As they go under the water, they remember the death of Jesus. As they come up out of the water, they remember the resurrection of Jesus and the new life he had. They can think of themselves as dead to their old sinful way of living and alive to the kind of life that would honor Christ. They think of themselves as cleansed of their sins and devoted to spending the rest of their life saying no to sin and yes to God.

Baptism is considered one of the most important and common rituals in the Christian church, along with the ritual of matrimony and communion, also known as the Eucharist or Mass.

Potlucks don’t qualify. Yet.

Excerpt from the Leader’s Guide & Atlas for Mark

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Timothy’s route from Ephesus to Rome, where Paul  was in prison

Q

LIFE APPLICATION. As Paul wraps up his letter, he tells Timothy, “Do the best you can to come and see me soon” (4:9). Many people who have been around folks who were about to die can relate to this request. People who are dying usually want their loved ones close. And the people who are about to be left behind often do not want to leave the side of their loved one. Can you confirm that?

A

This question could open up the Bible study discussion to some deep emotion. But it’s appropriate because Paul wrote this letter in a spirit of deep emotion. If you’re a Bible study leader directing the session, you might consider starting the discussion of this question with a personal story of your own, or with the story of some­one you know personally. Author Stephen M Miller tells about the death of his father in an article called Two deaths, a Good Friday reading and in the video Two Deaths.

Excerpt from Leader’s Guide & Atlas for 1, 2 Timothy

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