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made whole, or complete—cf. Eph. 4:13) ; be comforted (cf. ch. 1 : 6 $ 7:8-13; 2 : 7 ) ; be o f the same mind (cf. 1 Cor. 1:11-13; 3:1- 4) ; live in peace.” I f they would heed these admonitions “the God o f love and peace” would be with them. Notice the repetition o f the word and the thought of "peace”. The church in Corinth appeárs to have been an especially contentious church. Notice also this wonderful name o f God—Spthe God o f love and peace.” If they would not exercise love and peace among themselves, o f course, “the God o f love and peace” could not abide among them. Paul goes on to tell them that all differences and coldness should be put away from among them, and that they should “salute one another with a holy kiss.” O f course, these salutations here referred to were the men saluting men in this way and the women saluting women. Paul prays in closing that they may know in blessed experience the Triune God: that “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ (with which all blessed knowledge o f God must' begin—John 14:6; Eph. 2 :8 ), and the love o f God, and the .communion o f the Holy Spirit be with you all.” The name o f the Lord Jesus is put here before that o f God the Father, which would be impossible if Jesus were not in Paul’s thought a Divine* person.' By “the communion o f the Holy Spirit” is meant the fellowship, or compan ionship, or comradeship o f the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 John 1:3; John 14:16, 17, 26; Acts 9:31). Paul’s love and patience and ten derness and humility coupled with great plainness, o f speech and severity come- out in a wonderful'Way in this epistle. Saturday, April 6. Gal. i :i, 2. The Epistle to the Galatians is full of most precious truth, and some of the truths that are made clear in this book are partic ularly applicable to the day in which we live. The central thought o f the Epistle is the same as that o f the Epistle to the Romans,- viz., justification by faith apart from works o f the law. However, lit touches upon many other subjects. The
“churches o f Galatia” which Paul himself had founded and afterwards visited and strengthened (Acts 18:23), had been led away by Judaizing teachers to adopt Jewish ceremonies and to believe that one must be circumcised in order to he saved, just as some among us today are being led by Judaizing teachers to believe that they must keep the Mosaic seventh day of the week Sabbath in order to be saved. The main purpose o f this epistle is to show them their mistake, and The seriousness of it. These Christians -had fallen away from the most essential truths o f the gos pel, therefore Paul does not begin this epis tle with thanksgiving for them, as was his usual custom (cf. Rom. 1:8; 1 Cor. 1:4,. 5; Phil. 1 :3 ; Col. 1:3, 4,- etc.). Neither does he ask them to pray for him, as he - did eyery other church to which he wrote. Apparently he did not care for the prayers o f a backslidden church. His apostleship had been questioned in Galatia, and there fore he begins with an assertion o f his apostleship. He whs reported by the Juda- izing teachers who had come in among them, to be only a messenger from the Apostles from whom he had gotten his Gospel at second hand. Paul begins with a flat denial o f this falsehood and gives cpnclusive proof o f its falsity; He tells them that he was “an Apostle” and (hat he was an Apostle, “not from men. neither through men, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father.” In other words, he was an Apostle by direct appointment o f Jesus Christ (Acts 9:4-6, IS, 16; 22:10, 14, 17, 18, 21; 26:16, 18) and God the Father (Acts 13:2-4). Paul mentions in this connec tion the fact that God the Father raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Paul’s reason for mentioning this fact in this connection was that this was'the truth-to which an Apostle was to bear witness (Acts 1 :21, 22). Paul mentions the brethren who were with him at the time o f writing the epistle, probably in Corinth (Acts 20:4), from which place this letter was most probably written. He speaks simply o f “the churches o f Galatia,” without a commendatory word
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