Breaking Ground
What people would you say you’ve trusted the most in your life? Why?
The Dig
This Sunday, we continued our series on the New Testament Book of Galatians.
As a reminder, Paul’s writing to these Galatians churches because they’ve been convinced to adopt circumcision & following the Hebrew Law as the foundation of connecting to God & experiencing transformation. For Paul, this creates a spirituality that makes human will power, effort, & ego the basis of spirituality instead of grace & trusting a power greater than oneself. Now, having retold his own story as evidence for Christ’s grace-based Gospel, Paul turns to the Galatians’ own experiences with following Jesus & the larger story of Scripture.
With this in mind, read Galatians 3:1-5. Here, Paul calls the Galatians to reflect upon their own experiences of transformation, which took place before they’d even heard about circumcision or following rules.
Given their own personal experiences, why does Paul consider it baffling that they’re now trying to earn God’s grace? Why does he view this as a form of spiritual regression?
What appeal does Paul make to the personal experiences of the Galatians? Why would he appeal to their personal experience before trying to formulate an argument based upon Scripture when trying to convince them?
Next, read Galatians 3:6-14 & Genesis 15:1-6. Next, Paul turns to Scripture to reinforce his argument. In particular, he points to the story of Abraham, which he sees as mirroring the Galatians’ own experience.
What commonalities exist between Abraham’s story & the Galatians’ experiences with Jesus? How do both point to faith & grace, not ego & legalism, as being the foundation for finding right relationship with God & experiencing transformation?
Why do we need to have both personal experience & a larger story in order to follow Jesus & stay grounded in a worldview of trust & grace? What happens to our spirituality when we have one but not the other (head knowledge without personal experience/transformation or vice versa)?
Consider how this teaching might speak into your life right now.
Where have you experienced the power of trust or grace in a transformative way? Who were you? What happened? Who are you now?
How does that experience of transformation help you stay grounded in a story that’s bigger than yourself? How can having both help you stay in a world that’s often trying to pull you away from maintaining a worldview of trust & grace?
Getting Out of the Hole
Take time each week to reflect upon the Sunday sermon.
- Read Galatians 3:1-14 & Genesis 15:1-6. Highlight & make of any language, images, or ideas that stand out to you from the passage.
- What commonalities do you see between the Galatians experience & Abraham’s? What role did faith & trusting Jesus play in both of their stories?
- Where do you feel tempted to define your relationship with God by your own efforts instead of God’s grace & faithfulness? How does this produce unhealth in your spiritual life & understanding of God?
- How might Paul’s teaching help you turn back towards a spirituality of grace & trust? How might this help you follow Jesus in a healthier way over this next season?
Journal, reflect, & pray on how God might be speaking to you through each week’s teaching. Share your experience with your growth group next week!
Additional Resources*
Centered Set Church by Mark D. Baker
Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer
TheBibleProject.com
Coming Up This Week:*
February 15th: Join us as we continue working through the New Testament Book of Galatians!
* Please see mye3.org for details.