Bible in One Year Day 345 (Acts 24, Galatians 1-3, Proverbs 29:12-14)

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Day 345: One In Christ 

Agape Bible Study Acts 24 

Chapter 24: Paul's Captivity in Caesarea

Acts 24:1-9 ~ Felix Hears the Formal Charges Against Paul
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Tertullus is a professional orator and legal advocate who was hired to represent the Sanhedrin's case against Paul. It is not clear if he is a Jew or a Gentile convert to Judaism. He uses the first person plural in verses 3, 5, 6 and 8; however in verse 9 Luke says "the Jews also joined" as though they were in some way separate from him, perhaps ethnically. He probably speaks both Latin and Greek while the Jews do not speak Latin. Latin is, of course, the native language of the Roman Governor.
Question: What charges does Tertullus present against Paul after flattering the governor in his introduction?
Answer: 

1. He is a pest/troublemaker who creates dissension among the Jews worldwide.
2. He is a leader of the Nazorean religious sect.
3. He attempted to desecrate the Temple.

According to the Law, to profane the Sabbath or curse the Divine Name of God was a death penalty offense (Ex 31:14; Lev 24:11, 16) as is an apostate Jew who turns to the worship of idols (Dt 17:2-7). Other violations require excommunication. The Jews have extended the death penalty offense to include profaning the Temple and contempt for the Law of Moses, even though it is not found in the written Law (Heb 10:28).

Acts 24:10-23 ~ The Governor Invites Paul to Speak

Question: How does Paul refute the charges brought against him?
Answer: 

1. He did not cause a disturbance in the city or in the Temple during the week he was in Jerusalem.
2. They have no witnesses to back up the allegations made against him, not even the Jews from Asia who first accused him who are the only supposed "eyewitnesses."
3. Far from profaning the Temple, he came into the Temple in a state of ritual purity according to the Laws of the Jews.
4. He is a member of the Way and the purpose of his journey was to bring alms.
5. The real reason he is on trial is because of his belief in the resurrection of the dead.

After several stunning denials, Paul suddenly "confesses" that he is a member of the Way (meaning the Christian community), but he worships the same God as the Jews, and he confesses his belief in the resurrection of the dead. The language of his "confession" is a profession of his faith. Paul's phrasing of the bringing of the money to Jerusalem as  alms for my nation and offerings  was probably to disguise the fact that the gift was for the church in Jerusalem..

That Felix was accurately informed about the beliefs of "the Way" demonstrates that the Romans are now seeing the Christian movement as having an important impact in Judah that requires their attention. It is interesting that Felix is postponing a verdict until he speaks with Lysias. He has more than enough evidence to dismiss the charges against Paul. He does not need the tribune since Lysias admitted in his letter that he determined that Paul was not guilty of any charge deserving death or imprisonment (Acts 23:29). Felix never sends for the tribune.

Paul was kept under "house arrest" where he was permitted to see his friends and receive gifts for his comfort.

Acts 24:24-27 ~ Paul's Captivity in Caesarea

Felix's wife Drusilla was a Jewess princess. She was the daughter of King Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:124) and the great-granddaughter of King Herod the Great and Mariamne, the last Jewish princess of the Hasmonean kings of Judea. Herod was not Jewish but Mariamne's children by him were considered Jews.  Drusilla's brother, Herod Agrippa II, gave her in marriage to Gaius Julius Azizus, the Priest-king of Emesa (modern Homs, Syria), an Aramean kingdom in the Roman Province of Syria in 49/50 AD. Azizus was a Gentile client king of the Romans, but in order to obtain this desirable Jewish princess in marriage, he consented to convert and be circumcised. A few years later, Felix was entranced by her beauty and persuaded her to commit adultery by leaving her husband and marrying him. She was about twenty-two years old when she appeared at Felix's side during St. Paul's testimony at Caesarea.

Question: Why do you think Felix became uncomfortable when Paul spoke about the necessity of living a righteous and self-restrained life in order to be prepared for God's judgment?
Answer: Probably because Felix was guilty on both counts.

What Paul said was not good politics but it was good pastoral consoling. Codex Bezae, an ancient manuscript containing the text of Acts, records that Drusilla instigated the session with Paul but adds that when Felix was not responsive to Paul's message that it was her request that Paul remain in prison. Acts gives no further information about her life, but Josephus recorded that she and Felix had a son named Marcus Antonius Agrippa and a daughter named Antonia Clementiana. Drusilla, her son, and his family died in 79 AD during the destruction caused by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius (see Antiquities of the Jews, 19.9.1; 20.7.1-2). 

Paul's two years in captivity, as the ancients counted a partial year as a full year, was probably from 58-59 AD. Antonius Felix was relieved of his duties as the Roman governor by Nero in 59 AD, and was replaced by Procius (Latin pro. Pro-see-us) Festus who ruled from 59-62 AD. He was an able administrator of the province and vigorously pursued and executed the brigands and revolutionaries who infested the countryside; he died suddenly in 62 AD (see coins minted during his governorship at end of lesson).
Question: What are the three reasons Paul was probably left in prison/house arrest in Caesarea?
Answer:

1. Felix still hoped the members of the Way would bribe him to release Paul.
2. Felix knew it was an action that pleased the Jews.
3. It was God's plan for Paul.

Agape Bible Study Galatians 1 - 3 

Chapter 1: Paul's Defense of His Authority and the Gospel He Preaches

Chapter 1 contains:

1. Paul's greeting (Gal 1:1-5)
2. Paul's condemnation of false teachers and their false doctrines (Gal 1:6-9)
3. Paul's background and his divine call to apostleship (Gal 1:10-17)
4. Paul's first visit to Jerusalem (Gal 1:18-24)

In Galatians 1:1-2:21 St. Paul makes three claims:

1. There is only one Gospel and that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ that Paul preaches.
2. Paul was not commissioned by human beings but received his Gospel through a revelation from Jesus Christ Himself.
3. The Gospel that Paul preaches is the path to true liberty.

Galatians 1:1-5 ~ Greeting

In the majority of St. Paul's letters, his greeting follows a standard form with only slight variations. The three basic elements are:

1. Paul's name
2. The name of the addressee
3. The personal greeting

Question: After identifying himself, what does Paul add to confirm the authority of his mission?
Answer: He identifies himself as an apostle directly chosen by Christ and not by any human agency or human person. 

Galatians 1:6-10 ~ Loyalty to the Gospel

This part of the letter gives an indication of the degree of displeasure Paul feels for the Galatian communities he founded. He is so upset and so anxious to address their problems that he does not give the blessing or thanksgiving for the community that he normally gives at the beginning of his other letters to other Christian communities (see Rom 1:8; 1 Cor 1:4; 2 Cor 1:3; Eph 1:2; Phil 1:3; Col 1:3; 1 Thes 1:2; 2 Thes 1:3).

In verses 6-10, St. Paul clearly states his reasons for writing this letter to the churches of Galatia and why he is so personally offended.
Question: Why is Paul upset with the faith communities he founded in Galatia? What accusations does he level against them?
Answer: 

1. He is distressed that they have so easily forsaken God ("the one who called you") and the grace of Jesus Christ for a different Gospel.
2. They have listened to a different, perverted gospel (since there can only be one true Gospel of Jesus Christ), and in doing this they have denied the authority of Paul to preach the truth of the Gospel he gave them.

Question: Who are the "some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert the Gospel of Christ"? How exactly are they perverting the Gospel of Jesus Christ? See Acts 15:1-5; 21:20-21; Gal 2:21 and 6:13-13.
Answer: They are the Judaizers/Jewish Christians who want to bring the Galatians and other Gentile converts under the yoke of circumcision and the other burdens of the laws of the Old Covenant. In their attempt to continue the Old Covenant ritual laws these men promoted a false gospel that denied the sufficiency of Christ's death for mankind's salvation (Gal 2:21). 

The Judaizers were promoting a teaching that would still bind the people to the yoke of the old Law instead of taking up the yoke of Christ that He promised was light and full of grace and glory (Mt 11:20-30). 

In trying to hang on to the old Law, these Judaizers were trying to maintain the superiority of Jews over Gentiles in God's plan of salvation and make salvation a work of the Law instead of a work of divine grace. In the Letter to the Hebrews, the inspired writer, believed by many to be St. Paul, declared that the Old Covenant was fulfilled by Christ, and its animal sacrifices and ritual purity laws concerning foods, clothing, etc. were no longer binding. The old Law was only a shadow of what was to come (Heb 10:1-10).

Galatians 1:11-24 ~ Paul's former Life and Conversion

In verse 11 St. Paul refers to the Galatians as "brothers" "adelphoi in Greek, which in the plural can mean both "brothers" and "sisters" and literally means "from the womb" in Greek. Adelphos/adelphoi are the only words used for brother/brothers in the New Testament and can refer to covenant kinsmen (as in this case), or to full brothers, half-brothers, step-brothers, or countrymen, as St. Peter used the word in referring to the Jews Acts 2:29 and as St. Paul also used the word in his trial before the Sanhedrin in Acts 23:1. It is an especially appropriate term for Christians who are brothers and sisters born from the waters of Christian baptism from the womb of the Church.

Question: What does Paul say is the origin of the Gospel he preached to the Galatians?
Answer: He received the Gospel he preaches directly from Jesus Christ.

Then in verses 13-24 Paul reminds the Galatians of his past history.
Question: How does Paul summarize his life to the Galatians in verses 13-24?

Answer:

1. Formerly he persecuted the Church of Jesus Christ.
2. He was a devout Jew and zealous in his observance of ancestral traditions.
3. He believes that, from his mother's womb, God set him apart to experience his personal revelation of Jesus Christ and to be called to His service.
4. After his divine revelation of Christ, he went to live in Arabia.
5. He returned to Damascus.
6. After three years, he went to Jerusalem to meet with Kephas/St. Peter with whom he spent fifteen days, and he also met the brother of the Lord.
7. He went to Syria and Cilicia. 
8. He was personally unknown to the Christian churches in Judea. However, they heard that the former persecutor of the Church was now preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and they were thankful for the success of his ministry.

Chapter 2: St. Paul Continues to Defend His Gospel and His Authority

Galatians 2:1-10 ~ Journey to Jerusalem

Barnabas	Titus
Joseph was a Jew and one of Jesus' disciples to whom the Apostles gave the name "Barnabas" ""son of encouragement." He was described as "a good man full of the Holy Spirit and faith" (Acts 4:36-37; 11:24).	Titus was a Gentile Christian (Gal 2:3) who became one of Paul's missionary partners (2 Cor 8:23).
He was a Levite originally from Cyprus who sold his property there and made a gift of the money from the sale to the Jerusalem church (Acts 4:36-37).	He was with Paul in Jerusalem when circumcision was debated, and he was used as an example for the unnecessary application of circumcision for Gentile-Christians (Gal 2:1-5)
He was the kinsman of Mary of Jerusalem and her son John-Mark (Col 4:10).	He was sent by Paul as a representative to the Corinthian community (2 Cor 2:13; 7:6, 13-15; 8:6, 16, 23; 12:18).
He sponsored Paul in the Jerusalem church (Acts 9:26-27).	He was sent to collect a charitable contribution for the church in Jerusalem (2 Cor 8:6).
He took Paul with him to teach in the church at Antioch, Syria (Acts 11:20-22, 25-26).	He was the recipient of St. Paul's Letter to Titus.
He traveled to Jerusalem with Paul with alms for the Jerusalem church (Acts 11:19-30).	He went with Paul to Crete where he helped to organize the church there (Titus 1:4).
He and Paul were chosen by the elders at Antioch to lead the first missionary journey into Asia Minor (Acts 13:1-3).	He was sent to work with the new faith community at Nicopolis (Titus 3:12).
He was part of the delegation the church at Antioch sent to the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:2-4).	He helped with the Christian communities in Dalmatia (2 Tim 4:10).
He had a falling out with Paul over John-Mark; therefore he and Mark left for missionary work in Cyprus (Acts 15:37-39).
Michal E. Hunt Copyright © 2016

According to Christian tradition, St. Barnabas was the founder and first bishop of the Church in Cyprus where he was martyred at Salamis in c. 61 AD, and Titus became the Bishop of Crete.

The journey to Jerusalem, which Paul describes in Galatians chapter 2, could be Barnabas and Paul's relief mission to the New Covenant communities that were in need in Judea; it was a journey that ended in Jerusalem (Acts 11:27-30; 12:25). Or it could be the meeting of the first council of the universal Magisterium, the Council of Jerusalem, which met in circa 49/50AD (Acts chapter 15). 

The Council of Jerusalem in Acts Chapter 15 was called to decide such important issues as the requirements for Gentile converts. 

St. Paul's Visits to Jerusalem in the New Testament

1. Paul's visit to Jerusalem after his conversion experience (Acts 9:26-27)

2. Paul and others visit Jerusalem after delivering their charity contributions to churches in Judea (Acts 12:29).

3. Paul attends the Council of Jerusalem (Acts chapter 15).

4. Paul's final visit to Jerusalem (Acts 21:15, 17).

Paul writes that he, Barnabas and Titus traveled to Jerusalem as representatives of the church at Antioch to receive the Church's blessings on the missionary efforts among the Gentiles so their efforts would not be "in vain" (Gal 2:2). This could be a reference to the first missionary journey that Barnabas and Paul were about to make and their desire to make sure they had the blessing of Peter and the Apostles and to acknowledge their authority. The church at Antioch, Syria is the same Christian community to which the mother church in Jerusalem had sent Barnabas to insure the community of Jews and Gentiles received proper instruction in the New Covenant faith. Barnabas had enlisted Paul to join him in his mission (Acts 11:19-26), and it was the first community to call themselves "Christians" (Acts 11:26). It is the vibrant, Spirit filled community in Antioch that sent Barabbas and Paul on their first a missionary journey into Asia Minor to found the Galatian faith communities, and later sent Paul and his companions on two more journeys into Greece to spread the Gospel (Acts 13:1-3). 

Galatians 2:11-14 ~ Paul's dispute with Peter at Antioch

The Judaizers who caused disunity within the mixed Jewish and Gentile Christian communities represented themselves as coming from James, which Paul mentions and accepts in verse 12. Paul would not have known any differently if this letter was written prior to the Jerusalem Council when James emphatically denied sending these men (Acts 15:24). 

Galatians 2:15-21 ~ Justification by Faith and not by Works of the Law

In 2:9 and 21 Paul refers to the gift of God's divine grace. The Catholic dictionary defines grace: "In biblical language the condescension or benevolence (Greek charis) shown by God toward the human race; it is also the unmerited gift proceeding from this benevolent disposition. Grace, therefore, is a totally gratuitous gift on which man has absolutely no claim ..." It is our response to God's grace that generates faith, and it is faith that leads us to proclaim belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

The Theology of Justification is defined as the process of a sinner becoming justified or made right with God. The Council of Trent (1545 -63) defined justification in this way: "Justification is the change from the condition in which a person is born as a child of the first Adam into a state of grace and adoption among the children of God through the Second Adam, Jesus Christ our Savior." The Church teaches that justification is the true removal of sin and not merely having one's sins ignored or no longer held against the person by God. It is the supernatural sanctification and renewal of a sinner who then becomes holy and pleasing to God and an heir of eternal salvation. 

The Catholic Church identifies five elements of justification:

1. The honor of God and of Christ is the primary purpose of justification.
2. Eternal life for mankind is its secondary purpose.
3. The main cause or agent is the mercy of God.
4. The instrument of cause is the Sacrament of Baptism.
5. That which constitutes justification is the justice of God by which He makes us just by His sanctifying grace.

Chapter 3: Grace and Faith Versus the Law

THE LAW VERSUS GRACE

The Purpose of the Law and Grace		The Effect of the Law and Grace
Law	Grace	Law	Grace
Based on obedience through works of the Law (Gal 3:10)	A gift of God that leads to faith (Gal 3:11-12)	Failure to uphold puts the believer under a curse (Gal 3:10)	We are justified grace that activates faith (Gal 3:3, 24)
Serves as a guide to holiness (Gal 3:23; 4:2)	Centered in Christ (Gal 3:4)	Teaches about faith (Gal 3:23)	Gift of Christ living in us (Gal 2:20)
Serves as a tutor to identify sin (Gal 3:24)	Liberates us from the Law to experience true freedom (Gal 4:30-31)	A preparation for the Gospel that shows the way to Christ (Gal 3:24)	Brings about our adoption as sons and daughters of God and heirs of Christ (Gal 4:7)

Galatians 3:1-5 ~ Grace and Faith versus Works of the Law

Paul cannot contain his frustration that the Galatians have yielded to the pressure of the Judaizers, calling them "stupid" twice in verses 1 and 3.They did not witness the public crucifixion of Christ, but they did embrace the testimony of His crucifixion and its impact upon the salvation of mankind "now are they saying it meant nothing? If they believe they received the Holy Spirit when they believed the Gospel and were baptized, how can they justify saying they now need circumcision and the other works of the old Law to be saved?

Galatians 3:6-14 ~ The Witness of Scripture Concerning Faith and Law

In this passage St. Paul quotes from six Old Testament passages:

1. In verse 6 he quotes Genesis 15:6, Abraham put his faith in the LORD, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness. Abraham's act of obedience was "credited as an act of righteousness" before circumcision was commanded as a covenant sign in Gen 17:9-14.
2. In verse 8 he quotes Genesis 22:18, ... and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing because in all this you obeyed my command. The universal blessing is found in Christ's universal kingdom of the Church.
3. In verse 10 he quotes Deuteronomy 27:26a, Cursed be he who fails to fulfill any of the provisions of this law! The Law only condemned it could not save.
4. In verse 11 he quotes Habakkuk 2:4b, ... but the just man, because of his faith, shall live. . In the New Covenant kingdom we are saved by faith in Christ Jesus.
5. In verse 12 he quotes Leviticus 18:5ab, Keep then my statutes and decrees, for the man who carries them out will find life though them. The Law could only show the way to salvation but could not give eternal salvation or the gift of the Holy Spirit.
6. In verse 13 he quotes Deuteronomy 21:23b, ...God's curse rests on him who hangs on a tree ... Jesus took the curse of the Law upon Himself in His crucifixion as He hung on a tree.

In quoting from Genesis 15:6, Paul's point is that Abraham's righteousness was not the result of circumcision because his faith preceded his circumcision. He was declared righteous/justified by his faith in Genesis 15:6, but the command for Abraham to circumcise wasn't given until Genesis 17:10. Paul is presenting the alternative to disobedience to the Law which leads to transgression of the Law and the curse of God's wrathful judgment. The alternative is God's promise of salvation through Jesus Christ in the gift of unmerited grace and faith: 

The Law==>transgression==>wrath

God's promises==>unmerited grace==>faith

God's power to make us godly is greater than the power of concupiscence, which tempts us to sin (see CCC#405, 1264, 2515-16). 

Scripture shows that Abraham was justified on at least three separate occasions:

1. Genesis 12 when Abraham obeyed God and left his homeland for the Promised Land
2. Genesis 15 when Abraham believed the promise of descendants
3. Genesis 22 when Abraham offered the "son of promise" on the altar in obedience to God's command and was promised a world-wide blessing

Each of the three promises and Abraham's subsequent "justification" follows the three-fold Abrahamic Covenant of land, descendants and a world-wide blessing in Genesis 12:1-3 (see Gen 15:5-6; Heb 11:8-9; Jam 2:18-24).

It has always been a teaching of the Catholic Church that justification like salvation is not a "one time" event but is a process that has past, present, and future dimensions. Some Scripture passages that identify justification as a process:

Justification as a past event	Justification as a present event	Justification as a future event
Romans 5:1-2	James 2:24	Romans 2:13
Romans 5:9	Romans 3:28	Romans 3:20
1 Corinthians 6:11	Galatians 2:16, 17	Galatians 5:5

 

10 For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed by everyone who dies not persevere in doing all the things written in the book of the law."
In verse 10 Paul quotes the climactic warning of God's curse-judgment against a rebellious Israel in the re-ratification of the Sinai Covenant on the banks of the Jordan River just prior to the conquest of Canaan. Moses prophesized the future rebellion that would result in invoking the curse-judgments (Dt 28:47-68) and also the eventually restoration and blessing for a repentant Israel (Dt 30:1-10). It is possible the Judaizers used Deuteronomy 27:26 as a proof text of their insistence of obedience to the entire old Law. However, Paul uses the verse against their argument, charging that everyone who puts their faith only on the old Law embraces the curse. It is only the Christ who hung on a tree and took the curse of the Law upon Himself who can free God's people from the curse of the Law.

Galatians 3:15-18 ~ The Law Did Not Nullify the Promise

In verse 16 Paul is referring to Genesis 12:7a, which in the Hebrew uses a collective noun that is literally "his seed"; a better translation in English should use a collective noun like "seed" or even "progeny", yielding a more literal translation: Yahweh appeared to Abram and said, "To your seed I will give this land." Paul says we should read this verse in the singular and identifies the promised "seed" as Abraham's descendant Jesus Christ who is also the promised "seed" of Genesis 3:15. The 430 years refers to the length of Israel's stay in Egypt from the time of the migrations of the twelve tribes into Egypt until the Exodus (Ex 12:40-41). 

Question: What is Paul's point in verses 17-18?
Answer:  Paul's point is that the Abrahamic covenant, when last confirmed with Jacob-Israel (Gen 28:14), predated the ratification of the Mosaic covenant by more than four centuries. However, by the grace of God, the covenant promises made to Abraham were still in place and were fulfilled in Jesus apart from the Law.

Galatians 3:19-22 ~ The Purpose of the Law

Paul asks, "If the old Law does not save or give life, then why was it given?" He answers his own question by saying it was meant to make us aware of our sins and to convict us of our sins until the promised heir of Abraham was to come to save us from our sins (see Rom 3:20; 7:7-8).