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  • From: "Vince Endris" <vince_endris AT hotmail.com>
  • To: corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Corpus-Paul] More questions on Galatians
  • Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 01:20:26 -0400

Thank you all very much for your lengthy replies to my former questions. I have a few more that I hope are not too elementary.

1.&#65279; When speaking about Paul’s opponents at Galatia Brown says, “Paul and the preachers
were at one in proclaiming that what God had accomplished through Jesus the Messiah in
terms of justification and the gift of the Spirit was for both Jews and Gentiles”
(_Introduction, 469). I can understand that these preachers tried to convert Gentiles, but
what makes him think that they were also preaching Jesus as the Messiah? Further,
according to Paul they did not find justification brought by Jesus, but by following the law.

2. Paul’s forth argument against the Judaizers in 3:25-4:11 does not make much sense to
me. He makes a separation between their slavery before Christ and their freedom after
Christ. Before Christ, they were enslaved to the “elemental spirits” (4:3) or the “things
that by nature are not gods” (v. 8). However, after Christ came they became adopted
children of God (v. 5) and heirs of Abraham (v. 7). Paul further indicates that they were
always heirs of Abraham, and that, even though they owned their freedom, just as a minor
heirs cannot claim their property until the father allows, they remained enslaved until God
sent Jesus. Now that they are in Christ, they are equal partners in Christ as sons of God.
Is Paul speaking of predestination here, even if the thought as we think of it today was not
fully formulated in his mind? Now that they are in Christ, they are heirs of Abraham and
have always been.

3. In 5:11 Paul says: “But my friends, why am I still being persecuted if I am still preaching
circumcision?” Well the answer must be, “I guess you are not preaching circumcision.”
To which I can only imagine Paul responding, “Exactly!” Would they not know this
already? The best hypothesis I can come up with is that someone told them that Paul
changed his ways and now was preaching circumcision. Can anyone offer some clarification?

Thank you very much for your time,
Vince Endris

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