Bible Buk Namba 48—Galatians
Man wea Raetem: Paul
Ples Hem Raetem: Corinth or Antioch long Syria
Taem Hem Finis Raetem: c. 50-52 C.E.
OLKETA kongregeson long Galatia wea Paul raet long olketa long Galatians 1:2 hem Antioch long Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe—olketa ples long olketa difren distrik bat insaed long province bilong Rome. Acts chapter 13 and 14 talem iumi abaotem firstfala missionary gogo bilong Paul witim Barnabas thru long disfala area, long wei wea olketa startim kongregeson long Galatia. Insaed olketa hia hem olketa Jew and olketa wea no Jew, maet insaed tu olketa Celts, or Gauls. Diswan hem lelebet taem bihaen Paul visitim Jerusalem long 46 C.E.—Acts 12:25.
2 Long year 49 C.E., Paul and Silas start moa long mek-tu missionary gogo bilong Paul long territory bilong Galatia, samting wea kamaot from diswan ‘olketa kongregeson kamap strong long faith and kamap moa big evriday.’ (Acts 16:5; 15:40, 41; 16:1, 2) Bat, kwiktaem bihaen olketa giaman teacher, olketa Judaizer, switim samfala long kongregeson long Galatia for bilivim hao wei for circumcise and followim Law bilong Moses olketa important part long trufala Christian Wei. Long semtaem Paul go long Mysia and go for Macedonia and Greece, go-go hem kasem Corinth, wea hem stap for winim 18 month witim olketa brata. Then, long 52 C.E., hem go thru long Ephesus and kasem Antioch long Syria, homples bilong hem, hem arrive long there insaed sem year.—Acts 16:8, 11, 12; 17:15; 18:1, 11, 18-22.
3 Long wea and wanem taem nao Paul raetem leta for olketa long Galatia? Luk olsem hem kwiktaem raetem bihaen hem herem story abaotem samting wea olketa Judaizer duim. Maet diswan long Corinth, Ephesus, or Antioch long Syria. Maet hem kamap long taem wea Paul stap long Corinth for 18 month, 50-52 C.E., bikos nius from Galatia bae tekem taem bifor hem kasem Paul. Maet hem no raetem long Ephesus, bikos hem stap there for lelebet taem nomoa taem hem gogo bak. Bat, hem “stap samfala taem” long homples bilong hem long Antioch long Syria, maet long summer bilong 52 C.E., and from nius savve kam kwiktaem midolwan disfala taon witim Asia Minor, hem luk olsem hem kasem report abaotem olketa Judaizer and raetem leta bilong hem for olketa long Galatia from Antioch long Syria long disfala taem.—Acts 18:23.
4 Disfala leta storyim Paul olsem “wanfala aposol, no from olketa man or thru long wanfala man, bat thru Jesus Christ and God wea hem nao Father.” And tu hem talem plande samting abaotem laef bilong Paul and waka bilong hem olsem aposol, wea pruvim hao olsem wanfala aposol, hem waka witim wan mind witim olketa aposol long Jerusalem and hao hem garem paoa for stretem narafala aposol, Peter.—Gal. 1:1, 13-24; 2:1-14.
5 Wanem samting nao pruvim Galatians hem tru evribit and fit for stap insaed Bible? Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and Origen talem nem bilong hem insaed olketa raeting bilong olketa. And tu, hem insaed olketa important Bible manuscript: Sinaitic, Alexandrine, Vatican No. 1209, Codex Ephraemi Syri rescriptus, Codex Bezae, and Chester Beatty Papyrus No. 2 (P46). And tu, hem barava wan mind witim narafala Greek Scripture and witim olketa Hebrew Scripture, wea plande taem hem tok abaotem.
6 Insaed disfala strongfala leta bilong Paul for “olketa kongregeson long Galatia,” hem pruvim (1) hao hem wanfala trufala aposol (samting wea olketa Judaizer tok daonem) and (2) raeteous fasin hem from faith long Christ Jesus, no from wei for followim Law, and wei for circumcise hem no samting wea Christian mas duim. Nomata Paul garem wanfala secretary for raetem daon olketa leta bilong hem, hemseleva nao raetem Galatians long ‘bigfala handraeting bilong hemseleva.’ (6:11) Olketa toktok insaed disfala buk hem barava important long Paul and olketa long Galatia. Disfala buk strongim wei for tinghae long freedom wea olketa trufala Christian kasem thru long Jesus Christ.
WEI WEA HEM HELPEM IUMI
14 Leta for olketa long Galatia showimaot wei wea Paul olsem wanfala barava nogud man for persecutim olketa kamap willing aposol long olketa nation, evritaem hem redi for stragol for olketa brata bilong hem. (1:13-16, 23; 5:7-12) Paul showim example hao wanfala overseer mas kwiktaem for stretem olketa problem, aotem olketa false teaching thru long gudfala tingting and Bible.—1:6-9; 3:1-6.
15 Disfala leta hem helpem olketa kongregeson long Galatia for talem klia freedom bilong olketa long Christ and for no acceptim olketa wea ting daonem gud nius. Hem talem klia hao man kamap raeteous thru long faith and hao wei for circumcise hem no wei for man kasem salvation. (2:16; 3:8; 5:6) Long wei wea hem no letem olketa samting olsem mekem eniwan difren, disfala leta givim wan mind long Jew and Gentile insaed wanfala kongregeson. Freedom from Law hem no minim man bae tingim samting wea body laekem, from disfala principle stap yet: “Iu mas lovem neiba bilong iu olsem iuseleva.” Diswan gohed for leadim olketa Christian distaem.—5:14.
16 Leta bilong Paul helpem olketa long Galatia long plande samting abaotem teaching, hem iusim olketa Hebrew Scripture for olketa strongfala tokpiksa. Hem talem mining bilong profesi long Isaiah 54:1-6, taem hem showimaot woman bilong Jehovah olsem “Jerusalem antap.” Hem minim disfala “tokpiksa drama” bilong Hagar and Sarah, hao olketa wea bae kasem olketa promis bilong God kamap free thru long Christ and no olketa wea stap olsem slave long Law. (Gal. 4:21-26; Gen. 16:1-4, 15; 21:1-3, 8-13) Hem minim klia hao Law covenant nating ting daonem covenant bilong Abraham bat hem join witim. And tu hem talem hao taem midolwan long tufala covenant hia hem 430 year, wea hem important long olketa date bilong Bible. (Gal. 3:17, 18, 23, 24) Olketa raetem and keepim olketa samting hia for buildimap faith bilong olketa Christian distaem.
17 Samting wea barava important, Galatians showimaot klia hu nao Kingdom Seed, wea evri profet weitim. “God talem olketa promis long Abraham and long seed bilong hem . . . wea hem Christ.” Hem showaot wei wea God adoptim olketa wea kamap olketa son bilong God thru long faith long Christ Jesus insaed long disfala seed. “Sapos iufala bilong Christ, iufala nao barava seed bilong Abraham, olketa wea kasem wanfala promis.” (3:16, 29) Olketa wea bae kasem Kingdom and olketa wea work witim olketa mas tingim disfala nambawan kaonsel long Galatians: ‘Stand strong long disfala freedom wea Christ mekem iufala free for hem!’ “No givap for duim wanem hem gud, bikos long barava taem iumi bae harvestim samting sapos iumi no kamap taed.” ‘Duim gudfala work, hem moa tru long olketa wea garem sem faith witim iumi.’—5:1; 6:9, 10.
18 Last samting, strongfala warning stap hao olketa wea duim samting wea body laekem “bae no kasem kingdom bilong God.” So letem evriwan tanawe evribit from dirty samting and raoa bilong world and showimaot heart bilong olketa long wei for garem olketa frut bilong spirit, wea hem nao “love, hapi, peace, long-safaring, kaenfala fasin, gudfala fasin, faith, kwaet fasin, fasin for bossim seleva.”—5:19-23.