Galatians Manuscript Study

Paul wrote a letter almost 2000 years ago to the church members in Galatia, a Roman Empire outpost in the area of modern-day Turkey. When they started meeting, they had a good understanding of how God’s grace was complete and sufficient for their lives. At some point leading up to Paul writing this letter, people started teaching the church members that there were rules to follow and steps to take in order to truly realize God’s favor. This was wrong and Paul was extremely mad at these group of teachers for misleading the church members. You can read how mad he was as you study Galatians – wow!

A study of Galatians helps us understand today how God’s grace is complete and sufficient for our lives. Just as in the church of Galatia, we allow rules and traditions to take our attention off of the truth of how we are to live. These rules are sometimes so ingrained in our minds and church culture, we are not aware of how distracting they truly are. God’s grace is sufficient, as He expressed His grace through His son, Jesus Christ, the one and only way to have a relationship with Him.

Guided Manuscript Study

I have developed a manuscript study guide for Galatians to be used by individuals and groups as they walk through a study of Galatians. It is most beneficial in a group environment because a collaborative discussion fosters further thinking and insights about the scriptures being studied. The manuscript study format removes the chapter and verse references and allows a reading of the scriptures in a format that more closely resembles its original form, and removes some predetermined breaks in the thoughts and flow of the reading.

The study template that is offered here is a guided study, meaning there are leader notes and instructions, along with predefined discussion themes. This provides a broader appeal and gives more people the ability to lead the study without the overwhelming burden of creating the discussion agenda and figuring out how to lead a manuscript study. Or the less desired alternative – not studying the Bible, in this instance, Galatians.

One thing a manuscript study does not do – force you to answer fill-in-the-blank questions. The focus is on reading the passage of scripture and listening to God as He speaks to you through His word. This format is inherently usable across the various Bible-believing denominations and traditions.

Sermon Series

Pete Briscoe, Senior Pastor of Bent Tree Bible Fellowship, in Carrollton, TX is preaching a sermon series on Galatians. The Galatians Manuscript Study guide is offered as a complement to the Galatians sermon series, for groups to spend more time in this passage of scripture during the week. It is not a weekly follow along, however, so the guide can be used by all who want to study Galatians. As one spends more time in Galatians during the week, the message being delivered on Sunday morning becomes even more personally understood.

Leader Support

The Galatians study guide is designed to walk through a way of leading the study sessions. There are ten sessions provided that not only encourages a deeper understanding of Galatians, but also teaches how the manuscript study format can be used to study other scriptures.

As you are leading the study on Galatians, comment on this post to discuss how things are going with the study and ask questions about challenges you are facing as you facilitate the discussions.

Ongoing Study

A single-session manuscript study format has also been developed for use as a guide to study any scripture passage of your choosing. You can also find single-session studies in the Ponderings section of ThreadMatters. These studies are centered around a relevant life question with a focus on a particular passage, usually a couple of chapters. Ponderings are posted regularly as they are being developed and used during a weekly Bible Study I lead in Frisco, TX.

Download the Galatians Study Guide

Go to our Resources page to learn more about how to get the Galatians Study Guide and learn more about additional resources.
 
 
To create a manuscript format of a passage of scripture, read more in the post of How to Create a Manuscript Format.

For a list of study reference books to use to supplement your Bible study, take a look at my post on reference books.
 
 

Questions

• How have you found this guide useful in your study of Galatians?
• Do you have any feedback that will help others as they use the guide to lead their own study group?
• Do you have any questions or challenges as you are leading your own study group?