Chapter # 4 Paragraph # 2 Study # 2
August 12, 2012
Dayton, Texas
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<197> Thesis: Paul's astonishment is rooted in 'experienced reality'. Introduction: We began a look into Galatians 4:8-11 in our last study. In that study we considered Paul's description of the Galatians before his arrival in Galatia with the Gospel. He basically characterized his readers as "slaves" who were ignorant of God and seriously committed to the service of "gods" that did not and could not address them in their real needs for the exercise of power. This raises the issue of just what those "real needs" are and leads us directly into Paul's expression of astonishment in 4:9. That there are genuine "needs" for a "God", and that Paul's astonishment is real, indicates that the "knowledge of God" has some real and discernible experiences in the lives of those who are "known of Him". This evening we are going to consider why Paul is so astonished by the Galatians' willingness to turn from grace to law.