Questions Arising From The Book Of Galatians

Generated by a question about Paul’s omission of “saints” in Galatians, this series primarily addresses the ground of “sainthood,” and whether legalistic Galatians lost their salvation based on Galatians 5:4. The discussion interestingly reveals that Paul didn’t refer to the “church” in his intro of his last 4 epistles to churches, evoking questions about the priority of individual identity [saint] in relation to corporate identity [church]. Much of the discussion revolves around Augustine’s distinction between the visible and invisible church. The last 10 episodes or so address the troublesome passage of Galatians 5:4, “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law, you have fallen from grace.” This passage has led some interpreters to conclude that believers can lose their salvation. The series demonstrates however that both the immediate and remote context of the passage address issues of sanctification, not justification, so the eternal security of the believer is not in view. The central issue is not the grace of justification, but the grace of sanctification. The series drives home the point that “grace” is much more than the forgiveness of sins: Grace is the power of God to live holy. Legalists who look to the law to be justified/sanctified end up repudiating the grace of God which alone can perfect them.

The Full Series

The Grounds of “Sainthood”

May 12, 2025 No Comments

This initial episode lays the foundation needed to properly answer the question concerning Paul’s omission of the word “saints” in his salutations to the Galatians. Most of Paul’s letters to churches are addressed to saints, even 1 Corinthians, a very carnal church. The ground of “sainthood” in Paul’s theology is the imputed righteousness of Christ, the gift of Christ’s perfect holiness that is accounted to everyone who embraces Christ. The Christian’s fundamental identity is his POSITIONAL holiness before a holy God, who regards us through the blood of Christ, and ACCOUNTS us holy. Christ’s gift of His righteousness to believers is therefore the ground of “sainthood.” Another meaning of “hagios” [saint in Greek] is “consecrated” or “set aside,” both of which indicate the calling dimension of sainthood. the church is literally composed of those who are “called out,” the literal meaning of church. “ekklesia” Consequently Paul describes believers in Corinth as “those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling.” (1 Cor. 1:2) “Sanctified” here is derived from the same root as saint. Saints then are those called and set aside by God to receive Christ’s positional holiness. This foundational plank of the Christian faith, our sainthood in Christ, is the basis for all subsequent growth in practical holiness, in which the Holy Spirit conforms our sinful CONDITION to our perfect POSITION in Christ.

“Also no Salutations to Saints in Thessalonica”

May 12, 2025 No Comments

On the road to answering the question regarding the omission of the word “saints” in the intro to Galatians, this episode notes that the same omission occurs in the books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Paul uses the words “saints” in 6 of his 9 epistles to churches. The episode notes Augustine’s distinction between the visible and invisible church, and posits that Paul addressed his letters to the visible church, which included believers and unbelievers. Christ’s use of the word church in Matthew 16:18 only referred to believers. “Upon this rock, I build my church.” The distinction between the visible and invisible church might possibly influence how the question is ultimately answered.

Paul’s Use of “Saints” in his Thessalonian Correspondence

May 12, 2025 No Comments

This episode narrowly focuses on 1 and 2 Thessalonians, noting that while “saints” are not mentioned in the intro, they are referred to in the body of the letter. 1 Thessalonians 3:13 refers to “the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.” This is strong evidence, but not airtight, that Paul was describing “believers.” The reason is that “saints” or “holy ones” is sometimes used in reference to angels, as in Jude 14 and Daniel 7:10. Irrefutable evidence that Paul meant believers when he described the Thessalonians as saints occurs in 2 Thessalonians 1:10: at the second coming Christ “comes to be glorified in His saints.” So while Paul doesn’t use the word “saints” in his intro to 1 and 2 Thessalonians, he definitely had believers in mind in 2 Thessalonians. This fact of course makes the omission of the word “saints” in both the intro and body of Galatians more glaring. The explanation of this omission is provided in the next lesson.

The Chronological Explanation of the ‘saint’ Omission in the Book of Galatians

May 12, 2025 No Comments

This episode provides the answer to the question, demonstrating that Paul’s omission of the word “saints” in his intro to the Galatians is best explained by analyzing Paul’s letters chronologically. The earliest letters Galatians (49) and 1 and 2 Thessalonians (50 and 51) omit the “word” saints in the intro, though the Thessalonian correspondence uses it in the body of the letters. Paul directed these 3 letters to “churches.” 1 and 2 Corinthians, written next (55 and 56), are addressed both to “churches” and “saints.” The last 4 letters (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Romans, written 57-62) are not addressed to churches at all, but just to saints. The best explanation of the omission of the word “saints” in Galatians is therefore stylistic: the omission is consistent with the omissions to the Thessalonians written at the same time and Paul’s last 4 letters don’t use the word “church” at all in the intro. Paul nevertheless considered the gatherings of saints as “churches,” though he chose not to specifically address “churches” in the intro.

The Basis of Your Sainthood: the Imputed Righteousness of Christ

May 12, 2025 No Comments

“Paul and ‘Established’ Religion”

May 12, 2025 No Comments

Review of the salutations to churches in chronological order revealed that the omission of “saints” in the intro to Galatians is consistent with the stylistic development in Paul’s epistles. This episode addresses a natural follow-up question: why did Paul fail to mention “church” in his salutations in his last 4 letters? Was his address to “saints” an intentional swipe at established churches in preference to the more personal and individual address to “saints?” In Augustinian terms, was Paul preferring the “invisible church” [“saints”] over against the established “visible church?” No evidence in the Pauline corpus indicates a demotion in Paul’s mind of the visible church, for Paul seems to presume that visible churches are mostly comprised of genuine saints. And the visible church is the primary means of Christian growth. The five-fold ministry of Christians leadership mentioned in Ephesians 4:11-13 is indispensable for Christian growth. So Paul’s omission of “church” in his salutations of his last 4 church letters should NOT be interpreted as Paul’s “developing theology” in which the visible church matters less than maverick saints.