OLV Podcast - The Book of Galatians
Bible Study Discussion Questions
***Bible Study notes are listed from newest to oldest. For previous notes please scroll down.***
Episode 69 - The Cross of Christ
​Truth:
1. Vs 14 - Our sin nature dies on the cross
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“How does this truth give us direction and answers for our lives?”
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Relationship:
1. Vs 12b - The cross of Christ alone can save
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“How does it impact our relationship with God and people?”
Purpose:
1. Vs 15-16 - through the cross, we become the new people of God
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“What purpose or meaning can we find in living out this truth?”​
Episode 68 - Family Values
​Truth:
1. Vs 1 - showing up to help, showing compassion
2. Vs 2-3 - walking beside people, being humble
3. Vs 9 - being constant, being loyal
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“How does this truth give us direction and answers for our lives?”
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Relationship:
1. Vs 1-3 - a community of love and mutual support
2. Vs 10 - a life of generosity
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“How does it impact our relationship with God and people?”
Purpose:
1. Vs 4-5 - live to honor God
2. Vs 7-8 - living by the Spirit produces everlasting life
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“What purpose or meaning can we find in living out this truth?”​
Next week’s reading: Galatians 6:11-18
Episode 67 - A Higher Life
​Truth:
1. Vs 16 - Allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us, frees us from our sin nature
2. Vs 17 - There are two opposing forces within all of us
3. Vs 24 - To belong to Christ means that we must put our sinful nature to death
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“How does this truth give us direction and answers for our lives?”
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Relationship:
1. Vs 19-21 - Our sinful nature is very capable of hurting others
2. Vs 22-23 - Pursuing the Spirit transforms us into new humans
3. Vs 26 - Be humble, don’t let the enemy trip you up
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“How does it impact our relationship with God and people?”
Purpose:
1. Vs 17(middle - And the Spirit gives us…) - God’s purpose is to give us power to overcome our sinful nature
2. Vs 25 - Our purpose is to follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives
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“What purpose or meaning can we find in living out this truth?”​
Next week’s reading: Galatians 6:1-10
Episode 66 - Freedom
​Truth:
1. Vs 1&2 - The freedom Jesus gave us is to live by the Spirit
2. Vs 3&4 - People are justified only by trusting in what God did for them through Jesus, anything more is a betrayal of the gospel
3. Vs 5&6 - It is only by the Spirit that we become the new humans God intends for us to be
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“How does this truth give us direction and answers for our lives?”
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Relationship:
1. Vs 2, 7&8 - Love fights for the truth
2. Vs 10 - People need to know that you’re for them, that you believe in them
3. Vs 12 - Expressing your emotions isn’t a bad thing, if the motivation is love
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“How does it impact our relationship with God and people?”
Purpose:
1. Vs 1 - God’s purpose, through Jesus, was to have a family that accesses His Spirit through faith
2. Vs 7 - Paul’s purpose was to help the Galatians get back on track
3. ​​Vs 1b & 6b - Our purpose is to accept and stand firm in the grace we’ve been given, to be transformed into God’s image by the Spirit, and to express our faith in love
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“What purpose or meaning can we find in living out this truth?”​
Next week’s reading: Galatians 5:16-26
Episode 65 - A Family Meeting
​Truth:
1. Vs 3 - the Jews were slaves to the spiritual principles of the law
2. Vs 8 - the gentiles were slaves to other gods, the things of this world
3. Vs 6-7 - the relationship God wants with us is family
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“How does this truth give us direction and answers for our lives?”
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Relationship:
1. Vs 9 - faithfulness, nobody likes a cheater
2. Vs 17 - not everyone’s motives are pure
3. Vs 16 - don’t reject people that speak the truth to you
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“How does it impact our relationship with God and people?”
Purpose:
1. Vs 4-5 - God’s purpose was to set us free from ourselves, to change our nature
2. Vs 12 - Paul’s purpose was for the Galatians to become established in the truth
3. ​​Vs 7 - Our purpose is to be the child of God that Jesus paid his life for, and make the most of that gift
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“What purpose or meaning can we find in living out this truth?”​
Next week’s reading: Galatians 5:1-12
Episode 64 - You Belong
​Truth:
1. A relationship with God comes only through faith in Jesus
2. The cross is the ultimate leveling ground
3. Through your acceptance of Jesus you now belong, you are family
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“How does this truth give us direction and answers for our lives?”
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Relationship:
1. Ask yourself, “Am I, or others, complicating my faith in Jesus?”
2. Paul went to great lengths to care for the Galatians, are we willing to do the same for the people in our lives?
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“How does it impact our relationship with God and people?”
Purpose:
1. We can find value and purpose in our own lives by helping others to understand the love and nature of God​​
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“What purpose or meaning can we find in living out this truth?”​
Next week’s reading: Galatians 4:1-20
Episode 63 - What Is Faith?
​Truth:
1. We all enjoy comfort, safety, and predictability
2. To experience all God has for me, requires faith
3. Faith is taking the first step before God reveals the second
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“How does this truth give us direction and answers for our lives?”
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Relationship:
1. Ask yourself, “Have I settled for something much less than God has intended for me?”
2. Adventure and risk make us feel alive, it grows our relationship with God
3. Our example of faith can be an inspiration to others
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“How does it impact our relationship with God and people?”
Purpose:
1. We can experience the ride of a lifetime when we are willing to lay it all down and follow God
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“What purpose or meaning can we find in living out this truth?”​
Next week’s reading: Galatians 3:15-29
Episode 62 - Religion vs Relationship
​Truth:
1. You’re not good enough to save yourself
2. Serving the Lord is not complicated, if you are all in
3. It’s Jesus in you that changes you from the heart out
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“How does this truth give us direction and answers for our lives?”
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Relationship:
1. Our relationship with God is not different from our relationships with others. Pleasing God turns from “have to” to “want to” when our heart is fully committed.
2. Rules and religion don’t change people - show them and tell them about Jesus, the only one who can deliver them from the sin that imprisons them
3. Love never fails
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“How does it impact our relationship with God and people?”
Purpose:
1. Living in freedom, dead to our old nature, allows us to experience life as God intended it to be
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“What purpose or meaning can we find in living out this truth?”​
Next week’s reading: Galatians 3:1-14
Episode 61 - Peer Pressure
​Truth:
1. Peter let fear of what his peers would think cause him to cave.
2. Paul had to decide if he was going to defend the truth.
3. Paul chose to speak the truth in love. Ephesians 4:15-16
4. What are some current day topics that we are tempted to
cave in? How can we speak truth in love?
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“How does this truth give us direction and answers for our lives?”
Relationship:
1. If Paul had chose to be silent, it would have impacted his
relationships with the people God called him to reach.
2. The motive of our heart and the way we speak to others
is vital to the impact we make.
3. Paul’s choice to stand for the truth honored God and the
price Jesus paid to give us freedom.
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“How does it impact our relationship with God and people?”
Purpose:
1. Paul’s boldness preserved the truth.
2. If we want the boldness to stand, we must seek revelation more
than just experiences of God’s presence.
3. How can God use us to impact our generation when we know
and stand for truth?
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“What purpose or meaning can we find in living out this truth?”​
Next week’s reading: Galatians 2:17-21
Episode 60 - Compromise
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Truth:
1. Paul fought for the truth because he knew that the Galatian people would not experience the freedom Jesus died to give them - vs 1
2. The devil is always trying to rob of us of our freedom and our power over sin - vs 4 (remember, we don’t fight against flesh and blood… Ephesians 6:12)
3. What are some things that we are tempted to compromise on?
Additional scripture references:
Romans 2:28-29
Galatians 5:1
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“How does this truth give us direction and answers for our lives?”
Relationship:
1. How we live, what we stand for, what we compromise, impacts other people - vs 5
2. Sociologists say that even the shyest introvert influences 10,000 people in their lifetime
It’s possible that if we don’t stand for truth, the knowledge of it could be lost
3. One of the greatest gifts we can give to others is the example we set
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“How does it impact our relationship with God and people?”
Purpose:
1. Paul’s unwillingness to compromise, to boldly declare the truth, made his voice and his life meaningful
2. His influence continues to impact lives over 2000 years later
(The average person is completely forgotten in 3 generations)
3. What can God use us to do if we refuse to compromise?
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“What purpose or meaning can we find in living out this truth?”​
Next week’s reading: Galatians 2:11-16
Episode 59 - Overcoming Doubt
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Truth:
1. Paul was shocked because they doubted and walked away from the truth. vs 6-7
2. We are all susceptible to doubt - Gen 3:1
3. The devil is a master at shifting our perspective. He twists the truth to deceive us.
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“How does this truth give us direction and answers for our lives?”
Relationship:
1. Paul could stand against those who opposed him because he was convinced of what he believed.
2. His confidence and faith came because he spent time studying scripture and listening to God. vs 11-12
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“How does it impact our relationship with God and people?”
Purpose:
1. Paul had built his faith on scripture, not on what others believed. vs 15-17
2. He knew his purpose, because he knew God.
3. He spoke truth when everyone else was speaking lies.
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“What purpose or meaning can we find in living out this truth?”​
Next week’s reading: Galatians 2:1-5
Episode 58 - The Power of Relationships
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Truth:
1. God is for us. He has always pursued us. He always will.
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“How does this truth give us direction and answers for our lives?”
Relationship:
1. To have healthy relationships we have to be willing to have hard conversations when we see the the people we love going in the wrong direction. Equally, if we want to grow we have to be willing to listen when someone that loves us confronts us.
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“How does it impact our relationship with God and people?”
Purpose:
1. In the big picture, our purpose is to love God and love people
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“What purpose or meaning can we find in living out this truth?”​
Next week’s reading: Galatians 1:6-17
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