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Introduction to Galatians Part 1

Pauls letter to the Galatians is unique among all his letters that we have been given, in the New Testament.
For one thing, it was not sent to one particular assembly, but to all the assemblies Paul established in the
region of Galatia; the letter was to be circulated to each one of them, and read to the believers there.
Also, this letter does not conform to the typical writing style that that we find in Pauls other letters; it does
not contain the customary prescript, indicating who was with Paul, and does not contain thanks to God that
Paul typically expresses for the recipients of the letter. But most significantly, this letter stands out from
Pauls other letters because of its tone.
When Paul wrote this letter, he was angry; he was frustrated. Im not saying that he wasnt ever upset with
any other assembly; we can see this also in his letters to the assembly in Corinth, for instance. But Pauls
tone in those letters does not begin to approach the level of his feelings directed at the Galatians.
Now, we know that all Scripture all is given by inspiration of God. Turn to 2 Timothy chapter 3.
[2 Timothy 3:16-17]
Who wrote this? Paul; he wrote it in a letter to Timothy. By the Spirit, Paul wrote that all Scripture
which some of Pauls letters became a part of is God-inspired; that is, God-breathed.
By the Spirit, God breathed his thoughts into certain believers, at certain times, under certain
circumstances, and then inspired them to write those thoughts down. And thats how we got our OT and
NT our Scriptures. Every original word they wrote down was inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Pauls letter to the Galatians is part of our Scriptures. It was breathed into Paul at a certain time, under
certain circumstances, by the Holy Spirit.
Why has Scripture been given, by God? It has been given for a definite purpose. And Paul, inspired by the
Holy Spirit, wrote down that purpose here.
Scripture is given for the profit of the man of God; to benefit him; its given for his good. Scripture is
given so that the believer may be complete; fully sanctified unto God (1 Th 5:23). And Scripture is given
for the purpose of equipping a man for every good work. The idea behind each of these things is
righteousness; the right character of God built into the inner man, and expressed outwardly through right
conduct.
How exactly does Scripture profit the believer? What is it profitable for? For doctrine Scripture teaches
the believer the truth. Scripture also shows the believer what is wrong that is, it reproves him and what
is right Scripture corrects him. So God uses Scripture to train up His sons in the way they should go for
instruction in righteousness. Gods sons are becoming the righteousness of God, in Christ (2 Cor 5:21),
which will fit them for their inheritance in Gods kingdom (Rm 8:16-17; Heb 12:10-11).
This is true, then, for Pauls Spirit-breathed letter to the Galatians, as well. It was written for the profit of
the believers in Galatia, to train them in the ways of righteousness Gods ways to prepare them for
Gods kingdom.

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This brings us back to Pauls anger. What I want you to realize is that Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit to
write this letter, is writing with a righteous anger. This is the tone of a father who is determined to reprove
and correct his wayward children to direct them back in the way of righteousness that they might be
made ready to enter into the kingdom of God.
So what was Paul so rightly angry about? In short, Paul was angry because he learned that the gospel was
being perverted in Galatia by false teachers, and believers in these assemblies were buying into their lies.
The false teaching was that it was not enough to simply believe into Jesus and His work of redemption;
certain works must also be done, in order for a man to be completely saved. The lie was that a man cannot
simply be justified by faith, but must achieve justification through the works of the Law.
What the false teachers were offering was religion in place of a vital relationship with God. Nothing
could be more infuriating or dismaying to Paul than to learn that those who had appeared to embrace the
good news with such joy that by grace they had been saved, through faith (Eph 2:8) were now
considering this false doctrine of salvation through works.
The tenor of Pauls letter does not merely reflect a teacher who is frustrated with his students. It is that of a
parent who is horrified by a terrible choice that his children are about to make.
Pauls heart here reflects the heart of God, who had created mankind with the intention that they become
His sons, in relationship with Him. That purpose was fully accomplished by Gods work on the cross, in
sending His Son to redeem mankind, and reconcile them to Himself. Paul was one of Gods ministers of
reconciliation, who preached the good news to men of what God had done, so that each man could choose
to be reconciled, and enter into a relationship with the Lord.
But there is opposition to the purpose of God for mankind, on the part of Gods adversary, Satan. Jesus
prophesied of the opposition that would arise against the gospel in a parable He spoke, which reflects the
experience of Paul with the Galatians.
Turn to Matthew chapter 13. Jesus spoke a series of parables to the multitudes and to His disciples
concerning the kingdom of heaven. The term, kingdom of heaven is one which Matthew used
specifically; it carries the same meaning as the kingdom of God the realm of Gods rule, in heaven and on
earth.
In these parables, Jesus used the term kingdom of heaven to describe the period of His rule on the earth
from His first coming to His second. There were seven parables. What does the number seven signify, in
Scripture? Completion; perfection. These parables progress to the completion, or end, of this age - the age
of Gentile dominion - and the setting up of the Kingdom, for the 1000 year reign of Christ on the earth.
In the first parable, Jesus portrays Himself as a sower, who is sowing the good seed of the Word of God in
mens hearts various types of soils.
Some hearts reject the truth outright; some are dissuaded by the afflictions in life; some choose the world
instead; but some hearts receive the Word of God, believing it, and the good seed bears the fruit of life
everlasting. This parable shows the personal, individual response of each man to the hearing of the gospel.
Jesus then told a second parable, which also involved a sower sowing seed.
[Matthew 13:24-30]

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v. 24-25 The tares are a plant known as the bearded darnel grass. The darnel closely resembles wheat in
appearance. The grain in the head of a darnel is much smaller than wheat, but thats in the mature plant. In
its earlier stages, the darnel is hard to distinguish from wheat.
If darnels are not eradicated early but left until harvest time, they wind up being cut down with the wheat;
and then they are very difficult to separate out. But it is necessary to separate the darnels, because their
seeds are actually poisonous. This poison is also said to cause blindness (Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible,
p. 1709-1710).
v. 26-30 Let me point out to you four interesting things. The enemy came to do his work while men
slept. The enemy sowed tares in the same location where the owner had already sowed good seed. The
servants noticed the tares once they had sprouted, even though they are usually hard to distinguish from
wheat in the early stages. Finally, the owner acts contrary to conventional wisdom not removing the tares
in the early stages, but waiting until harvest, and then separating them.
Jesus told two more parables, then dismissed the multitudes. He went into the house, His disciples
following Him.
Now, Jesus had already told His disciples the meaning of the first parable. After that, they knew they just
had to ask Him to reveal the meaning of the parables, and He would explain them; and so, that is what they
do.
[Matthew 13:36-43]
v. 36 The disciples only ask Jesus to explain the second parable, and so that is the only one He explains.
He proceeded to tell them three more seven in total and it would seem that only the first two were
explained the ones the disciples asked about.
At the end, Jesus asked them if they understood all these things, and they said to Him, Yes, Lord. Did
they? I doubt it; the church was a mystery at this time. But you can be sure that Jesus opened up their
understanding after His resurrection from the dead (Lk 24:44-47); and we have the Holy Spirit, to lead us
into all truth, so that we can have an understanding of them, also.
But for now, we are only concerned with the second parable, which Jesus does explain. Notice that the
disciples title it, the parable of the tares of the field (v. 36); not the parable of the wheat and the tares.
They remember that in the first parable the wheat, the good seed, represents the Word of God (Lk 8:11).
They want to know what those tares are.
v. 37 So the sower is the same; it is Jesus.
v. 38-39 This parable is now expanding on the scope of the first. It is looking beyond the sowing of the
good seed of the Word of God in the hearts of individual people; it is looking at those individuals, sons of
Gods kingdom, as the seed that now is sown in the field of the world.
Can you name one prominent individual from our studies, who fits the description of a son of Gods
kingdom, who has been sown in the field of the world? Paul. But not just Paul; Barnabas; and Silas; and
Timothy; and you; and me.

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Anyone who has received the good seed of the Word of God into their heart, where it has reproduced Life
they are a son of the kingdom, whom God can then use to plant the gospel of Jesus Christ in the heart of
others.
Jesus is speaking of the evangelism of the whole world; the fulfillment of His words to His first disciples,
and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth
(Acts 1:8).
But what happened? The enemy came the devil, Satan and he sowed tares among the wheat. Notice
that Satan is forever nothing more than a poor counterfeit of the true; God sows good seed, Satan sows
tares. The tares are the sons of the wicked one; Satans seed; they are the devils emissaries. They are of
their father the devil; it is his desires that they want to do (Jn 8:44).
What is it that Satan desires? He desires to be like the Most High God (Is 14:14); the possessor of heaven
and earth. And thats what these men want; they desire to be like God; to have the say, and rule over men;
they desire power, and control; like father, like son. Some of these tares were sown in Galatia.
Notice that the emphasis in this parable is not on various soils that receives seed, as in the first parable, but
on the carriers of seed the wheat and the tares. The emphasis is on those who spread doctrine - teachers
true, or false; spreading the Word of God, or lies.
In the parable, we saw that the enemy did his sowing while men slept. Why would the enemy do that?
So that he could do his sowing undetected; so that his efforts would not be thwarted.
We also saw that the enemy sowed, not in an uncultivated field, but among the wheat. Now, why would he
do that? Was it because he cared about the tares he was planting, and wanted a nice place for them to
grow? No; he didnt care about the tares. He planted the tares among the wheat because his whole purpose
was to ruin the harvest of the owner; to contaminate the wheat, to poison the crop, so that the harvest was
useless to the owner.
Thats when Satan sowed his tares in Galatia; when his sowing would go undetected. It was after Paul and
Barnabas left the province that the emissaries of the devil came in with their lies; they made sure to avoid a
direct confrontation with the missionaries. They were devious; they did their work in the dark. Everyone
practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed (Jn 3:20).
To undiscerning and unsuspecting men, the darnels looked just like the wheat for in Galatia, these false
teachers named the name of Christ but they did not truly believe in Him. At best, they viewed the work
of Christ as insufficient for salvation.
The ones who took in their lies were then able to spread them to others thats the poison of the darnel
seeds. Now, those who had become fully established in the faith would not believe lies that contradict it,
but those who were less well established or did not yet believe were susceptible to the wiles of the wicked
one.
The enemys purpose is to thwart Gods purpose. God purposed to have born sons, with whom He could
share His kingdom, in relationship with Himself. Satan purposed to deprive God of His born sons, so that
he could hold power over men; again, a poor counterfeit of the true. That was Satans purpose; but would it
succeed? No; it is always Gods will that will be done.

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In the parable, the servants of the owner noticed the tares growing amidst the wheat, once they have both
sprouted. We can sense their dismay and astonishment in the parable: Lord, did you not sow good seed in
your field? How then does it have tares?
It is not that they dont believe the seed was really good they know it was. It is not that they doubt the
owner, and what he had planned to do, and had done they had no doubts about him. It is just that they
could not fathom how such a thing could happen; where did those tares come from? The sheer wickedness
and deviousness of the enemys action is beyond them. But the owner knew right away, didnt he?
Although Jesus did not say who the servants are in the parable, they would represent His bondservants
those who have believed into Him, to do His will, in reconciling men to God. And the owner, of course, is
the Lord Jesus Himself.
The letter to the Galatian assemblies reflects some of this dismay and astonishment on the part of Paul, as a
bondservant of the Lord, who had done the Lords will in planting the good seed of the Word of God, only
to have the enemy come and sow tares where he had planted, after he had left. Paul recognized the efforts
of the enemy; what astonishes him is that the tares appear to be finding fertile soil in Galatia to take root.
But that wasnt the end of the parable, was it? The servants asked about going through and plucking out all
the tares. Remember that this is exactly what farmers used to do with tares. They waited just until they
could tell the darnels apart from the wheat, then removed them before harvest, because theyre so difficult
to separate at harvest.
After all, it would be a lot easier to weed out young plants than ones that are fully grown. And so what if
you happened to destroy a few wheat plants with them; or pluck up a few wheat plants, by mistake; as long
as you got rid of those dreaded darnels.
But that wasnt the thinking of the owner of this field, was it? What was his great concern for? The wheat.
Not one wheat plant must perish. And because of his concern for the wheat, the owner lets both the wheat
and the tares grow until harvest time.
You see, at harvest time, the two plants can be easily discerned. At maturity, the head of wheat plant is
creamy-white; but the head of the darnel is black.
In addition, wheat plants bear large, heavy grain in their heads, which causes the heads to bow down, from
the weight. But the darnels, with their tiny, poisonous seeds continue to grow straight upright; they will not
bow. Powerful pictures. By their fruit, you will know them the wheat and the darnel will be readily
distinguishable.
So even though the work will be infinitely greater, and must be executed with meticulous care, the owner
decides to let the darnels continue to grow for the sake of the wheat. In this way, not one stalk of wheat
will be lost.
Thats our Lords thinking, isnt it? Jesus prayed concerning His disciples, While I was with them in the
world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except
the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled (Jn 17:12). The son of perdition was Judas; he
was a tare; Satans seed.

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And Jesus prayed further, I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should
keep them from the evil one (Jn 17:15). The wheat have eternal security in the Father and the Son; no one
can snatch them out of Gods hands (Jn 10:28, 29).
Meanwhile, for the sake of the wheat, the Lord is allowing the tares to grow. The Lord is enduring with
much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction, that He might make known the riches of His
glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had fitted beforehand for glory (Rm 9:22-23).
In the parable, harvest time is the end of the age. This is speaking of Gentile dominion which comes to an
end with the Day of the Lord, when Jesus returns to the earth as the King, to judge the nations and set up
His Kingdom.
v. 40-43 During the Tribulation, Jesus will send out His angels, who will gather out from the earthly
kingdom all things that offend, speaking of the judgment on the world system (Rev 17-18). Then upon
the return of Jesus to the earth, His angels will also gather out of His kingdom those who practice
lawlessness speaking of the tares and there will be bundles of them (Mt 13:30).
The tares will be taken out in judgment, and cast into the furnace of fire Hades. When the thousand
year reign of Christ is finished, Hades will be cast into the Lake of Fire; this is the second death (Rev
20:14).
But what will happen to the wheat? The angels will gently gather the wheat together into owners barn.
When the Lord Jesus sets up His Kingdom on earth, He will gather into it those who are willing to bow
their heads in submission to Him.
According to the parable, the servants of the owner are not to attempt to remove the tares. What should
they do instead, then? Continue in the work the owner gave them planting the good seed of the Word of
God. Breaking up the hard soil. Plowing. Scattering the seed. Watering the wheat that grows.
And that is what we will see Paul continuing to do, with the assemblies in Galatia; first, with his letter; then
with his repeated visits, which came after the time of the letter. Paul knew he had to leave the tares to the
Lord; his part was to cultivate the wheat.
In the parable, the owner has great concern about his wheat. He plants good seed; he oversees the care of
the wheat; he ensures that none of the wheat perishes; and at harvest, he has the wheat carefully gathered
into his barn.
But what about the regard of his enemy, for the tares? He has no regard for the tares; he sows them, and
goes his way (Mt 13:25). He could care less that the owner will destroy the tares; he is just using the tares
to try to ruin the owners harvest.
This is also seen with God and His born sons, in contrast to Satan and his seed the sons of the wicked
one, as Jesus called them here. Gods actions demonstrate His love for mankind, and His love for His born
sons in particular a love that is relational, nurturing, that gives them everything that they need, for their
well being.
But there is no relationship between Satan and men who buy into his thinking; the enemy just uses men like
pawns to further his agenda; to accomplish his own wicked purposes.

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That purpose has never changed: to be like the Most High God; to possess the heavens and the earth.
Satan has always regarded mankind simply as a means by which he could achieve at least the first part of
his plan to rule over the earth. And Satan recognized that possibility a long time ago, back in the garden;
when God made man.
Turn to Genesis chapter 1. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1). He designed
them to be the perfect environment for His creation of mankind, from which God ultimately would obtain
the sons of His kingdom - men in His image, and according to His likeness (Gen 1:26-27) - righteous, and
ever-living.
God began by forming the first man of the dust of the ground, and breathing into his nostrils the breath of
life. God breathed His own life into the man, so that man became an ever-living soul of spirit life. But the
LORD God housed man in a clay vessel; a temporary dwelling place.
Through his soul, man was capable of thinking, feeling, and choosing - interacting with his physical
environment. And through his spirit, man was further enabled to interact with God - spirit being to Spirit
being - enabled to dwell in a relationship of love - both the man, as well as the woman, whom God made
from mans body.
Through this relationship, God could then reveal the purpose for which He created mankind; and mankind
could experience the goodness of Gods love for them, and, responding to that love, choose to become sons
of God.
But God giving mankind freedom of choice meant that men could instead use that freedom as license to sin.
This is where Satan saw his opening; in the freedom within the relationship, which God gave mankind.
Freedom is only freedom if it can be exercised; so the LORD God gave mankind something to make a choice
about, in the form of a command. He gave the command to the man; it was communicated to the woman,
as well. The command was to serve as a test, of the man and the woman - as to if they would choose to
obey God.
The command was that they were not to eat of a particular tree of the garden; a tree with a name: the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil. All of the trees in the garden were pleasant to the sight, and good for
food (Gen 2:9). But of all these trees, the LORD God named only two: the tree of life, and the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil, both in the midst of the garden.
The fact that two of the trees did have names is notable, and was for a purpose: these trees were to serve as
object lessons to the first man and woman and to all mankind.
The LORD God made it clear that disobedience to His command would invoke the death penalty: in the
day that you eat of it, you shall surely die (Gen 2:17). The first man and woman could eat freely of every
other tree of the garden, except this one tree.
Why did the LORD God put a restriction on this one tree? The significance is in the name: it was the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil. If mankind were to put out his hand, and take, and eat of this tree on their
own, they would die.
The LORD God was teaching a lesson: that mankind was not to attempt to acquire the knowledge of good
and evil by his own means, through his own senses. Mankind can only know good from evil as God
reveals it to them.

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Regarding their outward forms, the man and the woman must choose to limit their freedom, of their own
volition, regarding this one tree to not eat of it for their own good. That was the command.
Regarding their inner beings, the man and the woman must choose to put themselves in a position of
dependence on God to go to Him for the knowledge of good and evil for their own good. That was the
lesson.
But we know that, in the garden, mankind disobeyed the command and failed the test. Satan, seeing his
opening through mankinds freedom to choose, deceived the woman into eating; and the man, who was
with her, fully knowing the consequence of his disobedience, also ate. In this way, mankind severed their
own relationship with God - through their love of self; through the lawlessness of their hearts.
And just as the LORD God had said, they died. By one man - the first man, Adam - sin entered the world,
and death through sin. Mans clay vessel was now consigned to return to the dust of the ground. And the
sentence of death passed through upon all men born of him; through the one mans offense, death reigned
(Rm 5:17).
Seemingly, Satan had won a great victory here; having cut off the creation of mankind from God, Satan
now had a means of establishing a foothold on the earth, through men. But in reality, everything was
proceeding exactly in accordance with Gods plan.
God always knew that, given freedom of choice, mankind would decide to act independently of God, and
used their liberty as license to sin. And God knew that mans sin would bring death into the world; that the
entire creation in Adam would come into condemnation.
The first man was just the beginning of Gods plan to have sons in His image. The culmination of that plan
would take a second man - the Lord from heaven (1 Cor 15:47) - who would avail righteousness and
immortality to mankind.
Before the foundation of the world, God the Son agreed to become the sacrifice for the sin of mankind, to
give His life in their stead, in order to deliver men from sin, and reconcile them to God. God the Son did so
by being born into a body of mortal flesh, which enabled Him to die for us.
Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness in His mortal body, by which He became the perfect offering for
sin. But He did more than even this. Jesus conquered death through His resurrection, overruling death
with Life - eternal life for the body, the Life He brought down from heaven for men, which He extends to
any and all who will believe in Him.
As in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive (1 Cor 15:22). Those who believe are enabled
to live by the Life Jesus gives them here and now, in their mortal body - and by it, overrule sin in their life with righteousness.
What we see is that Gods purposes were served, despite the intent of Satan and the failure of man. God
purposed to have born sons. Those who believe into Jesus are born from above (Jn 3:3, 5), of the Spirit,
ever-living, righteous sons of God - and the Spirit is their guarantee that their bodies will one day be
glorified, fitting them for their inheritance in Gods kingdom.
The first man and woman chose to become sons of God. They confessed their sin, believing into the
Coming Christ to cleanse them from it. Having done so, the LORD God made tunics of skin for them, and
clothed them. They were no longer naked - the glorified body was now assured to them, through the
eternal life they had received from the Coming One.

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God had His first two sons, for His kingdom. Surely Satan could see that his delusion of possessing the
earth had just grown dimmer.
Meanwhile, the LORD was preparing another object lesson. Turn to Genesis chapter 3.
[Genesis 3:22-24] The other named tree in the garden, merely mentioned before, now comes into sharp
focus. Why? It is the tree of Life the idea clearly being eternal life, as the LORD God speaks of man
living forever if he were to eat of it (v. 22).
Again, the significance is in the name: this is the tree of Life. What if mankind thinking they can, like
God, discern what is good and what is evil what if they now think it would be good to try to obtain
eternal life by their own means?
Perish the thought! That is an unspeakable evil; man cannot obtain eternal life by his own hand; his own
doing. And so the LORD God sent mankind out of the garden to teach him the evil of trying to obtain
eternal life by his own means.
The LORD God had to banish mankind from His presence in the garden another consequence of their
transgression - separation. But the LORD God posted a guard His cherubim to watch over carefully and
preserve the way to the tree of Life. What is that way? Christ He is the way, the truth and the life; no one
comes to the Father except through Him (Jn 14:6).
Two trees from which men were prohibited to eat. Two trees, from which they were very much inclined to
eat; to put out their hands, and take, and eat. One, they ate of, and they died. The other, the LORD God
ensured they did not eat of so that they might learn that they could only have eternal Life through Him
-by the way He made for man, through Christ.
The trees were the LORDs lessons. It would be mankinds desire to acquire knowledge for themselves,
apart from God for it would make them like God, knowing good and evil so went Satans lie, which the
woman took right in. It would be mankinds subsequent desire, after bringing death into the world, that
they would live forever; and they would try to obtain that apart from God, as well by their own means.
Do you suppose any of this escaped the notice of Satan? No. And he would have been busy seeking the
means of keeping Gods creation of mankind from making their way back to Him, through Gods provision.
And that is how it came to be Satans design to keep men from God by providing them what it is that will
feed those desires of theirs to try to be like God, knowing good and evil; and try to live forever but all
done apart from God. Do you know what it is that feeds both of these things perfectly and
simultaneously? Its religion.
Religion feeds the lust that men have for knowledge; it seemingly shows them good from bad, right from
wrong. And religion quells the fear men have about dying, giving them a system they can work within to
attain eternal life for themselves. Its a false knowledge of good and evil; and a false system of works, that
cannot attain to eternal life. Its a poor counterfeit the sure mark of Satans work but if men will not go
to God, they will choose it and its false hope. Meanwhile, it provides Satan with an efficient way of
keeping men occupied in his world system, and preventing them from going to God.
What do we come to, after mankind is banished from the presence of God? We come to the next generation
Cain and Abel. They were both taught of God by their parents, Adam and Eve, as is evidenced by them
bringing an offering to the LORD.

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10

Abels offering pictured the Coming One; it was a lamb that he slew, as a sacrifice to the LORD. It showed
that Abel admitted himself to be a sinner, and that he believed the Coming One would shed His blood, on
Abels behalf. It showed that Abel was willing to depend on God to learn what was good and what was
evil; and to depend on God for his life; for his salvation. And Abels offering showed the reciprocation of
the LORDs love for him, offered back in an act of true worship.
What did Cain bring? An offering of the fruit of the ground. Cain brought a bloodless offering to the LORD,
that did not reflect the sacrifice of the Coming One for Cains sin.
Cain would not acknowledge himself to be a sinner. He was a good man; he could decide what an
acceptable offering would be. And what Cain decided was acceptable was the fruit of his own labor; he
was good, and his work was good so Cain thought.
In all of this, there was no thought of the One to whom Cain was bringing his offering; no thought as to
what was acceptable to Him. Cain had no genuine desire for the LORD, and no intention of depending on
Him, for the living of his life. Cains offering was all about form, not substance; not reality.
How could the LORD accept Cains offering? It did not reflect His Coming One, the basis of acceptance by
God; in fact, it blatantly showed Cain despised the idea of having a relationship with the LORD. So the LORD
accepted Abels offering, and Abel with it; but He could not accept Cain and his offering.
Note that Cain was no godless atheist. His offering to the LORD shows that. Cain did have a god. Its just
that it was a god of his imagination; one who would accept Cain just as he was, based on his own works.
What Cain had was religion. By patient continuance in doing good, he was seeking for himself glory,
honor, immortality and eternal life.
But what would Cain receive, instead? Indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish; for religion is a
system of works, and that is the doing of evil (Rm 2:7-9). It is a way that men treasure up for themselves
wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each one
according to his deeds (Rm 2:5-6).
We can see that Satan was one who understood the lessons in the garden only too well. He quickly
recognized that mans desire to know good and evil, and mans desire to live forever could be exploited to
hold men captive in his world system.
Satan would keep men occupied with the self-righteous acts of religion. With his scheme of religion, and
Cain, his first devotee, Satan had found a way to keep men in the dark to God.
Cain became the first tare, sown by the enemy in Gods field of the world long before the parable that
Jesus taught for that parable reflects back to the very beginning.
The poison of religion has been in the world ever since Cain we see further evidence at Babel (Gen 11),
through which mans religious thinking about God became disseminated throughout the world.
The nation that God made for Himself Israel had that poisonous thinking from its beginning, also.
Israel proclaimed, All that the LORD has spoken, we will do (Ex 19:8). They would do for God; and
yet, this was quickly followed by the incident of the golden calf.

# 1: 6-17-16 E

11

That poisonous religious thinking, of doing for God, would ripen into the religion of Judaism, which was at
the root of the tare that contaminated the wheat in Galatia.
Next week: read Galatians; also Acts 9:1-30, 13:1-14, 49-52, 14, 15:40-41, 16:1-6.