Galatians Study
- Having a Real Bible Study - The best way to counter these methods of Watchtower indoctrination is to get the Witnesses to study the Bible in its original context, without any outside literature.
- What If They Refuse? - Why might Witnesses refuse to participate in such a study? First, they have never been taught how to do it. Second, the Watchtower teaches that no one can properly understand the Bible without the Watchtower organization to explain it to them. So what do you do if the Witnesses flatly refuse to agree to an inductive study using the Bible alone?
- Why Study Galatians with Jehovah’s Witnesses? - I recommend that you try to get the Witnesses to lead you in a study of the New Testament book of Galatians. Why that particular book? In the first century, teachers came to the Galatians claiming that a person had to keep the Old Testament law in order to be a Christian, or at least in order to please God as a Christian. Paul wrote the epistle of Galatians to refute this false gospel. Because the Watchtower system is highly legalistic, Galatians is a great book to study with Jehovah's Witnesses.
- Studying Galatians 1: What Did Paul Preach? - I recommend that you and the Witnesses take turns reading through Galatians a few verses at a time and then pausing to discuss what it has taught so far. This will be an unfamiliar process to them. They are used to reading Watchtower literature which contains Bible quotations cited in support of the Watchtower teaching. Here, you are getting your teaching verse by verse in the order in which Paul presents it.
- Studying Galatians 2: Are We Saved by Grace or by Law? - You can sum up Galatians 2 as follows: (1) Paul says that the gospel of salvation by keeping the law is opposed to his gospel of salvation by grace. (2) So far, in discussing his gospel, Paul still hasn’t mentioned God’s kingdom or the name “Jehovah.”
- Studying Galatians 3: What Is the Purpose of the Law? - In Galatians 2, Paul described the Christian life as a supernaturally transformed life—a life not based on law-keeping but based on identification in the death and resurrection of Christ. He resumes this theme in Galatians 3 by discussing Christ’s crucifixion, law-keeping, and faith.
- Studying Galatians 4: How Do We Measure Spiritual Maturity? - In Galatians 4, Paul talks about Christian maturity. Who is the more mature Christian--the one who lives by rule-keeping or the one who walks by faith in what Christ has done for him and in what Christ will do in and through him?
- Studying Galatians 5: What Does It Mean to be Free in Christ? - Galatians 5:1: For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Ask the Witnesses to tell you what this verse means to them. Odds are, they won’t have much to say. In contrast, I know an ex-Jehovah’s Witness whose life was transformed through this verse.
- Studying Galatians 6: How Can I Put Grace into Practice? - In legalistic fellowships, people derive their sense of significance from measuring each other and comparing themselves with others. When we live by grace, we have no need for making such comparisons.
- Summarizing Galatians with Jehovah’s Witnesses - At the end of any Bible book study, it’s helpful to summarize once again the main points of each chapter. I recommend that you let the Witnesses go first. Go chapter by chapter and alternate sharing what you’ve learned. When it’s your turn, note that nowhere in the book did Paul mention God’s kingdom or the name “Jehovah.” Instead, here are points you can summarize from each chapter.
