Category: Epistles – Is his letter to our church?

Epistle of Paul to the Romans

Epistles ἐπιστολή or Letters

I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren.

Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians

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JUNE 2024 – 2025 —

1 CORINTHIANS

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Letters – Is he writing to me?
The short answer: YES.

In their epistles or 1st century church letters the Apostles and other men sent out by Jesus build up the saints [small – ‘s’] or members of local first century churches.

A Disciple or other witness of JESUS would write it. Messengers then delivered these church letters to many isolated worshipers.

Followers of Jesus Christ receive these letters as a major encouragement to their personal faith. Then leaders read them to worshipers of their church.

Although the Epistles 0r Letters to the Church were originally written to churches of the first century,

Romans through Jude will seem like letters to your 21st century church.

What do Peter, Paul, John and others tell us we must do?
Is he talking about an issue in your 21st c. church as well?
How does the writer’s advice, warning, or encouragement to the 1st c. believers apply to you as well
Is the writer of this letter talking about something you need to address in your 21st century ‘christian’ life?

Contemporary Application of the Letters (Epistles)

Most New Testament writers take on specific issues confronting faithful followers of Jesus Christ. These same issues continue to confront believers until the Lord’s coming again in these last days.

Certainly Christ our Lord will come again to those God has chosen for eternal life.

Believers currently suffer more than most of you who know Christ in your local church can imagine.

In other lands Christians continue to suffer by the hand of the ungodly.
Go into all the world

A 21st century Common Era church can see and hear nearly any atrocity of man or artificial imagination of sinful man’s mind, yet ‘christians‘ dare not speak of any absolute truth of the Lord God or talk of JESUS CHRIST.

Will YOU comment on Scripture and share the Gospel?

I invite you to read the inspired word of Scripture written in these LETTERS TO THE CHURCH.

YES, He IS writing to YOU.

Beloved brother or sister in Christ Jesus,

Will you read this ‘CHURCH LETTER’ and talk of JESUS through your comment, sharing and email to me about this ‘Letter to you?”

Roger@talkofJesus.com

Hot Topics from Galatians #2 – Apostasy
Apostasy appears throughout the Holy Bible when God’s people become unholy.
Roger@TalkofJesus.com

HOT topic #2 – apostasy

Although Paul does not specifically name apostasy for the Galatians he will when writing to the Thessalonians.
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[Circumcision may be a HOT Topic of the flesh of 2023 CE,
but this physical SIGN from a broken covenant was just one sign of apostasy,

SINCE MANY OPPOSE and deny Almighty God 
and the Lamb of the NEW COVENANT Christ Jesus!
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Galatians HOT topic #1: Perversion of the Gospel

In our first look at Paul’s letter to the Galatians (possibly sent from ACHAIA) we quickly discovered that the Apostle’s #1 HOT topic and concern for these new churches is perversion of the gospel of Christ.

WE easily get pulled off-topic. CIRCUMCISION is NOT the issue.

Even for the Jews circumcision is NOT the issue, but an excuse to JUDEIZE Greek and Roman converts by forcing a sign of a broken covenant on the flesh of men.

So apostasy is an unnamed HOT topic in his letter to the Galatian churches. Apostasy is a HOT topic result of false teaching by others which the Apostle to the Gentiles addresses.

What is it?

To oversimplify, apostasy is akin to adultery against God.

And as we see the cultural custom of wedding bands, so too the Jews viewed circumcision of a man as a visual sign of their covenant with God.

Apostasy defined:

מְשׁוּבָה

The KJV translates Strong’s H4878 in the following manner: backsliding (11x), turning away (1x).

Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
Jeremiah 2:19 KJV 2:19 תְּיַסְּרֵךְ רָעָתֵךְ וּמְשֻֽׁבוֹתַיִךְ תּוֹכִחֻךְ וּדְעִי וּרְאִי כִּי־ רַע וָמָר עָזְבֵךְ אֶת־יְהוָה אֱלֹהָיִךְ וְלֹא פַחְדָּתִי אֵלַיִךְ נְאֻם־אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה צְבָאֽוֹת׃

When the Jews broke their covenant with the LORD,

a NEW Covenant was needed

– NOT a cultural covenant ONLY for the Jews, but a lasting covenant

— a NEW testament of God’s love for men and women made in His Image — mortals from every culture of the world HE created.

we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law
Epistle from Paul to the Galatians 2:15 excerpt ESV

20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Galatians 3:

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?

It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.
Paul’s epistle to the churches in Galatia 3:1 ESV

Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?
- all who rely on works of the law are under a curse 10a
- “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” – 10b
  - Deuteronomy 27:26 אָרוּר אֲשֶׁר לֹא־ יָקִים אֶת־דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָֽה־הַזֹּאת לַעֲשׂוֹת אוֹתָם וְאָמַר כָּל־הָעָם אָמֵֽן׃ פ
IT’S A BIG DEAL TO THE JEWS who knew AND tried to practice ALL THE LAWS OF SCRIPTURE.

19 Why then the law?

It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made.
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The ONLY sinless offspring (son of man) IS Christ: descendent AND predecessor of Abraham (to whom the covenant was given with its sign) AND of Moses (to whom was given the LAW of perfection by which ALL are transgressors (sinners) come under its curse.
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24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.

25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
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Certainly this was Paul's GOSPEL PREACHED to the GALATIANS at first.
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Galatians 4:

8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.

9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?

15 What then has become of your blessedness? .. 16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?

17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them.

Galatians 5:

4 You are severed [cut away] from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.

5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.

6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
- Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
- This persuasion is not from him who calls you.
- 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
- do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh,
- but through love serve one another.
The GOSPEL of Christ’s grace IS good news not only to the redeemed but by its evidence to others.

17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit,

and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh,

for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

Perversion of the FLESH? vs. Fruit of the SPIRIT?

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident:

sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies,

and things like these.

I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
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THE PERVERSITY OF HYPOCRISY BECOMES OBVIOUS IN ITS WITNESS THROUGH THOSE WHO CLAIM CHRIST?
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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;
Paul’s epistle [instructive letter to the churches] to the Galatians 5:22-23a ESV

against such things there is no law.

24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Let’s just leave it there.

a side note on Circumcision

Technically the HOT topic of Apostasy is circumcision which Paul mentions seven [7] times in his epistle to the men of the churches of Galatia and frequently in his other epistles to the churches.

WHY?
- Jewish men apostate from the LORD could make false claim to this covenant long-ago broken between the Hebrews and God
  - (much like a christian wearing the Cross of Christ while living in the flesh as Paul calls out to the Galatians).
- Such claims certainly lead to further apostasy from God by the witness of such hypocrisy justifying further sin forbidden by the LAW and perversion of the flesh!
Does Paul’s HOT Topic #2 for the saints of the churches in Galatia CONVICT YOU?

WHAT FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT do you lack?

OR

Is your witness as a christian saint somewhat steeped in the unholiness of the fruit of the flesh?

COMMENTS? or Questions?
June 19, 2023
HOT topics from Galatians – Perversion of the Gospel
Of course when a Bible HEADING for Galatians 1:6 suggests, “Perversion of the Gospel” our twenty-first century first thought is sexual perversion, but this all-inclusive description of unnamed teachers in Galatia encompasses much more.

Perversion of the One Gospel

Perversion of the Gospel
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another..
Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians 1:6-7a NASB1995

Although the HEADING of our opening HOT topic is written to church members in Galatia it addresses perversion (which I found above my online KJV) contemporary to our 21st century churches.

Other English editors of the New Testament identify other helpful descriptions of this problem NOT related to this noun but pointedly to the object of Paul’s complaint – the GOSPEL.
NASB ‘Distortion of the Gospel;’ ESV ‘No Other Gospel;’ Lexham English Bible ‘A Different Gospel;‘ NKJV ‘Only one Gospel’

KJV Galatians 1:7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

We find a specific reason for the Apostle beginning his letter with an exhortation. Look at the end of his opening salvo of Galatians 1: verses 6 and 7.

“.. but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.”
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My dear fellow follower of Christ,
Could it be less so in these last days of either the KJB (17th century) or now in this year of our Lord 2023?
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μεταστρέφω – Pervert –

†μεταστρέφω metastréphō, met-as-tref’-o; from G3326 and G4762; to turn across, i.e. transmute or (figuratively) corrupt:—pervert, turn.

Think about it:
Perversion – (It’s more prevalent than we think it is.)

Let's get a little more literal from the Greek:

1:7 ὃ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλο εἰ μή τινές εἰσιν οἱ ταράσσοντες ὑμᾶς καὶ θέλοντες μεταστρέψαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ
Paul’s preaches his HOT Topic to churches where the Apostle had brought the GOSPEL of the RESURRECTED CHRIST JESUS before. The Apostle once more preaches the same TRUE GOSPEL with urgency in the opening of his epistle to the Galatians.

ARE YOU CORRUPTED by some now preaching another gospel?

Galatians 1:

Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are with me,..

9 As we have said before, so now I say again:

If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?

Or am I trying to please man?

If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
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Beloved believers,

Are YOU now trying to please men and women?
Does an easier gospel of some other preacher appeal to you?

HAVE YOU so soon turned from serving Jesus Christ as your Lord?
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Paul’s HOT topic to the 1st century Galatians is not to far removed from the contemporary saints of our 21st century churches.

The Gospel

IS OURS A TRUE GOSPEL OF CHRIST?

From the Apostle’s brief introduction:

the Lord Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age…
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Certainly this should be GOOD NEWS to those who have not turned from JESUS our One True Savior.
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PAUL HAS PREACHED THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST!
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Does the shepherd of your church preach the GOSPEL OF CHRIST?

(euangelion christos, from the original Greek of New Testament Scripture)
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O, you foolish Galatians! Does your church embrace some other gospel than what the APOSTLES preached of CHRIST?

Servants of Sin or Faith?

(a choice between culture and Christ)
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YES, Jesus' Disciples, his half-brothers James and Jude, and many other Christians did NOT always get it even AFTER the Lord's resurrection.
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WE too may miss the Gospel of Christ when everyday culture confronts our everyday faith.
Roger@TalkofJesus.com

Galatians 2:

9b ..we [Paul and Barnabas] should go to the Gentiles and they [the Twelve and James] to the circumcised.
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This refers back to the Letter they brought to the Gentiles earlier from the Council in Jerusalem. BUT NOW, the clashes of culture slip back into the religion of religious leaders.
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Paul Opposes Peter
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all,

“If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
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That's the real cultural issue isn't it?
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YOU can’t force YOUR RELIGION on anyone.

WE cannot serve Christ by denying Jesus as our Lord so that WE may fit into a culture turned away from grace and the Good News of God. THAT would be apostasy!

To be continued…
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NEXT: HOT topic #2 from the Apostle's epistle to the Galatians - Apostasy
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Talk of JESUS . com

Comment on Scripture – Share the Gospel
June 15, 2023
New Testament Epistles – Apostolic Letters to the Church
Epistles of the Apostles

Epistles are a type of letter. Have you ever received a letter with GOOD NEWS?

And consequently didn’t these epistles or letters fill you with joy upon reading from the thoughtfulness of this sender of GOOD NEWS?

Epistle from the Council of Jerusalem – Acts 15:20

Previously we spoke of a precedent from a council in Jerusalem with Good News for Gentiles
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Just a reminder from our previous post about the HOT Topics of AD 50 clarified by James (NOT one of two among the Twelve, but an apostle of the GOSPEL of the RISEN JESUS, biological half-brother of the Lord):
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An EPISTLE may be a COMMAND or at the very least as in ACTS 15,

AUTHORITATIVE INSTRUCTION to all.

An epistle from any apostle sent out by Jesus Christ contained authoritative instructions from the Lord to first century disciples throughout the world – Good News with Christ’s encouragement from men sent out by Jesus with the Gospel.

WHO wrote to the 1st century Church?

Like most Christians YOU can likely name several apostles who communicated to various churches and church leaders by letter or epistle. These include (in no particular order):
- Peter
- John
- Paul
- James & Jude (the Lord’s biological half-brothers)
- and others (Silas, Timothy, etc.)
Letters in our spare time

My purpose today is to point to the HOT topics of A.D. 50 through the epistles written about the time of Paul’s second missionary journey in Acts of the Apostles.

And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
Acts of the Apostles 18:11 – confirming Paul’s length of stay in Corinth

Corinth – 1st Church Plant in ACHAIA

Paul wrote his 1st epistle to the Corinthians five years after is current residence in the city.

Other Epistles & communication (~A.D. 50)
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Let's take a glance at these instructions for the Church ALREADY IN CIRCULATION in A.D. 50 - two decades after the Pentecost the HOLY SPIRIT filled the saints in Jerusalem - chronologically:
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JAMES

James can be reliably dated ca. A.D. 44–49, making it the earliest written book of the NT canon.
Commentary of John MacArthur

THEREFORE, James has already sent out various authoritative instructions to the church (perhaps even in consultation with some of the Twelve) in his epistle already familiar to most believers PRIOR to instructions from the Council of Jerusalem addressing Jews and Gentiles worshipping together in the Hellenist nations of Rome.

A.D. 49 –

GALATIANS

Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 * and all the brothers who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:
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* These 'brothers who are with [Paul]' are listed in the Corinth – 1st Church Plant in ACHAIA post above introducing Acts 18.

Once again, John MacArthur helps us with commentary of the timing of Paul's epistle to the Galatians, churches we have already visited earlier in Acts.
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Paul founded churches in the southern Galatian cities of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe (Acts 13:14–14:23). These cities, although within the Roman province of Galatia, were not in the ethnic Galatian region.

source: BlueLetterBible.org commentaries
WHY do we write letters?

OR emails in this 21st century of the Lord’s church?

OR TEXT someone OR MESSAGE someone in some convenient APP?

The Apostle Paul, previously sent out to the Gentiles by Jesus Christ with the Gospel, begins to write back to the members of these churches he and other apostles had planted. It’s not simply a one-time evangelism but BUILDING UP THE CHURCH for the long run.

Once again, and Epistle is a type of letter with an authoritative purpose.

I’ve hinted at our own evangelism of Christian Social Witness many times before.

What would Paul have done in ATHENS had the Apostle had a cell phone?

OR what evangelism for 18 months while in Corinth now would the Apostle Paul utilized had he owned a satellite-connected laptop computer or iPad?
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Of course this begs the question (now that we may so easily 'Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel'):

WHY DO YOU INVEST SO MANY MORTAL HOURS IN THIS SOCIAL TECHNOLOGY 
WITHOUT MENTION OF JESUS CHRIST & THE GOSPEL?
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WHEN do we communicate?

This morning I have already been interrupted in my daily ‘routine’ (if we could manage such a thing) by:
- phone calls,
- emails,
- texts,
- i-messages,
- multiple push notifications for the same HOT topic BREAKING NEWS interruption of the day
  - (similar content to each other and speculative news opinion of what it all means I’ve endured for the past several days)
I’m actually initiating some of my own emails related to other parts of my life having nothing to do with my job BUT by various measure important to my relationships with others in witness of the character of the Good News of the Cross in my eternal life.

WHO do we address in our messages?

Mostly, people we know.

YET often the opportunity to SHARE the Gospel will come at an unexpected time in an unlikely place.

YOU do not have to think of yourself as needing the tools of an anointed evangelist like Philip explaining the Gospel from Isaiah to an official of Ethiopian court,

OR Paul and other apostles sent to the Greeks

OR an annointed 20th century evangelist like Billy Graham preaching the Gospel to many in large stadiums throughout the world.
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Here's a HOT TOPIC for you: IS THERE A HELL?
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Did you realize the multitudes attending the crusades of Billy Graham were MOSTLY unconverted ‘christians’ in need of building up the faith of the Gospel already preached to them repeatedly as members of their own church?

Perhaps YOU are one of these in need of hearing the gospel or you want to TALK OF JESUS but just don’t know where to start.

Would some of YOUR christian brothers and sisters be encouraged by an epistle of GOOD NEWS shared by YOU?

WHY did the Apostles write Epistles?

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all.
Paul’s earliest Epistle [~A.D. 49] to the GALATIANS 1:6-7a NIV

ACTS of the Apostles Paul and Barnabas has already witnessed to us that proclaimers of the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ will be rejected by many AND even persecuted.

YET they continued to proclaim the gospel IN THESE OTHER CITIES OF GALATIA.

The word of the Lord spread through the whole region..

And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit..

So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there [Iconium], speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders..

[they fled to] cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country,

where they continued to preach the gospel.
Acts of the Apostles 13:49,52; 14:6b-7 NIV

Paul’s HOT Topic of his first epistle:

REALLY, apostasy (a rather ‘churchy’-sounding word a professional evangelist might go on to explain).

As we already know from Paul’s first mission these to men of Galatia public opinion is greatly divided in EVERY town with some at the extremes taking extreme measures to ensure that their GOSPEL remains unheard.

(Sound familiar?)

The Apostles wrote epistles to build up the church in general and faithful church leaders specifically.

When we continue chronologically with the HOT topics of these epistles we will talk of JESUS proclaimed to the Galatians and the FALSE GOSPEL the apostle will address in his epistle to them.

WHY NOT COMMENT HERE what YOU think is important about Paul’s letter to the Galatians.
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Summer HOT Topics from the EPISTLES: To be continued...
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Comment on Scripture – Share the Gospel
June 12, 2023