Galatians
An Inductive-ish Study of Galatians
Introduction
Ladies,
I am so pleased to begin this study with you. I know you’ll be patient with me as I facilitate in this medium for the first time. Please do hit “reply all” and share insights, struggles, questions, and prayer requests along the way. We will all learn much more if everyone communicates back and forth, so post often. It is my prayer that we may all grow in love for one another as we grow in our understanding of Galatians.
If you’ve done an inductive study before, you might be surprised by what’s left out of this one. I’m grateful for the women who taught me to study by this method, but I found the traditional workbook-and-lecture approach too difficult to sustain daily over the long term.
What I’m offering here is a streamlined approach that has worked well in my own devotions for years. It may not be exactly what works for you — and that’s perfectly fine. Feel free to adapt the assignments and make the method fit your life right now.
Remember that I’m simply suggesting a method. Together, with the help of the Holy Spirit, careful reading, and trusted teachers, we will help one another understand the text.
If you haven’t done an inductive study before, please know that everyone seems to dislike part of it at first. If you are detail-oriented, you may struggle with the big-picture reading weeks. If you are a big-picture thinker, you may struggle with the keyword-listing weeks. I encourage you to stick with both. Looking at the text from different angles helps us see it more clearly.
As Spurgeon said:
“By perseverance the snail reached the ark.”
So imagine yourself as a snail working through Galatians with little stolen moments here and there.
Praying for all of us as we begin,
Susan
Week 1 — Big Picture Reading
June 16–22, 2024
This week, please try to read or listen to the entire book of Galatians at least four times.
YouVersion is a wonderful free option for listening to Scripture during commutes or chores. If you need help setting it up, ask the group — someone younger will probably know exactly what to do!
As You Read
Consider these questions:
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Who wrote the book?
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Why did he write it?
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What is the main idea he wants to communicate?
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Who were the intended recipients?
Optional Background Study
If you have extra time, you might also:
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Look up Galatia on a map.
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Read about the historical background.
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Explore when scholars believe Galatians was written.
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Learn how Paul came to know the Galatian churches.
If you think of other helpful big-picture activities, please share them with the group.
I’m looking forward to learning together.
Week 2 — Keywords: God, Jesus, and Spirit
Ladies,
Thank you for your thoughtful interaction during Week 1. It was encouraging to see how similar many of our conclusions were.
It seems we generally agreed that:
Paul wrote to the Galatian churches because false teachers were persuading believers to add law-keeping to the gospel. Paul’s main emphasis is salvation by faith alone.
Key verses might include:
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Galatians 2:16
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Galatians 3:11
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Galatians 5:1
This Week
Now that we have some big-picture understanding, we’ll begin looking for keywords.
When choosing keywords, try not to overthink it. I usually aim for ten words total — enough to help me see the themes of the book without becoming overwhelmed.
In my opinion, the first three should almost always be:
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God
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Jesus
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Holy Spirit
We want to notice everything the text reveals about God.
Assignments
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Choose a color or symbol for God, Jesus, and Spirit.
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Mark each occurrence in the text.
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Create a list for each keyword.
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Include pronouns when appropriate.
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Write a brief summary of what you learned from each list.
Example
Under “Jesus,” your list might include observations such as:
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1:1 — Paul was made an apostle through Jesus Christ.
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1:3 — Grace and peace come from Jesus.
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1:4 — Jesus gave Himself for our sins.
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1:6 — Believers are called by the grace of Christ.
When you finish, summarize what these verses teach you about Jesus.
As always, do what you can and make the study fit your life right now.
Experienced inductive students — if you’d be willing to share part of your lists with newer students, that would be a great help.
Week 3 — Keywords: Law and Gospel
June 30 – July 6
Ladies,
How are you holding up? That week of list-making was challenging.
This week we’ll slow down a little and focus on just two keywords:
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Law
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Gospel
These will likely create long lists, but hopefully our previous work has prepared us to notice the contrasts more clearly.
This Week
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Mark references to Law and Gospel.
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Create lists for each keyword.
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Write a short summary of what the text teaches about each.
Questions to Consider
Have you come across difficult passages as you read?
I’ve been wrestling with Galatians 3:16 and 3:29 and trying to better understand the references to “offspring” and “offsprings.” I’m confident the tension is in my understanding rather than in the text itself, and I’m looking forward to studying it more carefully together.
In a few weeks, we’ll begin working chapter by chapter and using trusted outside resources to help us understand difficult passages more fully.
Praying for all of you,
Susan
Week 4 — Bondage and Freedom
Good morning, sisters,
I’ve been so encouraged by our conversations this week. I’m especially grateful for the reminder that we are justified by faith in Christ and not by law-keeping in any form.
This week we’ll trace another important contrast in Galatians.
Keywords for This Week
Mark and summarize words related to:
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Bondage
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Slavery
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Captivity
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Imprisonment
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Freedom
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Free
If you find additional related words, please share them with the group.
These lists are shorter and should allow a little breathing room for anyone who needs to catch up.
As I’ve started marking these words, I’ve already noticed how much the earlier keyword studies are helping me understand Galatians more clearly. I hope you’re experiencing the same thing.
Happy highlighting!
Week 5 — Grace, Faith, Promise, and Justified
Hi Ladies,
I hope last week felt a little lighter.
We have just one more week of keyword marking before we begin slowing down and studying one chapter at a time.
This Week
Please mark and summarize:
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Grace
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Faith
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Promise
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Justified
If you haven’t highlighted your key verse yet, this would be a great week to do that.
You might even draw a small key symbol beside it.
Beginning July 21
Starting July 21, we’ll begin reading one chapter each week.
I’ll post discussion questions, and I’d love for you to do the same.
We’ll also begin:
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Highlighting commands
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Making personal application
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Using outside resources more intentionally
Studying one chapter each week should take us through September 1.
I’m still thinking about how to conclude the study, though I love Sara’s idea of an in-person gathering.
So glad you are still with us in this study.
Susan
Suggested Resources for Galatians
Desiring God
A Look at the Book — John Piper
Short 10–15 minute expositions through Galatians.
Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAcB0f-21Xj2Mo1cBN7MWNTpSbq9v2RH7
Galatians Sermons:
https://www.desiringgod.org/scripture/galatians/messages
Ligonier Ministries — R. C. Sproul
Ten audio messages through Galatians.
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/series/galatians
Additional Resources:
https://www.ligonier.org/search?query=galatians
Grace to You — John MacArthur
Sermons on Galatians.
https://www.gty.org/library/resources/sermons-library/scripture/1?book=48&chapter=0
FCC Resources on Galatians
Sermons from our church sermon audio archive.
Weekly Chapter Study Format
Beginning with Chapter 1, we’ll follow the same basic rhythm each week.
As always, do what you can and make the study fit what your life allows.
Weekly Assignments
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Read or listen to the chapter every day.
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Try different Bible translations if possible.
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Choose a verse to meditate on.
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Mark any commands you find.
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Use trusted resources to help with difficult passages.
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Look up unfamiliar words.
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Write down questions.
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Summarize the chapter in a few sentences.
Optional Ideas
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Copy your meditation verse onto a card or sticky note.
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Write notes directly on your text pages.
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Share insights or questions with the group.
Week 6 — Galatians 1
Ladies,
Today we begin a new section of the study as we slow down and read chapter by chapter together.
Please spend the week reading and reflecting on Galatians 1.
I’ll post discussion questions throughout the week, and I’d love for you to do the same.
(I didn’t personally identify any commands in Chapter 1, but let me know if you find some.)
So glad you are still with us in this study.
Susan
Week 7 — Galatians 2
Hi Ladies,
Just a few more weeks to go.
This week we’ll continue with the same format as we study Galatians 2 together.
Please read Chapter 2 throughout the week and share any questions or observations with the group.
Praying the Lord continues to deepen our understanding of the gospel through His Word.
Susan
Week 8 — Galatians 3
Hi Ladies,
This may begin to feel repetitive, but hang in there — we’re nearing the end.
Please spend this week reading Galatians 3 carefully.
This chapter is rich and sometimes difficult, so don’t hesitate to slow down, summarize paragraphs, or ask questions.
I’d love to hear what stands out to you.
Susan
Week 9 — Galatians 4
Hi Ladies,
I pray the Lord is continuing to bless you through His Word.
I recently discovered a helpful set of lessons on Galatians by Tim Keller that is available on Audible for subscribers. I especially appreciated the discussion questions.
This week we’ll continue our study in Galatians 4.
One thing that helped me in Chapter 3 was writing a one-line summary for each paragraph. You may find that helpful this week as well.
Grace and peace,
Susan
Week 10 — Galatians 5
Hi Ladies,
Please spend this week reading Galatians 5.
This chapter contains several clear commands and rich practical application.
I counted five commands in the chapter, though you may find more depending on how you understand the grammar.
Feel free to post your questions and observations for discussion.
Susan
Week 11 — Galatians 6
Ladies,
I’m so grateful for your participation in this study.
It has been such a blessing to discuss the Scriptures together both online and in person, and the accountability has helped keep me in the Word even on days when my flesh was less willing.
This week we’ll finish our study with Galatians 6.
I counted eight commands in the chapter, though again you may notice more.
As We Finish
Please also think about any suggestions you have for improving future studies.
Thank you for studying alongside me.
Susan
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