STUDY XIV.-From Athens to Antioch SIXTH DAY: PAUL RETURNS FROM CORINTH TO ANTIOCH BY WAY OF EPHESUS After laboring for many months in Corinth, Paul at last left the city to return to Antioch in Syria. On the voyage he stopped at Ephesus for a few days. From Ephesus he sailed to Cæsarea. From Cæsarea he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the Church, then proceeded overland to Antioch. 1. Read Acts 18:18-22. 2. Verse 18: (a) How long had Paul been in Corinth prior to the event of yesterday's lesson? See verse 11. (b) Who were Aquila and Priscilla? (c) Locate Cenchreæ. (d) Paul had taken upon himself the vow of a Nazarite: see Numbers 6:1-21. Paul, as is seen from to-day's lesson, did not abandon all of the Jewish rites and ceremonies. However, he held that they were not necessary for salvation. 3. Locate Ephesus, and mark it with a cross. From verses 19-21 nothing can be learned concerning the success of Paul's labors during his brief stay in Ephesus, save that the Jews desired him to remain longer. 4. Verse 22: Of this visit to Jerusalem nothing is known. 5. Verse 22: At Antioch Paul must have received a warm and enthusiastic welcome. Judging from Acts 14:27, what did Paul do immediately upon his return to Antioch? 6. In what cities had Paul preached during this second missionary journey? THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: After his return from Greece to Antioch the wickedness of Corinth seems still to have weighed heavily upon Paul's heart, for in the Epistle to the Galatians, written at Antioch, Paul speaks in particular of the "lusts of the flesh." Read carefully Galatians 5:16-21, and ask yourself whether any of these sins have dominion over you. Pray Him that you may have strength to resist them. STUDY XIV.-From Athens to Antioch SEVENTH DAY: PAUL WRITES THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS After his return to Antioch, Paul learned that certain Judaizing Christians had been at work among his Galatian converts, teaching them that they must be circumcised and must keep the Mosaic Law. These teachers sought to increase their own influence by alleging that Paul was not a genuine apostle since he had not seen the Lord Jesus, and had not derived his commission from the apostles at Jerusalem. To vindicate his authority as an apostle, and to show that the law of Moses was not binding upon Christians, Paul wrote his Epistle to the Galatians. 1. Who were the Galatians? See page 79, section 4. 2. Paul's authority as an apostle: Galatians 1:1. 3. Paul's independence: (a) The source of his gospel: Gal. 1:11 and 12. (b) His relation to the apostles at Jerusalem: Gal. 1:15-20 and Gal. 2:1-10. 4. The fickleness of the Galatians and their desertion to Judaism: Gal. 1:6-9; 4:9-11. 5. The Law was preparatory to the coming of Christ: Gal. 4:1-8. 6. Faith in Christ, not the law, brings righteousness: Gal. 5:1-6. 7. Review rapidly the lessons of this Study (XIV) by reading the introductory paragraph of each. THOUGHT FOR TO-DAY: In the Epistle to the Galatians, over against the "lusts of the flesh," noticed yesterday, Paul puts the "fruits of the Spirit." Read Galatians 5:22-26, and ask yourself whether you are trying to show these fruits of the Spirit. PART VI PAUL'S THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY STUDY XV. From Antioch to Ephesus STUDY XVI.-From Ephesus to Corinth STUDY XVII.-Paul's Last Journey to Jerusalem |