Paul explains that the only foundation a church should be built upon is the gospel of Jesus. There can be false teaching which is the responsibility of the leaders of the church. If what they have built is wrong it will be destroyed; if it is good they will receive a reward.

This is the earliest recorded account of the resurrection of Jesus, given by Peter to Paul and now given by Paul to the Corinthian church to give them hope. These are the historical facts.

Having outlined the historical fact of the resurrection, Paul now explains the importsnce of the resurrection for the Christian faith and how those who are saved will also be raised back to life.

Paul continues his teaching about the resurrection and specifically what will happen for believers when they die and then when Jesus comes again. He describes the resurrection body that believers will experience.

Paul introduces the reality of spiritual warfare that every Christian faces together with the resources that God provides to fight against the enemy. Roman soldiers are guarding him and he uses their armour to explain these resources.

Paul explains that salvation means that God’s Holy Spirit comes into your life bringing the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and placed him at the right hand of the Father with all that that implies.

Paul appeals to the Galatians not to follow the zealous Jewish teachers. He reminds them of their care and honour for him when he was with them even though he was ill. Paul uses the Old testament story of Ishmael and Isaac to illustrate that the Galatians belonged to the new covenant, not the old.

The Gospel and Adoption into God’s Family: Galatians 4:1-7Paul introduces the ideas of adoption and inheritance based on the experience of the Gentile areas he is preaching to. Adopted children could inherit all that belonged to the family. All those blessings are ours in Christ Jesus. We do not need to look back.

Sin has not only affected human beings, Paul explains that the whole of creation is also struggling because of sin. Although we are suffering now, we have a wondeful hope for the future. The Holy Spirit strengthens us now and helps us to pray.

Paul is alone in Athens. He engages with the Jews in the synagogue and the Epicureans and Stoics in the marketplace. He introduces them to new ideas about God, the afterlife and Jesus.