Yes, there is!
Something missing … in Galatians.
As Paul opens his Epistle to the Galatians, the church congregation about whom he is most unsure of the stability of their faith, he omits a paragraph that appears in nearly all his other Letters, Epistles!
Galatians contains no “thanksgiving formula,” not at all!
Let me illustrate.
In his Treatise to the Romans, Paul opens: “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.” Romans 1:8, Paul is grateful for these believers in Christ! And says so!
Now notice his Correspondence to the Corinthians : “I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 1:4, more such gratefulness!
Ephesians? Well, yes! “Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.” Ephesians 1:15-16, a pattern is developing!
Philippians too, as you would expect. “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.” Chapter 1, verses 4 and 5.
Colossians continues the practice. “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints.” Colossians 1:3-4, with Paul never having seen these Christians face-to-face!
And both Thessalonian Epistles follow the formula, the pattern. For example: “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers.” And “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly ….” Wow!
Next, in the Pastoral Epistles, Paul essentially continues the habit. “I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee (Timothy) in my prayers night and day.” 2 Timothy 1:3, even to an individual!
And what about Philemon, that little Piece? “I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, 5 Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints.” Philemon’s 4th and 5th verses!
It’s clear.
Paul thanks God for his converts, for believers in general!
But, when we study Galatians … no thanksgiving line can be found!
Read it, the first paragraph in Galatians: “Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) 2 And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: 5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 6 I MARVEL THAT YE ARE SO SOON REMOVED FROM HIM THAT CALLED YOU INTO THE GRACE OF CHRIST … UNTO ANOTHER GOSPEL: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
I have CAPITALIZED and made red the place where the “thanksgiving pronouncement” would have usually occurred! Instead, Paul is shocked!
Paul is, simply stated, exasperated with the Galatians!
He cannot bring himself to express “thanks “for them, in their current “unstable” situation!
It looks like they are (or many of them anyway) about to reject the Gospel of the Grace of God, and revert to a system of works, following the Law of Moses!
Amazing!
And perhaps even inexplicable!
Hint for today: Let us pursue faithful lives for Jesus’ Sake … so that those who know us and love us, our fellow believers, will be thankful for our testimonies and service to Christ!
Amen!
— Dr. Mike Bagwell
Paul, by not expressing his normal “thanksgiving” here, may have been trying to “shame” these Galatians into staying strong “in the faith!”