Galatians

Written By Bible Study Review

Introduction to the book of Galatians

	Galatians is a letter from the Apostle Paul to the Churches in Galatia, a region of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey).
	The Galatian letter is Paul's response to those in every age who would try to tamper with the essential message of the Gospel: That salvation is obtained by faith, not law, and that freedom in Christ moves us to live by the Spirit of God, not the spirit of this world. 
	One of the first attacks against Christianity came directly against the gospel itself from people within the church. The attack came from Jewish Christians who began to insist that Gentiles (non-Jews) who wanted to become Christians had to become Jews first before becoming Christians. This meant that for a Gentile to become a Christian, he first had to be circumcised, and then he would be baptized.
	This pressure was influencing Gentile Christians in the region of Galatia, and so Paul the Apostle wrote this epistle in response to the problems caused by this teaching.

Theme & Overview

	Galatians addresses both Christian freedom and Christian obligation. The central feature of the letter is justification by God's grace through faith. 
	In chapters 1 and 2, Paul defends his gospel, arguing that it is the true message of salvation since he received it directly from Christ. Then in chapters 3 and 4, he defines exactly what his gospel is: man is justified (saved) not by keeping the law but by God's grace alone, that is, through his faith in Christ's atoning death. Last, in chapters 5 and 6, the apostle briefly applies his gospel to various areas of daily living.

Author

	Apostle Paul. The letter to the Galatians claims the apostle Paul as its writer (Galatians 1:1, 5:2), which is attested by the brief autobiography in Galatians 1:12–24 and the epistle's language, style, vocabulary, and theology.

Recipients

	The letter is addressed "unto the churches of Galatia" (1:2), and its readers are called "Galatians" (3:1). The term Galatia was originally used in an ethnic manner, referring to north central Asia Minor settled by the invading Gauls. Later "Galatia" was employed in a political sense, referring to the Roman province that included the cities south of the Gaulish territory: Lystra, Derbe, Iconium, and Pisidian Antioch. While it is uncertain whether the letter was sent to North or South Galatia, this problem has little bearing on the value or understanding of the epistle.

Date & Place of Writing

	If the letter was sent to North Galatia, Paul and his missionary team planted the Galatian churches during his second missionary journey. So the epistle was written to them from either Ephesus (AD 54) or Macedonia (AD 55) while on his third missionary journey. But if the letter was addressed to the political (South) Galatia, then Paul started the churches on his first missionary trip, writing to them at the end of this journey from his home church in Antioch (AD 49).

Background

	Galatia was a Roman province in Asia Minor. The letter to the Galatians was addressed to the cities in the southern part of Galatia, where Paul had established several congregations on his first missionary journey. There are four that we know of, all established between 44 and 47 AD in what is known as modern-day Turkey.
	As Luke tells the story in Acts 13:42-51, the Jews were happy to hear the good news of Christ. These Jews who were scattered throughout the Roman Empire were pleased to receive Paul and hear of the coming of the Messiah. However, they became offended and jealous when they realized that the Gentiles (non-Jews of any nationality) were included in the promise of God and were accepting Christ in great numbers. This protest by the Jews took the form of a group that insisted that if the Gentiles were to become Christians, they had "to first obey Jewish laws and customs" to earn that right. This probably involved circumcision, obedience to food laws, and various Jewish religious customs.
	Upon his return to Jerusalem from that region, in order to report on his ministry, Paul was faced with a backlash in the form of a group within the church referred to as the Circumcision Party. They were known as this because they insisted that all Gentiles be circumcised before becoming Christians or else be denied the opportunity.
	In Acts 15, we read about Paul and the other Apostles, as well as the elders of the church in Jerusalem, discussing and trying to resolve this matter. At this meeting, Paul recounts the blessings and power God gave him in preaching to the Gentiles and that God legitimately ordained his ministry among them. Peter also stood with Paul and confirmed that Paul had indeed been sent specifically by God's command. James proposed that they write a letter to the church (the Gentiles) confirming Paul's ministry among them and reassuring them that they need not be troubled by any requirement to be circumcised. This letter was delivered to the church at Antioch, not in Galatia.
	The letter to the Galatians was written soon after this meeting (50-51 AD) and is one of, if not the earliest, the New Testament books to be written and circulated.
	The objective that Paul is trying to accomplish with this letter is to explain to the Galatians that:
  1. Christ's perfect faith and obedience earned the blessings that accompany salvation.
  2. We obtain these blessings because we are associated, united, or identified with Christ by faith, which is expressed in baptism and obedience to His Word, not just intellectual affirmation.
  3. We cannot earn blessings by works of the Law, ceremony, or benevolence apart from Christ.
  4. Those who try will fail and be condemned.

The Purpose & Audience

	Paul had led the Galatians to Christ (3:1). They had made a good start in the Christian life (3:3) and were doing well spiritually (5:7). Later, some Jewish teachers (called Judaizers) taught the Galatians that to be saved one must not only believe in Christ but must also obey the Mosaic Law, the sign of which is circumcision. In preaching this heresy, they also attacked Paul's apostleship and gospel. Their false gospel had a damaging effect on the Galatians: it was beginning to hinder their obedience to God (5:7), they were starting to observe some parts of the law (4:10), and they were considering a complete acceptance of the law (1:6; 4:9).
	Paul seeks to expose the error of the Judaizers' gospel and their impure motives (6:12, 13). His ultimate goal is to prevent the readers from embracing a false gospel and to encourage them to retain their spiritual freedom in Christ (5:1). The apostle does not want his dear converts to be tied up with all the now abolished rules and regulations of the Mosaic Law, which will lead them into legalism.

Characteristics & Key Verse(s)

Acts 16:6
"Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time." (NLT)
Acts 18:23
"After spending some time in Antioch, Paul went back through Galatia and Phrygia, visiting and strengthening all the believers." (NLT)
Galatians 1:1–18
"This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead. All the brothers and sisters here join me in sending this letter to the churches of Galatia.…." (NLT)
Galatians 2:1–3:5
"Then fourteen years later I went back to Jerusalem again, this time with Barnabas; and Titus came along, too. I went there because God revealed to me that I should go. While I was there I met privately with those considered to be leaders of the church and shared with them…." (NLT)
Galatians 4:6–13
"And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father." Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. Before you Gentiles…" (NLT)

Outline

  1. Greeting – 1:1-5
  2. Rebuke – 1:6-9
  3. Personal History
    • Conversation and Early Years – 1:10-17
    • First Meeting with Peter – 1:18-24
    • Second Meeting with Peter – 2:1-10
    • Third Meeting with Peter – 2:11-14
  1. Discourse on Justification by Faith
    • Righteousness comes by Faith – 2:15-21
    • Spirit and Power come by Faith – 3:1-5
    • Inheritance of Abraham comes by faith – 3:6-29
    • Sonship comes by Faith – 4:1-7
    • Freedom comes by Faith – 4:8-31
  1. Exhortations
    • Exhortation to Stand Firm in Freedom
      1. Reject Circumcision – 5:1-12
      2. Love One Another – 5:13-15
      3. Walk by the Spirit – 5:16-24
      4. Encourage One Another – 5:25-6:5
      5. Help One Another – 6:6-10
  1. Final Warning Against False Teachers and Salutation
    • Warning Against Circumcision Party – 6:11-16
    • Salutations – 6:17-18
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