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The apostle Paul founded the Galatian churches in approximately A.D.45-48. He revisited the flock during his second missionary journey, around A.D.50. He made a second and third visit, one of which is discussed in the book of Acts, chapter 16: 1-6. Galatia is in modern day north central Turkey. The Galatians were Gauls who had migrated from north of the Black Sea. Some of them settled in Asia Minor while the rest continued west into France, then called Gaul.
Chapters One and Two
As to the date of Paul’s writing of the Letter to the Galatians, the commonly accepted date is A.D.51-53. He wrote with a purpose. Christianity grew out of the Jewish religion and many of the early converts were Jewish. The gospel message was delivered and available to any Jew or Gentile that professed faith in Christ and his sacrifice on Calvary. After the church had been established for a few years, certain doctrines were being introduced into the faith community that Paul was attempting to correct.
The problem arose when some converted Jews tried to introduce Jewish Law into the Christian faith as a necessary rite of passage from sinner to saint. These Judaizers were requiring new male converts from the Gentile population to undergo ritual circumcision, or become Jewish, prior to granting them membership in the church.
These false teachers had also been discounting Paul’s authority to teach since he had not been one of the twelve original Disciples of Jesus. Paul begins to address this issue in the very first line of the letter: “Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.” (Gal. 1:1) Then, in verses 11-24, he elaborates on his reasons for claiming apostlehood for himself.
Paul claimed that his authority came directly from God. He wrote them a little of his life story, how he grew up in the Jewish faith, how he advanced ahead of his peers in his religion, how he zealously persecuted the church. After his Damascus Road experience with the Lord, he realized that the crucified Jesus was actually the long awaited Messiah. Since Paul’s detractors claimed that he had only learned from the apostles and not from God, Paul goes at length to show that he had not spent much time in their company.
Paul had a specific mission to the Gentiles; his goal was to bring the Gospel to the non-Jewish populations of Europe and Asia. He did not require the lost to become Jewish, get circumcised or follow the Law. He taught that salvation comes through faith in Christ only. He went on in this letter to the Galatians to point out that he had met with some of other Apostles in Antioch and it was agreed that Paul would preach to the Gentiles while Peter, James and John would evangelize among the Jews.
It was at this meeting that the “discussion” about salvation by faith alone verses the need to follow Jewish Law and customs came up. Peter and Paul did not see eye to eye. Peter was drawing away from the Gentile converts in favor of those Jewish believers who were still living by the Law of Moses. Paul said to Peter: “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?” We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.” (Gal. 2:14-16)
Paul finishes chapter two by proclaiming his own understanding of the Gospel. He fully develops his theology in the Book of Romans, chapters 1-8. He clearly writes his belief that observance of the Levitical law cannot bridge the relationship gap between God and mankind. Paul asserts that only Christ, and faith in Him, can bridge that separation. To add anything more to this is to abandon one’s new freedom and return to legal obligations and slavery to the Law, to exchange life for death. In other words, it is futile to attempt reconciliation with God through human efforts.
Chapters Three and Four
How could the Galatians, after tasting their freedom and forgiveness in Christ, again submit themselves to the law that they had escaped? Paul immediately refers to Abraham: “He believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Gal. 3:6, Gen. 16:6) “Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham; ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’” (Gal. 3:7-8)
He goes into a discussion about the law and grace. Abraham was credited with righteousness before there even was a law. So, then, why was there ever a law? The law existed to show us God’s ideal standards for behavior; it existed to show us our guilt before God. Christ abolished the law through his sacrifice on the cross; now all can be justified before the Father: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:28-29)
Chapters Five and Six
Paul now applies this “freedom in Christ” to everyday life and behavior. He tells them to: “serve one another with love.” (Gal. 5:13) and sums up the law in one single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Gal. 5:14) He calls on Christians to be led by the Spirit, not by the law. “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature…sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissension, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” (Gal. 5:16, 19-21)
If you are led by the Spirit: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Gal. 5:22-23)
Paul finishers this letter by reminding his readers that although they possess a new freedom from the law: “God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” (Gal. 6:7) The letter was dictated to one of Paul’s companions who wrote down what Paul said. The end of the letter, chapter 6: verses 11-18 were written in his own hand. He ends the epistle by emphasizing that it is neither circumcision nor the lack of it that means anything: “what counts is a new creation.” (Gal. 6:15)
He further reminds them that “I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.” (Gal. 6:17), referring to the bruises he has received as the result of stonings, beatings and imprisonment for the Gospel. He refers to them as brothers with the final salutation: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers, Amen.” (Gal. 6:18)
Scripture quotations from the New International Version
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