Galatians

Galatians

There can be little doubt that the apostle Paul wrote the letter to the Galatians. This conclusion has seldom been called into question because the circumstances portrayed in the epistle, the details concerning Paul's life found in Galatians, and the theology of the book all coincide closely with information found in Acts and Paul's other letters. Galatians may have been written from Syrian Antioch in a.d.. 48-49 or from Antioch, Corinth, Ephesus, or Macedonia in the early to mid-50s.

Recipients and Location. The ethnic Galatians of Paul's day were descendants of the cults who had migrated from Gaul to north-central Asia Minor several centuries before. By the New Testament era, however, the Roman province of Galatia included territory well to the south of the original Galatian kingdom. It is difficult to determine in which of these areas "the churches of Galatia" (1:2) were located.

If Paul was writing to churches in North Galatia, the only possible occasions when he could have been that far north are found in Acts 16:6 and 18:23. Both of those passages make passing mention that Paul had traveled through the region comprising Phrygia and Galatia, providing no additional information about ministry. It is quite possible that this was when Paul planted and revisited churches in North Galatia, near what is today Ankara, the modern capital of Turkey. It is also unusual, however, that Acts would give virtually no background.

On the other hand, if Paul wrote to churches in South Galatia, the beginning of those congregations is prominently displayed in Acts 13-14. Much of the apostle's first missionary journey is focused in the southern Galatian cities of Pisidian Antioch, Lystra, Derbe, and Iconium. Even details about the evangelism, disciple making, teaching, and appointing of leadership in the new congregations are available (Acts 14:21-23).

One other consideration must be weighed in attempting to determine who were the recipients of the Book of Galatians. The primary subject developed in Galatians is "the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:5,14), which was also the focus of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15. Therefore we must ask whether the letter was written before or after the Council met. That question becomes even more necessary to address because Paul made mention in Galatians 1-2 of two trips he had earlier taken to Jerusalem.

If Paul wrote sometime after the Jerusalem Council, the visit in Galatians 2 is referring to the Council, though that is not readily apparent from a comparison of the passages. Also no mention of the pertinent findings of the Council in Galatians casts doubt on the later dating and North Galatian recipients.

Placing Galatians before the Jerusalem Council does not answer all possible questions. But it is quite plausible to parallel Galatians 2 with Paul's earlier visit to Jerusalem in Acts 11-12. Also the apostle's subject and purpose in writing Galatians fit well in the situation prior to the Jerusalem Council's addressing the issues surrounding the gospel. If that conclusion is correct, Galatians is the earliest of Paul's epistles.

Theme. The hub that holds Galatians together is its treatment of the gospel. Much like a scientist approaching data from every conceivable angle, so the apostle Paul considered "the truth of the gospel" (2:5,14): its origin, content, reception through justification by faith in Christ, scriptural support, and practical outworking. Considering its shorter length, Galatians actually is proportionately more saturated with "gospel truth" than even Romans. Perhaps the key verse of this power-packed letter is Galatians 2:16: "Know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ."

Literary Form. In most respects the letter to the Galatians is quite similar to Paul's other letters, as well as the standardized epistles of the day. It has a well-defined introduction (1:1-5), body (1:6-6:10), and conclusion (6:11-18). There is not, however, the characteristic thanksgiving section, as in most of Paul's other letters (see Phil. 1:3-11). Paul probably could find nothing to be thankful for in connection with the Galatians' rapid defection from the true gospel (Gal. 1:6-9).

From a literary standpoint there is one more issue of a longstanding nature, plus a quite recent one, that are worthy of note. Paul's use of the allegory about Abraham's sons in Galatians 4:22-31 has been debated throughout church history. The meaning of the allegory is not in question but whether Paul was sanctioning the use of allegorical interpretation of Scripture. By and large the conclusion has been that the apostle was turning the false teachers' own brand of allegorizing back on them to make his point and was not other otherwise recommending the allegorical approach.

The recent issue has to do with whether Galatians is purposefully structured like a formal "apologetic letter" of that day. Certainly there are interesting parallels, especially related to 1:6-9 and 2:15-21. But there is not enough evidence presently to draw the firm conclusion that Paul crafted Galatians as an apologetic letter. Besides, the hurry in which Paul composed the epistle argues against such a highly stylistic framework for composition.

Purpose and Theology. Paul had three closely related purposes in mind in writing Galatians.

1. He was defending his authority as an apostle against those who claimed otherwise.

2. He was stating, explaining, and proving the gospel message.

3. He was applying the gospel message to daily Christian living by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The basic theology of Galatians is related to the truth of the gospel and its implications. Its ultimate ramifications are as clear-cut as that turning from this gospel equates with deserting God and deserving "accursed" status (1:6-9), while faith in Christ is the only grounds for justification in God's eyes and for eternal hope (2:16; 5:5).

The false "gospel" (1:6-7) the Jewish teachers in Galatia were proclaiming relied upon "the works of the law" (2:16; 3:2), apparently emphasizing distinctives like circumcision (5:2-3). Paul made it clear that the motivation behind such "works" is "the flesh" (3:3; 5:19-21), that aspect of humankind that struggles against the Lord (5:17). Tragically, there is no saving power in the pursuit of fleshly works (2:16; 5:21).

Much of the emphasis on the gospel in Galatians has to do with its proper reception and application (2:16-6:10). But Paul also presented a strong historical foundation for his message. At the very beginning (1:1), the apostle stated his basic assumption concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1:1), which validated Christ's redemptive work and deliverance of believers (1:4). This "good news" of justification of faith in Christ's death alone (3:1-2) is the only means of salvation. Also faith in God's promises has always been God's means of pardon and blessing (3:6-4:31). Thus the only aspect of the gospel that is new since Abraham (3:6-9) was Christ coming to live and die in "the fullness of the time," God's perfect timing (4:4).

An amazing transformation takes place when a person trusts Christ and is justified eternally (2:16; 5:5). Paul called this change "a new creation" (6:15; see 2 Cor. 5:17) and deliverance from the present evil age (1:4). This incredible new status of salvation came about because Christians have been crucified with Christ (2:20), freed from bondage to sin (3:22-25), adopted as children and heirs of God (3:26-4:7), and given the Holy Spirit to dwell within (3:2; 4:6).

After becoming a Christian, the need for faith in Christ does not diminish. In living daily by faith, the power of Christ (2:20) and His Spirit (4:6) allows believers to have God's guidance (5:18) and to avoid the sinful behavior promoted by the flesh (5:13,16,19-21). Living by faith harnesses the Holy Spirit's power (5:5) for a loving, radiant life (5:6) that produces a spiritual "bumper crop," both short-term (5:22-23) and over a lifetime (6:8-9).

1. Salutation and Preview of Themes (1:1-5)
2. Error (1:6-9)
3. Apostolic Authority(1:10-2:14)
4. The Gospel Message (2:15-21)
5. Meaning and Scriptural Basis (3:1-4:31)
6. Implications for Christian Living (5:1-6:10)
7. Signature, Summaries, Salutation (6:11-18)

Salutation and Preview (1:1-5)

Like the introduction of most letters in the New Testament era, the name of the writer ("Paul") and readers ("The churches of Galatia") are given, as well as Paul's standard greeting ("Grace to you and peace"). There are also several distinctive elements that are linked to the development of thought in the rest of the epistle. For example, the resurrection of Christ is mentioned only here, then assumed throughout the letter. Also the capsule summary of the gospel in terms of redemption and deliverance from "this present evil age" is uniquely worded, though similar thought patterns emerge later in Galatians. Paul's divinely granted apostleship will become the first theme developed at length in the body of the letter (1:10-2:14).

Error (1:6-9)

Paul was astounded that so soon after his ministry among the Galatians they had defected from the gospel of grace in Christ. To turn away from Paul's message was, in effect, to turn away from God and to turn to a perversion of the true gospel. It was being passed off by the false teachers as an alternate gospel but was, in reality, merely a confusing counterfeit. Paul was so concerned by this development that he twice pronounced a curse ("anathema") on any being, including an angel, distorting the gospel among his readers.

Apostolic Authority (1:10-2:14)

The apostle was well aware that his strong criticism would be unpopular with his readers. It was not his intention to be a people pleaser but to please God and to serve Christ, from whom he received his gospel message by direct revelation on the Damascus Road (Acts 26:12-18).

To back his authority as an apostle (1:1) and to show that he had wrestled with the issue of the gospel of grace repeatedly before, Paul presented a selective overview of his own experience. First, he recalled his own misguided zeal for the Jewish law and traditions and his intense persecution of the church. Certainly no one among the Galatian churches, or even the Jewish false teachers, could rival the unsaved Paul's works, if that were the true issue of the gospel (Phil. 3:4-6).

In his great care to demonstrate that his apostleship, and specific role as apostle to the Gentiles, came from God, Paul next recounted his conversion and what happened in regard to the gospel over the following years. He noted that his call to salvation was independent of human agency and that he did not immediately consult the other apostles in Jerusalem to verify, or even clarify, his calling or message. After three years Paul did travel to Jerusalem for a brief conference with Peter. But he remained largely unknown among Jewish Christians, except for reports of his ministry in Tarsus and Syrian Antioch (Acts 11:25-26), which were joyfully received by the churches in Palestine.

Next Paul described what would have been the decisive opportunity for the leadership of the Jewish church in Jerusalem to correct his gospel of grace if it needed to be corrected. Well over a decade later Paul revisited Jerusalem, accompanied by Barnabas and Titus, a ministry associate who was a Gentile. If circumcision were really part of the "truth of the gospel," the inner circle of leaders—Peter, John, and James, the half-brother of Jesus—would necessarily have required Titus to be circumcised, especially given the pressure exerted by some Paul called "false brethren." The outcome of this important meeting was apparently full recognition of Paul's gospel message and primary mission field among the Gentiles and a request for Paul and the churches he worked with to continue support of the poor.

A final incident is presented in this section to clear up apparent confusion among Paul's readers. Sometime after the cordial agreement reached in Jerusalem, Peter visited the church in Syrian Antioch, then under the leadership of Paul and Barnabas (Acts 11:26; 13:1). While there, criticism from other Jews who had arrived from the church in Jerusalem pressured Peter into hypocritical behavior. Peter's actions strongly implied that it was necessary for Gentiles to observe Jewish distinctives, although God had decisively taught him at a much earlier point that was not true (Acts 11:1-18). As a result, Paul found it necessary to confront Peter because of his dangerous hypocrisy.

Gospel Message (2:15-21)

This section not only crystallizes the essence of the gospel of grace versus the counterclaims of the Jewish false teachers, but it also serves as a major hinge in the letter. The argument appears to either continue or emerge directly out of Paul's face-off with Peter at the end of the long preceding autobiographical portion. It also prepares for the following exposition of justification by faith alone by stating the central thesis to be proven.

Paul's logic was tight, so as to make his conclusions virtually undeniable. He answered key objections: Jews do not have to sin in the same gross ways as Gentiles to be sinners (Rom. 1-3). Nor does a message of grace provoke more and more sin (Rom. 6:1-14). Having corrected such common misperceptions, the apostle proclaimed that no one can be justified by God by "the works of the Law," although the law of Moses does play an important role in convincing of "deadness" in sin (Gal. 3:10-25; Rom. 7:7-12). Rather, the only channel of justification is faith in Jesus Christ, and the road of growth in the Christian is also full identification with the death and resurrection of Christ by faith (5:5).

Old Testament Basis (3:1-4:31)

Because the distorted "gospel" being propagated by the Jewish false teachers was based on an understanding of the law of Moses and other Jewish distinctives, Paul now wisely expanded and backed his gospel of justification by faith in Christ from the Old Testament. Paul moved back and forth from personal appeal to more formal argument throughout this lengthy section.

Initially, the apostle pointedly inquired whether the Galatians received the Holy Spirit at salvation by doing the works of the law or by believing the gospel message they had heard from Paul. He then posed an important follow-up question: Is your progress in the Christian life by such works or by faith? Since they had heard the message of the cross so clearly portrayed by Paul, their "foolish" attraction to the false gospel of the Jewish teachers was without any real excuse.

In order to counter any possibility of different answers to those questions, Paul referred to the example of Abraham, father of the Jewish nation, and the relationship of that example to the law. Abraham's faith was credited to his account as righteousness, and all who follow that classic example are Abraham's spiritual children and are similarly blessed.

On the other hand, those who try to attain righteousness through observing the law are cursed (1:8-9), according to the law itself. Fortunately, Christ's death on the cross, in which he was cursed for us, according to the law, provided the payment by which anyone might receive the blessing of Abraham and the Holy Spirit by faith. This is seen to be true because the fulfillment of the promises to Abraham are in Christ, his ultimate descendant, not in the law, which did not invalidate the earlier covenant God made with Abraham.

That does not mean the law was without divine purpose. The law convicts all people of sin, holding them in captivity until the message of faith in Christ was revealed. The law played the role of both a jailer and a guardian of underage children in preparing for believers to be full-fledged children of God, on equal footing spiritually and joint heirs of God's promise no matter their ethnic, social, or sexual gender backgrounds.

Paul then developed a cultural illustration to underline how amazing it is that because Christ became a man at just the right point in history, now any person can, by faith, become an adopted adult child of God. Each believer has full rights and privileges, including the indwelling Holy Spirit. In being freed from the virtual slavery of spiritual "childhood" outside of Christ, the apostle then ironically asks how the Galatians could return to slavery to such weak principles, which cannot provide spiritual strength, such as the law.

He wanted them to know he was concerned for them in their time of spiritual weakness just as they had shown great concern for Paul in his earlier time of physical infirmity. The apostle reminded them how, in initially receiving the gospel from him, the Galatians had honored him and nursed him back to health. He wanted them to know he was risking a fellowship he valued greatly by telling them the hard truth, unlike the false teachers, who were courting their favor for an improper purpose. He related to his beloved spiritual children his deep agony and confusion over their misguided spiritual status.

As the capstone of his argument concerning justification by faith from the Old Testament, Paul created an allegory from the two sons of Abraham: Ishmael and Isaac. In this twist on the method of the false teachers, Paul paralleled Ishmael, the child of a slave, to the covenant of the law made at Mount Sinai and the current spiritual slavery of Jewish legalism. He presented Isaac, the child of free Sarah, in line with the promise to Abraham and the New Jerusalem, the Jewish future hope. He concluded by implying that persecution of those in line with the promise by those in spiritual slavery is to be expected. But that will not last because those in spiritual slavery will be banished by the "father." Paul intended to leave little doubt that the doom of the false teachers and their message is certain before the Lord.

Christian Living (5:1-6:10)

Having secured the argument for freedom in Christ through justifying faith alone, Paul examined the nature of that liberty. While again rebuking the tendency to turn back to legalism, he also deplored the opposite extreme of license. Paul expertly showed that freedom in Christ is a Spirit-guided lifestyle within the limits of a new "law" given by Christ: the law of love.

Paul quickly warned against circumcision, which has no spiritual value in Christ. He reminded them that they could not keep part of the law and ignore the rest. And to attempt to be justified by keeping the law of Moses is to turn completely away from God's grace. The route of spiritual freedom in Christ is faith, faith that shows love in the short run and that waits eagerly but patiently for the Christian's eternal hope.

The apostle next laments how the false teachers had confused the Galatians, halting their forward progress in Christ. He longed for an end to the leaven of false teaching spreading among them, wishing that the agitators would do away with themselves. Still, he displayed confidence that the Galatian churches would return to a proper viewpoint.

The danger of misunderstanding freedom in Christ is a tendency toward self-indulgence, which can express itself in destructive words and actions toward other believers. True spiritual freedom manifests itself in love, both for God and for one another. Such loving behavior is against the grain of the flesh. Thus it is necessary to live in the power of the Holy Spirit and thus be guided by the Spirit in our attitudes, decisions, and actions. To fail to follow the lead of the Spirit as a Christian is to manifest a sinful lifestyle that is unworthy of the kingdom of God. On the other hand, the believer who is controlled by the Spirit shows forth qualities that reflect supernatural godliness beyond the requirements of the law.

Such a life of Spirit-prompted love does not go on automatically however. It is necessary to remain consciously in step with the Holy Spirit, and it is easy to do otherwise. Even though the flesh was, in a very real sense, crucified with Christ, the tendency to pride, and even to gross sin, still exists. Mature Christians must, in the power of the Spirit, restore such errant believers. Also they must be available to support Christians overloaded with cares or responsibilities. It is right for every person to work up to their capacity, but not go beyond it. Nor is it proper for a person to boast because someone else has fallen under a load within that person's capacity.

The life of love even includes support of biblical teachers who have financial needs. These are the kinds of good works that bring about a long-term harvest of eternal worth. The opposite route of sowing to the flesh only eventuates in corrupt fruit. The difference in the two final outcomes is whether we choose to do what is right in all situations, especially toward fellow believers, here and now.

Conclusion (6:11-18)

At this point Paul began the conclusion to Galatians by taking the manuscript from his unnamed scribe and writing with large, bold script. He then effectively summarized the issues of the entire letter by setting the pridefulness of those pushing circumcision on the Galatians over against the cross of Christ and the new creation that begins when a person becomes a believer. The apostle then pronounced a benediction of peace and mercy upon all Gentile and Jewish believers with proper perspective. He requested peace for himself in regard to the persecution he had suffered for the sake of the message of the cross and new creation. He ended as he began, and proceeded throughout, with a note of grace (1:3; 2:21).

Questions for Reflection

1. Why did Paul say that to turn away from the gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is "desertion" from God and pronounce a curse upon each behavior?
2. How did Paul's own personal background serve as important evidence supporting his message of justification by faith in Christ without works?
3. How does the Old Testament, especially the foundational example of Abraham, back the truth of the gospel, as proclaimed by Paul?
4. How should Christians relate to such precious unseen realities as being crucified with Christ, being adopted children of God and rightful heirs, and having the indwelling Holy Spirit?
5. How can the believer draw upon the resources of the Holy Spirit for guidance and victory over the flesh, as well as a loving, fruitful life in both the short term and over the long haul?
6. How can you discern the difference between someone shouldering their proper responsibility and one who is overburdened? How can you support the person crushed by the overload?

Sources for Additional Study

Fung, Ronald Y. K. The Epistles to the Galatians. New International Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988.

George, Timothy. Galatians. New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1994.

Guthrie, Donald. Galatians. New Century Bible. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1973.

Stott, John R. W. The Message of Galatians. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1968.