Galatians - Introduction

PLUS

NEXT I. Introduction: No Other Gospel (Galatians 1:1-10)

Introduction

Author

THE WRITER IDENTIFIES HIMSELF as the apostle Paul (1:1), and even most critical New Testament scholars agree that he served as the author. Interpreters believe Galatians may be the earliest of his letters.

Historical Background

Paul wrote this letter “to the churches of Galatia” (1:2). In his day, the term Galatia could be used to refer to an ethic group or a province. If Paul was using the term ethnically, then Galatians was written to the people who lived in north central Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). Alternatively, Paul could have been using the term to speak of the Roman province of Galatia in southern Asia Minor. New Testament scholars describe these two options as the North Galatian theory and the South Galatian theory.

Though certainty is impossible, the South Galatian theory seems most likely for at least two reasons. First, we know Paul ministered extensively in southern Asia Minor during his missionary journeys as described in the book of Acts. However, no clear evidence exists that Paul visited northern Asia Minor. The second reason has to do with when Paul wrote the letter. Those who argue for the South Galatian theory believe he wrote it after his first missionary journey to that region. Those who argue for the North Galatian theory believe Paul wrote later, giving him time to visit that region at some point.

As a result of these two perspectives, interpreters disagree over how to identify Paul’s visit to Jerusalem mentioned in 2:1-10. North Galatian interpreters believe the visit is identical with the Jerusalem Council visit of Acts 15:1-29. But, if so, it’s strange that Paul didn’t tell the Galatians about the letter that the leaders of the Jerusalem church wrote to Gentile believes after the council (Acts 15:22-29). Doing so would’ve made sense. After all, the Jerusalem Council dealt with the same problem that Paul seems to address in Galatians: Judaizers were telling Gentile Christians that they had to become circumcised to be saved (see Acts 15:1; Gal 5:1-6; 6:12-13). Thus, it seems more likely that Paul’s visit to Jerusalem in 2:10 is the famine relief visit of Acts 11:27-30.

If “Galatians” refers to the churches Paul visited on his first missionary journey in AD 47–48 (the South Galatian theory), then Paul likely wrote it in AD 48 or 49, prior to the Jerusalem Council in AD 49. That would make Galatians Paul’s earliest New Testament letter.

Message and Purpose

The Galatians were bewitched by false teachers known as Judaizers; these people were teaching a gospel that was no gospel at all. Paul wrote to the confused believers in Galatia to help them see that what they were being taught was a false gospel that depended on human efforts to make a person acceptable to God, which was completely contrary to the true gospel of salvation and sanctification by grace through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Throughout Galatians, the contrast between the flesh and the Spirit—between living by human perspective and living by God’s perspective—is highlighted. Paul says it’s impossible to live by both because they are diametrically opposed to one another. The flesh and the Spirit are at war. That’s why Galatians teaches us that the only way to obtain victory over the flesh is to walk by the Spirit. God knows we need this truth because we will continue to battle with the flesh as long as we are in these imperfect bodies. If we are to experience the liberty, freedom, and victory that the true gospel offers, we must adopt a spiritual, kingdom-based mindset so that we live in the power of the Spirit and not in the defeat of the flesh.

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