galatians

The book of Galatians is one of the most striking books in the New Testament.  Considered one of the earliest letters of Paul, written around 48-49 A.D., Galatians features a harsher tone, and lacks the usual thanksgiving and exhortation after his greeting found in most of his other letters. Its intense nature displays Paul’s passionate desire for the church in Galatia to understand the true gospel that he originally preached, the one that they originally believed. While Galatians is filled with many important insights and spiritual truths, I will cover three major topics that Paul addresses in this letter and briefly explain why they are significant to our understanding of Galatians. These three topics include: 1) Paul’s apostolic authority, 2) influence of the Judaizers, and 3) freedom in the true gospel. 

In the first sentence of Galatians, Paul is quick to establish his role as apostle, making it known that his commission and authority isn’t from man, or the power-center in Jerusalem, but from the resurrected Jesus Himself. He spends a large part of the first chapter, and a portion of the second, to reiterate his interdependence from the first apostles and the unique calling to the Gentiles. The significance of this topic is understood best when asking the question, “Why does Paul bring this up?” Simply, Paul emphasized his apostolic authority because it was being questioned. It’s generally understood that a group of people called “Judaizers,” were known to preach a gospel that included Gentiles first obeying the Law (such as being circumcised) as a means of completing salvation and becoming a true descendant of Abraham. It seems that these Judaizers were not only ruining the reputation of Paul as an apostle of Christ, but distorting the gospel that he had originally preached. In light of this, Paul’s extensive background report proves to show that he was reestablishing his God-given authority, in order to then reinstate the true gospel the Galatian church strayed from. Paul’s mention of being given the “right hand of fellowship” from the power-center in Jerusalem, and in name-dropping Barnabas and Titus, indicates his desire to be united in Christ with Cephas, James, and John, and also to show his credibility in their partnerships with him.

The second major theme is the influence of the Judaizers and the effects of their “different gospel.” The third chapter of Galatians reveals that the Christians in Galatia were deceived by the Judaizers and sought to complete their salvation through following certain ceremonies and traditions of the Law. Paul’s assertion in 3:15-22 is that neither Gentiles nor Jews are descendants of Abraham and children of the promise by keeping the Law, but through faith in Christ. He states that Jesus, in His life, death, and resurrection is the fulfillment of the covenant, and subjection to the Law distorts the nature of His sacrifice. Subsequently, the means of salvation and the identity of the covenant people are compromised through a works-based religion, rather than the faith-based relationship Christ offers. In 5:2-4, Paul blatantly states that whoever receives circumcision, or attempts to be justified by keeping the Law, is subject to observe the whole Law (which is impossible). Paul emphasized this to expose the Judaizer’s influence on the church and to reveal the unnecessary bondage of being under the Law after Christ has set them free.

Lastly, the third major theme of Galatians is freedom in the true gospel. In chapters five and six, Paul defends the accusation that salvation by grace through faith, without keeping the work of the Law, would give people the idea that they can do anything they want.  Usually, today, the Judaizers are demonized and are seen as heretics just to be heretics. While they might have been motivated by a desire for power and authority, their presence does inform the reader of this tension that existed during the time of Galatians. Paul responds to them by saying, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.” He explains later that the natural output of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace, patience, etc.” This reveals that a correct understanding of the Spirit’s work in a believer’s life bears much significance. Paul asserts that grace through faith in Christ doesn’t allow reckless, unrestrained behavior, but instead out of the Spirit, a freedom and motivation to love others and God in a fuller manner that goes beyond the Law.