Bible Study Reader
Galatians Overview 1 2 3 4 5 6

Galatians

Introduction

The letter to the Galatians was written by the apostle Paul, probably around AD 48-55, to a group of churches in the Roman province of Galatia in central Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). The precise dating depends on whether Paul addressed churches in southern Galatia (founded during his first missionary journey, Acts 13:14-Acts 14:23) or in the ethnic region of northern Galatia. If the southern Galatia hypothesis is correct, this may be one of Paul's earliest letters, possibly written before the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15. The occasion for the letter was urgent: after Paul's departure, certain teachers had come among the Galatian believers insisting that Gentile converts must be circumcised and observe the Mosaic law in order to be fully accepted by God.

Galatians is Paul's most impassioned defense of the gospel of justification by faith apart from works of the law. Writing with unusual intensity -- he omits his customary thanksgiving and moves directly from greeting to rebuke -- Paul argues that the gospel he preached was received by direct revelation from Jesus Christ, not from any human authority. He demonstrates from Scripture that Abraham himself was justified by faith, that the law served a temporary custodial role until Christ came, and that believers in Christ are now sons of God and heirs of the promise. The letter culminates in an appeal to live by the freedom the Spirit gives, bearing fruit in love rather than returning to slavery under the law. Luther called Galatians "my epistle" and found in it the clearest expression of the doctrine that would reshape the church: salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

Structure

Greeting and Rebuke (1:1-10)

Paul identifies himself as an apostle commissioned by Christ and God the Father, greets the Galatian churches, and immediately expresses astonishment that they are turning away from the gospel of grace to a distorted version promoted by certain agitators.

Paul's Apostolic Authority and the Origin of His Gospel (1:11-2:21)

Paul defends his apostleship by recounting his conversion and calling, his independence from the Jerusalem apostles, his later recognition by them, and his confrontation with Peter at Antioch over the truth of the gospel. The section climaxes with the declaration that he has been crucified with Christ and now lives by faith in the Son of God.

Justification by Faith, Not by Law (3:1-4:31)

Paul appeals to the Galatians' own experience of the Spirit, argues from Abraham's example that righteousness comes through faith, explains the temporary and preparatory purpose of the law, and uses the allegory of Hagar and Sarah to show that believers are children of the free woman and heirs of the promise.

Freedom in Christ and Life by the Spirit (5:1-6:10)

Paul urges the Galatians to stand firm in their freedom, warns that circumcision obligates one to the whole law, contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit, and calls believers to bear one another's burdens and do good to all.

Final Warnings and Benediction (6:11-18)

Writing in his own hand, Paul exposes the motives of the circumcision party, declares that the only thing that matters is the new creation, and pronounces peace on all who walk by this rule.

Chapter Summaries

  1. 1Paul greets the Galatian churches, expresses astonishment at their rapid desertion of the gospel of grace, pronounces a curse on anyone who preaches a different gospel, and begins defending the divine origin of his apostleship by recounting his former life in Judaism, his calling by God, and his independence from the Jerusalem apostles.
  2. 2Paul recounts his visit to Jerusalem where the apostles affirmed his gospel and mission to the Gentiles, describes his confrontation with Peter at Antioch over table fellowship, and declares that a person is justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law.
  3. 3Paul appeals to the Galatians' experience of receiving the Spirit by faith, argues from Scripture that Abraham was justified by faith, explains that Christ redeemed believers from the curse of the law, and shows that the law served as a temporary guardian until Christ came.
  4. 4Paul explains that God sent his Son to redeem those under the law so that believers might receive adoption as sons, expresses his concern for the Galatians' return to bondage, and uses the allegory of Hagar and Sarah to demonstrate that believers are children of the free woman and heirs of the promise.
  5. 5Paul urges the Galatians to stand firm in their freedom in Christ, warns that seeking justification through the law severs them from Christ, and contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit produced by those who walk in step with the Spirit.
  6. 6Paul instructs believers to restore the fallen gently and bear one another's burdens, warns that God is not mocked and that a person reaps what he sows, exposes the self-serving motives of the circumcision party, and closes by boasting only in the cross of Christ.