Galatians

Author: The apostle Paul

Audience: Churches in southern Galatia, founded by Paul during his first missionary journey, or possibly churches in northern Galatia, founded on his second or third missionary journey

Date: ad 48, or in the 50s

Theme: Paul writes to encourage the Galatian believers to reject the legalistic demands of the Judaizers and to embrace the gospel of freedom in the Spirit.

Introduction

Author

The opening verse identifies the author of Galatians as the apostle Paul (see note on Ro 1:1). Apart from a few nineteenth-century interpreters, no one has seriously questioned his authorship.

Date and Destination

The date of Galatians depends to a great extent on the destination of the letter. There are two main views:

(1) The North Galatian theory. This older view holds that the letter was addressed to churches located in north-central Asia Minor, where the Gauls had settled when they invaded the area in the third century bc. It is held that Paul visited this area on his second missionary journey, though Acts contains no reference to such a visit. Galatians, it is maintained, was written between ad 53 and 57 from Ephesus or Macedonia, sometime during or after Paul’s second missionary journey.

(2) The South Galatian theory. According to this view, Galatians was written to churches in the southern area of the Roman province of Galatia (Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe) that Paul had founded on his first missionary journey. If this is the case, Galatians could be Paul’s earliest letter. Some believe that Galatians was written from Syrian Antioch in 48–49 after Paul’s first journey and before the Jerusalem council meeting (Ac 15). Others say that Galatians was written in Syrian Antioch or Corinth between 51 and 53 (see chart). On balance, the South Galatian destination and the earlier dates seem more likely.

Occasion and Purpose

Judaizers were Jewish Christians who believed, among other things, that a number of the ceremonial practices of the OT were still binding on the NT church, including on Gentile believers. Following Paul’s successful campaign in Galatia, they insisted that Gentile converts to Christianity practice certain OT rites, especially circumcision. In other words, they must first become Jews in order to become part of the people of God. They may have been motivated by a desire to avoid persecution from zealous Jews who objected to accepting Gentiles who did not adopt the requirements of the Jewish law (6:12). The Judaizers argued that Paul was not an authentic apostle and that out of a desire to make the message more appealing to Gentiles he had removed from the gospel certain legal requirements.

Paul responded by clearly establishing his apostolic authority and thereby substantiating the gospel he preached. By introducing additional requirements for justification (especially the works of the law), his adversaries had perverted the gospel of grace and, unless prevented, would bring Paul’s converts into the bondage of legalism. It is by grace through faith alone that people are justified, and it is by faith alone that they are to live out their new life in the freedom of the Spirit.

Theological Teaching

Galatians stands as an eloquent and vigorous apologetic for the essential NT truth that people are justified by faith in Jesus Christ—by nothing less and nothing more—and that they are sanctified not by works of the law or ethnic identity but by the obedience that comes from faith in God’s work for them, in them and through them by the grace and power of Christ and the Holy Spirit. It was the rediscovery of the basic message of Galatians (and Romans) that brought about the Protestant Reformation. Galatians is often referred to as “Luther’s book,” because Martin Luther relied so strongly on this letter in all his preaching, teaching and writing against the prevailing theology of his day. It is also referred to as the “Magna Carta of Christian Liberty.” A key verse is 2:16 (see note there).

Galatians stands as an eloquent and vigorous apologetic for the essential NT truth that people are justified by faith in Jesus Christ—by nothing less and nothing more.

Outline

I. Introduction (1:1–10)

A. Greetings (1:1–5)

B. Denunciation (1:6–10)

II. Personal: Authentication of the Apostle of Liberty and Faith (1:11—2:21)

A. Paul’s Gospel Was Received by Special Revelation (1:11–12)

B. Paul’s Gospel Was Independent of the Jerusalem Apostles and the Judean Churches (1:13—2:21)

1. Evidenced by his early activities as a Christian (1:13–17)

2. Evidenced by his first visit to Jerusalem after becoming a Christian (1:18–24)

3. Evidenced by his second visit to Jerusalem (2:1–10)

4. Evidenced by his rebuke of Peter at Antioch (2:11–14)

III. Doctrinal: Teachings on Liberty and Faith (2:15—4:31)

A. The Essential Principle: Justification by Faith (2:15–21)

B. Supporting Rationale (chs. 3–4)

1. The Galatians’ experience of the gospel (3:1–5)

2. The experience of Abraham (3:6–9)

3. The curse of the law (3:10–14)

4. The priority of the promise (3:15–18)

5. The purpose of the law (3:19–25)

6. Children, not slaves (3:26—4:7)

7. The danger of turning back (4:8–11)

8. Appeal to embrace the freedom of God’s children (4:12–20)

9. God’s children are children of the free woman (4:21–31)

IV. Ethical: Practice of the Life of Liberty and Faith (5:1—6:10)

A. Exhortation to Freedom (5:1–12)

B. Life by the Spirit, Not by the Flesh (5:13–26)

C. Call for Mutual Help (6:1–10)

V. Conclusion and Benediction (6:11–18)