The Greek word (apostolos) means “messenger” or “envoy.” In the church, the title identified one appointed by the Holy Spirit to take the gospel to new regions and establish churches. The basic requirements of being an apostle, as the term was most commonly used, included being a witness to the resurrected Christ (Ac 1:21–22; 1Co 9:1; 15:8–9) and having a ministry of signs, wonders and miracles (2Co 12:12).
Was Paul pulling rank? (1:1, 12, 15–20)
In a sense, yes. Paul was saying his credentials were not from a human source. God himself had appointed Paul an apostle. Paul’s point was this: if this message is only human, it’s worthless. But if it’s from God, it’s worth everything.
What was this different gospel? (1:6)
It was a message that added certain requirements to grace for salvation. Some from the circumcision group (2:12) of Judaizers insisted that people must be circumcised to be saved (5:11–12; 6:13, 15; Ac 15:1), suggesting an obligation to keep the whole law perfectly (Gal 3:10; 5:2–3). Paul treated this false gospel as cursed (1:8–9), because no one who relies on the law is justified before God (3:11). This different gospel was really no gospel at all (1:7).
What does it mean to be under God’s curse? (1:8–9)
Paul used the Greek term anathema, meaning something that is cursed. Some are bothered because this phrase sounds like an angry, vindictive outburst. But this is a statement of fact that emphasizes the truth that anyone (Paul included himself) who perverts or denies God’s truth will be rejected by God.
Is there value in other religions like Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism? (1:9)
The simplest answer to this question is yes, there is value, especially ethical value, in other religions. But the more difficult and significant question is, Is there eternal value in other religions? The answer to that question is no. Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism all provide very different answers to questions concerning the nature of God, sin, who Jesus Christ is, what the purpose of life is, the afterlife and the eternal significance of being a good person. Simple honesty requires that we acknowledge the diversity of religions and the diversity of their answers to such basic questions.
The writer of Hebrews tells us that God rewards those who earnestly seek him (Heb 11:6). God wants to be found, and traces of him can be found throughout the world’s religions. But much about God’s revelation of himself through nature and the world’s religions has also been distorted through sin, ignorance, falsehood and superstition (Ro 1:18–32). This is why we all need a more definitive form of revelation. In the Christian faith, the most rudimentary issues concern who Jesus Christ is and whether he actually has the authority to speak on God’s behalf. The Gospels record Jesus’ teachings and the rest of the New Testament corroborates, clarifies and applies his teachings.
While world religions help to express the human soul’s longing to know its Creator, all religions must wrestle with the question of truth about Jesus Christ. Who was this carpenter from Nazareth? Was he a charismatic leader, a prophet, a martyr or the way and the truth and the life (Jn 14:6)? The Bible teaches that believing in Jesus and following his way is the only path to finding a personal relationship with God and receiving eternal life. Jesus said, No one comes to the Father except through me (Jn 14:6). And the apostle Peter said, when speaking about Jesus, Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved (Ac 4:12).
It is logically impossible for the various religions of the world to all be correct. Everyone can’t be right. The common practice of picking and choosing from each of the religions creates a self-made spirituality governed by a god made with our own hands and in our own image. All roads do not lead to God. But all roads can be a way to get started on the quest to find him. People of different religions are neighbors we are called to love. The Spirit can use anything to bring others to Jesus!
Why did they accuse Paul of being a “people pleaser”? (1:10)
Critics were accusing Paul of teaching an “easy gospel” to increase his popularity. They thought faith alone, without the Jewish law, was a watered-down gospel. Paul responded by saying that no one wins friends by warning people of eternal condemnation for tampering with the gospel. His concern was for spiritual truth, not his approval ratings.
Does any evidence support Paul’s claim of a revelation from Jesus Christ? (1:12)
Paul underscored his case by telling the story of his own conversion. The most compelling evidence that his message was from God was his dramatic transformation from a violent enemy of the church to the church’s most active missionary. Jesus said we can determine who is telling the truth by observing the person’s life and the fruit he or she produces (Mt 7:15–16).
How was Paul set … apart from [his] mother’s womb? (1:15)
Paul was chosen by God even before he became a Christian. But his commission as an apostle wasn’t conferred on him until he was converted. Paul pointed to the heavenly vision he had received on the road to Damascus as his hour of conversion (see Map 12 at the back of this Bible). At the same time, he was well aware that God had been working in his life from the day he was born.
Why seek a human endorsement if you’ve got God’s? (2:2)
Paul’s critics not only attacked the authority of Paul’s gospel but also said he was a renegade—opposed to and independent of the apostles in Jerusalem. After responding to their first charge by stating the source of his message, he responded to the second charge by pointing out that the Jerusalem apostles had, in fact, endorsed his message (v. 9).
Why did Paul confront Peter publicly instead of privately? (2:14)
Peter (here Cephas, see NIV text note on v. 9) was a man of great influence (Mt 16:17–19; Ac 11:13–14), a pillar among the apostles (Gal 2:6–9) and the first to take the gospel to the Gentiles (Ac 10:9–48). Had Paul not confronted the problem of segregation so boldly, the international and interracial impact of Christianity might have suffered (Ro 1:14; 3:29; Col 3:11). Since Peter’s error was public, it called for a public reprimand by Paul (Gal 2:11–16).
How could Paul die to the law through the law? (2:19)
The Old Testament law showed Paul his true condition as a sinner: he was separated from God. His attempts to follow the law had been an exercise in futility; even the most religiously perfect are guilty of something. That realization helped Paul see that it was only by grace through faith in Christ that he could know forgiveness. And when he discovered grace was his only hope for salvation, he stopped relying on the law—in a sense, he died to it.
Should we obey or ignore the Old Testament law? (3:1–25)
The answer to that question is not cut-and-dried. The law consisted of the commands God gave Moses some 430 years after God established his covenant with Abraham. Paul pointed out that God had declared Abraham righteous before the law existed. Therefore, Paul claimed obeying the law could not be the basis for a relationship with God—otherwise, how could Abraham have been declared righteous? Faith is the only basis for that relationship.
The law was never intended to take the place of faith. It was never designed to give the people of Israel a list of rules by which they could earn their salvation. Rather, the law served only to show them how far short of God’s standards they fell, revealing their need for the salvation that comes only through faith in Christ (vv. 19, 24).
The law exposed sin so that people would be led to Christ as the only answer to sin. Paul called the law holy … [and] spiritual (Ro 7:12, 14); he also said that the law is good if one uses it properly (1Ti 1:8). But if the law is used improperly—as a way to try to earn salvation or to try to impress other people—it serves only to impose a curse (Gal 3:10).
Given all that, we should not ignore the Old Testament law. It shows what God considered important. Much of it spells out timeless principles of right living. Parts of the law dealing with moral issues are still helpful for those today who want to live holy lives. (Other parts of the law dealing with ancient societal laws or ceremonial religious laws have been fulfilled in Christ and are no longer in force.) Christians are not bound to fulfill the requirements of the Old Testament law to earn God’s favor. However, as an act of gratitude, Christians are called to live lives of obedience to Jesus Christ and the teachings of Scripture—both the Old and New Testaments (2Ti 3:16–17).
Does human effort play any part in a Christian’s life? (3:3)
Both salvation and the process of Christian growth (called sanctification) are the work of the Holy Spirit. Salvation is by grace through faith alone. Believers do, however, have to cooperate with the Spirit. But the Spirit is the leader and believers are to be led by the Spirit (5:18) and keep in step with the Spirit (5:25). The Galatian Christians had received salvation by grace, not by following the law. And they had started their Christian walk by following the Spirit’s direction, not by following the law. Paul’s adversaries had perverted the gospel of grace and, unless prevented, would bring the Galatian Christians into the bondage of legalism.
What had the Galatians experienced? (3:4)
They had experienced miracles and the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives (v. 5).
Building on the law, Jewish tradition taught that contact with Gentiles made one ceremonially unclean. Sharing a meal or entering the home of a Gentile was particularly forbidden (Ac 10:28). Such deep-seated views, steeped in tradition, were apparently too difficult for some to overcome, despite clear promises of Scripture about future change.
In what sense did Christ become a curse? (3:13)
When God’s law is broken, it imposes a curse—the judgment of God: the wages of sin is death (Ro 6:23). When Jesus died on the cross—a pole—it was a sign of someone who was cursed (Dt 21:23). More than that, it was a sign that Jesus had received God’s punishment for our sin.
What does it mean that the law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator? (3:19)
The Jews believed that angels gave the law to Moses, the mediator. Stephen referred to this in Acts 7:38, 53.
What Scripture was Paul referring to here? (3:22)
This may be a paraphrase or summary—but not a direct quote—describing the consequences of Adam and Eve’s disobedience (Ge 3:17–19; Ro 8:21–22). No one, at any time or place, can escape sin’s impact.
Has Christ erased ethnic, economic and gender distinctions? (3:28)
Jews are still Jews, Gentiles are still Gentiles and men and women are still men and women, respectively. What Christ abolished is discrimination for such differences. Unity in Christ transcends ethnic, social and sexual distinctions (Ro 10:12; 1Co 12:13; Eph 2:15–18). Everyone who comes to Christ must come the same way: through repentance and faith.
What is the meaning of the set time had fully come? (4:4)
Jesus didn’t arrive late or early. He came right on schedule. The ruling Romans had ushered in an era of relative peace through law and order; their network of roads made travel more convenient; and the widespread use of the Greek language simplified communication across borders and ethnic lines. At the same time, the proliferation of empty religions among the peoples of the world created a spiritual hunger within them for something genuine.
Who are those who by nature are not gods? (4:8)
This is a description of the pagan gods the Galatians had once worshiped. As Christians, they now saw these gods to be counterfeit.
Is it wrong to observe sacred days? (4:10)
It’s not sinful to celebrate a day with special spiritual significance. Today, for example, Christmas and Easter hold special meaning and are cause for celebration. But the Galatians observed Jewish sacred days as a means of salvation or sanctification. Faith in Christ alone, not ritual or ceremony, makes us right with God. See Romans 14:5.
How did illness cause Paul to first preach to the Galatians? (4:13–15)
There is a lot of speculation about Paul’s illness. Malaria was common in the area. Paul had been severely injured in Lystra (Ac 14:19; see Setting of Acts [Ac 1:1]). He may have suffered from an eye disorder (Gal 4:15; 6:11). But we don’t know with certainty what illness Paul was referring to. Whatever he suffered from, his point was that it had caused him to stay longer in Galatia than he had planned to stay, resulting in his friendship with the Galatians.
What was happening to the Galatians’ joy? (4:15)
The Galatians’ freedom in Christ (5:1), obtained only through God’s grace, was being muted by the insistence of the circumcision group (2:12)—Judaizers who demanded that the Galatians observe the law (3:3, 5, 10). Peter observed that such a law-keeping regimen was an unbearable yoke for even faithful Jews (Ac 15:10–11). Because the Galatians were following the teaching of the Judaizers, their joy in Christ was ebbing away.
Why was Paul in the pains of childbirth? (4:19)
Paul’s heart had been broken over the path that the Galatian Christians had taken. Instead of following the living Christ, they had given themselves to a religion of dead rituals. Having poured his heart into their spiritual birth, Paul now found himself agonizing over them again because they had turned away from Christian liberty and embraced religious legalism. He compared his heartache for them to a mother’s labor pains.
Is this an unusual interpretation of Scripture? (4:24)
It’s acceptable to use a story from one part of the Bible to illustrate a truth clearly stated elsewhere in the Bible. While the story of Hagar and Sarah (Ge 16:1–16; 21:1–21) is a historical account of two women and their relationship to Abraham, it can also serve to illustrate two different ways God relates to people. Paul used the story as an allegory to show how the new covenant relationship to God is superior to the old covenant relationship to God. Paul’s interpretation is valid since it is consistent with the rest of Scripture.
The actual practice of circumcision didn’t disturb Paul (v. 6). He was deeply troubled, however, when people insisted it was a requirement to be right with God. If circumcision, as a cultural practice, allowed for greater opportunity to preach the gospel among the Jews, he had no objection to it. But if it was done to earn salvation, he was adamantly opposed to it. See the article Why did Paul circumcise Timothy? (Ac 16:3).
Do believers have to wait for righteousness? (5:5)
Righteousness can refer to the status of a right standing before God—something God immediately bestows on those who are justified by faith in Christ—or it can refer to living rightly before God—something that is a life-long process (referred to as sanctification). Paul was referring to the latter use of the word in this case; our sanctification (righteousness) will only be fully accomplished when we meet the Lord.
Why was the cross offensive? (5:11)
It was a humiliation—anyone crucified was branded as a criminal. Furthermore, death on a cross was usually reserved for criminals and slaves who were not Roman citizens; Roman citizens sentenced to die were executed by more humane means (usually by beheading). On a deeper level, the cross offends us all because it’s a reminder that we are sinful and unacceptable to God. The cross assaults our human pride with a clear statement that we cannot solve our sin problem on our own.
How do we develop the fruit of the Spirit? (5:22–26)
Faith and obedience go hand in hand. The fruit of the Spirit is something only the Holy Spirit can produce in the life of a believer. As such, it’s something we receive by faith—a gift given when we accept Christ as our Savior. At the same time, as we live in obedience to God’s commands, the fruit grows and develops in our lives. Our obedience is seen, for example, in developing love (Jn 13:34), joy (Php 4:4) and peace (Col 3:15).
Are some believers not living by the Spirit? (6:1)
Some believers are worldly (1Co 3:1). Paul was saying that Christians who are bearing the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22) are the ones who should work with faltering Christians.
When working with Christians who have sinned, the temptation is to become condescending: “You fell and I didn’t.” If we take on a holier-than-thou attitude, we fall into sin ourselves—the sin of pride.
How do we carry the burden of someone caught in sin? (6:1–2)
We should always be ready to help restore those who have fallen. The call for gentleness in verse 1 reminds us that those reeling from guilt may feel weighed down by its heaviness. In that case, we ought to remind them that God’s promise of full forgiveness is available to them (1Jn 1:9).
Whose burdens should we carry—our own or those of others? (6:2, 5)
Paul used two different words that help us sort out the confusion. Burdens (v. 2) are too much for any one person to carry, an overwhelming weight. Load (v. 5) means a cargo that is manageable. Christians are required to compassionately assist those who are being crushed by life’s unbearable sorrows or troubles. On the other hand, each of us is expected to handle responsibilities within our limits.
Good pride is legitimate self-esteem, knowing that we have been created in God’s image, are redeemed through Christ and are destined for heaven. The only basis for this kind of pride is God’s grace. When we forget that, we are headed for illegitimate pride: a smug sense of our significance apart from God (Ro 12:3).
When can we enjoy the harvest? (6:9)
Paul said that if we live primarily to please our flesh, we’ll find ourselves spiritually impoverished now and bankrupt in heaven later. But if we live by the Spirit, we will see fruit in our present circumstances and also have a rich reward waiting for us in heaven.
Why are we to do good especially to believers? (6:10)
Christians of that era often suffered great economic hardship as a result of rejection and persecution—as do many believers today. There was no one else to help these Christians but other believers. Though Christians should help anyone in need, caring for believers should be our priority.
There are two possible explanations: (1) If he suffered from an eye disorder (e.g., 4:15), he may have been forced to write in huge letters in order to read them. (2) He may have written in large letters simply to emphasize his authority as an apostle.
Who is the Israel of God? (6:16)
Most say these are those who by faith have received eternal life through the gospel. Abraham’s seed are those who belong to Christ (both Jew and Gentile) and are heirs according to the promise (3:29). Others say it could refer to Jewish believers of every generation. Still others suggest it might refer to the nation of Israel in the last days—that the Jews of the final generation will accept Jesus as the Messiah en masse before his return.
What were the marks of Jesus on Paul’s body? (6:17)
Paul had often been beaten for the sake of Jesus—even in Galatia itself (Ac 14:19). Some of the Galatians reading this letter would have recalled how Paul had nearly died in order to get the message of the gospel to them.