Overview

Getting Acquainted

Paul's letter to the Galatians presents a paradox: how can something so severe bring so much delight? Here is a letter that attacks and assaults its original readers — and all of us who attempt to prove our worth to God and others: "O foolish Galatians!" Paul writes (3:1). And yet we have here a letter capable of bringing inexpressible joy and peace and freedom, as those who truly hear Paul's passionate message find themselves basking in the light of the grace of God found in Christ Jesus.

Galatians sounds a clear call to the doctrine of justification by faith alone. It teaches that Jesus, and only Jesus, provides the way for us to be accepted by God and fully a member of his family. We are righteous through his righteousness. Any addition to Jesus as the basis for our standing before God is ultimately a deadly subtraction; to say we need more than Jesus to be justified before God is to lose everything.

Beyond proclaiming to us the way we become members of God's family, Galatians also provides guidance for how we can experience the ongoing freedom of being his children, the freedom that Christ has won for us. Even as Christianity must begin by faith in Jesus, so also must it continue in the same manner. Avoiding the dangers of slavery to either religion or irreligion, a Spirit-led trust in Jesus enables the believer to discover the joyful freedom of serving others in love.

At the heart of Galatians are the glorious words, "no longer I ... but Christ." Joined to Christ by faith, the believer has been crucified with him: the previous self, with its ties to this evil age and its vain attempts at independence, is no more. Now believers live by faith in Christ, empowered by his resurrection life, filled with hope because of their newfound status as sons of God, heirs of his extravagant promises, members of his unimaginably great new creation. (For further background, see the ESV Study Bible, pages 2241–2244, or visit www.esvbible.org.)

Placing It in the Larger Story

Though Galatians is (rightly) understood as an epistle that proclaims the doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ alone, a careful study of this letter must recognize the redemptive-historical context in which it was written. During the centuries years leading up to the coming of Christ, God's people believed that the only way to experience God's saving blessings was by becoming a part of ethnic Israel and placing oneself under the law of Moses. This understanding was upended when Peter was sent by God to proclaim the gospel to Cornelius, a Roman centurion (Acts 10). Ten years later, when Paul writes this letter, there remains a significant amount of confusion regarding how a person enters the family of God. What is required to become an heir to the promises of blessing that God made to Abraham? What place do Gentiles have in God's redemptive plan for humanity? These questions lie near the center of the controversy addressed in Galatians.

Key Verse

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).

Date and Historical Background

The absence of any references to the Jerusalem council — certainly an event that would have been highly relevant to the subject matter of this letter — suggests that Paul wrote Galatians sometime after his first missionary journey and before the meeting of that council. Thus AD 48 is a likely date for its composition.

Paul had a personal relationship with the Galatian Christians. He visited the cities in the Galatian region while experiencing physical weakness. As some of its residents cared for him, he proclaimed to them the gospel of God's salvation of all peoples through Jesus (4:13–16). Those who believed were filled with joy and experienced miraculous manifestations of the Holy Spirit (3:2–5; 4:15). This resulted in churches being established throughout the region.

Following Paul's subsequent departure, other teachers have arisen who have brought considerable confusion. Motivated in part by a desire to win the favor of Jewish leaders and avoid being persecuted by them (6:12–13), these teachers have sought to persuade the Galatian Christians that individuals are not full members of God's people until they join the Jews in observing the requirements of the Old Testament law (referred to in Galatians as "works of the law"). The Galatians have responded to this teaching by beginning to observe Jewish feast days (4:10) and are considering becoming circumcised (5:2). Paul is deeply concerned that these young believers are beginning to believe a different (and thus, false) gospel. He writes this passionate letter to persuade them that they must resist the influence of these teachers and return to their previous way of faith.

Outline

I. Initial Greetings (1:1–5)

II. The Irreplaceable Gospel (1:6–2:10)

A. Paul's rebuke: you are turning to a different, false gospel! (1:6–9)

B. Paul's story: the gospel that I preach comes from God alone (1:10–2:10)

III. The Heart of This Gospel: Our Identity in Christ (2:11–21)

A. Confrontation with Peter: you are out of line with the gospel! (2:11–14)

B. The gospel that defines us (2:15–21)

IV. Becoming an Heir of Abraham (3:1–29)

A. Entrance requirements (3:1–14)

1. Evidence from experience (3:1–5)

2. Evidence from Abraham (3:6–9)

3. Evidence from Scripture (3:10–14)

B. Why the law? (3:15–29)

1. The law does not invalidate the promises (3:15–18)

2. The purpose of the law (3:19–24)

3. Now that faith has come (3:25–29)

V. The Freedom of Sonship (4:1–6:10)

A. From slaves to sons (4:1–11)

1. Brought by Christ into sonship (4:1–7)

2. The temptation to return (4:8–11)

B. Two kinds of sons (4:12–5:1)

1. Two kinds of teachers (4:12–20)

2. Two kinds of lives (4:21–5:1)

C. Danger! Turn back! (5:2–12)

1. Where this teaching will lead (5:2–6)

2. Where these teachers are headed (5:7–12)

D. How to live in true freedom (5:13–24)

E. Sowing to the Spirit (5:25–6:10)

1. The way of the Spirit in a specific context (5:25–6:6)

2. Why we should live by the Spirit (6:7–10)

IV. Conclusion: Defined by the Cross (6:11–18)

As You Get Started

If Galatians could somehow be erased from the Bible and wiped from our memories, what would we lose? What do you think are some of the important truths that Galatians has for the church?

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As you have studied Galatians in the past, what have you found most notable or striking? What key ideas or passages come to mind as you think of Galatians?

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What aspects of the book of Galatians have confused you? Are there any specific questions that you hope to have answered through this study?

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One of the challenges in applying Galatians to our context is that few of us seek to demonstrate our worth before God and others by placing ourselves under the Jewish law. As you prepare to consider this letter, list some modern-day examples of ways that people seek to demonstrate their self-worth apart from Christ.

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As You Finish This Unit ...

Take a few minutes to ask God to bless you with increased understanding and a transformed heart and life as you begin this study of Galatians.

Definitions

1 Justification – The act of God's grace in bringing sinners into a new covenant relationship with himself and counting them as righteous before him through the forgiveness of sins.

2 New creation – The world to come (Heb. 2:5) that stands in contrast with this "present evil age" (see Gal. 1:4; 6:15). From the moment humanity alienated itself from God, this present world in all its facets has been corrupted by sin. Christ's resurrection marks the dawn of a new world, a new creation, in which everything is as it was created to be. Through union with Christ by the Spirit, believers are a first part of this new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), and when Christ returns to judge and complete his redeeming work, the entire world will experience its transformation into this new creation.

3 Redemptive-historical context – The location something has within the larger story of God's work of salvation in this world.

4 Jerusalem council – The gathering of apostles and church leaders in Jerusalem for the purpose of determining what relationship Gentile converts should have to the law of Moses (see Acts 15).

The Irreplaceable Gospel

Galatians 1:1–2:10

The Place of the Passage

Sometimes it isn't good to be polite! The beginning of this letter is striking in its abruptness and lack of expected pleasantries. After Paul's typical initial greetings (which introduce the themes of human lostness and the divine nature of salvation), he skips the customary words of praise and thanksgiving and immediately confronts the Galatian churches with their failure. They are accepting false teaching, and their understanding of the gospel is being corrupted. This danger is so grave and urgent that Paul cannot afford to soften his words to spare their feelings: the path they are on is a path of destruction. They must return to Paul's gospel, because it is the true gospel that comes from God.

The Big Picture

Galatians 1:1–2:10 teaches that believing the true gospel is of paramount importance, because the gospel that comes to us is from God himself.

Reflection and Discussion

Read through the complete passage for this study, Galatians 1:1–2:10. Then review the questions below and write your notes on them. (For further background, see the ESV Study Bible, pages 2245–2247, or visitwww.esvbible.org.)

1. Initial Greetings (1:1–4)

As is common with letters, Galatians begins by identifying its author. Specifically, Paul identifies himself in the first verse by making a contrast. What is that contrast, and what significance does that have for how this letter should be treated?

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As he then identifies the recipients of this letter, the Galatian church, Paul blesses his readers with God's grace and peace. What does 1:3–4 teach about how this grace has been shown and why it is so needed?

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2. Paul's Rebuke (1:6–9)

In verse 6, Paul refers to the "gospel," a word that will lie at the very center of this letter. A key task in interpreting Galatians is discerning what that gospel — that message of good news — is. Carefully examine 1:6–2:12 in relation to this theme, and list some of the details we are given about the gospel in these verses.

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With words that echo Israel's betrayal of God in the wilderness (see Ex. 32:8), Paul tells the Galatian Christians that they are "quickly deserting" God. According to Galatians 1:6, what had God previously done for them?

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Elsewhere, in Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians, he writes that God calls people through the gospel (2 Thess. 2:14). Why is the Galatians' acceptance of the "gospel" of these false teachers a desertion of God?

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In Exodus, shortly after God brought Israel out of Egypt, the Israelites quickly turned from the God who saved them and began to worship a human-made idol; here the Galatian Christians are quickly deserting the God who called them, turning instead to a human-made gospel. What does this pattern tell you about the tendency of the human heart? Why do you think the human heart is this way?

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Paul uses the strongest possible language in condemning the teachers of this "different gospel," essentially pronouncing their damnation. Why does Paul speak and feel so strongly about these teachers?

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3. Paul's Story (1:10–2:10)

In 1:10–2:10, Paul provides a lot of interesting information about the events in his life during the years that preceded his writing this letter. As is always the case with Paul, what he shares about himself is for a pastoral purpose. What does this autobiographical section show us about the gospel that Paul preaches? What is wrong with the gospel that the Galatians are turning to?

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"It doesn't really matter what you believe or what you teach. What is really important is the life you live." This statement summarizes a view commonly held in our culture. Consider it in light of this passage: what might Paul say in response?

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Read through the following three sections on Gospel Glimpses, Whole-Bible Connections, and Theological Soundings. Then take time to consider the Personal Implications these sections may have for you.

THE GLORIOUS IRREPLACEABILITY OF THE GOSPEL. The language of these verses could not be more stark: departing from the divine gospel to a man-made pseudogospel is literally damning. Those who preach an adulterated gospel are under the curse of God. No human being has the option of adjusting the Christian message of salvation for the purpose of making it easier to hear and accept; the only truly good news is the apostolic message that has come to us in the Scriptures from Jesus. The strictness of this standard points us to a precious truth: the reason the gospel cannot in any way be altered is that it comes from God himself and is uniquely imbued with his power. By this gospel of the one who "gave himself for our sins," God actively calls us into the resurrection life of his Son and out of the hopelessness of this present age. This divine gospel accomplishes what no human message could ever achieve. To alter it in any way is the epitome of foolishness.

Whole-Bible Connections

GOD THE DELIVERER. Repeatedly in the Old Testament God is described as delivering his people from the attacks and oppression of their human enemies. The paradigmatic example of this was God's rescue of Israel from their servitude in Egypt under Pharaoh. But even the exodus was only an anticipation of God's ultimate act of deliverance, described in these verses. This deliverance is not from slavery to tyrannical human rulers but from the deeper bondage of belonging to a world dominated by sin and death. And it is accomplished not through plagues of judgment but by the Son of God enduring judgment on our behalf. The Lord Jesus gave himself to deliver us.