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GALATIANS - I Have Been Crucified With Christ
Studies in the Letter of Paul to the Galatians

An Introduction to the Epistle to the Galatians

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Galatia designates the Roman city and province in Asia Minor, where the Galatian people of Gallic extraction lived in B.C. 250 and from these tribes the region derived its name, Galatia. The apostle Paul visited it during his active missionary journeys. However, after Paul’s visits, there came Christians of Jewish origin from Jerusalem, and interpreted the Mosaic Law to the Galatians in old ways, trying to subjugate them to the obligation of circumcision, as necessary to establish them in the covenant of God, and they put into their minds that Paul was but a disciple of the apostles, and not an apostle of Christ, since he had not seen the Lord Jesus during his life on earth.

Yet, the Galatians did not practice circumcision immediately, but they began to keep the Jewish feasts. Therefore, the apostle Paul wrote this epistle, which flows out with jealousy and love, to those communities, probably at the end, or before his third missionary journey, for the following reasons:

First, to confirm his complete independence from the original apostles, whom he met after a long time from his meeting with Christ by the way to Damascus, and before whom he behaved freely and assuredly, that he opposed their opinions as regards obtaining salvation through keeping the law.

Second, to defend (in chapters 3 and 4) his teachings, and prove to them the greatness of the free justification by faith as the only way to deliver Christianity from the law of the letter.

Then the apostle of the Gentiles began to preach strongly (in chapters 5 and 6) warning from using freedom in a wrong way, and urging believers to practice it by way of brotherly love, obeying the Holy Spirit.

The Epistle to the Galatians has the same theme of that to the Romans that is the divine righteousness gifted to us by grace. However, the difference between these epistles is that the apostle helped the church of Rome to grow in the righteousness of faith, whereas he sought to bring the Galatians back to this principle, because they approached the danger of falling away from the grace, holding their own sanctification founded on their own, legalistic works.

These epistles were the most important Bible texts to the believers at the time of reformation, that Luther wrote, “The Epistle to the Galatians is a lovely epistle, which I married as I married my respected wife”, and he interpreted it twice letter for letter. Throughout the ages, this epistle has become the source of revival and power. It delivered many hearts from the yoke of blind religiousness in keeping the Law as a reason for false righteousness. At the same time, the apostle Paul seals our thoughts and our faith with this epistle that we may stand fast joyfully in the liberty of Christ, obeying his great love.

QUESTIONS:

1. Where are the Galatian churches located?
2. What were the delusions and false beliefs, which stole into these churches?
3. What are the three parts of this epistle?

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