Galatians Introduction
Paul's Letter to the Galatians
Pauline Scholar Timothy George opens his commentary on Paul’s letter to the Galatians by saying, “Jerome once said that when he read the letters of the apostle Paul he could hear thunder. Nowhere in the Pauline corpus is such stormy dissonance more evident than in the Epistle to the Galatians” (21). Paul’s letter to the Galatians is a powerful message of the freedom we have in Christ and a stern reproof not to abandon that freedom. The question is, from what are we free? Paul admonishes the Galatian believers to cling to the truth of the gospel and warns them not to be deceived by any other so-called “gospel” that stands in contrast with God’s Word. As Christians, we need to take his words seriously, lest we find ourselves “severed from Christ” and “fallen away from grace” (Galatians 5:4).
The traditional interpretation of this book is that believers in Christ are under no obligation to follow the law of the Old Testament. In fact, we are in danger of compromising the gospel message when we try to keep this law. We were once “held captive under the law” (3:23), but now in Christ, we have died to it (2:19). Paul even claims that the law is made up of “weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more” (4:9). So surely, we do not need to obey it and may find ourselves in spiritual peril if we do.
Yet some other verses give us pause to this interpretation and application. Paul claims that somehow our death to the law was actually through the law (2:19) and that the law is not contrary to the promises of God (3:21). He repeatedly uses the law and other parts of the Old Testament to support his message (3:6-14) and admonishes his readers to listen to the law (4:21).
To correctly understand what Paul is writing about, we need to understand the false teaching that was pervading the first century churches of Galatia. Some trouble makers had come into these churches, teaching that there were certain prerequisites to salvation, circumcision being the prime example. Paul calls this for what it is: salvation by works. And he won’t tolerate it because it is antithetical to the true gospel message: salvation by faith in the work of Christ alone.
In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he addresses two contrary approaches to a relationship with God. The first is by faith in the promise of God (Jesus). The second is relying on our own works. Only one of these approaches is consistent with the truth of the gospel. Paul spends all six chapters of his letter stressing that we are saved through God’s promise and not works, even good works of the law. When we understand what Paul is addressing, we will rightly understand his message.
With this framework in mind, let’s begin.
Key Vocabulary
First, as we approach the book of Galatians, let's define some key terms:
Torah: This word literally means “instruction” or “teaching” in Hebrew and is often translated as “law.” It specifically refers to the first five books of the Old Testament, also known as the Pentateuch or Mosaic Law.
Oral Law: These are extra laws that were set in place by the Pharisees after the return from the Babylonian exile to prevent Israel from going into exile once again. They functioned as a fence to prevent Israel from disobeying the Torah. These laws were by nature more restrictive than the Torah. The idea was that if these were not disobeyed, then Torah would not be disobeyed. Initially given orally, they were later written down and collected in the Talmud. We will consider the Oral Law in detail in chapter one, as well as see its implications throughout the book of Galatians.
Justification: The declaration that one is legally righteous, achieved through the death of Christ, which is God's promise to Abraham fulfilled. We will discuss the nature of justification specifically in chapter one and consider its use throughout Paul's letter to the Galatians.
Galatians and Romans
Second, there is a relationship between Paul's letter to the Galatians and his letter to the Romans. As Pauline scholar F.F. Bruce states in his commentary on Galatians, “Paul may equally well have reproduced in Romans some of the distinctive positions of Galatians whether Galatians was written one year or ten years before” (46). Galatians was one of Paul's first letters, written just prior to the Jerusalem Council around the year 49 AD (Acts 15; Longenecker, 41). Romans was likely written roughly ten years after Galatians, to a church Paul had not personally met. With the passage of time, one could reasonably argue that Paul had developed in Romans a more complete argument than that presented in Galatians. In addition, since Paul did not have prior interaction with the Roman church, he would have needed to be more complete in the presentation of his argument when writing to the Romans. Therefore, we have ideas first presented in Galatians that are much more developed and detailed in Romans, yet the essence of the argument is the same. Again, F.F. Bruce comments,
Pauline Scholar Timothy George opens his commentary on Paul’s letter to the Galatians by saying, “Jerome once said that when he read the letters of the apostle Paul he could hear thunder. Nowhere in the Pauline corpus is such stormy dissonance more evident than in the Epistle to the Galatians” (21). Paul’s letter to the Galatians is a powerful message of the freedom we have in Christ and a stern reproof not to abandon that freedom. The question is, from what are we free? Paul admonishes the Galatian believers to cling to the truth of the gospel and warns them not to be deceived by any other so-called “gospel” that stands in contrast with God’s Word. As Christians, we need to take his words seriously, lest we find ourselves “severed from Christ” and “fallen away from grace” (Galatians 5:4).
The traditional interpretation of this book is that believers in Christ are under no obligation to follow the law of the Old Testament. In fact, we are in danger of compromising the gospel message when we try to keep this law. We were once “held captive under the law” (3:23), but now in Christ, we have died to it (2:19). Paul even claims that the law is made up of “weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more” (4:9). So surely, we do not need to obey it and may find ourselves in spiritual peril if we do.
Yet some other verses give us pause to this interpretation and application. Paul claims that somehow our death to the law was actually through the law (2:19) and that the law is not contrary to the promises of God (3:21). He repeatedly uses the law and other parts of the Old Testament to support his message (3:6-14) and admonishes his readers to listen to the law (4:21).
To correctly understand what Paul is writing about, we need to understand the false teaching that was pervading the first century churches of Galatia. Some trouble makers had come into these churches, teaching that there were certain prerequisites to salvation, circumcision being the prime example. Paul calls this for what it is: salvation by works. And he won’t tolerate it because it is antithetical to the true gospel message: salvation by faith in the work of Christ alone.
In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he addresses two contrary approaches to a relationship with God. The first is by faith in the promise of God (Jesus). The second is relying on our own works. Only one of these approaches is consistent with the truth of the gospel. Paul spends all six chapters of his letter stressing that we are saved through God’s promise and not works, even good works of the law. When we understand what Paul is addressing, we will rightly understand his message.
With this framework in mind, let’s begin.
Key Vocabulary
First, as we approach the book of Galatians, let's define some key terms:
Torah: This word literally means “instruction” or “teaching” in Hebrew and is often translated as “law.” It specifically refers to the first five books of the Old Testament, also known as the Pentateuch or Mosaic Law.
Oral Law: These are extra laws that were set in place by the Pharisees after the return from the Babylonian exile to prevent Israel from going into exile once again. They functioned as a fence to prevent Israel from disobeying the Torah. These laws were by nature more restrictive than the Torah. The idea was that if these were not disobeyed, then Torah would not be disobeyed. Initially given orally, they were later written down and collected in the Talmud. We will consider the Oral Law in detail in chapter one, as well as see its implications throughout the book of Galatians.
Justification: The declaration that one is legally righteous, achieved through the death of Christ, which is God's promise to Abraham fulfilled. We will discuss the nature of justification specifically in chapter one and consider its use throughout Paul's letter to the Galatians.
Galatians and Romans
Second, there is a relationship between Paul's letter to the Galatians and his letter to the Romans. As Pauline scholar F.F. Bruce states in his commentary on Galatians, “Paul may equally well have reproduced in Romans some of the distinctive positions of Galatians whether Galatians was written one year or ten years before” (46). Galatians was one of Paul's first letters, written just prior to the Jerusalem Council around the year 49 AD (Acts 15; Longenecker, 41). Romans was likely written roughly ten years after Galatians, to a church Paul had not personally met. With the passage of time, one could reasonably argue that Paul had developed in Romans a more complete argument than that presented in Galatians. In addition, since Paul did not have prior interaction with the Roman church, he would have needed to be more complete in the presentation of his argument when writing to the Romans. Therefore, we have ideas first presented in Galatians that are much more developed and detailed in Romans, yet the essence of the argument is the same. Again, F.F. Bruce comments,
These arguments are presented in a more systematic form in the Epistle to the Romans, written 8 or 9 years later. The basic understanding of the gospel which underlies all these arguments took shape in Paul's mind very probably quite soon after his conversion, although the way in which it finds expression in Galatians is due to the special situation to which Paul addresses himself here (The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 536-537).
Therefore, as we study Galatians, it is helpful to keep Romans in mind as it will shed understanding on the various passages and arguments.
Understanding Paul
Third, we must remember the nature of Paul's writings as a whole. Pauline theology is incredibly complex, and at times, seemingly contradictory. Consider what Peter says about Paul's writings:
Understanding Paul
Third, we must remember the nature of Paul's writings as a whole. Pauline theology is incredibly complex, and at times, seemingly contradictory. Consider what Peter says about Paul's writings:
There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability (2 Peter 3:16-17).
Peter states that Paul's letters are often hard to understand, and that the ignorant and unstable can twist them and be carried away by lawlessness. What is an ignorant and unstable person? Someone who is not familiar with and grounded in the foundation of God's Word, which at that time was the Old Testament scriptures. In order to correctly interpret Paul's writings, we need to have a firm understanding of the Old Testament. If we do not, we may wrongly interpret Paul to be preaching lawlessness. We, along with Peter's original audience, should take his admonition to heart as we approach Paul's writings.