A Guide to the Book of Galatians

Galatians at a Glance:

Author: Paul
When it was written: A.D. 53-57 or A.D. 45-49
Where it was written: Unknown—possibly Corinth, Ephesus, Macedonia, or Syrian Antioch.
Why it was written: To caution the Galatians not to be led astray by the false teaching of salvation by works, and to live by the fruits of the Holy Spirit instead.
What happens:

• Paul explains why he’s writing (1:1-10)
• Paul defends his legitimacy (1:11-2:1-21)
• The bondage of works vs the freedom of salvation by faith (3-5:6)
• Fulfilling the Law (5:7-15)
• The Holy Spirit empowers the faithful (5:16-26)
• Works don’t save—they’re the byproduct of being saved (6:1-15)
• Paul’s closing (6:16-18)

Themes:

• The purpose of the Law
• Salvation by Faith
• Living by the Spirit

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Paul’s letter doesn’t give us any definite dates or locations, so scholars can only speculate, but the two prevailing theories are that it was written either in Corinth, Ephesus, or Macedonia in 53-57 AD, or in Syrian Antioch in 45-49 AD.¹

Primarily, the two theories differ in whether Paul wrote Galatians before or after the Council of Jerusalem in 50 AD.

The first theory, known as the North Galatian theory, suggests Paul wrote this letter when he returned to the Galatian churches—ones that he had helped establish earlier on in his missionary career—on his third missionary journey. This would have taken place after the Council of Jerusalem, when church leaders decided not to require Gentile converts to observe Mosaic Law.²

The second theory is the South Galatian theory, which suggests Paul wrote it before the Council of Jerusalem.³

While there isn’t the kind of historical data that would allow scholars to confirm either theory, we do have a general idea of the historical events, trends, and sentiments that defined the time of Paul’s writing.

Historical context

Paul had been on several mission trips, setting up churches⁴ in the places he visited, many of which largely consisted of Gentiles, or non-Jews.

Paul felt specifically called to preach to these people (Galatians 1:15-16). The only problem was, many Jewish Christians were still resistant to the idea of welcoming Gentiles into the fold.

The Jews had been raised to believe that they were God’s chosen nation to represent Him to the world. They took pride in their ceremonies and traditions that had developed as part of their history. But instead of using their unique position and knowledge to bring others the truth of the Gospel, it became a source of entitlement. Collectively, they turned this calling into a status indicator, considering themselves favored by God above other nations.⁵

Even when they began to warm up to the idea of working alongside Gentiles, many Jewish Christians insisted that the Gentiles had to adopt Jewish traditions and ceremonies to be considered true Christians.⁶

Which brings us to why Paul decided to write this letter.

Why was Galatians written?

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Paul wrote to believers in Galatia to remind them of the true Gospel—the story of Jesus Christ and what He did for us—because its message was being distorted by misguided teachers who held onto the traditions of the Israelites as a requirement for belonging to the faith community.

Gentiles weren’t raised on ceremonial laws like the Jewish Christians. They were new to this community, brought in by learning about Jesus.

But Jewish tradition, rules, and rituals were very important to those who found so much meaning throughout their lives. They were raised to revere their heritage. And many of them (scholars call them Judaizers) thought every Christian believer should follow the same regulations they had to abide by. And so, they tried to convince Gentile believers that every Christian had to fit the Jewish mold by keeping their ceremonial laws. Which is why Paul argues against circumcision so often throughout the book.

Paul strongly refuted the idea of forcing a cultural heritage into religious doctrine and onto those who came from a different background. It was missing the point of the entire Gospel message! So he took time to discuss the dangers of the Judaizers’ teaching:

“You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.

 

“Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:1-3, ESV, emphasis added).

 

“You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love” (Galatians 5:4-6, NKJV emphasis added).

Paul wasn’t saying there was anything wrong with observing ceremonial laws like circumcision. His issue was that Judaziers were teaching Gentiles that they needed to observe them, or their salvation could be in jeopardy.

But Paul makes it clear, whether we’re keeping the ceremonial laws or the moral Law of The Ten Commandments, we can’t be saved through our own efforts—only by faith in Jesus:

“…why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” (Galatians 2:14-16, NKJV, emphasis added).

This was not the first time Paul gave this message (Galatians 2:4). He had faced Judaizers before while he was in Antioch (Acts 15:1), which might have been the same ones to infiltrate the Galatian churches and stir up confusion there.⁷

Understandably, Paul seems a bit frustrated by the spread of this false teaching despite his efforts to stop it (Galatians 3:1-3; 6:17).

But we see Paul’s rebuking words come from a place of love and concern for the churches of Galatia.

“My little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you” (Galatians 4:19-20, ESV).

He helped establish these churches. He knew these people personally (Galatians 4:11-15). He cared deeply about them and was discouraged when he saw them be led astray toward pettiness and divisiveness (Galatians 4:16-20).

Besides leading them to a “false gospel,” it seems that the Judaizers were also trying to discredit Paul in the eyes of the Galatians by calling his apostleship into question.

It’s no surprise, then, that Paul’s letter to the Galatians is focused on verifying his trustworthiness and bringing the Galatians back in line with Jesus’ Gospel.

A basic outline of Galatians

To make sure we grasp the big picture of Galatians, let’s look at an overview of Paul’s main points:

1) Paul explains why he’s writing (1:1-10): Paul begins the letter by introducing himself and diving straight into the issue at hand—that the Galatians are being deceived into believing a “false gospel” and in doing so, rejecting Jesus’ Gospel of grace. Paul explains that, as a true apostle, he is only concerned with preaching the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

2) Paul defends his legitimacy and trustworthiness as an apostle (1:11-2:1-21): Paul explains that the Gospel he preaches was delivered to him by Jesus Himself. He shares his testimony, how he was converted from being the strictest of Jews, someone who relied on human law and followed every tradition, to someone who learned the truth of the Gospel and decided to serve Jesus only—not other humans or chasing after status. So he will not be swayed from the true Gospel, even by the other apostles.

 

3) The bondage of works-based salvation vs the freedom found in salvation by faith (3-5:6): Paul says those who rely on law-keeping to save them are stuck under the curse of the law. In other words, without faith, without accepting Jesus’ atoning sacrifice, they are still subject to the curse—the ultimate consequences of sin (eternal death).

 

Knowing Jesus is the only means by which we can be saved from death (because He died in our place on the Cross) and grow in righteousness (allow our hearts to be transformed to be like Christ’s). He says this promise of salvation by faith, or justification by faith, is extended to anyone who will accept it—regardless of nationality, status, gender, personality, background, etc. He also warns that those who rely on the law will try to persecute and discourage those who rely on faith.

 

4) What it really means to fulfill the law (5:7-15): Paul explains that those who accept Christ are freed from the impossible task of depending on their imperfect, human abilities to keep the law perfectly. That is to say, they don’t have to worry about keeping the law like a checklist, trying to do everything right so they can be saved. However, this doesn’t mean the moral Law (Ten Commandments) is simply cast aside. Paul explains people who have truly accepted Jesus will want to keep the Law as their goal and standard, but not to focus on policing it. The Law was meant to be a natural expression of what unconditional love looks like in a community.

 

5) The faithful are led and empowered by the Holy Spirit (5:16-26): Paul explains the transformation that comes with accepting faith in Jesus. We submit to Jesus’ leading, and His Holy Spirit to transform our hearts so we can demonstrate Christlike characteristics more and more (which Paul calls “Fruits of the Spirit”) and be freed from the pressure to do it all ourselves, and freed from feeling hopelessly controlled by our fallen human nature.

 

6) Works don’t save—they’re the byproduct of being saved (6:1-15): Paul encourages Christians to help others with their burdens without neglecting their own. He tells them to maintain a humble heart, not to be fooled into praising their own righteousness because none of us are able to maintain goodness ourselves—we’re totally dependent on Jesus.

 

We should also not be so focused on trying to make ourselves righteous that we forget to acknowledge and encourage others. Paul tells believers that if they submit to the Spirit, they’ll experience spiritual transformation from the inside out, which will turn their hearts to do good in a way they couldn’t when they were captive to sin and human effort.

 

7) Paul’s closing (6:16-18): Paul ends the letter by wishing peace among those in the Galatian church, and also urging them not to keep bringing this issue to him because he’s already said what he wants to say on the matter.⁸

Throughout the book of Galatians, we see Paul touching on several key themes of Christianity.

Key themes

Galatians emphasizes three key themes:

• The role of the Law
• Salvation by faith
• Living by the Spirit

We touched on these concepts in the outline, but let’s explore them a bit deeper.

The role of the Law

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The law was given to us by God so we could have a guide. It was never designed as a vehicle toward salvation, but more as a mirror so we could recognize destructive behavior from constructive behavior. It was designed to be a good, helpful roadmap. To offer guidance and help us identify what a healthy way of life looks like.

Many Jewish Christians at the time had been raised to believe that their salvation, or at least their status of righteousness in their lives, depended on their ability to keep the law—both the ceremonial laws (mosaic law) and the Ten Commandments (moral law).

This idea was born out of a misunderstanding by their forefathers, who believed their failure to keep the Law was the reason they were at times plundered and conquered by other nations, as recorded in the Old Testament.

They were…almost right. Their ancestors (usually due to corrupt leadership) had turned away from God Himself, which included His laws. So when they rejected His guidance and protection, that’s when they were subjected to the consequences of that decision. The problem was that instead of turning back to God in confession and repentance, they seemed to be influenced by the prevalent pagan idea of having to earn or appease God to welcome them back into His protection. And that meant they had to keep His laws perfectly and demonstrate outwardly that they were worthy of His favor.⁹

But, naturally, no matter how hard they tried, they kept failing and falling into sin’s traps (fear, pride, greed, etc).

It’s just plain impossible for anyone to be righteous on their own.¹⁰ Our sinful nature, which is motivated by fear and selfishness rather than love, is always going to draw us back into the same tendencies.

In this way, the Law does not (and was never designed to) save anyone. Other than providing a framework or roadmap for a healthy community with allegiance to God, it only points out how lacking we all are.

Paul describes it this way:

“For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, ‘Everyone who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed.’ Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith. But the law is not based on faith; instead, the one who does these things will live by them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…” (Galatians 3:10-13, CSB).

The law exists to point out certain ideals. It tells us how we “should” live, but when our lives are actually held up to these ideals, we’re able to see just how much our human efforts fall short— it puts a spotlight on the shortcomings we might have otherwise been blind to (Galatians 3:24; Romans 3:30)

So, the Law is kind of like a mirror, or like a check engine light.

It wasn’t designed to resolve our issues (though it might teach us what it looks like to love God and others, it can’t fix the heart of our problems—our sinful nature). Rather, it was designed to point them out to us so we know to fix our eyes on God (the author of the Law) for a solution.

And yet, some people, like the Judaizers, persist in using the Law as a cure when it was only ever meant to be a diagnosis.

That’s why salvation by works, or legalism, is like trying to shove square pegs into a round hole. No matter how hard anyone tries to earn salvation through it, it won’t work. And trying to force it only causes discouragement and frustration.

(It’s no wonder, then, that Paul noticed the Galatians’ attempts to keep the law robbed them of their joy.)¹¹

Legalism doesn’t allow for peace because it’s dependent on our own inconsistent actions, which leads us right into one of two traps

• When we succeed, we become easily susceptible to pride about our moral superiority (Galatians 6:3,12-15; Galatians 2:6).
• When we fail, we are overcome with shame, anxiety, hopelessness, etc (Romans 7:21-24). And in reaction, we often hide the worst of ourselves and can slide into hypocrisy.

But the most devastating truth about legalism is that we can keep the letter of the Law and still miss the whole point of it.

The Pharisees were so caught up in legalism that they added extra laws onto God’s Law just to make sure they wouldn’t get anywhere near breaking them.¹² And yet, they still lacked the qualities of true followers of God. They weren’t kind, generous, loving, or patient with their fellow human beings.

In fact, Jesus says of them, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law: judgment, mercy, and faith. These ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone” (Matthew 23:23, CSB).

Both the moral law and ceremonial law offer basic guidelines to help us identify good behavior and sinful behavior. This was helpful to the spiritually immature Israelites, who had just come out of pagan Egypt. They needed to relearn what it meant to be followers of God and how to live peacefully together in a healthy community.

But God’s plan was that, in time, they would mature to understand not just the laws God has asked them to keep, but the message the Law had been trying to teach them all along—to love God and others (Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34; Luke 10:25-28).

This is why Paul says, “For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Galatians 5:14, CSB).

In this way, we can see that truly fulfilling the Law isn’t about earning salvation or making ourselves worthy or holy.

It’s about reflecting the loving character of Christ (which is merely evidence that we’ve been saved by faith and have allowed Jesus to free us from our sinful nature).

Salvation by Faith

Two things are true of every human being—we have all sinned (Romans 3:23) and we all have an ingrained tendency toward sin (Romans 5:12; Romans 7:14-18; Psalm 51:5).

Paul explains this tendency as bondage—that we are all slaves to sin’s influence (Galatians 4:3).

But then, he tells the Galatians that Jesus freed us from the eternal hold of this bondage when He died for us on the Cross (Galatians 4:3-7).

In Romans 8:1-4, Paul explained how Jesus’ death accomplished “what the law could not do, since it was weakened by the flesh” (verse 3, CSB). And because of that, we can accept His sacrifice and receive eternal life at His Second Coming.

And even now, Jesus also helps us break free from the sin-cycle we’re trapped in and through His Holy Spirit, we can start to reflect more and more of His character (Romans 7:21-25; Romans 6:6; Galatians 4:7).

Paul describes this process to the Galatians, explaining that salvation by faith refocuses our attention and hope on Christ, making us less susceptible to the self-centered temptations of the world, and giving us a genuine desire for righteousness, compassion, and harmony (Galatians 4:3-7; 5:24-25). It transforms our entire character, helping us become more like Jesus (Galatians 5:13,16-18).

A belief system that involves salvation by works leads us to focus on ourselves and our ability to follow the Law, which in turn causes us to look down on others, who are in reality just struggling alongside us. But embracing salvation by faith leads us to admit that while we can’t save ourselves, we do believe Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross is sufficient to save us (Galatians 6:12-15; Ephesians 2:8-9).

Admitting we need help and placing our trust in others to help us are two of the most difficult, but most helpful things we can do.

No one likes to feel exposed and vulnerable. It’s embarrassing. It can be disheartening. And putting our complete trust in someone else can be scary. It’s easy to feel a lot more comfortable keeping our problems to ourselves and just trying to solve them on our own.

That’s why a salvation-by-works approach can be so tempting and become so prevalent. If others are like this, it causes those around them to also be afraid of admitting their shortcomings and to try to work out their struggles in secret.

This type of belief keeps us from fully confronting our weaknesses, and it attempts to put everything in a neat little checklist for us so we can feel like we’re making progress. Instead of taking that leap of faith to bare our souls to God and trust in Him.¹³

But more often than not, trying to solve things on our own just isn’t possible. And coming to others for help can bring us relief and peace that we can’t obtain by piling all our problems on ourselves (even if asking for help feels difficult).

This is true in many areas of life.

What’s better? To take your car to the shop when it starts making weird noises, or to try and fix it on your own even though you’ve never had any training to be a mechanic?

Or what if you’re taking a new route and get lost? Do you keep driving blindly, hoping you’ll figure it out? Or do you check the map app?

In this way, just as asking for directions enables us to receive guidance, salvation by faith puts us in the position to accept the transformation Jesus offers us through the Holy Spirit.

Living by the Spirit

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When we come to Jesus with a humble and trusting heart, we’re more receptive to the will of the Holy Spirit.

When we accept salvation, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to refine our characters. As we submit to the Spirit’s leading, He will soften our hearts and heal the wounds that fear and selfishness have given us. And in doing so, we are empowered to do good, to love and serve others, and to resist the deceptions that used to have a hold on us (Galatians 5:19-24).

This is what Paul means when he tells the Galatians they are to “live by the Spirit” (Galatians 2:20; 5:16).

“Living by the Spirit” can’t be done insincerely. For it to be real and lasting, it has to be the natural byproduct of following Jesus, developing a relationship with Him, and listening to the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:5-9).¹⁴

God’s Word tells us this is how we can identify a true follower of Christ (Romans 8:9).

They will begin to develop the Fruits of the Spirit. They will grow in love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). These qualities will permeate everything they do and become a part of them.

What can this look like?

Those of us who struggle with our tempers might slowly be more able to take a breath and respond more patiently to frustrating situations.

Those of us who struggle with anxiety might start to find a sense of peace and comfort that didn’t feel like it was there before.

Those of us who struggle with fearful selfishness might slowly learn to think of others first instead of always reflexively jumping in to make sure we get the biggest slice of pie, or always trying to merge ahead of the other cars in traffic.

But those are just examples. The idea is that the Holy Spirit’s influence shows up subtly and slowly, but in significant and meaningful ways.

This isn’t to say we won’t struggle with weak moments or even fall back into old habits that land us in a mess or five. Learning to live by the Spirit is a process, and as long as we live on this earth with free will, we are still subject to temptation and our fallen human nature (Galatians 5:16-17; Romans 8:22-27).

But as long as we cling to our relationship with Jesus and surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit, we can rest assured that God will help us develop into the people He made us to be.

What does the book of Galatians mean for us today?

The book of Galatians helps us understand the hopeful and transforming truth of the Gospel.

It reminds us that while we’re weak to sin by nature, Jesus is strong enough to save us. And besides forgiving us of our past mistakes, Jesus promises to save us from the future of where sin leads us—destruction.

Although we don’t live in the time of the Galatians, we still live in a society that judges our worth by how we outwardly perform.

But Jesus turns that all upside down. He says we are worthy of salvation, not because of anything we’ve done, but because He’s chosen to show us His grace and love.

We don’t have to struggle to be “enough.” We don’t have to beat ourselves up every time we fall short.

We can experience the peace and joy of asking Jesus to help us carry our burdens and do the work in us that we couldn’t do ourselves.

All it takes is inviting Him into our lives.

As Paul says:

“For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh [abuse of position], but serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Galatians 5:13-14, CSB).

So Galatians reinforces how Jesus really is the answer to everything. That is the true Gospel, and just as Paul warned the Galatians not to accept ideologies that oppose the love and freedom God offers, we too can be careful to weigh everything against what Jesus teaches through the Bible.

We can enjoy this freedom from the ultimate consequences of sin and find excitement and adventure in our growth toward Christ’s ideal. Paul wanted the Galatians to be set free from the human burdens they were hoisting upon themselves and others. And that’s a freedom we would do well to embrace, too.

1. Nichol, Francis D. Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary and Bible Students’ Source Book, vol. 6 (1978), p. 932; The Remnant Study Bible, Remnant Publications (2009) p. 1386. [↵]
2. “Counsel of Jerusalem,” Encyclopedia Britannica. [↵]
3. Ibid. [↵]
4. Here this would mean gatherings or communities of believers, not church buildings or temples, etc. [↵]
5. Nichol, p. 956. [↵]
6. Ibid, p. 962. [↵]
7. Ibid. [↵]
8. Ibid, p. 898. [↵]
9. Ibid, p. 958. [↵]
10. Romans 7:15-20; Romans 10:3; Galatians 3:21-22. [↵]
11. Nichol, p. 969. [↵]
12. Ibid, p. 967. [↵]
13. Ibid. [↵]
14. Ibid, pp. 977-978, 981-982. [↵]

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