Galatians

Authorized King James Version

Author: Paul the Apostle · Written: c. AD 49-55 · Category: Pauline Epistles

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1 2 3 4 5 6

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Introduction

Galatians is Paul's fiercest and most passionate letter, a theological thunderbolt defending the gospel of grace against the deadly poison of legalism. False teachers—the Judaizers—had infiltrated the Galatian churches, insisting that Gentile believers must be circumcised and keep the Mosaic law to be truly saved. Paul responds with white-hot urgency, pronouncing an anathema on anyone—even an angel from heaven—who preaches a different gospel. The letter's central battle cry, echoing through the Protestant Reformation and beyond, is justification by faith alone.

Written with an intensity that omits his usual thanksgiving, Paul wastes no time on pleasantries. He marvels that the Galatians are so quickly deserting the gospel for a different version that is no gospel at all (1:6-7). The letter alternates between autobiographical defense (chapters 1-2), theological argument (chapters 3-4), and ethical application (chapters 5-6), but all serve one purpose: to demolish the false gospel of works-righteousness and establish that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

The theological stakes could not be higher. This is not a matter of secondary importance or cultural preference—it strikes at the heart of the gospel itself. To add any requirement to faith in Christ is to nullify grace, make Christ's death pointless, and fall from grace into bondage. Paul's autobiography demonstrates that his gospel came by revelation from Jesus Christ, not from human sources. His confrontation with Peter in Antioch shows that even apostles can compromise the gospel under social pressure. The example of Abraham proves that justification has always been by faith, predating the law by 430 years.

Galatians introduces the Spirit versus flesh paradigm that dominates Christian ethics. Freedom in Christ is not license for the flesh but liberty to walk by the Spirit. Those led by the Spirit are not under law—they fulfill the law through love. The fruit of the Spirit stands in stark contrast to the works of the flesh. Believers are crucified with Christ yet alive in Him, dead to the law yet alive to God, freed from sin's slavery yet enslaved to righteousness and to one another through love.

Book Outline

Key Themes

Key Verses

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

— Galatians 1:8-9 (Paul's double anathema—a divine curse—on anyone preaching a different gospel establishes the non-negotiable nature of justification by faith alone. The gospel is not a human tradition subject to revision but divine revelation that must be guarded zealously. Even angelic authority cannot override apostolic gospel truth.)

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

— Galatians 2:16 (The clearest statement in Galatians of justification by faith alone. The triple repetition—not by works of law, but by faith in Christ, for by works of law no flesh will be justified—drives home the exclusive means of justification. Even Jewish believers like Paul and Peter recognized they needed Christ's righteousness, not law-keeping.)

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

— Galatians 2:20 (One of Scripture's most beloved verses, crystallizing union with Christ. The old self is crucified—dead to law, dead to sin. Yet Paul lives, though no longer the old 'I' but Christ living in him. The Christian life is Christ's life lived through the believer by faith. The ground is Christ's love demonstrated in His self-giving death.)

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.

— Galatians 3:13 (The substitutionary atonement stated with stark clarity. The law pronounces a curse on all who fail to keep it perfectly. Christ redeemed us by becoming the curse for us—bearing God's judgment that should have fallen on us. His crucifixion fulfilled Deuteronomy's pronouncement, revealing the cross as God's means of redemption.)

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

— Galatians 3:28 (The radical equality and unity of believers in Christ. The ethnic distinction between Jew and Gentile, the social distinction between slave and free, and the gender distinction between male and female—all lose their divisive power in Christ. This does not erase differences but establishes a unity that transcends them. All are one in Christ Jesus, Abraham's offspring and heirs according to promise.)

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

— Galatians 5:1 (The transition from doctrine to application, from theological argument to ethical imperative. Christ has secured freedom—from the law's curse, from sin's dominion, from bondage to elementary principles. Believers must stand fast in this liberty, actively resisting any teaching or practice that would re-enslave them. Freedom is both a gift to receive and a battle to maintain.)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

— Galatians 5:22-23 (The beautiful catalog of the Spirit's fruit contrasts with the ugly works of the flesh. These virtues are fruit—organic growth from the Spirit's life within—not works achieved by human effort. They fulfill the law's righteous requirement without placing believers under the law. Against such qualities, the law has nothing to say—they transcend legal categories.)

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

— Galatians 6:14 (Paul's concluding boast—not in his own accomplishments, credentials, or sufferings, but exclusively in Christ's cross. The cross is the place where the world's value system died for Paul and Paul died to the world's system. All other boasting—whether in circumcision, law-keeping, or religious pedigree—is excluded. The cross alone is the basis for boasting.)

Historical Context

The Galatian churches were founded on Paul's first missionary journey. After his departure, Judaizers arrived teaching that faith in Christ was not enough—Gentiles must also be circumcised and follow Jewish law. This was not a secondary issue but a fundamental perversion of the gospel. The Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) addressed the same question. Galatians may be Paul's earliest letter.

Literary Style

Galatians is urgent, even fierce. The letter lacks Paul's typical thanksgiving—he moves directly to rebuke ('I marvel that ye are so soon removed'). The argument alternates between personal narrative, scriptural interpretation, and ethical exhortation. Paul's emotions surface—astonishment, anguish ('O foolish Galatians!'), even sarcasm about the circumcisers. The Spirit-flesh contrast in chapter 5 is foundational for Christian ethics.

Theological Significance

Galatians is the Magna Carta of Christian liberty, the foundational document establishing that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Martin Luther called it his 'Katie von Bora'—his wife—because he was wedded to it. The Reformation rediscovered Galatians' central truth that justification comes not through works of law but through faith in Jesus Christ. The letter demolishes any attempt to add human achievement to divine grace as the basis for salvation.

The doctrine of justification by faith receives its clearest Pauline exposition here. A person is not justified by works of law but through faith in Jesus Christ (2:16). Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness (3:6). The law cannot justify; it can only reveal sin and pronounce condemnation. Those who rely on works of law are under a curse, for the law requires perfect obedience and no one achieves it (3:10). Christ redeemed us from the law's curse by becoming a curse for us (3:13). Justification is God's declaration that believers are righteous based on Christ's perfect obedience and substitutionary death, received by faith alone.

The relationship between law and promise occupies chapters 3-4. God's covenant with Abraham was based on promise and received by faith 430 years before the law was given. The law cannot annul the promise (3:17). The law's purpose was not to provide salvation but to increase transgression (3:19), serve as a custodian until Christ came (3:24), and shut everyone under sin so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe (3:22). Now that faith has come, believers are no longer under the law's custody (3:25). The law was temporary, preparatory, and has been fulfilled in Christ.

Union with Christ is expressed through identification with His death and resurrection. Paul was crucified with Christ (2:20), died to the law through the body of Christ (2:19), and now lives by faith in the Son of God. Believers have been baptized into Christ and have clothed themselves with Christ (3:27). Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires (5:24). This union is both positional (already accomplished at conversion) and progressive (being worked out in sanctification).

The Spirit's role in the Christian life is central to Galatians. Believers receive the Spirit by hearing with faith, not by works of law (3:2). The Spirit is the down payment and seal of salvation. Life is not lived by law-keeping but by walking in the Spirit (5:16, 25). The Spirit produces fruit organically (5:22-23), empowers victory over the flesh (5:16-17), and leads believers so they are not under law (5:18). The presence and power of the Spirit distinguish the new covenant from the old.

Galatians also presents a theology of Christian freedom. Christ has set believers free from the law's curse (3:13), from slavery to elementary principles (4:3, 9), from bondage to sin (5:1). But freedom is not license—it is liberty to serve one another in love (5:13). Freedom does not mean lawlessness but empowerment to fulfill the law through love as we walk by the Spirit. The paradox of Christian freedom is that we are freed from the law's condemnation yet fulfill its righteous requirement; freed from slavery yet become slaves to righteousness and to one another.

Christ in Galatians

Christ is the seed of Abraham in whom all nations are blessed (3:16). God's promises to Abraham find their fulfillment not in his physical descendants collectively but in one descendant—Christ. Those who are Christ's are Abraham's offspring and heirs according to promise (3:29). Christ is the one through whom Gentiles receive the blessing of Abraham and the promise of the Spirit (3:14).

Christ redeemed us from the law's curse by becoming a curse for us (3:13). He bore the penalty that the law pronounces on lawbreakers—cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. The crucifixion was not a tragic miscarriage of justice but God's ordained means of redemption. Christ took our curse upon Himself so we could receive His blessing. This substitutionary atonement is the foundation of justification.

Christ is the one in whom believers have died and in whom they live (2:20). Paul was crucified with Christ—his old self died. Yet he lives, though no longer as the old Paul but as one in whom Christ lives. The Christian life is Christ's resurrection life lived through the believer by faith. Believers are baptized into Christ, clothed with Christ (3:27), belong to Christ (5:24), and bear Christ's marks in their bodies (6:17).

Christ is revealed in Paul (1:16) for the purpose of preaching Him among the Gentiles. Paul's gospel came not from human sources but through revelation of Jesus Christ (1:12). The content of this gospel is Christ crucified and risen, the one through whom justification comes. To preach a different gospel is to preach a different Christ.

Christ gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from this present evil age (1:4). He is the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us (2:20). His self-giving death is the supreme demonstration of divine love and the sole ground of redemption. To make the law a requirement for salvation is to nullify grace and make Christ's death pointless (2:21).

The second coming of Christ appears in the hope of righteousness by faith (5:5). Believers await the righteousness for which they hope—the final vindication and glorification when Christ returns. Until then, we walk by faith and are being transformed into Christ's image as the Spirit produces His fruit in us.

Relationship to the New Testament

Galatians is Paul's most polemical letter, and its relationship to Romans is particularly close. Both letters expound justification by faith and use Abraham as the example. Romans is the calm, systematic exposition; Galatians is the passionate, urgent defense. Galatians 2:16 parallels Romans 3:20-28. The discussion of Abraham's faith (Galatians 3) corresponds to Romans 4. Union with Christ in Galatians 2:20 echoes Romans 6:1-11. The Spirit versus flesh contrast (Galatians 5) parallels Romans 8. Romans may be viewed as Galatians expanded and applied more broadly.

The Jerusalem Council recorded in Acts 15 addresses the same controversy Galatians confronts—whether Gentile believers must be circumcised and keep the Mosaic law. Galatians 2:1-10 likely describes the private meeting preceding the public council. The council's decision—that Gentiles are not required to be circumcised or keep the law—vindicates Paul's gospel. James, Peter, and John recognized Paul's calling to the uncircumcised and the grace given to him (Galatians 2:9).

Galatians' teaching on justification by faith influenced the entire New Testament understanding of salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 echoes Galatians: 'For by grace are ye saved through faith... not of works.' Philippians 3:9 reflects Galatians 2:16: righteousness comes not from law but through faith in Christ. Titus 3:5 affirms Galatians' message: salvation comes not by works of righteousness we have done but by God's mercy.

The allegory of Sarah and Hagar (Galatians 4:21-31) uses typology also found in Hebrews, which contrasts the old and new covenants extensively. The flesh versus Spirit paradigm (Galatians 5) is developed throughout Paul's letters and in 1 Peter and 1 John, which contrast life in the flesh with life in the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) parallels the virtues listed in Colossians 3:12-14 and 2 Peter 1:5-7.

Galatians' vision of unity in Christ transcending ethnic, social, and gender divisions (3:28) finds expression throughout the New Testament. Ephesians 2:11-22 describes how Christ broke down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile, creating one new man. Colossians 3:11 echoes Galatians 3:28. Philemon illustrates this unity as Paul appeals to Philemon to receive Onesimus no longer as a slave but as a brother in Christ.

The letter's ethical teaching on walking by the Spirit and bearing one another's burdens influenced early Christian moral instruction. The command to restore those caught in sin gently (6:1) parallels James 5:19-20. The principle of sowing and reaping (6:7-8) appears in various forms throughout Scripture. The call to do good to all, especially to the household of faith (6:10), shapes the New Testament's vision of Christian community.

Practical Application

Galatians confronts the perennial temptation to add human achievement to divine grace as the basis for acceptance with God. This temptation takes many forms—not just circumcision and Mosaic law-keeping but any system that makes salvation depend on our performance rather than Christ's finished work. Legalism is the false gospel that says 'Jesus plus...'—Jesus plus church membership, baptism, moral improvement, spiritual experiences, or religious observances. Galatians thunders 'No!'—Christ alone, faith alone, grace alone.

The letter calls believers to examine the gospel they believe. Is it the gospel of grace or a different gospel? Do we trust Christ's work or our own? Are we seeking to be justified by law-keeping or by faith in Christ? Have we begun by the Spirit only to try completing the work by the flesh? Paul's rebuke to the Galatians—'O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you?'—searches our hearts. The gospel is so easily corrupted by subtle additions and qualifications.

Christian freedom is precious and easily lost. Believers must stand fast in the liberty Christ has secured and not be entangled again in bondage (5:1). This bondage can be legal requirements for salvation, man-made religious rules elevated to divine commands, or cultural practices treated as essential to faith. The test is: Does this practice add to Christ? Does it make salvation depend on our performance? If so, it enslaves rather than liberates.

Yet freedom is not license. Paul anticipated the objection: 'Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?' His answer is clear—freedom is not an opportunity for the flesh but for serving one another in love (5:13). The entire law is fulfilled in loving your neighbor as yourself (5:14). Those who walk by the Spirit will not gratify the desires of the flesh (5:16). Freedom from the law's condemnation empowers, rather than undermines, holy living.

The letter teaches that the Christian life is lived by the Spirit, not by law. We do not become holy by trying harder to keep rules but by walking in step with the Spirit (5:25). The Spirit produces His fruit organically as we abide in Christ—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (5:22-23). These virtues are fruit, not works—they grow from life, they are not achieved by effort. Our role is to walk by the Spirit, and the Spirit produces the fruit.

Bearing one another's burdens (6:2) fulfills the law of Christ. Christian community is not competitive but compassionate. We restore those caught in sin gently, aware of our own susceptibility to temptation (6:1). We bear burdens too heavy for one person to carry. We share all good things with those who teach us (6:6). We do good to everyone, especially to fellow believers (6:10). The gospel creates a new community marked by mutual care and love.

Paul's boasting in the cross alone (6:14) rebukes all self-promotion and human glorying. We have nothing to boast about—our righteousness is as filthy rags. But in Christ's cross we boast—it is the place where the world died to us and we to the world. The cross demolishes all human pride and establishes humility as the Christian's fundamental posture.

The declaration 'I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me' (2:20) defines Christian identity. The old self is crucified—dead to law, dead to sin. Christ now lives in us by His Spirit. The Christian life is not our attempt to imitate Christ but Christ's life lived through us by faith. This removes the burden of self-effort and places Christian living on its proper foundation—the indwelling Christ working by the Spirit.

Finally, Galatians warns against false teachers who distort the gospel (1:7). These often appear sincere, religiously impressive, and concerned for purity. But if they add requirements to faith in Christ, they preach a different gospel and should be rejected. The church must guard the gospel zealously, recognizing that its corruption threatens eternal destinies. 'A little leaven leavens the whole lump' (5:9)—small compromises on the gospel eventually corrupt the whole.