Galatians – An Introduction

Hi All,

As you probably know, on the blog, intermittently, I walk through a certain book of the bible and share aspects of what I learn with you all.  I will be starting a walk through the book of Galatians. As I share what I learn, I hope it will encourage and bless you all too.

Before getting into the book of Galatians, it is worthwhile to spend some time studying the context and background of this particular epistle as it will lay a strong foundation and give clarity to our understanding of this book.

Author – The book of Galatians was written by the apostle Paul to churches in the region of Galatia, or what we now know as central Turkey. The very first verse in chapter 1, clearly indicate the author as Paul.

Galatians 1:1-2 “Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead and all the brothers and sisterswith me, to the churches in Galatia”

Audience – The church in Galatia was not a single church gathering, but a collection of churches in the southern region of the Roman province of Galatia which constituted of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. Paul had travelled to the area (documented in Acts 13-14) on early missionary journeys, sharing the gospel in the region.

Paul, after his conversion on the road to Damascus around 35 AD began to travel, teaching about Jesus. He was chosen by God to take the gospel to the gentiles. Acts 9:15 “But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.”  Between 48 – 49 AD, Paul travelled with varying companions through the Galatian region, preaching and planting churches as he went. Scholars agree that Paul wrote this letter to the Galatian churches around 49-50 AD.

Context – The churches in the region constituted then of Gentiles and Jewish Christians. Some of the Jewish Christians or Judaisers were perpetuating their view on how the gentiles could become Christians. They insisted that they had to abide by the laws of Torah in order to be saved, this was the teaching that began to emerge.

We read in Acts 15:1 “Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 

The gentile Christians in Galatia were confused and influenced by what the Judaisers were teaching and Paul wrote this letter to address this false teaching that had crept up into the churches there. Paul’s concern for the Galatians is evident in his words and in this letter he delves into some key points: Justification comes through faith alone, we are not to add or remove from the truth of the gospel. We are no longer bound by law; we have spiritual freedom in Christ but neither does it mean that this spiritual freedom is a licence to gratify one’s sinful nature. The Christian life is to be lived in the power of the spirit, the fruit of which will be evident through works.

As the Christians then needed to stand firm on the truth without deviating, we too need to stand firm. As we seek to follow Jesus, we are to make certain that we adhere to an accurate understanding of the gospel and how that translates into everyday life

God Bless.