Get Ready
Many believe this letter is the earliest writing about the developing Christian faith in the first century. It is a shorter and more personal statement about the Gospel of salvation by faith in God’s grace and Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection.
Author
Paul wrote this letter to the churches in Galatia (a region in Asia Minor – modern Turkey) right after he finished the first missionary journey – in 49. This makes it one of the earliest known writings about the developing Christian church. It is also one of the first written statements of Christian beliefs. [See page 237 for background on the Apostle Paul.] Some scholars argue this letter was written after the Jerusalem Council (which occurred in 49 or 50) because Paul’s description of a meeting he had with church leaders in Jerusalem is similar to Luke’s description of the council meeting [Acts 15]..
Context
Paul’s first missionary journey went from Antioch in Syria to the island of Cyprus and several cities in Asia Minor, including Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Pisidian Antioch [check Acts 13-14]. He usually went first to the local synagogue and preached that Jesus is the Messiah the law and the prophets promised. He also preached the same Gospel to the Gentiles in each area. Because he did not require Gentile believers to go through the Jewish rituals – especially circumcision – he was unpopular with local Jewish leaders.
When the missionaries returned to Antioch they discovered that Judaizers (Jewish Christians from Jerusalem) had visited the same cities and preached that, in addition to believing in Jesus, the Gentiles had to follow Jewish law and custom, including circumcision for all male believers. They accused Paul of “watering down” the Gospel to make it easier for Gentiles to become followers of Jesus, and they further criticized Paul’s authority as an Apostle because he was not one of the original twelve.
Structure
The letter has three primary sections, in addition to the introduction [1:1-10] and conclusion [6:11-18]:
- In the first section Paul defends his authority as an Apostle [1:11-2:21]. The Judaizers had argued that Paul was not one of Jesus’ original disciples, therefore he was not preaching the “complete” Gospel.
- • The heart of the letter is Paul’s defense of the Gospel of salvation by grace alone [3:1-4:31]. He explains the role and limitations of the law in contrast to the freedom of faith in Christ.
- In the last section Paul tells the believers how to live by faith [5:1-6:10]. He deals specifically with circumcision, “works” of those who do not live “by the Spirit,” and relationships among believers.
In his introduction Paul sets the tone of the letter. He calls himself, “An Apostle – sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities,” [1:1]. He directly confronts the challenge to his authority. He also tells the Galatian believers, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ,” [1:6]. The New Living Translation puts it: “I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God.”
Major Themes
Paul’s main goal in writing this letter is to stop the believers in Galatia from following Jewish rituals and customs as a substitute for trusting in Christ’s saving death and resurrection. He uses two primary arguments:
- There is only one Gospel. A person gains a relationship with God only through faith in Jesus Christ’s saving death and resurrection. Any message that adds conditions or requirements is not just a “different” gospel; because it is not true it “perverts the Gospel of Christ,” [1:7}.
Even Abraham, on whom the Judaizers relied to support the requirement of circumcision, was considered righteous before he was circumcised. God’s promise of righteousness through faith came before the ritual of circumcision.
Paul also argues that the law can show us our unrighteousness, but it can never help us to become righteous. If it could then Christ’s sacrifice would not have been necessary.
- The Gospel gives spiritual freedom. A person justified by Christ’s death is free from sin – free from the constraints of spiritual death and now free to love God and love others. A believer who tries to follow the old law is giving away the freedom that Christ provides: Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you, [5:2].
But freedom does not mean self-indulgence with no accountability. Paul tells the Galatians The whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” [5:14].
Paul concludes his letter: For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! [6:15].
Get into the Word
1. Who wrote this letter? When was it written? What is significant about the timing of this letter? Who was the intended audience?
2. What were the circumstances behind this letter? What had Paul been doing just prior to writing this letter? What had he accomplished? What message did he carry to the Gentiles in the region?
3. Who else was involved? What were these people doing with Paul’s work? What were they teaching the Galatians? What did they say about Paul? Why would this be important to Paul? To the Galatian Christians? To the church?
4. How is this letter organized? What are the major sections of the letter? How do the sections related to each other? Why was it necessary for Paul to begin by justifying his role as an Apostle? How does he do this?
5. What is the main part of the letter about? What does Paul say about the Gospel? What does he say about the Jewish law? How are the two related? How are they different? Which were the Galatian believers focusing on?
6. What does Paul deal with in the last major section? Why do you think he includes subjects like this in the letter? Why is it important that those who follow Jesus “live by the Spirit?”
7. What is Paul’s purpose in writing this letter? What does he want the Galatian believers to do (or not do)? What are his primary arguments? How does he support these positions? How does he explain them to his readers? How do you think they responded to Paul’s argument?
Bible Trivia
At the University of Wittenberg Martin Luther was assigned to teach the books of Galatians and Romans. His study of these two letters led him to question the rules and customs of the Roman Catholic Church. He came to understand the extravagant generosity of God in setting us free from sin and giving us the power to live an abundant, purposeful, graceful life. This led to his excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church – but it also led to the Reformation.
67: Law or Faith – Galatians 3:1-29
Get Ready
Have you ever become involved in a project or activity and then started to wonder if perhaps you made a mistake early on? Did you stop and analyze the situation before continuing? Did you try to go back over your prior actions to see if there was an error? Were you able to continue or finish the project?
The Word
3You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly exhibited as crucified! 2 The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? 4 Did you experience so much for nothing?—if it really was for nothing. 5 Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?
6 Just as Abraham “believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” 7 so, you see, those who believe are the descendants of Abraham. 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the Gentiles shall be blessed in you.” 9 For this reason, those who believe are blessed with Abraham who believed.
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book of the law.”
11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law; for “The one who is righteous will live by faith.” 12 But the law does not rest on faith; on the contrary, “Whoever does the works of the law will live by them.”
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”— 14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
15 Brothers and sisters, I give an example from daily life: once a person’s will has been ratified, no one adds to it or annuls it. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring; it does not say, “And to offsprings,” as of many; but it says, “And to your offspring,” that is, to one person, who is Christ. 17 My point is this: the law, which came four hundred thirty years later, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. 18 For if the inheritance comes from the law, it no longer comes from the promise; but God granted it to Abraham through the promise.
19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring would come to whom the promise had been made; and it was ordained through angels by a mediator.
20 Now a mediator involves more than one party; but God is one.
21 Is the law then opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could make alive, then righteousness would indeed come through the law. 22 But the scripture has imprisoned all things under the power of sin, so that what was promised through faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. 27 As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise. NRSV
Get into the Word
1. How does Paul begin this section of the letter? What question does Paul pose to the Galatians? How does he answer it? Why is he focusing on their experience so much? What is his next question? What is the answer this time?
2. Who does Paul bring up as his prime example? What is significant about him [See Notes]? What does Paul say about his children? How does Paul support his position on faith and the promise?
3. What is the difference between the promise and the law? Why does one carry a blessing and the other a curse? Who is subject to the curse? Why is this a “no win” situation? How has God dealt with the seemingly impossible situation?
4. Where does Paul go next in his discussion? How does Paul use the current culture to support his argument [see Notes]? How does he conclude his argument about faith versus the law?
Get Personal
We have all lived in a world where when we do something right we receive a reward, whether it’s grades in school or pay at work. How has God helped you accept the promise of his Spirit as the free, unearned gift that it is?
Notes . . .
3:1. Foolish Galatians — Paul’s questions may be rhetorical, but his frustration with their actions regarding the law is very real.
3:3. Ending with the flesh — the Galatians began their new life with the Holy Spirit; but trying to follow the law is a work of the “flesh.”
3:5. Miracles — the Galatians had experience of the Spirit’s work in their community – before they knew anything about the Jewish law.
3:6. Abraham believed — the quote is from Genesis 15:6 – well before he gave the law to the Jews, God counted Abraham “righteous.”
3:7. Descendants — Paul refers to Abraham’s spiritual children, not his biological descendents.
3:8. Beforehand — Paul uses another well-known passage [Gen 12:3]. God’s promise of blessing precedes the law and has no conditions.
3:10. Under his curse — God’s curse is on everyone who fails to follow all the law [Deut 27.26].
3:11. Through faith — from Habakkuk 2:4.
3:12. Does not rest on faith — Paul paraphrases Leviticus 18:5:
3:13. Redeemed us — Paul sees Christ’s crucifixion (hanging on a tree) as the necessary fulfillment of the law’s demands, [from Deut 21:23].
3:14. Promised Holy Spirit — in his letter to the Ephesian church, Paul said, The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised, [1:14].
3:15. An example — Greek law actually prohibited any change to a will once it had been filed; Paul applies the same principles to the “agreement” between God and Abraham; the law cannot undo God’s promise of the blessing.
3:17. 430 years — from Exodus 12:40. It was actually more time because 430 years does not include the time between the promise to Abraham and Jacob’s travel to Egypt.
3:19. Why? — having shown that the law is not necessary to receive God’s blessing, Paul now offers a rationale for the law.
Through angels — Jewish tradition held that the law came to Moses through angels.
3:22. Scriptures declare — contemporary Jewish teaching agreed that all people are sinners. Paul will deal much more thoroughly with this argument in his letter to the Romans [3:10-18].
3:28. All of you are one — Paul concludes by stressing the unity of believers “in Christ Jesus,” a theme in almost every one of his letters.
Memory Verse
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus, [Galatians 3:28].
Next Lesson
Ephesians 2: Alive in Christ
Verse 10 is confusing–well a lot of it is confusing–we are saved by grace alone not by the works that we perform–(my thinking is that our faith makes or causes us to want to do good works) but in this verse it seems he is saying that we have to obey the law “cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book of the law”
The key word is “rely.” A person who relies on the works of the law believes she or he can “earn” their salvation by successfully doing the works. But nobody can successfully do all the works of the law, so they fail. They are under the curse of trying to do something they cannot do.