Why a series on the letter to the Galatians? First, because Paul's letter to the Galatians addresses Christian freedom. Here, Paul proclaims the reality of freedom for believers in Christ: freedom from law and the power of sin, and freedom to serve the living Lord. Second, the letter to the Galatians exalts the power of the gospel in the life of the believer.
Introduction to Galatians
Obviously the author of this letter is the Apostle Paul. Paul's authorship of this letter has never been seriously doubted, as it forms an important pillar of the Pauline Corpus. Galatians is very autobiographical and personal. Writes Bruce Barton: “In addition to internal evidence, Paul's authorship of the Galatians is asserted by many early church fathers, including Clement of Rome, Irenaeus, and Tertullian. Paul's authorship of the Galatians has been widely accepted by virtually all biblical scholars, including critics of the Bible. "
Now, regarding who the Apostle Paul writes, there has been a debate, as it is not certain where the Galatian churches were located or when Paul wrote Galatians. The reason is that, during the NT era, the term Galatians was used both ethnically and politically.
If "Galatians" is understood ethnically, the founding of the Galatian churches is only implicit in the NT. On Paul's second missionary journey, he "passed through the region of Phrygia and Galatia" (Acts 16: 6) in north central Asia Minor.
Politically understood, "Galatians" can refer to those who live in the southern part of the Roman province of Galatia. That region included cities of Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, where Paul worked to plant churches, as recorded in Acts 13: 14–14: 23.
This debate over the recipients of the letter and the date arises in part because of a connection to the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15). In this critical meeting, the church leaders resolved the theme that dominates Galatians: the relationship of the law with Gentile Christians. In Galatians, Paul may be articulating the decision of the council. Paul could also be offering the same point of view, before the council; this would mean that Paul's description of his time in Jerusalem and Antioch in Galatians 2: 1-14 probably correlates with Paul's time in Antioch (Acts 11: 19-30), but not with the events of Acts 15 (if this is the case, Paul visited Jerusalem an additional time not recorded in Acts).
Writes G. Walter Hansen: “The weight of the evidence seems to be in favor of a location in southern Galatia (Hemer 1990: 227-307 is the best recent defense of this point of view). In Paul's day, Galatia was the name of the entire Roman province that stretched from Pontus in the north to Pamphylia in the south. All the residents of this province were properly called Galatians, whatever their ethnic origin. In the 3rd century AD, the province of Galatia was roughly reduced to its former ethnological dimensions, the original northern territory of the Celtic invaders. Not surprisingly, patristic commentators, followed by medieval and Reformation commentators, assumed that Paul had addressed his letter to the churches in northern Galatia, since that was the only Galatia that existed in patristic times.
Paul normally classified the churches he founded according to the Roman provinces: "churches in the province of Asia" (1 Cor 16:19), "Macedonian churches" (2 Cor 8: 1), "you in Achaia" (2 Cor 9: 2). Therefore, it would be natural for Paul to refer to the churches in Iconium, Antioch of Pisidian , Lystra, and Derbe (all the cities within the Roman province of Galatia in his time) as "the churches in Galatia" and to refer to the members of those churches. like Galatians. In fact, no other unique name would have been appropriate for them. Since there is no clear evidence that Paul planted churches in northern Galatia, it seems best to take the account in Acts 13-14 as a record of the founding of the churches in Galatia that are covered in Paul's letter to the Galatians. . Acts 16: 6 and 18:23 refer to later visits by Paul to strengthen those same churches."
It is a debate about which we could continue investigating, however I'm inclined towards the recipients like all the Christian communities in Galatians. As for the date, it could be dated between 48 and 50 AD, this letter being one of the earliest of the apostle Paul.
Galatians was written to clarify and defend "the truth of the gospel" (2: 5, 16) against a false gospel. This was done by: (1) defending the message and authority of Paul as an apostle, (2) considering the basis of the gospel message in the Old Testament, and (3) demonstrating how the gospel message that Paul preached worked practically in the daily Christian life. Paul chose this approach to correct those in the Galatian churches regarding both their faith and their gospel-related practice.
The Lord's Call (Gal 1: 1-5)
After having considered some general information about this letter, let us consider Paul's greeting:
Paul, an apostle (not on the part of men or through any man , but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead), and all the brothers who are with me:
To the churches of Galatia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to free us from this present age evil, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
This is a very different greeting from those we find in other Pauline letters. Paul presents himself as an apostle, but not only that, but he makes a very important clarification as a result of the accusations that were being raised against him. We will look at two issues here:
a) Paul's call and his message:
Paul, an apostle (not on behalf of men nor through any man , but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead), and all the brothers who are with me.
Paul's greeting in the letter to the Galatians is unusual compared to his other letters, in which he describes his calling a little more. Here, Paul identifies himself as an apostle, a word that could be translated messenger or sent, and it is here that Paul makes a clarification:
He it is sent not from men.
He it is sent not by any man. These two clarifications are significant, in relation to what was happening in the Christian communities, since there were some agitators who were promoting the idea that Paul was not a true apostle such as the twelve, but that he was a simple messenger of the church of Jerusalem. In our eyes, this would not seem so serious, but the truth is that by placing Paul's position as an apostle in question, his message could also be questioned. Something that, in fact, was already happening.
That is why Paul reaffirms the source of his call, who is Jesus Christ. It was Jesus the Messiah, who called Paul, his call is found in Acts. 9: 1-10. So his calling does not come from a human entity but from the Lord himself, and what he proclaims, that is, the good news, comes from Christ. Paul affirms in 1 Corinthians 2:2, that his message is Christ and him crucified. The call that Jesus has made is to carry his name among the Gentiles. Here in Galatians, Paul refers to Jesus as the one who "gave himself for our sins." The work of Jesus was perfect and complete for redemption, that is why Paul directly attacks the false teaching that is spreading through the communities of Galatians, since these agitators are teaching that the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ was not enough, which must be added to faith in Christ, circumcision and other Jewish observances.
The atoning death of Jesus is a central and vital theme within the great history of the Scriptures, if we remove this or distort it, we will find an adulterated gospel. The death of Jesus was not an accidental death, a tragedy or a martyr's sacrifice, it was not an act of redemption that occurred according to the will of God the Father.
b) Regarding the identity of those promoting this false gospel, Charles B. Cousar offers a list of suggestions:
"a) A group of Christian Jews from Jerusalem, representatives of the circumcision party, who affirmed the support of Santiago.
b) Christian Jews not specifically supported by the Jerusalem authorities
c) Christian Jews with Gnostic persuasions, who acted in total independence from the Jerusalem church.
d) Gentile Christians (and Jews as well), who considered the Jerusalem church online that Paul had changed the message.
e) An opposition made up of two groups: Judaizing activists and spiritualists who felt exempt from moral issues."[1]
Obviously the author of this letter is the Apostle Paul. Paul's authorship of this letter has never been seriously doubted, as it forms an important pillar of the Pauline Corpus. Galatians is very autobiographical and personal. Writes Bruce Barton: “In addition to internal evidence, Paul's authorship of the Galatians is asserted by many early church fathers, including Clement of Rome, Irenaeus, and Tertullian. Paul's authorship of the Galatians has been widely accepted by virtually all biblical scholars, including critics of the Bible. "
Now, regarding who the Apostle Paul writes, there has been a debate, as it is not certain where the Galatian churches were located or when Paul wrote Galatians. The reason is that, during the NT era, the term Galatians was used both ethnically and politically.
If "Galatians" is understood ethnically, the founding of the Galatian churches is only implicit in the NT. On Paul's second missionary journey, he "passed through the region of Phrygia and Galatia" (Acts 16: 6) in north central Asia Minor.
Politically understood, "Galatians" can refer to those who live in the southern part of the Roman province of Galatia. That region included cities of Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, where Paul worked to plant churches, as recorded in Acts 13: 14–14: 23.
This debate over the recipients of the letter and the date arises in part because of a connection to the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15). In this critical meeting, the church leaders resolved the theme that dominates Galatians: the relationship of the law with Gentile Christians. In Galatians, Paul may be articulating the decision of the council. Paul could also be offering the same point of view, before the council; this would mean that Paul's description of his time in Jerusalem and Antioch in Galatians 2: 1-14 probably correlates with Paul's time in Antioch (Acts 11: 19-30), but not with the events of Acts 15 (if this is the case, Paul visited Jerusalem an additional time not recorded in Acts).
Writes G. Walter Hansen: “The weight of the evidence seems to be in favor of a location in southern Galatia (Hemer 1990: 227-307 is the best recent defense of this point of view). In Paul's day, Galatia was the name of the entire Roman province that stretched from Pontus in the north to Pamphylia in the south. All the residents of this province were properly called Galatians, whatever their ethnic origin. In the 3rd century AD, the province of Galatia was roughly reduced to its former ethnological dimensions, the original northern territory of the Celtic invaders. Not surprisingly, patristic commentators, followed by medieval and Reformation commentators, assumed that Paul had addressed his letter to the churches in northern Galatia, since that was the only Galatia that existed in patristic times.
Paul normally classified the churches he founded according to the Roman provinces: "churches in the province of Asia" (1 Cor 16:19), "Macedonian churches" (2 Cor 8: 1), "you in Achaia" (2 Cor 9: 2). Therefore, it would be natural for Paul to refer to the churches in Iconium, Antioch of Pisidian , Lystra, and Derbe (all the cities within the Roman province of Galatia in his time) as "the churches in Galatia" and to refer to the members of those churches. like Galatians. In fact, no other unique name would have been appropriate for them. Since there is no clear evidence that Paul planted churches in northern Galatia, it seems best to take the account in Acts 13-14 as a record of the founding of the churches in Galatia that are covered in Paul's letter to the Galatians. . Acts 16: 6 and 18:23 refer to later visits by Paul to strengthen those same churches."
It is a debate about which we could continue investigating, however I'm inclined towards the recipients like all the Christian communities in Galatians. As for the date, it could be dated between 48 and 50 AD, this letter being one of the earliest of the apostle Paul.
Galatians was written to clarify and defend "the truth of the gospel" (2: 5, 16) against a false gospel. This was done by: (1) defending the message and authority of Paul as an apostle, (2) considering the basis of the gospel message in the Old Testament, and (3) demonstrating how the gospel message that Paul preached worked practically in the daily Christian life. Paul chose this approach to correct those in the Galatian churches regarding both their faith and their gospel-related practice.
The Lord's Call (Gal 1: 1-5)
After having considered some general information about this letter, let us consider Paul's greeting:
Paul, an apostle (not on the part of men or through any man , but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead), and all the brothers who are with me:
To the churches of Galatia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to free us from this present age evil, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
This is a very different greeting from those we find in other Pauline letters. Paul presents himself as an apostle, but not only that, but he makes a very important clarification as a result of the accusations that were being raised against him. We will look at two issues here:
a) Paul's call and his message:
Paul, an apostle (not on behalf of men nor through any man , but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead), and all the brothers who are with me.
Paul's greeting in the letter to the Galatians is unusual compared to his other letters, in which he describes his calling a little more. Here, Paul identifies himself as an apostle, a word that could be translated messenger or sent, and it is here that Paul makes a clarification:
He it is sent not from men.
He it is sent not by any man. These two clarifications are significant, in relation to what was happening in the Christian communities, since there were some agitators who were promoting the idea that Paul was not a true apostle such as the twelve, but that he was a simple messenger of the church of Jerusalem. In our eyes, this would not seem so serious, but the truth is that by placing Paul's position as an apostle in question, his message could also be questioned. Something that, in fact, was already happening.
That is why Paul reaffirms the source of his call, who is Jesus Christ. It was Jesus the Messiah, who called Paul, his call is found in Acts. 9: 1-10. So his calling does not come from a human entity but from the Lord himself, and what he proclaims, that is, the good news, comes from Christ. Paul affirms in 1 Corinthians 2:2, that his message is Christ and him crucified. The call that Jesus has made is to carry his name among the Gentiles. Here in Galatians, Paul refers to Jesus as the one who "gave himself for our sins." The work of Jesus was perfect and complete for redemption, that is why Paul directly attacks the false teaching that is spreading through the communities of Galatians, since these agitators are teaching that the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ was not enough, which must be added to faith in Christ, circumcision and other Jewish observances.
The atoning death of Jesus is a central and vital theme within the great history of the Scriptures, if we remove this or distort it, we will find an adulterated gospel. The death of Jesus was not an accidental death, a tragedy or a martyr's sacrifice, it was not an act of redemption that occurred according to the will of God the Father.
b) Regarding the identity of those promoting this false gospel, Charles B. Cousar offers a list of suggestions:
"a) A group of Christian Jews from Jerusalem, representatives of the circumcision party, who affirmed the support of Santiago.
b) Christian Jews not specifically supported by the Jerusalem authorities
c) Christian Jews with Gnostic persuasions, who acted in total independence from the Jerusalem church.
d) Gentile Christians (and Jews as well), who considered the Jerusalem church online that Paul had changed the message.
e) An opposition made up of two groups: Judaizing activists and spiritualists who felt exempt from moral issues."[1]
Most authors suggest that option b, is the most acceptable description. Whoever they were, they were undoubtedly damaging the gospel message and Paul has to warn the brethren, and with that end in mind, the apostle does not beat around the bush or pretend that all is well. The gospel message is being distorted.
Some applications:
The message of the gospel is Jesus Christ: everything that concerns Him, his virgin birth, his ministry, his atoning death, his resurrection and his ascension. The gospel is not about having financial riches or better possessions, it is all about Jesus the Messiah.
All that distorts the message of the gospel, it is harmful. As innocent as it may seem to us, if it distorts the gospel, it must be discarded.
Some applications:
The message of the gospel is Jesus Christ: everything that concerns Him, his virgin birth, his ministry, his atoning death, his resurrection and his ascension. The gospel is not about having financial riches or better possessions, it is all about Jesus the Messiah.
All that distorts the message of the gospel, it is harmful. As innocent as it may seem to us, if it distorts the gospel, it must be discarded.
Our call is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, announced in the Old Testament and shown in the New. Let's preach all of Scripture.
[1]Cousar, C. B. (1986). Galatians: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Westminster John Knox Press.
[1]Cousar, C. B. (1986). Galatians: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Westminster John Knox Press.
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