In 64 B.C. the Roman general Pompey defeated the king of Pontus, Mithradates VI, and established a foothold for Rome in the region. When the Last Galatian king, Amyntas, died in 25 B.C., the Romans inherited the kingdom. Caesar Augustus then created the Roman province of Galatia, making Ancyra the Capital and annexing a number of districts to the south and west, including Pisidia, Isauria, Phrygia, and Lycaonia. The term Galatia, consequently, is somewhat ambiguous. It may refer to the older ethnic region in north-central Asia Minor (north Galatia), or to the later and larger Roman province (including south Galatia).
On his first missionary journey (about A.D. 46-48), the apostle Paul and Barnabas evangelized the Galatian cities of Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe (Acts 13-14). Paul revisited the area on his second and third missionary journeys.
Although the point is debated, it appears that Paul's Epistle to the Galatians (Gal. 1:2; 3:1) was addressed to the churches founded by him in the southern part of the province of Galatia (south Galatian theory). No evidence exists to show that Paul visited the region of Galatia in north-central Asia Minor. Although Acts 16:6 and 18:23 are sometimes thought to refer to this more remote northern region, the context of these passages seems to point to southern Galatia (Acts 13-14).
Paul's epistle to the Galatians is a brief but energetic letter. Galatians is one of Paul's most commanding epistles; its importance far exceeds its size. It provides valuable information about Paul's life between his conversion and missionary journeys (1:11-2:14). Beyond its autobiographical value, however, Galatians ranks as one of Paul's great epistles; in it he forcefully proclaims the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Martin Luther, the Reformer, claimed Galatians as "my epistle". So wedded was Luther to Galatians, both in interest and temperament, that together, they shaped the course of the Reformation. Galatians has been called the "Magna Carta of Christian Liberty". The peals of its liberating truth have thundered down through the centuries, calling men and women to new life by the grace of GOD.
The letter to the Galatians was written in a spirit of inspired agitation. For Paul, the issue was not whether a person was circumcised, but whether he had become "a new creation" (6:15). If Paul had not been successful in his argument for justification by faith alone, Christianity would have remained a sect within Judaism, rather than becoming the universal way of salvation. Galatians, therefore, is not only Luther's epistle; it is the epistle of every believer who confesses with Paul:
Author: Paul
Date: 55-56 A.D.
Theme: Justification only by faith
Key words: Grace, gospel, faith, justification, promise, liberty, Law
ADDRESSEES:
Galatians is the only epistle that Paul directed specifically to a group of churches. Galatia wasn't a city, but a region of Asia Minor, that included many peoples. Its name originated in the first century B.C. when a tribe from Gaul emigrated to that region. In the first century A.D. the term "Galatia" was used, in its geographical sense, to denominate the north-central region of Asia Minor, where the Gauls had been established, and from the political point of view, to designate the Roman province of south-central Asia Minor. Paul sent this letter to the province of Galatia, an area that included the cities of Antioch, Iconia, Lystra and Derbe.
The Recipients and Location (HBH) - The ethnic Galatians of Paul's day were descendants of the cults who had migrated from Gaul to north-central Asia Minor several centuries before By the New Testament era, however, the Roman province of Galatia included territory well to the south of the original Galatian kingdom. It is difficult to determine in which of these areas "the churches of Galatia" (1:2) were located.
If Paul was writing to churches in North Galatia, the only possible occasions when he could have been that far north are found in Acts 16:6 and 18:23. Both of those passages make passing mention that Paul had traveled through the region comprising Phrygia and Galatia, providing no additional information about ministry. It is quite possible that this was when Paul planted and revisited churches in North Galatia, near what is today Ankara, the modern capital of Turkey. It is also unusual, however, that Acts would give virtually no background.
On the other hand, if Paul wrote to churches in South Galatia, the beginning of those congregations is prominently displayed in Acts 13-14. Much of the apostle's first missionary journey is focused in the southern Galatian cities of Pisidian Antioch, Lystra, Derbe, and Iconium. Even details about the evangelism, disciple making, teaching, and appointing of leadership in the new congregations is available (Acts 14:21-23).
One other consideration must be weighed in attempting to determine who were the recipients of the Book of Galatians. The primary subject developed in Galatians is "the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:5,14), which was also the focus of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15. Therefore we must ask whether the letter was written before or after the Council met. That question becomes even more necessary to address because Paul made mention in Galatians 1-2 of two trips he had earlier taken to Jerusalem.
If Paul wrote sometime after the Jerusalem Council, the visit in Galatians 2 is referring to the Council, though that is not readily apparent from a comparison of the passages. Also no mention of the pertinent findings of the Council in Galatians casts doubt on the later dating and North Galatian recipients.
Placing Galatians before the Jerusalem Council does not answer all possible questions. But it is quite plausible to parallel Galatians 2 with Paul's earlier visit to Jerusalem in Acts 11-12. Also the apostle's subject and purpose in writing Galatians fit well in the situation prior to the Jerusalem Council's addressing the issues surrounding the gospel. If that conclusion is correct, Galatians is the earliest of Paul's epistles.
DATE:
The question of the date of this epistle depends fundamentally on the relationship of 2:1-10 with Paul's visits to Jerusalem mentioned in Acts. Although chapter 2 can be identified with the visit related in Acts 11:30, some difficulties have arisen to connect it with the events of Acts 15. Paul probably wrote the letter around the years 55 or 56 when he was in Macedonia or Corinth during his third missionary journey.
OCCASION AND PURPOSE:
The legalists of the church, called Judaizers, taught that some laws of the Old Testament were still obligatory for Christians. They taught that GOD's promises reached only the Jews, and that Gentiles should be circumcised to be able to experience the fullness of salvation. They didn't deny that it was necessary to believe in Jesus, but insisted that wasn't sufficient. The Law had to be added to faith.
This doctrine was in open contradiction to Paul's insistence that salvation was by grace through faith, so the Judaizers tried to discredit his teachings, questioning his authority. They accused him of being a second-hand apostle, inferior to Peter and James. Even more, they said that he was an opportunist who made the gospel more attractive to the Gentiles, by discarding their valid requirements relating to the Law. Paul reacted vehemently against the evil propaganda of the Judaizers, affirming his apostolic authority and explaining the gospel of grace through faith.
CONTENT:
Galatia is divided into sections of two chapters each, with biographical, doctrinal and practical content. In the first of these (chapters 1 and 2), Paul defends his apostolic independence, not in a spirit of personal indignation, but with the purpose of establishing the divine origin of his gospel. In the doctrinal section (chapters 3 and 4), Paul presents a series of imperious arguments and illustrations to prove the inferiority of the Law to the gospel and to establish its true purpose. In the practical application of his doctrine (chapters 5 and 6), he exhorts the Galatians to make appropriate use of their Christian liberty and not abuse it. Instead of granting license to sin, the gospel provides them the means to achieve the rectitude that the Law demands.
Theme (HBH): The hub that holds Galatians together is its treatment of the gospel. Much like a scientist approaching data from every conceivable angle, so the apostle Paul considered "the truth of the gospel" (2:5,14): its origin, content, reception through justification by faith in Christ, scriptural support, and practical outworking. Considering its shorter length, Galatians actually is proportionately more saturated with "gospel truth" than even Romans. Perhaps the key verse of this power-packed letter is Galatians 2:16: "Know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ."
Literary Form (HBH): In most respects the Letter to the Galatians is quite similar to Paul's other letters, as well as the standardized epistles of the day. It was a well-defined introduction (1:1-5), body (1:6-6:10), and conclusion (6:11-18). There is not, however, the characteristic thanksgiving section, as in most of Paul's other letters (compare Phil. 1:3-11). Paul probably could find nothing to be thankful for in connection with the Galatians' rapid defection from the true gospel (Gal. 1:6-9)>
From a literary standpoint there is one more issue of a longstanding nature, plus a quite recent one, that are worthy of note. Paul's use of the allegory about Abraham's sons in Galatians 4:22-31 has been debated throughout church history. The meaning of the allegory is not in question but whether Paul was sanctioning the use of allegorical interpretation of Scripture. By and large the conclusion has been that the apostle was turning the false teachers' own brand of allegorizing back on them to make his point and was not other otherwise recommending the allegorical approach.
The recent issue has to do with whether Galatians is purposefully structured like a formal "apologetic letter" of that day. Certainly there are interesting parallels, especially related to 1:6-9 and 2:15-21. But there is not enough evidence presently to draw the firm conclusion that Paul crafted Galatians as an apologetic letter. Besides, the hurry in which Paul composed the epistle argues against such a highly stylistic framework for composition.
PERSONAL APPLICATION:
The same perversion of the gospel that Paul combats in his letter started appearing under different disguises. Legalism, with its preaching that justification or sanctification depends on people's personal efforts, denying thus the effectiveness of the cross, is the most persistent of the enemies of the gospel of grace. Circumcision and other requirements of the Mosaic Law could no longer be questioned regarding salvation, but many times, the observance of certain religious rules, regulations or rites were considered a condition, along with faith, to reach Christian maturity. Galatians openly denounces the dangers of legalism and establishes the essential truth of faith as the only requirement for salvation. This epistle became an emblem of the Protestant Reformation and is the Magna Carta of spiritual liberty for all time.
CHRIST REVEALED:
Paul teaches that Jesus places all those who believe in Him (2:16; 3:26) in a position of liberty (2:4; 5:1), freeing them from the hindrances of legalism and of licentiousness. The apostle's main emphasis is on the crucifixion of Christ, as the foundation for liberation from the curse of sin (1:4; 6:14), from oneself (2:20; see 5:24), and from the Law (3:12; 4:5). Paul also describes the dynamic union with Christ through faith (2:20), represented visibly in baptism (3:27), that connects all believers with him as brothers and sisters (3:28). About the person of Christ, Paul declares his divinity (1:1; 3:16) as much as his humanity (3:16; 4:4). The substance of the gospel is Jesus (1:7), who personally revealed himself to Paul (1:12).
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN ACTION:
The Judaizers were as mixed up about the meaning of sanctification as about the way of righteousness. A key passage is 3:2,3, in which Paul asks the Galatians, who admitted that they had begun the Christian life by the Spirit, why they now seek spiritual maturity through the works of the Law. Paul then invites them to let themselves be guided, for growth in the new life, by the Spirit himself to whom regeneration is due.
In 3:5 Paul asks the same question concerning the Holy Spirit. The language that he uses alludes to an experience in the Spirit, that goes beyond that which was His initial reception by the Galatians. The verb "supply" suggests a continuous and generous provision, while "does miracles" indicates that GOD continued performing wonders there through Spirit-filled believers, who hadn't fallen into the snare of legalism. The word "miracles" refers to charismatic manifestations of the Spirit that were evidenced by signs like those described in I Corinthians 12-14. The phrase "the promise of the Spirit" in 3:14 was also used by Paul to explain the experience of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (Acts 2:33).
These verses teach that we receive the Spirit by faith and that he continually manifests his power while we walk in faith.
In 5:16-25 Paul graphically describes a fiery and constant conflict between the flesh, our original nature, inclined to sin, and the Holy Spirit that dwells in us. Only the Holy Spirit, when we submit ourselves entirely to his control and we walk in Him, can put us in condition to mortify the flesh (verses 16,17), freeing us from the tyranny of the Law (v. 18), and permitting the fruits of holiness to grow in our lives (verses 22,23).
This section (5:16-25) is part of Paul's exhortation about the appropriate use of liberty. Without the control and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, liberty degenerates into licentiousness.
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