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An introduction to the book of Galatians.
The apostle Paul wrote this letter
during or after his second missionary tour,
either from Corinth or from Syrian Antioch.
Although he usually used a secretary
to write his letters,
Paul himself wrote the letter
to the Galatians.
Galatians was written about 50 to 52 C.E.
Did you know?
Galatia was the Roman province
that occupied the central portion
of what is now known as Asia Minor.
The Galatian congregations
to whom Paul wrote
may have included the ones
in Pisidian Antioch,
Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.
Paul used this letter to counteract
the work of false teachers
who were asserting
that observance of the Mosaic Law
was an essential part of true Christianity.
The letter to the Galatians has six chapters.
In chapter 1,
Paul relates his own experience
of conversion from Judaism to Christianity.
He reminds the Galatians
that what he has taught them
came through a revelation by Jesus Christ
and that they should not deviate from it.
In chapters 2 and 3,
Paul reasons that “works of law”
cannot make one righteous.
He calls the Law “a guardian”
that led people to the Christ.
It is faith in Jesus
that makes one righteous.
Paul identifies Abraham’s spiritual offspring
as Christ
and those who are heirs with Christ.
The Galatians, though, are in danger
of becoming enslaved to the teachings of men,
Paul warns in chapters 4 to 6.
In chapter 4,
Paul introduces a symbolic drama,
using the example of Hagar and Sarah
and their children, Ishmael and Isaac.
Hagar and Ishmael correspond
with enslaved earthly Jerusalem
and her children, or citizens.
Sarah and Isaac correspond
with “the Jerusalem above”
—the heavenly part
of Jehovah’s organization—
and her children,
the spirit-anointed and free sons of God.
That freedom, however,
should not be used as an excuse
to pursue a sinful course,
Paul cautions.
He contrasts the works of the flesh
with the fruitage of God’s spirit,
and he teaches that we reap what we sow.
As you read the letter to the Galatians,
note how Christians
can be declared righteous
only by means of faith,
how those who display
the fruitage of God’s spirit reap benefits,
and how Abraham’s spiritual offspring
are identified
as Christ Jesus and the joint heirs
of his everlasting Kingdom.

Introduction to Galatians