Galates
Summary Galatians is a letter explaining the gospel that a person is justified not by works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ.
- Date written
- AD 46 – 57
- Historical period
- Early church era
Background
The author of Galatians is the apostle Paul. This letter was sent to the churches in the region of Galatia that Paul had founded during his missionary journeys. After Paul left, some teachers of Jewish background came into the churches and taught that Gentile believers also had to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses in order to become God’s people. Because of this situation, Paul wrote this letter to explain once again that, according to the gospel, a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law. It is generally dated between AD 46 and 57.
Content
Galatians 1–2 is the section explaining Paul’s apostleship and the source of the gospel. Paul emphasizes that the gospel he preached was not received from any human being but through a revelation of Jesus Christ. Chapters 3–4 explain that the basis on which a person is justified is not the law but faith. Through the example of Abraham it explains the principle of being justified by faith, and it explains the role and the limits of the law. Chapters 5–6 explain freedom in Christ and a life of walking by the Spirit. Contrasting the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit, they urge a communal life and practice lived in the Spirit.