Who Wrote Galatians?
The Apostle Paul wrote the book of Galatians. In fact, Paul wrote much of the New Testament. He authored 13 of the 27 books of the NT. He also figures very prominently in the book of Acts, which records the history of the early church. Paul was a Jewish man who had been a Pharisee before he became a Christian (Acts 23:6; 26:5; Phil. 3:5). Before his conversion, he persecuted Christians. His presence at the stoning of Stephen is recorded in Acts (8:1). It was on the way to persecute more Christians in Damascus that he was met by the risen Christ (Acts 9:1-19). Through this confrontation, Paul realized that Jesus was in fact God’s Messiah and the savior of the world, and he put his faith in him. Upon his conversion, Jesus called Paul to be an apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; Gal. 1:16; 2:7). Paul spent the rest of his life evangelizing the world, planting churches, and preaching that salvation is by the grace of God alone through faith in Jesus Christ.
What Is an Apostle?
In Galatians 1:1, Paul refers to himself as an apostle. He then goes on to spend much of the first and second chapters of the book defending his credentials as an apostle. Apostles were the leaders of the early church and the foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:20). They were God’s messengers sent out to preach the message of the gospel and establish churches. Apostles include the twelve disciples, James- the leader of the church in Jerusalem (and brother of Jesus), Paul, and others (Romans 16:7; 1 Cor. 15:7). Apostles were witnesses of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus (Acts 1:21-22). They laid the foundation of the church’s teaching and were responsible for much of the writing of the NT.
Who Were the Galatians?
The letter to the Galatians is addressed to a group of churches in the Roman province of Galatia (modern day Turkey). Paul started these churches, as recorded in Acts 13-14, during his first missionary journey. As was his custom, Paul would first go to the local synagogue and demonstrate from the Old Testament that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. However, while in Galatia, Paul faced considerable Jewish opposition and turned his attention to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46). The Galatian church was probably a mix of Jewish and Gentile Christians, like many of the early churches. The fact that some of the men in the church hadn’t been circumcised (5:2) would point to the fact that some of the church was Gentile.
When Was Galatians Written?
There is some debate about when Paul wrote Galatians. However, it seems most likely that it was written in A.D. 49-50 around the time of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15. This means that Paul wrote Galatians just after his first missionary journey in the area, establishing the churches that he is now addressing in this letter. Not long after the trip, he probably heard about certain teachers who were trying to force the church to add elements of the Jewish law as central to their salvation. Paul writes this letter to confront these teachers and ideas.
What Is the Message of Galatians?
In Galatians, Paul explores some important themes. At the beginning of the letter, he defends his authority as an apostle and a preacher of the Gospel. He demonstrates that he received the Gospel from the Lord Jesus Christ and not from people. His authority does not come from a church or the twelve disciples, but directly from Jesus Christ. This leads to the central message of Paul’s teaching and the letter: salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ and not by works. In the letter, Paul goes into great detail about justification by faith (being declared righteous by God, and thus forgiven of sins). He shows how this is not a new teaching. It reaches all the way back to the time of Abraham. Also, Paul teaches us the danger of trying to justify ourselves by works of the law. For the Galatians, this centered around circumcision and purity laws. They were being taught that you needed to do these works in addition to the work of Christ in order to be saved. Paul fights this belief by arguing that justification and true freedom come through faith in Christ, not through works. And that life is lived not by rule keeping, but by following the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Galatians in Church History
The book of Galatians has always played an important role in the church. Chrysostom, Jerome, and Augustine all wrote commentaries on the book. It was also used quite powerfully at the time of the Reformation. Martin Luther and John Calvin both demonstrated the abuses of the Catholic Church by teaching on the book of Galatians. Galatians is a powerful explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It continually serves Christians, reminding us and confronting us with the truth about salvation.
Article for this topic by Scott Creps.
