Galatians Simplified

Author & Audience

Galatians 1:1–2 (NASB95)

Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead), and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:

Author = Paul

Audience = Not the Church of Galatia, But the Churches of Galatia

Galatia is Not a City But a Roman Province

This Would Be Churches in Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.

Galatians May Be the Earliest of Paul’s Letters

If So, This Would Also Make it the Earliest Book of New Testament

Purpose

Paul Gets Right to the Point in this Letter:

Galatians 1:6–8 (NASB95)

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!

There Were Some False Teachers in Galatia Leading the People Away From the True Gospel

What Kind of Different Gospel was Being Preached in These Churches?

Galatians 5:1–4 (NASB95)

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

There Were Judaizers in the Galatian Churches

Jewish Christians Who Teach that One Must Become a Jew in Order to Be a Christian

You Must Be Circumcised, Celebrate the Holy Days, Refrain From Eating Certain Foods, etc.

This is a False Gospel

This Isn’t “Good News”, it’s Terrible News

It Means Nothing has Changed

We are Still in Slavery Under a Law that We’ll Never Be Able to Keep

But in this Letter, Paul Teaches that Jesus has Set Us Free From Slavery to the Law

But if We Begin Seeking Righteousness Through Obedience to the Law…

We Will Be Severed From Jesus

We Will Lose Out on the Grace of God

Galatians 2:21 (NASB95)

“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”

If Justification Could Be Attained By Obeying the Law, Jesus Didn’t Need to Die

But Justification Couldn’t Be Found in Law-Keeping

It Can Only Be Found in Jesus

Paul Tells Us Why These Judaizers Were Teaching this False Gospel

Galatians 6:12 (NASB95)

Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.

Most of the Early Persecution of Christians Came From the Jewish People

These Judaizers Tried to Ride the Fence

They Claimed to Be Followers of Jesus…

But They Commanded Gentiles to Keep the Laws of Moses…

So the Jewish Elites Wouldn’t Persecute Them

Paul is Writing to the Galatian Churches to Warn Them Against this False Gospel…

And Reminding Them of the Justification and Freedom They Have in Christ

Themes

Galatians is Very Similar to Paul’s Letter to the Romans

Paul is Dealing with Justification By Faith and Not By Works of the Law (Like in Romans)

So We See Similar Themes in this Book to the Themes We Saw in Romans

I’ve Got 5 Key Words that Reveal to Us the Themes of the Book

The Primary Theme is “Gospel” (15 Times)

Paul Mentions the Gospel More in this Letter Than Any of His Other Letters

In this Letter He’s Teaching Against the False Gospel of Legalism…

And For the True Gospel of Justification Through Faith in Jesus

4 Other Key Words are:

“Promise” (11) - “Law” (39) - “Flesh” (18) - “Spirit” (19)

God Made a Promise to Abraham that All Nations Would Be Blessed Through His Seed/Descendant

Then 430 Years Later the Law was Given Through Moses

But the Giving of the Law Did Not Cancel Out the Promise

All Nations Would Still Be Blessed Through the Seed Promise

The Law was Only Meant to Be Temporary Until the Descendant Arrived

Paul Describes the Purpose of this Temporary Law in 2 Ways:

The Law Imprisoned Us Under Sin, Exposing Our Disobedience

But the Law Also was a Guardian that was Meant to Keep Us on the Right Track

These Were the Purposes of the Law Until the Descendant of Abraham Would Come

Once He Came, the Law Would No Longer Be Necessary

But Those Who Place Their Faith in the Messiah Would Be Justified

Those Who Place Their Faith in the Messiah and are Baptized into Him…

Become God’s Children and Heirs to the Promise God Made to Abraham

The Promise of Blessing to All the World

Galatians 4:6 (NASB95)

Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Because We are God’s Sons (Heirs of the Promises), We are Given the Spirit of His Son

Those Who Have the Spirit of Jesus Do Not Conduct Themselves According to the Flesh

Those Who Live According to the Law, Live By the Desires of the Flesh

Those Who Live According to the Spirit, Live By the Desires of the God’s Spirit

Galatians 5:16–25 (ESV)

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Having a Written Code of Law Let’s You Know What to Do and What Not to Do

It Also Let’s You Know Every Time You Fail to Perfectly Follow it

But it Doesn’t Take Away Your Desires to Disobey it…

In Fact, it Only Increases Those Desires

But God’s Spirit Produces Within Us the Desire to Please God

Law is No Longer Needed Because We Have God’s Spirit Conforming Our Desires to God’s

This Will Lead to True Obedience From the Heart

Living a Life of Trying to Outwardly Follow Law Results in the Works of the Flesh:

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Because Following a List of Rules Doesn’t Change Our Hearts…

Trying to Live By a List of Rules Will Only Result in Works of the Flesh

But Living a Life of Following the Spirit’s Guidance Results in the Fruit of the Spirit:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

These are Virtues and Characteristics of New Creation in Jesus

Those Who Have the Spirit Indwelling Them Will Produce this Sort of Character

The Spirit Won’t Make Us Have All of These Attributes

But He Will Help Them Come Much More Naturally to Us

He Helps Us Desire What God Desires

But it Does Take Effort on Our Part as Well

We Must Crucify the Flesh with its Passions and Desires

And We Must Keep in Step with the Spirit

To Conform to His Standard of How We Should Live

To Follow His Lead

We Seek to Please God From the Heart, the Spirit Will Be Our Helper

Summarized Outline

1.) Paul’s Defense of His Gospel (1-2)

Paul Rebukes the Galatians Churches for Turning to a False Gospel

He Then Tells Them that the Gospel He Preached to Them Came Directly From Jesus

God had Given Him the Mission of Taking the Gospel to the Gentiles

Even the Other Apostles and Pillars of the Jerusalem Church…

Recognized Paul’s God-Ordained Mission to the Gentiles

Paul Isn’t Preaching a Watered-Down Version of the Gospel to the Gentiles

He Isn’t Trying to Be a People Pleaser

As Proof of that, He Tells the Galatians About the Time He Rebuked Peter…

For Showing Favoritism Toward Jewish Christians

2.) The Gospel = Justification By Faith (3-4)

The Galatians Were Being Deceived into Believing a Works-Based Righteousness

So Paul Asks Them About Their Own Experience with the Gospel

Did They Receive the Spirit Through Works or Through Faith?

Then He Asks Them About How Abraham was Justified, By Works or Faith?

Then He Quotes OT Scriptures to Them that Proved:

Any Attempt to Be Justified By Law-Keeping Only Results in a Curse

But Those Who Received the Spirit of God Through Faith in Jesus…

Inherit the Blessing Promised to Abraham

The Old Covenant was Only a Temporary Covenant Until the Seed of Abraham Would Arrive

Now that He has Arrived, Those Who Have Faith in Him are Made Sons of God

But if These Gentile Christians Turn to Judaism…

It’s No Better Than if They Were to Return to Pagan Idolatry

Justification By Faith in Jesus is Freedom From the Law of Slavery

Why Would We Want to Return to Slavery?

3.) The Lifestyle of the Justified (5-6)

Having Freedom From Law in Christ Doesn’t Mean Freedom to Sin

A Spirit-Led Life is Characterized By Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control

Key Passage

Galatians 6:15 (NLT)

It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation.

This is the Concluding Point and the Main Point of the Book

The Goal of the Gospel is Not Law, Ceremony, or Ritual Keeping

The Primary Goal of the Gospel is to Recreate Us into What God Desires for Us to Be

We are to Be a New Creation After the Image and Character of Jesus

He is What Humanity is to Be Like

And that is What Faith in Him Can Accomplish