The Epistle to the Galatians was most likely written when Paul was in Antioch at the conclusion of his first missionary journey (Acts 14:27-28). In the first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas spent most of their time in the area of Galatia (an area in modern day Turkey that contained the cities of Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe). In Acts 15, “certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question” (Acts 15:1-2). Paul must have, during this time, received a message from someone that the churches in Galatia are listening to these men from Judea and are turning away from the gospel he preached to them and want to be under the law of Moses (Gal 4:21).
It is for this reason, Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians (those whom he had just recently seen on his first missionary journey.) The churches in Galatia were new believers who have foolishly been misled by certain preachers who are preaching a different gospel. Paul is upset and in Galatians 4:20 he said, “I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you.” The churches in Galatia are turning away from the gospel of grace to bondage to the law.
A Crisp Greeting (1:1-2)
Paul’s greeting to the Galatians is different from most of his other epistles. Paul begins similarly with an introduction, “Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through 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.”, but he does not include a section of thanksgiving. In his letters to the Romans, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, he gives thanks to God for them. Even the Corinthians (with all their fighting and problems!) get a thanks to God for them from Paul. Why is a traditional “thanksgiving” section omitted in the introduction from Galatians? As we shall learn in this study of Galatians, there is a serious doctrinal issue at stake with them and Paul is indignant with them. He cannot give thanks to God for them if they have turned away from the gospel he preached to them. Tim Keller noted, “Perhaps the most striking aspect of the opening of Galatians is Paul’s tone, and the frame of mind that lies behind it. He is surprised. And he also seems angry. His language, almost from the outset, is remarkably strong.” Like a parent looking at a messy kid’s room, Paul doesn’t waste time with small talk; he gets straight to the point.
A Concise Reminder (1:3-5)
After a crisp greeting, Paul gives a concise reminder of the gospel he preached to them. Paul prays for the churches in Galatia, “Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ”. Once he mentions Jesus Christ, and knowing the main purpose for writing this letter, he gives a summary of the gospel to them. We will learn later in this letter that the Galatians were tempted to “Turn again to weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?” (4:9). Paul would say, “You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?” (5:7). The Galatians were led astray by false teachers “who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ” (1:7) and live under the authority of the law (4:21).
Paul wrote that Jesus “gave Himself for our sins…” (1:4). At the center of this important letter is the core message of the gospel. Jesus willingly gave Himself as a sacrificial offering unto God. He lived a perfect, sinless life and chose to allow Himself to be put to death for our sins. Sin is rebellion against God. “The wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23). God knows that our sin deserves punishment and is just in carrying out this punishment. God is also patient (2 Peter 3:9) and full of mercy (Psalm 145:8-9) and sent His Son into the world so that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:17).
Jesus gave Himself for our sins “that He might deliver us from this present evil age”. The salvation that Jesus offers is not just “fire insurance” that is payable upon death. Jesus saves us in this present age so that we would be delivered/freed/rescued from this present evil age. This is not a complete removal from the present evil age, but a rescue from its power so that we would function as salt and light in it (Matt 5:13-16). The gospel is also “according to the will of our God and Father” and results in God receiving “glory forever and ever. Amen.” There is no other gospel.
A Confounded Apostle (1:6-10)
The gospel is good news, it brings glory to God, and Paul is astonished that the Galatians are turning away from it. Paul spent his first missionary journey with the churches in Galatia and clearly presented the gospel to them. Now, he hears that they are wanting to live under the law and he can’t believe it. Instead of thanking and praising God for their faith, he wrote, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel” (1:6). Why are you turning away from the grace of Christ? It isn’t just that they are turning away, but turning away “so soon” (1:16). Later in chapter 3, verse 1, Paul wrote, “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?”
Paul is adamant: There is no other gospel! This echos what Peter preached in Acts 4:12, “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” The gospel message that Paul outlined in verse 4 is the true gospel. Anything that deviates from the gospel Paul presented is false and under God’s curse. The gospel is not a self-help program. The gospel is not “do better”. The gospel is not “keep these rules”. The gospel does not require good works to make one saved. All of these messages, even if they sound good, are messages of condemnation that result in the damnation of those who follow them. The gospel is trusting fully in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. As Christians, we trust in Christ alone for the forgiveness of our sins and our hope of eternal life. You receive the gospel by grace through faith (Eph 2).
Paul is adamant that the Galatians are not just wrong to turn back to the law, but if they actually do turn away, they are cursed to be condemned to hell. This isn’t just a curse from a disappointed apostle, but the just sentence carried out by God upon those who do not obey the gospel (2 Thess 1:8). In this very important book of the Bible, we shall see that it is the gospel of Christ that is the “power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” (Rom 1:16-17). Paul is not ashamed of the gospel and he pleads with the Galatians to live for the glory of God as a servant of God. Let us hear the warning from Paul and take heed. Let us love Christ and His gospel. Let us serve the Lord and call others to worship Him.
First Baptist Scott City, MO 
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