The churches in Galatia consisted of new believers who were primarily Gentiles. They heard the gospel from Paul during his first missionary journey, but found themselves in the midst of an important debate regarding whether or not Gentile Christians should be circumcised and keep the law of Moses. Thankfully, the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) confirmed that Gentiles must not be burdened with these requirements. The book of Galatians is written shortly before the Jerusalem Council met and in this book we see Paul’s argument for the grace of God against the bondage of the law for believers. He begins his argument in this book by detailing his journey from being a Pharisee to an Apostle and along the way defending the gospel of grace.
As a Pharisee under the Law (1:11-14)
The gospel of grace is superior to the law. Paul knows what he is talking about when he warns against turning back to the law. He told the Galatians, “For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.” He continues, “I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.” Listen to the one who knows all about zeal for the traditions and the law: “It does not produce the righteousness of God!” The righteousness God demands comes through Christ, not the law.
As a Disciple in Transit (1:15-24)
The gospel of grace is the divine message from Christ. In these three verses, Paul makes it clear that he is not parroting a message that he heard from some other men. The gospel he proclaims was divinely received from Christ Himself. He does not go into detail in Galatians about when he was called by God’s grace, but you can read about this in Acts 9. He stresses in these verses that he “did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me…” The gospel of grace comes directly from Christ Himself.
The gospel of grace transforms people so that they would bring glory to God. Three years later, Paul “went up to Jerusalem to see Peter…[and]…James, the Lord’s brother.” Paul made this trip to fellowship with these key apostles and is telling the Galatians of this meeting in order to show that this message is not in conflict with the teaching of the apostles in Jerusalem. After his quick meeting in Jerusalem, Paul went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. Those who heard about Paul’s conversion and gospel proclamation declared, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” Seeing Paul’s new faith and what God has done in his life, they glorified God!
As an Apostle of Christ (2:1-21)
The gospel of grace gives us liberty in Christ Jesus. Fourteen years later, Paul “went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus.” Paul went “by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles.” Paul did not do this because he needed the approval of the apostles, but because he wanted the truth of the gospel of grace to be embraced by all Christians. Paul wrote, “False brethren secretly brought in (who came by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.”
Paul defended the gospel of grace by refusing to allow Titus to be circumcised. If you remember, the men who came from Judea were teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1). Paul fought this lie vigorously and James, Peter, and John “perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship.”
The gospel of grace justifies us by faith so that we live for Christ. Sometime after Paul’s meeting with the apostles in Jerusalem, Peter came to Antioch. When Peter arrived, he ate with Gentiles. However, when certain men from James came, Peter “withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.” Paul became aware that they “were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel” and opposed Peter directly; saying, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?”
The reason Paul defended the gospel of grace so intensely is because “a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law no flesh will be justified.” This is not a minor squabble, this debate is about how one is justified before God. Are we seeking to be justified by Christ or are we seeking to be justified by keeping the law? There is only one means of salvation and that is through faith in Jesus Christ.
The men who came from Judea to Antioch (and Galatia) claimed Gentiles must be circumcised and keep the law to be saved. One of their reasons was their belief that adherence to the law kept one from being a sinner. From their perspective Paul is living like a Gentile sinner. Paul’s response is that the new life in Christ is a life of liberty. This does not mean that Christ is a minister of sin, but that He has granted His followers freedom from strict adherence to the law. These men, who pervert the gospel, applaud Peter for “building again those things that are destroyed” (e.g., separation from Gentiles) and rebuke Paul for “dying to the law and being made alive to God” (2:18-19).
This brings us to Paul’s main point. He said, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Christians are saved by grace through faith in Christ and continue to live by faith in Christ in this present age. For the Christian, we live in the liberty of faith as opposed to bondage to law. It is unfathomable to go back to the law because righteousness comes from the gospel of grace. If “righteousness comes from the law, then Christ died in vain.”
The gospel of grace is: 1) superior to the law, 2) the divine message from Christ, 3) transforms people so that they would give glory to God, 4) gives us liberty in Christ Jesus, and 5) justifies us by faith so that we can live for Christ. In it is found the righteousness of God that saves us.
First Baptist Scott City, MO 
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