Written by Paul somewhere around AD 49-50, Galatians is a letter given to many churches within the region of Galatia in order to defend the church against the false doctrine being propagated by Judaizers. These teachers had been instructing the Gentiles that they should first convert to Judaism (Mosaic system of the Old Testament) before they could become believers. In Galatians 1:7 Paul referred to their teaching as a “different gospel” because they had added many rituals and ceremonies from the Mosaic law as a prerequisite for salvation. It appears that the churches in Galatia were being deceived by this false teaching and Paul’s purpose in writing this letter was to instruct and warn them about the dangers of accepting it. Paul wanted his readers to understand that justification (being declared righteous) is only by grace through faith. Paul was definitely qualified to address this issue because he also had converted from Judaism; in fact, Paul had thorough training in the Old Testament scriptures as he studied under Gamaliel, a famous rabbi in Jerusalem. Paul was a part of the Pharisees who were a group of Jews steeped in tradition and their own interpretations of the Old Testament law. They were more interested in obeying externally instead of obeying from the heart. Paul moved up in the ranks of the Pharisees and even persecuted Christians; however, after encountering God on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) Paul converted to Christianity and became a missionary who spread the gospel to many places. Galatians is a letter from Paul’s heart to defend the doctrine of justification by faith.
Dear God, provide a great understanding about justification by faith and the visible results it will produce in my life as I read the book of Galatians.
