False teachers have convinced the Galatians that they are required to be circumcised. The result is division within their church (5:15). Paul gives numerous reasons why they should return to the simple truth of the gospel, which is the key purpose of Galations.
#1 - AUTHORSHIP
Galatians has been the Magna Carta of Christian liberty and the Christian declaration of independence.
Even the critical liberals‟ scholars acknowledging the Pauline authorship of this letter. There is nothing within the book or the writings of the church fathers that would cause anyone to question its authenticity.
The author called himself Paul twice (1:1; 5:2). The many historical references can be harmonized with the events of Acts and of the other Epistles:
1.His Pharisaical Jewish heritage (1:13-14 cf. Acts 22:3),
2.His persecution of the church (1:13; cf. Acts 7:58; 8:1-3),
3.His dramatic conversion on the way to Damascus (1:15-17, cf. Acts 9:1-25),
4.His visit to Jerusalem (1:18, cf. Acts 11:30),
5.His identification with Titus and Barnabas (2:1, cf. Acts 13:1-2),
6.His home church at Antioch (2:11, cf. Acts 13:1),
7.His physical problem (4:15, 6:11; cf. II Cor. 12:7-10).
#2 - TIME AND PLACE OF WRITING
Most of the older commentators favoured the north Galatian theory. If they are correct, then the Epistle had to be written during Paul‟s third missionary journey, probably from either Ephesus or Macedonian (AD. 53-56).
Contemporary scholarship has embraced the south Galatian view. This would mean that the letter could have been written at any time after the completion of the first journey AD 47-48.
The main issue here is whether Paul is writing before or after the Jerusalem council (Acts 15), which occurred in AD 48. The most plausible view is that Paul wrote Galatians just prior to the Jerusalem council, not least because the letter does not mention the council‟s verdict.
This means that Paul‟s two visits to Jerusalem mentioned in Galatians 1:18-24 and 2:1-10 corresponds with the visit mentioned in Acts 9:26-30 and 11:25-30 not Acts 15.
Most modern advocates of this theory place the writing of Galatians in Antioch just before the Jerusalem council. Consequently, after Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch after their first journey, Peter visited them and the church at Antioch.
There he fellowshipped with the Gentile Christians, when Paul arrived at Antioch, Peter withdrew from them and was reproved publicly by Paul. Judaizers meanwhile had invaded the south Galatian churches, teaching the necessity of circumcision to gain and to maintain salvation and denying Paul‟s apostleship.
When Paul received the report of this theological dilemma, he wrote Galatians prior to his attendance at the Jerusalem council.
#3 - ESTABLISHMENT OF THE GALATIAN CHURCH
During his first missionary journey (46-48 AD), Paul together with Barnabas had the opportunity to establish several churches in the Roman province of Galatia (Acts 13:14-14:23). On his second trip (49-52 AD), Paul and Silas visited them again (Acts 16:1-5).
#4 - PURPOSES OF THE LETTER
Paul wrote Galatians to guard the Gospel because the Galatians were in danger of forsaking it. When he learned what was happening in Galatia, he immediately wrote this letter.
In the first two chapters Paul attempted to vindicate his apostleship and message which were under attack through answers to these questions: where did he get his apostolic authority and message, and who accepted him as an apostle? Through constant autobiographical references he demonstrated that his apostle office was given directly by Christ and that it was recognized by the Jerusalem apostles. In doing so he made Galatians the second most autobiographical of his Epistles next to second Corinthians.
In the next two chapters (3-4), he logically explained and defended the doctrine of justification by faith. It was basically a counterattack against the false teaching that circumcision and legal obedience were necessary in addition to faith to secure a complete salvation.
The final two chapters (5-6) contain instructions for practical Christian living. The early section describes the spirit- controlled life (5:1-6:10), where as the closing paragraphs deal with warnings against the Judaizers (6:11-18).
#5 - OUTLINE OF THE LETTER
Gal. 1:1-10 – Introduction
Gal. 1:11-2:21 – God’s special revelation to Paul
Gal. 3:1-4:31 – Freedom through Grace rather than the Law
Gal. 5:1-6:10 – Freedom in the spirit
Gal. 6:11-18 – conclusion