“Galatians,” Scripture Helps: New Testament (2024)
Scripture Helps
Galatians
Paul wrote to the Galatian Saints because some had strayed from the Lord and embraced false teachings. He defended his calling as an Apostle and emphasized that he received revelation directly from God. Paul taught that people are justified not by the works of the law of Moses but by their faith in Jesus Christ and also by Christ’s own faithfulness. Through His Atonement, Jesus Christ redeemed humankind. Paul counseled the Saints to live in the liberty of the gospel covenant and enjoy the fruits of the Spirit. Saints should bear one another’s burdens and not be weary in well doing. Paul taught the law of the harvest.
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Background and Context
To whom was Galatians written and why?
Paul visited the Galatian churches on his second and third missionary journeys. He likely wrote his epistle to the Galatians while traveling through Macedonia during his third missionary journey, about AD 57. Galatia was a region in north-central Asia Minor, covering most of present-day Turkey. The population had emigrated from western Europe (modern France), where they had been known as Gauls.
Paul was concerned that the Galatian Saints were being drawn away from the true gospel by some who were trying to pervert it. Paul’s letter indicates that those perverting the gospel were Jewish Saints who insisted gentile Saints must be circumcised and observe the law of Moses to be saved. Some Galatian Saints had embraced these teachings.
The book of Galatians is a sharp rebuke to both the Church members who were straying and the false teachers who were leading them astray. The main points of this letter are as follows:
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Paul defending himself against the accusations of the false teachers who opposed him
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Affirming that all people, whether Jew or Gentile, are saved by placing their faith in Jesus Christ, not by performing the works of the law of Moses
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Clarifying the role of the law of Moses in God’s plan
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Distinguishing between the old covenant God made through Moses and the new covenant in Christ
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Calling on the Saints to live by the Spirit
Galatians also contains Paul’s earliest written presentation of the doctrine of justification. He taught that we are not justified by the works of the law of Moses but by both our faith in Jesus Christ and also Christ’s own faithfulness.
What did Paul say to the Galatians about perverting the gospel?
The Apostle Paul testified to the Galatians that there was only one true gospel of Jesus Christ. He received it “by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Paul warned about those who were perverting the Savior’s true gospel. He specifically warned of Jewish Christians who were corrupting the gospel message by insisting that gentile converts must participate in the rituals of the law of Moses to be saved. Modern scholars often refer to this group as the Judaizers. “In effect, Paul was saying that the gospel he preached was Christ’s gospel, not authored or established by anyone but Jesus Christ. Had Jesus given Paul’s speech, he might well have said, ‘It is my gospel that I gave to Paul and not anyone else’s. He preached it directly unto you without modification.’ In this way, Paul’s warning to the Galatians parallels Jesus’ own declaration to the Nephites. It is his gospel and not another’s. He is its author and finisher.” Anyone who teaches a gospel other than the Savior’s one true gospel will be condemned.
Why did some Christians continue to live the law of Moses?
Why did Paul rebuke Peter?
Paul criticized Peter for something that happened in Antioch. While Peter visited the Saints there, he did not object to eating with gentile converts. Although eating with Gentiles was not forbidden under the law of Moses, it seems that most Jewish Christians viewed it as unfavorable. When certain Jewish Christians arrived, Peter removed himself from eating with the gentile converts. Paul called Peter’s actions hypocrisy. Paul worried these actions would cause the Gentiles to believe they needed to participate in Jewish customs in order to be accepted. This situation shows how challenging it was for the early Saints to leave behind some of their traditions. If Peter was seen eating with gentile Saints, he would offend some Jewish Saints. But by not eating with them, he would offend some gentile Saints.
How does “the faith of Jesus Christ” justify us?
In response to Jewish Saints who insisted that gentile Saints needed to follow the law of Moses to be saved, Paul taught the doctrine of justification. Paul taught that both Jews and Gentiles are justified (pardoned from punishment for sin) by “the faith of Jesus Christ,” not by the works of the law of Moses.
In Galatians 2:16 (and other verses), it is grammatically ambiguous whether “the faith of Jesus Christ” refers to our faith or to Christ’s. Additionally, “The Greek word translated faith (pistis) can mean both ‘faith’ and ‘faithfulness.’” This suggests that we are justified in two ways: (1) by our faith in Jesus Christ and (2) “by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ—that is, by Jesus Christ’s own faithfulness in atoning for our sins.”
Galatians 2:16 has sometimes been misunderstood to mean that salvation results only from our belief in Jesus Christ and that righteousness is not necessary for salvation. It is important to understand that in Galatians, “every time [Paul] used the term works [ergōn], he consistently used it as a part of the phrase ‘the works of the law.’” So Paul’s meaning is that the works of the law of Moses are not necessary for our salvation.
The faith Paul speaks of in these verses is more than belief or mental assent. The Greek words for faith “have layers of meaning that imply … personal commitment and action—connotations like trust, confidence, faithfulness, and obedience. Thus, Paul spoke of ‘faith which worketh’ (Galatians 5:6).”
What did Paul mean when he said that he was crucified with Christ?
Paul taught that his former life was symbolically put to death when Christ was crucified, and he declared that Christ now lived in him. This was another way Paul attempted to teach that old practices and beliefs must be done away in Jesus Christ.
Why did Paul refer to Abraham?
Paul reminded the Galatians of Abraham to help them understand that they did not need to follow the practices of the law of Moses to be saved. “Jews and believing Gentiles revered Abraham as the ‘father’ of the faithful. … Paul pointed out, Abraham lived more than four centuries before Moses. Since he was declared righteous by God before the law of Moses even existed, justification could not be said to come by the law of Moses. … Gentile converts who were embracing the gospel of Jesus Christ by faith were being justified in the same way Abraham was and were to be considered among the covenant people.” In other words, all faithful Saints, both Jews and Gentiles, are the “children of Abraham” and the Lord’s covenant people.
How did Jesus Christ become a curse for us?
Some Jews believed that Jesus could not be the Messiah because He had been crucified (hung on a tree; the scriptures sometimes use the words “hanged on a tree”). They referred to a passage in Deuteronomy stating that a criminal who was put to death by being hung on a tree was “accursed of God.” According to this reasoning, some Jews believed Jesus must have been cursed by God. Paul reframed the concept of being cursed in relation to the Savior. Paul explained that when Jesus Christ took upon Himself our sins, He “stood in our place, acting as a proxy for us—‘being made a curse for us.’”
How did the law of Moses lead the Jews to Jesus Christ?
After teaching that obeying the law of Moses does not justify one before God, Paul explained why God gave the law of Moses to Israel. The law of Moses was a temporary measure given by God to Israel because of their transgressions and spiritual immaturity. It was a “schoolmaster” to prepare them to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior.
What does it mean to “put on Christ”?
Paul taught that we “put on Christ” through the covenant of baptism. The Greek word for “put on” is enduō (endow), which means to clothe, dress, or wear. In other words, to “put on Christ” is to have “clothed yourselves with Christ.”
How was living the law of Moses like being an underaged heir?
An heir is legally entitled to an inheritance. Paul compared those living the law of Moses to an underaged heir who can’t receive their inheritance until they come of age. The underaged heir was treated the same as a servant. Similarly, Israel was like the underaged heir while they practiced the law of Moses. But when they enter into a covenant with Christ, they come of age and can receive the full promised inheritance.
How did Paul use Abraham’s wives and sons as an allegory?
In Paul’s allegory, Hagar (or Agar) and her son Ishmael represent the old covenant, or the law of Moses. Sarah and her son Isaac represent the new covenant. Just as Hagar was a servant, Paul wanted the Galatian Saints to understand that those under the law of Moses are also servants. Isaac was the son of the promise, and those who accept Jesus Christ join that inheritance and are likewise free.
What is Paul’s warning about gratifying desires or lusts of the flesh?
The English word lust is translated from the Greek word epithymia and indicates a passionate, longing desire. Elder Ulisses Soares taught: “The word lust refers to an intense longing and improper desire for something. It encompasses any dark thoughts or evil desires that cause an individual to focus on selfish practices or worldly possessions rather than doing good, being kind, keeping the commandments of God, and so forth. It is often manifested through the most carnal feelings of the soul.”
Learn More
Putting on Christ
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D. Todd Christofferson, “One in Christ,” Liahona, May 2023, 77–80
Overcoming Lust
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Ulisses Soares, “Seek Christ in Every Thought,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 82–85
The Holy Ghost
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Topics and Questions, “Holy Ghost,” Gospel Library
Media
Images
Hagar and Ishmael Expelled, by George Soper