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The Country of Galatia was in central Asia Minor. Paul and Barnabas had gone there on their First Missionary Journey (Acts 13:4 - 14:28) and established churches at Iconimun, Pasidia, Derby, Listra and Antioch. Galatia became a Roman Providence in 25 AD. It was named for the Gauls, a warlike tribe that had moved there from Northern Italy and France. It is believed that Paul wrote this letter about the same time that he wrote his first letter to the Corinthians, while he was in Ephesus. The actual boundaries of Galatia were not completely defined so that some of the above churches may have been in neighboring providences.
The letter is a vindication of Paul's Apostleship and a vigorous statement of the essentials of the Christian Faith. It has been called "The Christian Declaration of Independence". The first two chapters are historically important for their first-hand testimony of the beginnings of Christianity. This is our oldest account, written much earlier than Acts or the Gospels.
Paul wrote the letter in response to a report that the Galatian Churches were being taken over by false teachers, who were probably the Judaizers. Some have called this book, The Magna Carta or Declaration of Christian Living. Others have called it, "The Gospel of Grace. The key phrase is, "Freedom from the Law". In the book, The Gospel of Grace is defended, explained and applied.
| The Gospel Defended. | |
|---|---|
| Salutation | 1:1-5 |
| The Problem | 1:6-9 |
| The Divine Revelation of the Gospel | 1:10-24 |
| Freedoms in Christ Defended. | |
| Circumcision Rebuked | 2:1-10 |
| Hypocrisy Rebuked | 2:11-21 |
| Justification by Faith. | |
| Obtaining the Holy Spirit | 3:1-5 |
| Abraham's Faith | 3:6-9 |
| Redeemed From the Law | 3:10-14 |
| Our Need for Grace | 3:15-18 |
| The Need for the Promise | 3:19-22 |
| The Law Described | 3:23-29 |
| The Gospel of Grace | |
| Improved Conditions Under Grace | 4:1-11 |
| The Reception of Grace | 4:12-21 |
| Law and Grace Cannot Co-exist | 4:22-31 |
| The Applications of the Gospel of Grace. | |
| To Bring Salvation | 5:1-12 |
| To Instill Love for One Another | 5:13-15 |
| To Instill the Christian Life | 5:16-18 |
| To Identify the Works of the Flesh | 5:19-21 |
| To Identify the Works of the Spirit | 5:22-26 |
| The Applications of the Gospel of Grace, Continued. | |
| To Bring Concern for Others | 6:1-5 |
| To Give Encouragement | 6:6-10 |
| To Aid in Determining Motives | 6:11-18 |
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