Paul wrote Galatians to clarify that justification by faith alone is central to the gospel by defending the gospel he preached, showing that adherence to the Mosaic Law is not required for a person to be justified, and explaining that Christ sets believers free from the Law in order that they may love all people.
Galatians contains biographical, doctrinal, and practical divisions of two chapters each. In the first section (chs. 1 and 2), Paul defends his apostolic independence, not in a spirit of personal indignation, but to establish the divine origin of his gospel. In the doctrinal section (chs. 3 and 4), Paul presents a series of masterful arguments and illustrations to prove the inferiority of the Law to the gospel and to establish the true purpose of the Law. In the practical application of his doctrine (chs. 5 and 6), Paul exhorts the Galatians to use properly their Christian liberty and not to abuse it. Rather than giving license to sin, the gospel provides the enabling means to attain the righteousness that the Law demands.
The same perversion of the gospel that Paul combats in this letter keeps appearing in various forms. Legalism, which teaches that justification or sanctification depends upon a person’s own efforts, thus denying the sufficiency of the Cross, is the most persistent enemy of the gospel of grace. Circumcision and other requirements of the Mosaic Law may no longer be issues pertaining to salvation, but oftentimes the observance of certain rules, regulations, or religious rites is made coordinate with faith in Christ as the condition of Christian maturity. Galatians clearly declares the perils of legalism and establishes the essential truth of salvation by faith alone.
Paul teaches that Jesus places those who have faith in Him (2:16; 3:26) in a position of liberty (2:4; 5:1), freeing them from bondage to legalism and to license. The apostle’s main emphasis is on the crucifixion of Christ as the basis for the believer’s deliverance from the curse of sin (1:4; 6:14), self (2:20; see 5:24), and Law (3:12; 4:5). Paul also describes a dynamic faith-union with Christ (2:20), visibly portrayed in baptism (3:27), which relates all believers to each other as brothers and sisters (3:28). Concerning the Person of Christ, Paul declares both His deity (1:1, 3, 16) and His humanity (3:16; 4:4). Jesus is the substance of the gospel (1:7), which He Himself revealed to Paul (1:12).
The Judaizers were as wrong about the means of sanctification as they were about the way of justification. A key passage is 3:2, 3, in which Paul asks the Galatians, who would readily admit that they had begun their Christian life by the Spirit, why they were seeking spiritual maturity by performing works of the Law. The intimation is that the same Spirit who regenerated them causes their new life to grow.
In 3:5 Paul asks a similar question concerning the Holy Spirit. The language he uses indicates an experience of the Spirit that extended beyond the Galatians’ initial reception. The verb “supplies” suggests a continual supplying in bountiful measure, while “works” indicates that God was continuing to perform miracles in their midst through Spirit-filled believers who had not slipped into legalism. The word “miracles” refers to the charismatic manifestations of the Spirit evidenced by outward signs, such as those described in 1 Corinthians 12—14. The phrase “the promise of the Spirit” in 3:14 was also used by Peter to explain the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:33).
These verses teach that we receive the Spirit by faith and that the Spirit continues to manifest Himself in power as we walk in faith.
In 5:16–25 Paul graphically describes a fierce and constant conflict between the flesh, our lower nature prone to sin, and the indwelling Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit, when we submit to His control and actively walk in Him, can enable us to die to the flesh (vv. 16, 17), deliver us from the tyranny of the Law (v. 18), and cause the fruit of holiness to grow in our lives (vv. 22, 23).
This section (5:16–25) is a part of Paul’s exhortation concerning the proper use of Christian liberty. Apart from the controlling, sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, liberty is certain to degenerate into license. ~NSFLB
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