Epistle to the Galatians

Definition and Meaning

Galatians is one of the Pauline epistles in the New Testament and consists of six chapters. It was addressed to several churches in the region of Galatia in central Asia Minor (modern-day Türkiye). The central theme of the letter is that justification (God's declaring a sinner righteous) comes not through works of keeping the law but through faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:16). Because it emphasizes the Christian's freedom from the yoke of the law, it is sometimes called the "Magna Carta of Christian liberty" (Galatians 5:1).

Biblical and Historical Background

Some Jewish Christians had entered the Galatian churches founded by Paul and were teaching that Gentile believers had to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses in order to be saved. Paul called this teaching "another gospel" and vigorously refuted it (Galatians 1:6-9). The letter contains Paul's defense of his apostleship as coming not from men but from Christ, his account of rebuking Peter at Antioch (Galatians 2:11-14), the argument that Abraham was justified by faith (chapter 3), and teaching on walking in the Spirit and on "the fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22-23).

Scholars disagree about the letter's destination and date. The North Galatian hypothesis holds that it was addressed to the Celtic population of northern Galatia, while the South Galatian hypothesis holds that it was addressed to the southern cities Paul visited on his first missionary journey. The letter is generally dated to the mid-first century (around AD 50).

During the Reformation, Martin Luther held this letter in particular esteem, and his commentary on Galatians is regarded as a representative work of the theology of "faith alone."

Practice in the Korean Church

In the Korean church, Galatians 2:20 ("I am crucified with Christ…") is widely used as a Scripture memorization verse, and the nine aspects of the fruit of the Spirit in 5:22-23 are frequently treated in sermons, quiet time devotionals, and discipleship training materials.

Emphases differ by denomination.

• Reformed traditions, such as the Presbyterian churches, read the letter chiefly in terms of justification by faith and the distinction between law and gospel.
• Wesleyan traditions, such as the Methodist and Holiness churches, emphasize not only justification but also, to a considerable degree, sanctification—growing in holiness by walking in the Spirit (5:16-25).
• Pentecostal churches, such as the Full Gospel churches, sometimes connect the passages about receiving the Holy Spirit by faith (3:2, 3:14) with the experience of the Spirit.

In theological scholarship there is debate over the so-called "New Perspective on Paul," which interprets Paul's phrase "works of the law" as referring to the boundary markers of Judaism (circumcision, dietary laws, and the like). Scholars who accept this interpretation regard it as more accurately reflecting Paul's original context, while some Reformed theologians criticize it for weakening the traditional doctrine of justification.