Angry Letter: The Galatians

Galatians
The Galatians was an angry letter (3:1), which was written by Paul to a number of congregations in Roman province where called Galatia (1:2). We did not know the actual time of writing and the location of writing. But we know that there were different cultures between Jews and Gentiles at that age, such as circumcision issue. At the same time, it existed the unequal treatment for women, slaves and Gentiles. In this circumstance, producing the conflicts between Jewish law and Paul’s concepts, Paul told Galatians that the circumcision and the low of Jews meat nothing when you followed Jesus (5:6, 6:15, 2:16). While some Galatians did not listen to Paul, instead, they listened to Paul’s opponents. Moreover, Galatians even doubted Paul’s

Paul pointed that justification is by faith not works of the low (2:16). Paul’s opponents told Galatians that following the Jewish law would put them in a right relationship with God. Tough, Paul believed that they had “fallen away from grace” (5:4). A right relationship depended on trusting in the absolute sufficiency of God’s grace. Second, Paul pointed that God’s favor was universal in scope. God had already moved the distinctions between Jews and Gentiles, since all are now children of God through faith (3:26, 3:28). The wrong idea was that those who expect God’s grace should become Jewish community at first. Third, Paul pointed that the fullness of time had come. Paul’s opponents regarded the circumcision as a sing of the covenant (Gen. 17:11), that everyone should follow this tradition. But Paul argued that age was different, “now that faith has come” (3:25). Therefore, the circumcision, which was followed by last generation, meat nothing (4:1-7). At last, Paul pointed that the spirit produces what the law cannot effect. Paul’s opponents might advocate keeping Torah as a path to holiness and virtue. Nevertheless, Paul believed that God had given the Holy Spirit to people (3:2), so the benefit of receiving the Spirit exceeded anything, which included circumcision, and keeping the Jewish law. Paul reminded that Galatians received the God’s spirit since they had first believed the gospel (3:2). Paul indicated that God continues to supply his spirit not because of working of the law, but rather because they believed the gospel of Christ crucified (3:1-5). With the encouragement of “living by the Spirit” (5:16), people could get a rich harvest of virtuous fruit, which was produced by the