Footsteps #33

Galatians is the earliest of Paul’s letters, written in A.D.49 after the famous council of Jerusalem. As both Acts.15 and Galatians makes clear, the early church found itself in a fierce battle over the doctrine of salvation and especially regarding the case of Gentiles (non-Jews). As I mull over where we have come thus far, following Paul’s footsteps, I can’t help but appreciate the evidence of providence as Luke recounts the story. Pentecost delivered a dramatic message to Jews scattered from all over the Empire, who then would have taken that message of the Messiah to their homelands.  Saul’s dramatic conversion, and the three years he spent in Arabia reprogramming his understanding. Peter’s interaction with Cornelius, and the vision on the rooftop, that prepared the way for the council of Jerusalem in Acts 15. The church, scattered by persecution taking root in far off cities like Antioch and beyond. All this prepared the way for Paul’s three missionary journeys. 

Galatians is Paul’s impassioned and powerful letter, written to the churches he had just established, who were now being troubled by Judaizers who had travelled there to “straighten things out.” When word of this reached Paul, he reacted fervently. Recognizing that this false gospel of salvation by faith plus works of the law threatened to undermine the work of Christ. Paul wrote the Galatians an impassioned defence of the Gospel. In the strongest of words, he identified this false teaching for what it really was – legalism pure and simple. 

As we turn now to consider this momentous letter, we need to remember its historical and cultural context, seeded in Acts 10 & 11 (The Gentile Pentecost), flourishing during the first missionary journey and then debated in the council of Jerusalem. The letter issued by the council under James, the church leader at the time, gave authority to Paul’s apostleship to the Gentiles and the gospel he preached. When Paul wrote to the Galatians, he was not trying to produce a literary masterpiece. Instead, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Paul was addressing specific situations that involved him and the believers in the province of Galatia.