New Testament-the letter to the galatian

New Testament-the letter to the galatian

The Letter to the Galatians and the Issues it Contains
Paul's Letter to the Galatians is written in a very emotional and serious style. He addresses important issues, and there is a sense of urgency in his words. In the work he criticizes the actions of the Galatians, and gives them an ultimatum for the future. Some of the topics which are addressed in the letter include the Galatians lack of faith in Paul's teachings, justification through faith in Jesus Christ, and the circumcision of Gentile males.
The structure of the Letter to the Galatians is similar to most others by Paul except for the absence of a prayer of thanksgiving. In its place he states how amazed he is to find that they are straying from the Gospel they have previously accepted (1:6-10). The sense of urgency is due to his fear that the Galatians will abandon the Gospel he teaches and follow another Gospel. According to Paul these other Gospels and preachers are false and should be accursed. Paul's urgent plea is meant to get the Galatians back on the right track, and to reestablish that what Paul preaches is from God himself.
Although we don't have the arguments of Paul's opposition, we can look at the issues that they were concerned with. One issue that Paul feels strongly about is that these new teachers insist all male Gentiles who are converting to Christianity must be circumcised. Paul believes that Gentiles are equal with Jews already and therefore they do not have to convert to Judaism before becoming Christians. He thinks that those who are circumcised are going against the decisions made by the church leaders at the Jerusalem Council.
In the letter to the Galatians Paul stresses that through revelations God has "Revealed his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles" (1:16). Although the church was founded by Jews Paul believes it is now time for the religion to be expanded to non-Jews, or Gentiles. This is the inspiration behind Paul's whole mission. Therefore it is...