Galatians by Jim Leffel (2007)

Paul begins his letter to the Galatians, where he emphatically argues for the truth found in the Gospel, as legalistic Judaizers were trying to distort God's message of salvation. The true Gospel says that humans are incapable of being righteous before God, but through Jesus Christ they can have eternal life by asking for God's mercy to apply to them, apart from works. The false teachers Paul was combating added obedience to the law as means to salvation and growing with God, a theological debate that has plagued Christianity. The difference between works and faith is wide-spread in areas including: 1) our approach to God; 2) our acceptability; 3) our spiritual state; 4) the real issue between us and God; and 5) the power to live.

Paul combats the Judaizers by defending the message of the Gospel of God. Paul uses his own personal testimony as direct revelation of God and evidence for the real life-transforming power of grace, which not only transformed his motivation but was also accepted by the apostles of Jesus Christ. The grace of God called Paul into a life of radical service for God and others, reflecting God's compassion and mercy towards a zealous sinner. It also cost Paul much of what he once thought was valuable, as the message of grace showed him that God's purposes were bigger. This teaching also includes a testimony by Mary Barnum highlighting the offensiveness of the gospel message.

Paul rebukes Peter for his hypocrisy and how his actions don't communicate the truth of the gospel to Jews and Gentiles. The grace of God motivates people to obey God based on total undeserved acceptance and contrasts legalism, where acceptance before God is based on our works or by obeying the law. The gospel pardons sinners by justifying based on Christ's righteousness and unites us with Christ, allowing us to live radically new lives based on a new identity in Christ. Living lives based on being pardoned by God's grace will be characterized by genuine love, gratitude, and a positive focus because of God's mercy.

Paul is aware that the Galatians are totally blinded by the self-righteousness that comes from trying to be growing with God through the Law. Instead, he urges them to remember grace-empowered living by being led by the Holy Spirit instead of human effort. He shows that even in the Old Testament, God's way always was centered around grace. Instead of trying to self-improve through moral goodness, God asks us to trust in Him over our own goodness and to respond to His leading in our lives. As we do this, we encounter more and more freedom from living under the acceptance and love that comes from His grace through Jesus Christ.

Paul continues to argue for grace, as evidenced through the Old Testament. The content of God's promise through the Old Testament is seen through the creation, the patriarchs, and the history of the nation of Israel. At the center of the Old Testament is a hope rooted in the "seed" or descendant, which was ultimately fulfilled through Jesus Christ. The key element of God's promise is that the conditions cannot be added to, reflecting God's message of grace from the beginning.

Paul argues for the goodness of grace by explaining the purpose of God's law. The Law was used by God to diagnose our moral guilt before God, and to show what God is truly like. The Law was given temporarily for people to see their need for forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Once that happens, people have total access to God and a new reality on how to live and relate with God personally.

Paul explains the repercussions of being children of God under grace. As a result of grace, children of God can live to please God based out of His love knowing the great value He has for us. Under grace, the lives of Christians is an exciting picture of God working to make us more like Jesus as we love others. We must be prepared to battle our own desires versus God's desires for our lives, learn to trust in His goodness, and reject the false promises of the world.

God's design for spiritual growth begins with understanding the freedom Christians have in Christ. As we are led by the Holy Spirit, God allows us to see how to meet others needs through sacrificial love. This kind of living produces real joy and relational closeness with others, rooted out of God's grace. Through the Holy Spirit, we are able to experience real moral change and go against our natural selfish tendencies that are shallow and empty.

Paul describes the battle within each Christian between the flesh and the spirit. These are two contrasting styles of agendas, one driven out from self and the other driven to glorify God. The flesh is driven to focus on our own ability and power, while living by the Spirit yields its power, ability, and mind to the purposes of God in order to live a life characterized by meeting others' needs. This is a totally normal phenomenon for healthy, growing Christians.

Walking according to the Holy Spirit's guidance produces real change in the lives of Christians. Some of the fruit of the Holy Spirit includes walking in love, living with deep joy and having a deep sense of peace, all of which comes from God. Self-sacrificial love, delighting when God uses you or those around you, being grateful for His blessings, and cultivating a deep trust in God accomplishing His purposes are all totally possible in the lives of those who are led by the Holy Spirit instead of the selfish desires of the flesh.

Paul shares some attributes of people who are led by the Holy Spirit. Some characteristics of Christians led by the Holy Spirit's power include lives of peace and patience. Peace by the Holy Spirit results in relational skills and effectively dealing with anger that we encounter in a way that glorifies God. God-filled patience allows for long-suffering within relationships and persevering with people because of a deep concern for their well-being. Both of these can be realized through dependence in prayer with God and through our speech with others.

Fruit of the Holy Spirit includes a growing interest and capacity for goodness, kindness, gentleness, and faithfulness. Goodness implies that we are working to meet others needs as a way of life, as we understand the immense value God has for them. Christians excelling in kindness and gentleness are rich in empathy towards others and are often sought out by others during tough times. Those who are faithful will engage in God's work based on facts and faith, in spite of how they might feel in the present moment and are very reliable in the lives of others.

Paul explains how the freedom we have in Christ allows us to help our brothers and sisters in Christ. As we live in this broken world, God wants to use us to bear one another's burdens to fulfill Christ's law of love. Knowing what Christ did for us allows for real humility when trying to correct and serve one another to pursue greater depth in our relationship with God.

Paul highlights the importance of our focus and choices as Christians. Within the Christian life, there are two paths to follow: the way of the spirit of way of the flesh. As we live in accordance with the Spirit, God can produce a harvest in our lives, even if we don't immediately see the results. Likewise, our lives can be used powerfully by God as we become good stewards with God's resources. Growing spiritually is correlated with feeding the Spirit, as opposed to feeding the fleshly desires within our lives.

Paul ends his letter to the Galatians with a focus on the centrality of the cross. His boasting isn't revolved around self, but in the work of Jesus Christ. Through the offensive message of the cross, we have a new outlook on the lives we live as Christians. Jesus Christ's work on the cross allowed for real freedom to relinquish our rights, demands, and agendas in favor of getting behind God's work and His purposes that are more satisfying.