This lesson opens a new series through the book of Galatians, focusing on the central conflict between living by law and living by grace. Paul addresses the churches in the Galatia region—cities he visited during his first missionary journey—after false teachers from Jerusalem began insisting that Gentile believers must be circumcised. Their motive was not salvation, but fear of persecution and the desire to appear righteous before others.
The message of Galatians is anchored in the true gospel: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. This gospel does not place believers under the Mosaic Law, nor does it add human effort to salvation. Paul emphasizes the authenticity of his apostleship—directly from Jesus Christ—and recounts how the early church confronted legalism at the Acts 15 Council.
The study also explores the “malignantly evil age,” the nature of evil (ponēros), and the believer’s deliverance from the authority of the evil one. Key contrasts are drawn between law and faith, worldliness and holiness, maturity and immaturity, and true godliness versus appearances of piety. Paul warns about false gospels, distorted doctrines, and forms of godliness that deny God’s power—issues still relevant in modern assemblies.
This introduction frames the book of Galatians as a defense of the gospel of grace and a call to reject both law-driven living and the deceptive systems of this world.
