General Purpose

Galatians is a short letter with an importance all out of proportion to its length. Paul's anger is one clue to its importance: he writes in a passion from the beginning of the letter to its end. Something crucial is at stake as far as he's concerned! Galatians may also be Paul's earliest letter, as we'll see, and thus perhaps our earliest Christian document. It is at the least an important window into the very early Christian community. It also possesses an outsize importance in subsequent Christian history, as we know (for example) from Martin Luther's reliance of this letter for his reformation of the church. 

For these reasons and others, Galatians is important – but not easy. Paul is addressing a situation well known to him and the Galatians, but one that we have to reconstruct from his often allusive and indirect references. It also requires asking what this ancient letter, which is God's word to us as it was to the Galatians, has to do with people like us who live almost two thousand years later. This letter demands – and deeply rewards – deep study. 

This course thus seeks to explicate Paul's letter to the Galatians both in terms of its meaning within its original setting and its significance for the world and church today. My prayer is that this class will deepen your understanding and swell your love of this white-hot letter that gets to the heart of the gospel.