Paul’s Purpose for Galatians

What was the occasion and purpose for the writing of Galatians. Who were the opponents of Paul in Galatia? What was the nature of the opponents’ doctrine, and how did Paul respond to it?

Thomas Lea and David Black explain that consensus exists regarding Pauline authorship, but a debate over North and South Galatia continues regarding the location of the recipients of Paul’s letter to the Galatians, which also determines the date of the writing.[1] Lea and Black’s conclusion appears correct suggesting the evidence is stronger for a South Galatia location due to Paul’s mention of cities in the area, two men from South Galatia helping Paul deliver an offering to Jerusalem, the increased risk of false teaching in South Galatia, and a reference to Barnabas who did not accompany Paul further north.[2] Accordingly, assuming a South Galatian location, Lea and Black suggest, but do not demand, a date of AD 49-50 for the writing of the letter to the Galatians.[3] If a South Galatian location is correct, then Lea and Black infer that the writing of the letter was sometime after Paul’s first missionary journey and before the Jerusalem Council, which suggests a possible provenance of Antioch, but more likely Jerusalem.[4] However, if a North Galatian location is correct, the writing of the letter was likely sometime during or after Paul’s second missionary journey.[5] Lea and Black conjecture that Paul visited North Galatia on his way to Troas, which would suggest a provenance of Troas or any city visited subsequent to Troas during or after his second missionary journey.[6]

D. A. Carson and Douglas Moo explain that Paul and Barnabas evangelized Galatia by preaching in the synagogues until the Jews dissented, at which time the missionary effort would focus primarily on Gentiles.[7] Unfortunately, after Paul and Barnabas left Galatia, a group infiltrated the Galatian church undermining the missionary’s efforts by suggesting that salvation depends on submitting to the Torah.[8] Accordingly, James Dunn appropriately summarizes the purpose of Galatians as “a response to a challenge from Christian-Jewish missionaries who had come to Galatia to improve or correct Paul’s gospel and to ‘complete’ his converts by integrating them fully into the heirs of Abraham through circumcision and by thus bringing them ‘under the law.’”[9] Although the summary provided by Dunn is not without potential interpretive concerns, the basic tenets of the assertion align with most interpreters.[10]

David Fiensy identifies four different hypotheses that attempt to identify Paul’s opponents in Galatia. First, some suggest Paul’s interlopers were Jews in the Galatian province attempting to convert Gentiles to traditional Judaism.[11] Second, others assume the opponents were Gentiles who, upon reading the Old Testament, determined it necessary to maintain the law for salvific purposes.[12] Third, due to the references to knowledge in Galatians 4:8-10, certain theologians suggest that Paul’s adversaries were Gnostic.[13] Finally, other theologians, such as Dunn, propose that Paul’s challengers were Jewish Christians, Judaizers, who taught, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” (Acts 15:1 [NASB]).[14] Walt Russell offers an additional nuance to the fourth option proposed by Lütgert, which suggests the opponents were both Judaizers and antinomians.[15] However, in light of the significant academic study granted to the topic, it appears likely that Russell correctly concludes that Paul’s opponents were Judaizers.[16]

F. F. Bruce suggests that the opponents of Paul supported a doctrine that required the submission “to circumcision as a religious obligation [in order to] acquire merit in God’s sight.”[17] Furthermore, Thomas Lea notes that Paul, in Galatians 4:9-10, also suggests his opponents required following the Jewish religious observances to gain merit.[18] In others words, Paul’s rivals believed that justification, in some fashion, depend on following the Torah. Paul considered the views of his opposition to be a completely “different gospel” (Gal. 1:6).

Douglas Moo insightfully recognizes that Paul’s response combines a continuity with a discontinuity in response to the agitators.[19] Paul’s continuous argument rests on his perspective of the Old Testament’s eschatological content that points to the resurrected Christ and introduces a new creation status that incorporates all believers into the Israel of God (Galatians 1:4; 3:1; 13-14; 4:4-5; 6:12-16).[20] Moo then explains, “By tying Christian identity in the new epoch to Abraham and by speaking of the law’s fulfillment, Paul reveals the underlying continuity that he finds in the story of God’s redemptive plan.”[21] However, Paul’s discontinuous argument proposes that the Mosaic covenant’s emphasis on the law is a provisional stage in the development of soteriology. Accordingly, the law provided 430 years after the Abrahamic covenant was “intended to be in effect only until the Messiah came.”[22] By providing an argument that connects Jewish history to the Messiah and simultaneously highlighting the new Messianic development of salvation, Paul masterfully constructs an argument that has the opportunity to lead both Jews and Gentiles to Christ. Accordingly, Paul’s argument offers a powerful approach to evangelism in that he artfully connects the cultural context of both Jews and Gentiles into the necessity for a Messiah – an insightful lesson for modern day evangelism.