As I started reading Galatians I got the sense that I was backtracking somewhat in terms of reading through the New Testament, and wasn’t really sure why at first glance. The Bible should be read from cover to cover, right? Yes there is a reason that it’s in the order it is, but no the order isn’t chronological.

These questions led me to check out a timeline for reference and suddenly the “ta – da” it made a whole lot more sense to me. Maybe this will help you too?

Galatians is actually the first book/letter to be written by Paul which follows his first Missionary trip to the province of Galatia. The trip took place in 46-48 AD (that would be 16-18 years after Jesus was crucified). I will also add in here that Paul’s conversion took place in 35, only 5 years after Jesus ascended into heaven and the “church age” began. So this would mean that Paul had been converted for 11 years before the trip and the first writing included in the NT was written 14 years after he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Just an FYI: 1 & 2 Thessalonians followed in a couple of years and then 5 years afterward 1 & 2 Corinthians and Romans and so on….

Back to Galatians, Paul takes a 2 year trip, meets people, preaches the gospel, helps the disciple making movement grow and then follows up with a letter some time after he returns. During the trip (Acts 13-14) Paul and Barnabas and others worked tirelessly to share the gospel message with the Jews and the Gentiles who were attending synagogue. In my sweeping summation, some of the Jews were not happy, but the gentiles were thrilled!

This scenario sets up book of Galatians, whew!

Part One:

Paul is writing to remind all of the people who are now called “Christian”, what it is that makes them a Christian. It is as though Paul is standing in the courtroom, swearing to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help him God. In addition, he is warning everyone who decides they want to veer away from the gospel, that there are horrific consequences for doing so. It’s not Paul’s truth. It’s God’s truth.

Stop! This a great lesson for all of us still today. The Gospel message is what matters! It is the story of the one and only way to a personal relationship with God, through faith in Christ. If we add to this, or take away from this, we are no different than those Paul was writing directly to nearly 2,000 years ago. Keep it simple. The whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Part Two:

Paul goes on in Chapter 1 to remind people how he came to the position that he has.

Stop! We all have a story and it’s important that we share our story with others along with God’s gospel story. Why? Because people know us and can see our daily lives. They can relate to our life circumstances or our intellectual decisions that lead us to faith in Christ. When we tell our story God is glorified and we are reminded of the great work God has done in our lives and we are even more likely to share it again, don’t you think?

Part Three:

In the first half of chapter 2 Paul talks about how Peter, James, and John, Pillars of the church, welcomed and encouraged him to continue in ministry. Remember Jesus addressed Simon, his disciple, renamed him Peter (meaning rock), and said upon this rock I will build my church. (Matthew 16:18) With that kind of announcement, why would anyone else bother? I believe because it is because God intended Christians (or the Church) to live in community. In this respect, the tried and true statement comes into play, “many hands make light work”.

Stop! It is important to note that we are all called to be part of God’s ministry. This is not the job of a pastor or an evangelist. If that were the case then Peter should have been able to accomplish the work Jesus gave to him, all by himself, right? None of us is more qualified, or more important in the work that Jesus called us to do. Paul knew that, respected and appreciated Peter, John and James, and was committed to obediently follow God’s call in his life to make disciples. This is the same responsibility God has given every Christian, got it?!

Part Four:

The final section follows with the retelling of a rebuke Paul made to Peter. The audacity! Is Paul nuts? No, actually Paul is just doing everything in his power to protect and to proclaim the gospel. If a brother is adding to, or taking away from from the purity of it’s message however blatantly or subtly, it needs to be challenged.

Stop! Paul didn’t go to the church, to his friends, to the other apostles, or to anyone else when he was concerned about the appearance of Peter’s behavior. This is good advice for us as believers!

Second lesson here– Peter’s was not a blatant offence. It could have been overlooked and was being overlooked by some. Because of Paul’s devotion to the Lord, he wanted to do everything possible to make sure that Christians were making God’s message consistently plainly accessible to all. This sets Christians on the right path and eliminates confusion.

Peter’s problem was that the Jews were still pretty tied to the law (the Jewish law). It had been a lifestyle that was hard to let go of. The LAW existed to point people to their need for a Savior. The law doesn’t save anyone. Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law. A faith relationship with The Savior is the only thing necessary. The message Peter had been giving to people by the way he was acting was that there is more to salvation, that some Jewish practices are also needed, and that is simply not the case. We can learn from this also that our message in our life and with our words needs to be consistently simple. It’s not about a church, a pastor, following a set of rules, or anything else we might want to add to the gospel. It is about Jesus.