In v11 Paul deals with an accusation. Apparently, the false teachers were spreading the message that he himself taught circumcision. This seems to be a reference to the fact that Paul had circumcised Timothy in Acts 16. But that was a totally different situation. That was so that he wouldn't offend the unbelieving Jews that he and Paul were trying

Paul's next argument in v6 is that the real mark of a Christian is faith working through love - not circumcision. Being a Christian is first and foremost about loving God and loving his people. If someone doesn't show love for the other people in their church in concrete ways, then it throws their claim of salvation into doubt. Jesus

The Galatians were Gentiles who had come from paganism. But Paul's argument in Galatians is that if they accept circumcision — if they accept Jewish rituals — they'll in effect be going back to paganism. Because it will be Christ-less religion. That's how serious the issues here are.Paul says in v2 that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of

Paul applies the Hagar story to his own day in v. 25. She corresponds to first century Judaism, that had rejected Jesus Christ. But the believing Galatians belong to what Paul describes in v. 26 as 'the Jerusalem above'. In v27 he quotes from Isaiah. Right there, in the Old Testament, there was a description of two Jerusalems. There is

Why is Hagar is compared to Mount Sinai in v25? Sinai was where the 10 commandments were given. At the time of Moses, God had renewed his covenant with his people. So did this covenant say that if they obeyed the 10 commandments, they would get to Heaven? No! It was a promise of spiritual life through faith in Jesus.

The false teachers in Galatia were using the Old Testament to try and argue for salvation by works. Paul refuses to accept their argument that the Old Testament taught salvation by works. Paul's argument in these verses is quite technical. We may struggle to follow it all. But if you can at least get the big picture of what he's

Why do people walk away when the Christian life is hard? Often it's because they forget not just where they've come from, but where they're meant to be going. They forget the goal, which Paul describes in v19. Being a Christian is not ultimately agreeing with a set of beliefs. It's not ultimately living a certain way. It's Christ being

When someone leaves a church, it would be so easy to take it personally. But notice here that Paul doesn't. He calls them brothers in v12. He begs, urges, entreats - but he doesn't lash out. He says 'You did me no wrong'. And that's an amazing thing to say. Because they had done things that Paul could legitimately have

Paul is reminding the Galatian Christians of happier times. He's not looking back three years or five years or ten years, but just to the year before. That's when he had first preached to the Galatians, as far as we can tell. That in itself is a reminder that while often spiritual decline is a slow process, it can also

Paul has been using the illustration of a Roman son, who's the heir of everything in the family, but has to wait until a fixed point in time until he can inherit it all. When that day dawns, everything will change. And the spiritual equivalent of that one moment that changes everything is that coming of Jesus Christ. Look at