Galatians
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free"
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- A verse number shows the Bible’s exact words.
- An underlined word shows what it means.
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What does it say?
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The whole chapter, in shortThe main points of the whole chapter, in a few sentences.
Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia because teachers were telling them they had to keep the law of Moses to really belong to God. Paul said a person is justified by faith in Jesus, not by works of the law: "I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." Everyone baptized into Christ is one in him, a child and heir of God, and people set free should serve one another in love as the Spirit grows his fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Where it is in the Bible: Galatians 1 to 6
All the sections at a glanceA map of the chapter, with the verses for each section.
Map of the Letter
| Section | Verses | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| 1. No Other Gospel | 1:1-12 | There is only one good news |
| 2. From Persecutor to Preacher | 1:13-24 | God called Paul by grace |
| 3. Christ Lives in Me | 2:15-21 | Justified by faith, not by works |
| 4. All One in Christ | 3:23-29 | Baptized, clothed with Christ, all one |
| 5. When the Time Had Fully Come | 4:4-7 | God sent his Son, so we are his children |
| 6. Free to Love | 5:1, 5:13-26 | The fruit of the Spirit |
| 7. Carry Each Other's Burdens | 6:1-16 | Don't give up doing good |
Before You Read
Who wrote it. Paul wrote this letter to churches he had started in Galatia, a region in what is now central Turkey. It may be one of his earliest letters.
What was happening. After Paul left, other teachers arrived. They said that non-Jewish believers had to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses to really belong to God. Paul was alarmed. If that were true, Jesus wasn't enough.
What this letter is. Paul's most urgent letter. He skips the usual thank-you and goes straight to the point: we are made right with God by faith in Christ, not by keeping the law. And people set free should use their freedom to love.
How to read it. This page walks through the whole letter, six short chapters, picking up the key passages in each.
Section by Section
Section 1 of 7No Other Gospel
Paul begins by saying Jesus "gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age" (1:4).
Then, no thank-you. Just alarm.
"I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel" (1:6).
It isn't even a gospel. Someone is twisting the good news.
Paul says that even if an angel preached a different gospel, don't listen.
He isn't trying to please people. He got this message from Jesus himself.
Section 2 of 7From Persecutor to Preacher
Paul reminds them who he used to be. He attacked the church and tried to destroy it.
"But when God, who set me apart from my mother's womb and called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles" (1:15-16).
He went to Arabia, then Damascus, and only after three years did he meet Peter in Jerusalem.
People said, "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." And they praised God (1:23-24).
Section 3 of 7Christ Lives in Me
Paul says that even Jewish believers like him and Peter know this.
"A man is not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ" (2:16).
Then come some of Paul's most personal words.
"I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me" (2:20).
If we could be right with God by keeping the law, Jesus died for nothing.
Section 4 of 7All One in Christ
The law was like a guardian that watched over children until they grew up. It led us to Christ.
"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ" (3:26-27).
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (3:28).
Everyone who belongs to Christ is part of Abraham's family and shares God's promise.
Section 5 of 7When the Time Had Fully Come
"But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons" (4:4-5).
God sent his Spirit into our hearts, so we call God "Abba, Father!" (4:6).
"So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, you are also an heir through God" (4:7).
An heir is someone who will receive everything the family owns.
Section 6 of 7Free to Love
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery" (5:1).
A yoke was a wooden bar put on animals to make them pull loads.
Freedom isn't a chance to do whatever we want. "Rather, serve one another in love" (5:13).
The whole law comes down to this: "Love your neighbor as yourself" (5:14).
"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh" (5:16).
"The flesh" means our selfish nature. Paul lists what it produces: hatred, jealousy, rage, drunkenness, and more.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (5:22-23).
Fruit isn't forced. It grows.
"Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit" (5:25).
Section 7 of 7Carry Each Other's Burdens
If someone falls into sin, help them back gently.
"Carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (6:2).
Whatever you plant, you will harvest.
"Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (6:9).
Paul writes the ending in his own big handwriting.
"But as for me, may I never boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (6:14).
"What counts is a new creation" (6:15).
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "A different gospel" (1:6) | Any message that says Jesus isn't enough. |
| "Christ lives in me" (2:20) | Jesus's life fills the believer's life. |
| "Clothed yourselves with Christ" (3:27) | In baptism, we are wrapped in Jesus. |
| "You are all one in Christ Jesus" (3:28) | No one is a second-class Christian. |
| "When the time had fully come" (4:4) | Jesus came at exactly the right time. |
| "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free" (5:1) | Don't trade freedom for rule-keeping. |
| "The fruit of the Spirit" (5:22) | What the Spirit grows in us. |
| "Carry one another's burdens" (6:2) | Help each other with what's heavy. |
Back Then
Circumcision was the sign of God's covenant with Abraham's family. Some teachers wanted non-Jewish believers to be circumcised to become fully part of God's people.
Paul and Peter were both apostles. Paul's story of correcting Peter (2:11-14) shows that even leaders can get it wrong.
Paul's large handwriting (6:11) may mean he usually dictated his letters and signed the end himself.
Literal Reader Alert
Is Paul against the Old Testament law? No. He says the law was good and led us to Christ. But keeping it can't make us right with God. Only Christ can.
Does "neither male nor female" mean those differences disappear? Paul means all are equally God's children and heirs in Christ. No one is worth less before God.
Can I make the fruit of the Spirit grow by trying hard? It's the Spirit's fruit. We "walk in step" with the Spirit through God's word, prayer, and the church, and he grows it.
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Paul | Amazed | They were turning away so quickly (1:6) |
| The Judean churches | Grateful | The persecutor was now preaching (1:23-24) |
| The Galatians | Confused | Teachers were troubling them (1:7) |
| Believers | Weary | Doing good can wear you out (6:9) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
What do you need from this letter? Tap one.
I feel like I don't measure up
You are a child of God through faith. Not by rules.
I feel like an outsider
There is neither Jew nor Greek. You are one in Christ.
I want to grow
The Spirit grows love, joy, peace, and patience in you.
I'm tired of doing good
Don't give up. In due time you will reap a harvest.
You Might Have Heard
"Jesus got you in, but now it's up to you to stay in."
What's true: Christians are called to live new lives.
What the passage is mainly about: Paul says that kind of thinking is "a different gospel." "I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me" (2:20). The new life is fruit the Spirit grows, not a fee we pay.
Where Jesus is: He loved us, gave himself for us, and now lives in us.
Good News
You don't have to earn your place in God's family.
"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (3:26).
Christ set you free. The Spirit lives in you and grows good fruit. You are God's child and heir.
We are made right with God by faith in Christ, not by keeping the law. Christ set us free, and the Spirit grows his fruit in us as we serve one another in love.
Big Idea
We are made right with God by faith in Christ, not by keeping the law. It is for freedom that Christ set us free: free to serve one another in love as the Spirit grows his fruit in us.
If this chapter brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
Luther loved Galatians so much that he called it "my Katie," after his wife, Katharina von Bora. His lectures on Galatians are among his most famous works.
In Church
Many churches follow the Revised Common Lectionary. In Year C, it reads through Galatians on six Sundays in early summer (Lectionary 9 to 14). Galatians 4:4-7 is read on the First Sunday of Christmas in Year B and on the Name of Jesus.
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
How did that feel?
Using this at church
Read in church on
- First Sunday of Christmas Year BSecond reading, Galatians 4:4-7
- Ninth Sunday after the Epiphany Year CSecond reading, Galatians 1:1-12
- Lectionary 9 Year CSecond reading, Galatians 1:1-12
- Lectionary 10 Year CSecond reading, Galatians 1:11-24
- Lectionary 11 Year CSecond reading, Galatians 2:15-21
- Lectionary 12 Year CSecond reading, Galatians 3:23-29
- Lectionary 13 Year CSecond reading, Galatians 5:1, 13-25
- Lectionary 14 Year CSecond reading, Galatians 6:[1-6] 7-16
For a newsletter or sermon notes
Galatians, explained in plain words. Paul's most urgent letter: Jesus is enough. Then he shows what freedom is for. About 12 minutes. https://freescripture.org/stories/galatians/
Lines for the next eight Sundays, on Digital Lutheran Church