Galatians

Galatians is Paul's passionate defence of the gospel of grace against those insisting that Gentile believers must be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses. He argues fiercely that a person is justified 'not by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ' (2:16), and that to add to grace is to lose the gospel altogether.

He insists on the freedom of the Christian — 'For freedom Christ has set us free' (5:1) — while showing that true freedom bears the fruit of the Spirit. A short, urgent, foundational letter, Galatians was a spark of the Reformation.