Galatians Verse by Verse Study
Galatians was written because the churches of that region were facing a
theological crisis. The essential truth of justification by faith
rather than by human works was being denied by the Judaizers—legalistic
Jews who insisted that Christians must keep the Mosaic Law. In
particular, the Judaizers insisted on circumcision as a requirement for
Gentiles who wished to be saved. In other words, convert to Judaism
first, and then you are eligible to become a Christian. When Paul
learned that this heresy was being taught to the Galatian churches, he
composed an epistle to emphasize our liberty in Christ and to counter
the perversion of the gospel that the Judaizers promoted.