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This study examines Galatians 4:1–20 as Paul continues his argument that the Mosaic Law was temporary — a guardian preparing God’s people for Christ. With Christ’s coming, believers move from slavery under the Law to sonship through the Spirit. Paul warns the Galatians that returning to observing the Law’s calendar and regulations is a regression into bondage promoted by the Judaizers. He appeals personally, reminding them of their former love for him and expressing pastoral anguish until they fully grasp the sufficiency and completeness of salvation in Christ alone.

In this study of Galatians 3:15–29, we examine Paul’s argument that the promise to Abraham was fulfilled in Christ and cannot be nullified by the Law given 430 years later. What was the purpose of the Law? How does the singular “seed” point to Christ? And how are believers made heirs of the promise through faith? This verse-by-verse study explores covenant, justification by faith, and the relationship between Law and promise.

In Galatians 3:1–14, Paul argues that salvation and the gift of the Spirit come by faith in Christ, not by works of the Law. He appeals to the Galatians’ own experience, to Abraham’s justification by faith, and to Scripture itself to show that the Law brings a curse because it demands perfect obedience. Christ redeems believers from that curse by becoming a curse on the cross, so that both Jews and Gentiles receive the blessing of Abraham and the Spirit through faith alone.

Galatians 2:11–21

In Galatians 2:11–21, the Apostle Paul recounts one of the most significant moments in early church history: his public confrontation with the Apostle Peter in Antioch. This was not a personal dispute, but a theological crisis that struck at the very heart of the gospel itself.

Peter had been freely eating and fellowshipping with Gentile believers. However, when certain men from Jerusalem arrived, Peter withdrew out of fear and separated himself. His actions implied that Gentile believers were somehow spiritually inferior unless they adopted Jewish customs and practices. Paul recognized immediately that this behavior contradicted the truth of the gospel and publicly rebuked Peter for it.

At the core of Paul’s argument is the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Both Jews and Gentiles, Paul explains, are sinners and stand equally in need of salvation. No one is declared righteous by works of the law—whether Mosaic law or any system of human effort—but only through faith in Jesus Christ.

Paul then moves beyond the confrontation and gives one of the most profound theological statements in all of Scripture:

Here, Paul describes what it means to be “in Christ”—a complete union with Christ in which the believer’s old identity is replaced by a new life grounded entirely in faith. Salvation is not achieved by human obedience, moral effort, or religious performance, but by participation in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

Paul concludes with a powerful and emotional declaration:

If righteousness could be gained by anything we do, then the cross was unnecessary. But because salvation is entirely an act of divine grace, Christ alone is the foundation of our hope.

This passage stands as one of the clearest and strongest affirmations in the New Testament that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

What happens when the gospel itself is put on trial?

In Galatians 2:1–10, Paul faces pressure to compromise grace and return to the law — and he refuses.

False brothers attempt to force circumcision, re-impose the Mosaic Law, and drag Gentile believers back into spiritual bondage. Paul stands firm so that the truth of the gospel would remain.

This teaching reveals the real conflict in the early church: freedom in Christ versus religious legalism. You will see why Titus became the test case, how Paul defended the gospel, and why apostolic authority is rooted in divine calling, not human reputation. James, Peter, and John ultimately affirm Paul’s mission — proving that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

If you’ve ever wondered how law and grace fit together, why Paul resisted the Judaizers, or what it truly means to live free in Christ, this study will bring clarity and conviction.

Topics in this teaching:

Paul vs false teachers, law vs grace, Galatians 2 explained, Christian freedom, justification by faith, apostolic authority, early church controversy, sound doctrine, verse-by-verse Bible study

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If you’ve ever wondered where Paul’s gospel really came from, why Acts 15 matters, and how grace stands apart from religious tradition, this study will change how you read the New Testament.

Paul did not receive his gospel from men — and he did not need Jerusalem’s approval. In Galatians 1:11–24, the apostle defends the divine origin of his message and reveals the hidden years that shaped his calling. From Arabia to Damascus, from persecution to proclamation, this passage exposes the truth about Paul’s independent apostleship and the source of his authority.

What happens when the gospel is distorted?

In Galatians chapter 1, verses 1 through 10, the apostle Paul delivers one of the strongest warnings in all of Scripture: “Let him be accursed.” This is not mild correction — this is divine seriousness.

In this teaching, we examine why Paul places such weight on the purity of the gospel, what he means by “another gospel,” and why altering the message of grace is not a small matter but a spiritual catastrophe. You’ll see how Paul’s words confront false teaching, defend apostolic authority, and remind the church that the gospel is not ours to modify.

If you care about sound doctrine, biblical truth, and understanding the real stakes of preaching Christ rightly, this study of Galatians 1:1–10 is essential.

The Epistle to the Galatians is Paul’s strong defense of the gospel of grace. He confronts believers who were being pressured to add Jewish law—especially circumcision—to faith in Christ, and he insists that justification comes by faith alone, not by works of the Law. The letter emphasizes Christian freedom, life in the Spirit, and the danger of returning to legalism after having begun by grace.