The Context of the Controversy

The letter to the churches in the region known as Galatia was written by the apostle Paul after he had visited on all three of his missionary journeys. After the stoning of Stephen in Jerusalem, believers scattered outward taking with them the gospel. Hence, many early believers in the churches in many areas were Jews as well as Gentiles. With Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection the center of religious life and activity centered around the Gospel. This meant that many details had to be worked through and worked out as Christians, both Jew and Gentile, no longer lived were required by God to live according to the Mosaic Law. Understanding the new relationships believers had with the Law and the Gospel was a learning curve for the early church with many details to be worked through. In these churches the details were not being correctly understood nor practiced so the Spirit of God inspired Paul to pen a letter to clarify and correct. Such issues still trouble the church today when the nation of Israel is confused with the church and the church is then considered to be under the authority of the moral code of the Mosaic Law.