Paul first met the Galatians when he was forced to stay in their region for some time to recover from an illness. Despite his sickness, Paul shared the gospel with them powerfully and many put their faith in Jesus. They loved Paul and the gospel message but that initial enthusiasm didn’t last long.

Some other teachers, claiming to represent the apostles in Jerusalem, travelled through the region distorting the gospel message and undermining Paul’s ministry. They were insisting that believers in Jesus must still be circumcised and obey the Jewish ceremonial law. These agitators claimed that Paul was preaching a different gospel to the leaders in Jerusalem and that his life was not consistent with his message. They undermined both Paul and his message and the Galatians had started to accept what these false teachers were saying. It was now undermining their spiritual journey and their relationship with God.

In this gospel in a letter, Paul defends his own ministry and lays out a clear explanation of the gospel – as given by Jesus, and preached by all the apostles. If we take these teachings to heart, we will keep ourselves on the solid ground of good teaching and equipped to live the Christian life on the basis of what we believe.