Galatians: A Fiery Response to a Struggling Church

Every day people are punished for breaking the law, but how often are they scolded for obeying it?

The Galatians were. That’s why Paul’s letter to the church at Galatia has perplexed Bible scholars for decades. Is Paul, who upholds the law in other epistles, now declaring it futile? What does he really believe the relationship between obedience to the law and righteousness by faith is?

Carl P. Cosaert confronts these questions head-on by thoroughly exploring Paul’s themes—the centrality of faith in Christ, the role of the law in salvation and in the Christian life, the significance of the new covenant, the nature of true Christian freedom, how to walk in the Spirit, and why Christians should glory in the cross of Christ.

Following a careful examination of the epistle in light of its historical context, Cosaert ultimately reveals that Paul’s rebuke of the church at Galatia went far beyond obedience to the law—their actions were threatening the effectiveness of the entire gospel message. And if we misunderstand the purpose of the law (as the Galatians did), the same will be true for us today.