Day 324 Reading Schedule: Galatians 1-3 

Galatians 1: Paul's Defense of the Gospel and the Apostolate 

[Overview] 

This book is a letter written to refute the destructive propaganda and delusion of false teachers and to protect the purity of the gospel, so it has a consistently combative and vindictive tone. This stylistic characteristic is especially highlighted throughout the entire chapter, which is the beginning of this letter. In the beginning of this letter, Paul gives a direct warning to the Galatian believers in a clear and sharp tone without even having time to properly greet them. The reason Paul raises his voice throughout this chapter and the entire letter is because of the urgent situation of the Galatian church, which is about to have its gospel distorted or destroyed. The content of this chapter is largely divided into two parts. The first paragraph is where Paul declares war on his opponents who deny his apostleship and confuse the gospel with legalism, and warns the Galatians (verses 1-10). The second paragraph is where Paul applies the doctrine of justification by faith to himself and explains it in the form of a testimony (verses 11-24). 

Galatians 2: Paul’s Apostolate to the Gentiles

[Overview]

This chapter records Paul’s apostolic authority and justification by faith. The theme that runs throughout this chapter is that Paul’s authority as an apostle was not delegated from man, but came from God. This was subjectively proven in the previous chapter through Paul’s own conversion process and early actions, but in this chapter it is objectively proven by external factors. In other words, the fact that the doctrine of justification by faith, which can be said to be Paul’s teaching, was believed in the Jerusalem Church in Jerusalem, which could be said to be the center of legalism at the time, is very strong evidence that Paul’s apostleship was recognized. The content of this chapter consists of the part where the top leaders of the church in Jerusalem officially acknowledged the gospel ministry of the apostle Paul (verses 1-10), the part where Paul met the apostle Peter in Antioch of Syria and rebuked his legalistic hypocrisy (verses 11-14), and the part where the truth of justification by faith that we are justified not by practicing the law but by believing in Christ is emphasized (verses 15-21). 

Galatians 3: The Law Completed by the Gospel

[Overview]

In this chapter, Paul rebukes the Galatian believers for their apostasy and explains the relationship between the law and the gospel and the role and function of the law. The theme of this entire chapter can be expressed in one word as 'law and gospel', and here, Paul goes beyond the level of passive and subjective defense and actively contrasts the gospel and the law to reveal the true meaning of the gospel while exposing the false schemes of the legalists. In this chapter, Paul frequently quotes the Old Testament in defending the gospel, and even if he does not quote directly, he uses the Old Testament as a background for the chapter. He explains the law and the gospel by focusing on the story of Abraham who was justified by faith. The content of this chapter is divided into two parts. The first paragraph is about the law and faith (verses 1-14), and the second paragraph is about the law and the promise and the function and role of the law (verses 15-29).