After the Apostle Paul returned from his first missionary journey, he heard that a certain group of legalistic Jewish Christians had infiltrated the churches he had established. These false teachers were teaching that new Christians had to be circumcised and follow the Old Testament law in order to be truly saved. Paul, realizing the gospel was at stake, wrote this letter in response.
In “Galatians Verse by Verse”, experienced New Testament scholar sets forth Paul's laser-focused argument: Jesus is not only the Messiah; he came to inaugurate a new era in salvation history. In this new era, Christians are not made right with God by obeying the law; justification is by faith alone. This frees believers to live their lives not trying to earn salvation, but instead joyfully keeping in step with the Spirit. Pastors, Bible study leaders, and invested laypeople will all benefit from Osborne's careful reading of the text and commitment to making sense of the New Testament without scholarly jargon.
