d Jewish people. They were quick-tempered, impulsive, hospitable and
fickle people. They were quick to receive impressions and equally
quick to give them up. They received Paul with enthusiastic joy, and
were then suddenly turned from him (Gal. 4:13-16).

The Churches of Galatia. Just how and by whom these churches were
established we do not know. The great highway from the East to Europe
passed through this region, making it possible for some of those
present at Pentecost to have sown the seed of the gospel there. It
could have sprung up from work done by Paul while at Tarsus from the
time of his return from Arabia to his going to Antioch with Barnabas.
But the scripture gives us no word about this.

On the second missionary journey Paul visited them (Acts 16:6) and
seems to have been taken sick while passing through and to have
preached to them while unable to travel (Gal. 4:14-15). They gladly
received his teaching, and churches seem to have sprung up. Paul also
visited them while on the third missionary journey (Acts 18:23) and
instructed and established them in the faith. The churches were
running well when Paul left them, but Judaizing teachers had now come
in and, acting upon their fickle and unstable nature, had greatly
corrupted the simplicity of their faith.

The Occasion of the Epistle. (1) Judaizing teachers had gone among the
Galatians, claiming that the Jewish law was binding upon Christians,
admitting that Jesus was the Messiah, but claiming that salvation
must, nevertheless, be obtained by the works of the law. They
especially urged that all Gentiles be circumcised. (2) In order to
gain their point and turn the Galatians from their belief, they were
trying to weaken their confidence in Paul, their spiritual teacher.
They said he was not one of the twelve, and therefore, not one of the
apostles, and his teachings were not of binding authority. They
suggested that he had learned his doctrine from others, especially
from the apostles who were pillars of the church.

The Purpose of the Epistle. The purpose of the epistle was to root out
the errors of doctrine introduced by the Judaizers and to hold the
Galatians to their earlier faith. To do this it was necessary to
establish his apostolic authority and the divine origin of his gospel.
He also desired to show the practical value or application of his
teaching. He especially shows the value of Christian freedom and at
the same time shows that it is not l