Pauls Letter To The Galatians Essay Research

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Paul’s Letter to The Galatians

When Paul attended the Jerusalem Conference, a decision was made that gentiles

would be allowed to become Christians without becoming Jews first. Paul defended the

gentile’s right to be Christians and became the apostle to the gentiles. My question is,

why would Paul, a Jew, want to be an apostle to gentiles? You would think why Paul,

someone who grew up in a “good” Jewish family, would not follow in the footsteps of

Jewish Christian Missionaries, and require Christian converts to become Jews first.

Paul uses scripture to explain why gentiles should not be required to be

circumcised, or obey Jewish law. Paul had to fight to have his belief accecpted. Paul

tried to follow the example of the original apostles by “converting the multitudes.” Paul

understood human nature better then any other apostles preaching circumcision to the

gentiles.

Paul’s major problem confroted in his letter to the Galatians is the preachings of the

Judaziers. Paul begins the letter by defending his credibility as an apostle. He writes a

brief autobiographical history, stressing that he once persecuted Christians, and converted

when Jesus appeared to him. Also, he tells the outcome of the Jerusalem Conference,

probably to convince them that oter apostles have accepted his theology.

Next, Paul writes that “obedience to the Law could not earn approval by God;

approval is possible only through faith in Christ” (Perrin, 184). Then Paul uses an

allegory of The Two Covents. Abraham’s child of a slave woman represents Jerusalem

living under the law, and the child of the free woman represents Jerusalem being free.

This is common preaching styles, probably taught to him by Peter when he spent time

with him. Paul also tries to appeal to the Helenistic enthusiasm in Christianity in Gal 3:1-

5.

“Although Paul makes some very convincing arguments in favor of his beliefs, I

cannot agree with his interpertation of Christ Jesus Christianity”. Paul argues his position

only up to Gal. 5:12, after that, he contradicts his preaching untill 6:10, where he ends the

letter. The problem of acceptance of Jewish law, is the split in Christianity. Catholicism

represents Paul’s view of Christianity, while Seventh Day Adventist Christians keep

Jewish law. If Paul had preached the law, I don’t believe that Christianity would even be

present today. Gentile Christianity became a religion of Paul, rather than a religion of

Jesus.