Pauls Letter To The Galatians Essay, Research Paper
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
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.