Paul names himself as the writer
Galatians begins plainly: Paul says he is an apostle, sent not by human appointment but through Jesus Christ and God the Father (Galatians 1:1). A few lines later, he again names himself alongside the believers with him as he addresses the churches of Galatia (Galatians 1:2).
This Paul is the same man once known as Saul, who fiercely opposed the early church before encountering the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus. His life changed direction completely, and he became a missionary who carried the message of Christ to both Jews and Gentiles (Acts 9:3-6; Acts 9:20).
Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
Why Paul wrote so urgently
Paul had helped establish churches in Galatia, but after he left, other teachers troubled them. They taught that faith in Christ was not enough and that Gentile Christians also needed to take on Jewish law, particularly circumcision, to be accepted by God (Galatians 1:6-7; Galatians 5:2-4).
That is why the letter can feel sharp. Paul was not trying to win an argument. He was protecting people from a message that shifted their confidence away from Christ's grace and back onto their own performance. For Paul, changing the gospel in that way was no small matter (Galatians 1:8-9).
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
Paul's central message
Galatians makes clear that no one is put right with God by works of the law. Paul points instead to faith in Jesus Christ. This does not mean good works are worthless or that Christian freedom is selfish. It means obedience grows from God's gift of grace, rather than becoming a way to purchase God's acceptance (Galatians 2:16; Galatians 5:13-14).
Paul also reminds the Galatian believers that God's Spirit forms a new kind of life in them. Love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control are not badges people earn. They are the fruit of walking with the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25).
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
A letter worth reading closely
Paul wrote Galatians, but he did not write as a distant lecturer. He wrote as an apostle who knew these churches, cared deeply for them, and wanted them to stand firm in the freedom Christ had given them (Galatians 4:19-20; Galatians 5:1).
As you read, notice how often Paul brings the focus back to Jesus. Galatians asks a searching but hopeful question: will we trust God's grace in Christ, or keep trying to prove ourselves? It remains a deeply practical letter for anyone who wonders whether God's welcome has to be earned.