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Galatians

  1. Lesson One
    Epistles (First Few Verses Of Each Pauline Epistle)
    25 Activities
  2. Lesson Two
    Overview of Galatians
    19 Activities
  3. Lesson Three
    Works-Righteousness as Slavery
    19 Activities
    |
    2 Assessments
  4. Lesson Four
    Faith, Life, and the Spirit
    13 Activities
    |
    1 Assessment
  5. Lesson Five
    Author and Audience
    17 Activities
    |
    2 Assessments
  6. Course Wrap-Up
    Course Completion
    1 Activity
    |
    1 Assessment

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Galatians Author and Audience In | The Old Testament in Galatians
Lesson 5, Activity 6

In | The Old Testament in Galatians

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Paul goes on the offensive against Judaizing in the Galatian church. It may seem ironic that he makes extensive use of Old Testament passages in his case against practices like circumcision and ritual cleansing. 

Galatians 3:1-14 is one good example of the way Paul uses the Old Testament in this way. The center of this passage (vv. 6-13) is dense with Old Testament quotations. 

See the table below to compare Paul’s arguments in Galatians with the passages he references in the Old Testament. 

Galatians 3:6-13 (NIV)Old Testament (NIV)
So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Galatians 3:6)Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)
Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. (Galatians 3:7)_
Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” (Galatians 3:8)All peoples on earth will be blessed through you. (Genesis 12:3)
So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. (Galatians 3:9)_
For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” (Galatians 3:10)Cursed is anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out. (Deuteronomy 27:26)
Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” (Galatians 3:11)See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright—but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness. (Habakuk 2:4)
The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” (Galatians 3:12)Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord. (Leviticus 18:5)
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” (Galatians 3:13)Anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse. (Deuteronomy 21:23)

Table quoted from: Merrill C. Tenney, Galatians: The Charter of Christian Liberty, 1961, p. 198.

Paul uses Old Testament passages to demonstrate his own deep familiarity with the Jewish scriptures, and to convince his audience that those with faith in Christ, even gentiles, are Abraham’s offspring and heirs to God’s promises. Paul is not asking the Galatians to repudiate Judaism, but rather to live out its promises for a fruitful life in the New Covenant.