Why was this letter written?

This is the most important question. The answer unlocks the entirety of the book. In Chapter 1, Paul tells the church, “there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ” (v6, ESV). After Paul planted these churches, false teachers gained influence and insisted that Gentile converts to Christianity must follow Jewish law, including practices such as circumcision, to be truly saved. To validate their teaching, they devalued the validity of Paul’s claim to be an apostle. Paul’s apostleship and his gospel are interconnected. Imagine the questions the false teachers would raise. They probably asked something like, “If Paul is not truly an apostle like Peter and James, can Paul’s gospel be trusted?”

Paul’s Introduction

The first five verses focus on  ...