Walking Faithfully With God in His Ways
Galatians is written by Paul to assemblies in the region of Galatia (Gal 1:1–2). These were Gentile believers who had turned to the God of Israel through Messiah and were beginning to walk in covenant faithfulness.
Paul is not opposing obedience.
He is not opposing circumcision as a covenant sign.
He is not opposing God’s instruction.
The issue is that some were teaching the Galatian believers that they could not be saved unless they were first circumcised and formally identified as Jews. Circumcision, which is a covenant sign given by God (Gen 17:9–14), was being misused as a requirement for entrance into salvation, rather than understood as something that flows from a faithful heart already walking with God.
Paul is addressing the order of covenant life, not the value of covenant obedience.
Paul anchors his argument in Scripture, especially in the life of Abraham.
Abraham trusted God before he was circumcised in the flesh (Gen 17). His faith produced obedience, not the other way around. Circumcision followed as a sign of an already faithful heart.
Paul’s point is clear:
Faithfulness to God precedes outward covenant signs.
Obedience flows from trust and relationship.
Salvation is covenant life with God, not mere status or identity.
Paul explains that the promise given to Abraham came before the giving of the Torah at Sinai (Gal 3:17). This does not mean the Torah contradicts the promise.
God’s instruction:
Reveals His righteous ways
Defines covenant faithfulness
Guards the people He has redeemed
The Torah never replaced faith, nor did faith abolish the Torah. They function together within the covenant relationship.
This does not mean the Torah was temporary or defective.
It means:
God’s instruction guards, trains, and directs His people
It exposes sin and defines righteousness
It leads us to Messiah, who embodies and perfectly walks out that instruction
Messiah does not remove God’s ways. He reveals them fully and empowers faithful obedience.
Paul emphasizes inheritance language throughout Galatians.
Inheritance is covenantal.
It belongs to those who:
Trust God
Walk faithfully with Him
Remain in His ways
This is why Paul warns that persistent unfaithfulness results in loss of inheritance (Gal 5:19–21). These warnings are real and covenant-grounded.
Freedom here is not freedom from obedience.
It is freedom from:
Sin
False requirements for salvation
Man-made systems that replace God’s order
Paul immediately clarifies:
True freedom enables faithful obedience, not lawlessness.
Galatians 5 contrasts:
Works of the flesh
Fruit of the Spirit
The Spirit does not oppose God’s instruction.
The Spirit writes God’s instruction on the heart (Jer 31:31–33), empowering obedience that flows from love and trust.
Paul concludes Galatians by emphasizing communal faithfulness:
The “law of Messiah” is not a new or different law.
It is God’s instruction lived out in love, humility, restoration, and perseverance.
Galatians teaches that:
Salvation is covenant life initiated by God’s faithfulness
Faithfulness produces obedience
God’s instruction defines how covenant life is lived
Outward signs do not replace inward trust
The Spirit empowers faithful walking
Persistent unfaithfulness results in loss of inheritance
Paul’s message is not anti-Torah.
It is anti-distortion of God’s covenant order.
Galatians calls believers to walk faithfully with God in His ways, grounded in trust, empowered by the Spirit, and shaped by the instruction He has always given.