Galatians Study Series
What Paul Is Actually Addressing (Galatians 2–3)
The phrase “works of the law” is one of the most misunderstood expressions in Galatians. It is often assumed to mean that Paul was opposing obedience itself. But when the letter is read in its historical and textual context, that conclusion does not hold.
The issue Paul is confronting is not that Gentiles were trying to obey God. The issue is that Gentiles were being told they could not truly belong or walk in God’s instruction unless they became Jewish first.
This framing matters, because it changes how every use of the phrase must be understood.
Major Issue Paul Was Confronting: The Thread We Will Unravel Throughout Each Galatians Study
Core pressure in Galatia: Torah was treated as Israel’s exclusive inheritance, so Gentile believers were pressured to convert in order to fully belong.
Later Jewish sources reflect the belief that Torah belongs uniquely to Israel and that Gentiles should not fully observe it unless they formally convert.
Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 59a: “Torah is an inheritance for Israel, not for them.”
Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings 10:9–10: Gentiles are obligated only in the laws of Noah.
While these sources are later than Paul, they reflect a framework that helps explain why Gentile believers were pressured to convert.
The message being imposed on Gentile believers was essentially this:
Torah was given to the Jews.
Torah belongs to Jewish identity.
Gentiles should not (or cannot fully) walk in Torah unless they convert.
Circumcision is the gateway into Jewish identity.
Without circumcision, Gentiles remain outsiders.
So the pressure was not “You are obeying too much.” The pressure was “You are not permitted to walk this out unless you become Jewish.”
Historical sources show that in the first century, Gentiles who wished to fully join Jewish religious life were expected to undergo circumcision and formal conversion.
Josephus (Antiquities 20.2.5) records cases of Gentiles being instructed to become circumcised in order to participate fully in Jewish life.
Josephus is a first-century Jewish historian, which grounds the expectation in the world Paul addressed.
This is why circumcision becomes the focal point throughout the letter. It was not being treated as just another commandment. It was being treated as the required entry into Jewish identity, and therefore the required entry into Torah life itself.
Paul’s response is not to reject Torah (the instructions of God). Paul’s response is to reject the idea that Torah belongs only to Jews and that Gentiles must convert before they may walk faithfully.
In Galatians 2:7–9, Paul uses “the circumcised” to refer to Jews and “the uncircumcised” to refer to Gentiles.
These are identity categories, not merely physical descriptions. This anchors the letter as a discussion about belonging and identity rather than about obedience itself.
Paul himself defines the framework: “I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter to the circumcised.” (Galatians 2:7)
Here, circumcised = Jews and uncircumcised = Gentiles. These are identity categories, not merely physical descriptions.
So when Paul speaks throughout the letter about works of the law, justification by the law, being under the law, and circumcision, he is speaking inside this Jew/Gentile identity issue, not debating whether believers should walk faithfully.
Circumcision represents the demand: “You must become Jewish before you can truly belong or walk in Torah.” Paul’s rejection of “works of the law” is a rejection of that claim.
Peter had been eating with Gentile believers. This reflected the truth that they were fully accepted.
When certain men arrived, Peter withdrew.
Peter’s withdrawal was driven by fear and communicated something false:
That Gentiles were still lesser.
That Gentiles were not fully accepted.
That Gentiles needed to align with Jewish identity to truly belong.
Paul rebukes Peter because his behavior contradicted the truth of the gospel: that Gentiles already belong fully through Messiah.
This makes the issue unmistakable. The conflict is about belonging and identity, not obedience.
In Romans 2:14–15, Paul explains that Gentiles who believe often “do the things contained in the law,” showing that the work of the law is written on their hearts.
He presents this as evidence of the Spirit’s work, not as rebellion. This confirms that Paul does not oppose Gentiles walking in obedience, but affirms it as fruit of genuine faith.
Paul teaches elsewhere: “When Gentiles… do the things contained in the law… they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts.” (Romans 2:14–15)
Paul does not describe this as rebellion. He describes it as evidence of the Spirit at work.
Gentiles walking in the substance of God’s instruction by faith is presented as proof that they belong, not as something to be corrected.
Within the context of the letter, the phrase refers to:
Torah being treated as belonging only to Jewish identity.
Circumcision being treated as the gateway into legitimacy.
Gentiles being told they must convert before they can walk faithfully.
Identity through flesh being treated as the basis of belonging.
Paul’s argument is simple and consistent: Gentiles do not need to become Jewish to belong. Gentiles do not need circumcision to receive the Spirit. Gentiles are not outsiders to covenant life. Those who belong to Messiah already belong to God’s people and may walk faithfully.
The new covenant promise includes God writing His instruction on the heart (Jeremiah 31:33) and causing His people to walk in His statutes by the Spirit (Ezekiel 36:27).
Paul’s affirmation that Gentiles bear this fruit by the Spirit aligns with these prophetic promises rather than contradicting them.
Paul does not leave room for the idea that freedom from conversion equals freedom from obedience.
He says: “Do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh…” (Galatians 5:13)
Freedom from forced identity change is not freedom to live without restraint.
He also affirms: “The whole Torah is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Galatians 5:14)
In Jewish teaching, it is common to summarize Torah with a short guiding principle without implying that the rest of the commandments are removed.
Yeshua did this in Matthew 22:37–40, and Hillel taught a similar summary in Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 31a.
When Paul says, “The whole Torah is fulfilled in one word,” he is using this established teaching style, not canceling the Torah.
He does not discard Torah. He affirms its purpose, just as Messiah does.
And when he describes the fruit of the Spirit, he says: “Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:23)
This does not mean the law is removed. It means the fruit of the Spirit never contradicts God’s instruction.
Love, faithfulness, and self-control are good because they align with Torah. A person who truly walks in these qualities will naturally walk in obedience, because the Spirit is producing the very character God’s instruction was always meant to form.
This is not the removal of Torah. This is Torah written on the heart and lived out from within.
“Works of the law” in Galatians is not a rejection of obedience. It is a rejection of the belief that Torah belongs only to Jews and that Gentiles must become Jewish before they can walk faithfully.
The conflict is not about whether believers should obey God. The conflict is about who Torah belongs to and who has the right to live faithfully before Him.
Paul’s answer is clear: those who belong to Messiah belong to God’s people. Those who belong to God’s people may walk in His ways. Not by becoming Jewish, but by belonging through Messiah.
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