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There are books of Sacred Scripture that console.
Others that enlighten.
And some — like the Letter to the Galatians — that shake the soul.
The Letter to the Galatians, written by the apostle Saint Paul, is not a cold treatise nor a distant academic exposition. It is a pastoral cry. It is the voice of a spiritual father who sees his children in danger and cannot remain silent.
If today we live in times of doctrinal confusion, moral relativism, and false spiritualities, Galatians is a letter for us.
Because the question that runs through the entire epistle is this:
What does it mean to be truly free in Christ?
And that question remains urgent.
1. Historical Context: Who Were the Galatians?
Galatia was a region of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). There, Saint Paul had preached the Gospel with abundant fruit. Many pagans converted, embraced the faith, and began living as Christians.
But after his departure, other preachers arrived — the so-called “Judaizers” — who taught that faith in Christ was not enough. They claimed that, in addition, it was necessary to observe the Mosaic Law: to be circumcised, to keep ritual prescriptions, to submit to ancient practices.
In other words:
Christ, yes… but not Christ alone.
Saint Paul reacts with astonishing energy. From the very first chapter, his urgency is evident:
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel” (Gal 1:6).
This is not merely a disciplinary debate. It is a matter of salvation.
2. The Heart of the Message: Justification by Faith
The central axis of Galatians is clear and forceful:
A man is not saved by works of the Law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.
Saint Paul expresses it powerfully:
“A person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ” (Gal 2:16).
This does not mean that works do not matter. It means that salvation is not a human achievement, but a free gift.
From a theological standpoint, Galatians develops a fundamental truth:
justification is the work of grace.
God does not save us because we perform perfectly.
He saves us because Christ died for us.
And here we find one of the most profound verses in all of Scripture:
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20).
This is not spiritual poetry. It is mystical theology.
The Christian life is not a superficial moral improvement. It is an ontological transformation: Christ lives in the baptized person.
3. Christian Freedom: Free from What?
One of the most revolutionary concepts in the letter is freedom.
“For freedom Christ has set us free” (Gal 5:1).
But be careful. This is not modern freedom understood as “doing whatever I want.” It is not absolute autonomy nor moral independence.
Saint Paul does not preach libertinism. He preaches liberation from sin and from legalism.
Free:
- from sin that enslaves
- from the law understood as a burden without grace
- from spiritual self-sufficiency
- from trying to save ourselves by our own strength
Today we live another form of slavery: the tyranny of the self, the cult of self-assertion, spirituality without the cross.
Galatians reminds us that true freedom consists in belonging to Christ.
4. The Struggle Between Flesh and Spirit
In chapter 5 we find one of the clearest lists concerning Christian moral life.
Saint Paul contrasts:
The works of the flesh:
“fornication, impurity, idolatry, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of anger…” (Gal 5:19–21)
And the fruit of the Spirit:
“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal 5:22–23)
Theologically, this opposition is not dualism. It does not mean the body is evil. “Flesh” here refers to human nature wounded by sin.
The Christian life is spiritual combat.
And here Galatians becomes profoundly relevant: we live in a culture that normalizes many “works of the flesh” and ridicules self-control.
But Saint Paul is clear:
there is no spiritual neutrality.
Either we live according to the Spirit,
or the flesh ends up dominating us.
5. Divine Filiation: The Most Sublime Point
One of the most beautiful moments in the letter is when Paul speaks about our adoption:
“When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son… so that we might receive adoption as children” (Gal 4:4–5).
This verse is key.
Christ did not come merely to teach morality.
He came to make us sons and daughters.
And he continues:
“And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Gal 4:6).
From a pastoral perspective, this truth transforms spiritual life:
- We do not obey out of fear.
- We do not pray as slaves.
- We do not live as God’s employees.
We are children.
In a world marked by affective and spiritual orphanhood, this is revolutionary news.
6. Ecclesial Dimension: Unity in Christ
Saint Paul proclaims something that has echoed for centuries:
“There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; there is no male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28).
This verse does not erase natural differences nor legitimate hierarchies. What it proclaims is that baptismal dignity is shared.
Before God, we are all heirs.
In times of polarization, identity struggles, and social fractures, Galatians offers the theological foundation of true unity:
not ideological uniformity, but communion in Christ.
7. Practical Applications for Today
How do we live Galatians in 2026?
1. Examine Your “Interior Legalism”
Do you think God loves you only when everything goes perfectly?
That is returning to slavery.
2. Avoid “Christ + Something”
Christ plus ideology.
Christ plus alternative spirituality.
Christ plus self-help.
The Gospel does not need supplements.
3. Cultivate the Fruit of the Spirit
Make a daily examination:
Am I growing in gentleness?
In self-control?
In patience?
4. Live as a Child
Pray calling God Father with real confidence.
Not as a formula.
But as a certainty.
5. Embrace the Cross
Galatians is a letter marked by the cross. Saint Paul concludes by saying:
“Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal 6:14).
The cross is not defeat. It is the seal of Christian authenticity.
8. A Pastoral Warning for Our Time
The heresy confronted in Galatians has not disappeared.
Today it takes new forms:
- Moralism without grace.
- Spirituality without the Church.
- Christianity reduced to social ethics.
- Religion adapted to cultural taste.
Galatians forces us to choose:
Do I trust in Christ crucified?
Or do I trust in my own merits?
There is no middle ground.
9. Conclusion: A Letter to Return to the Original Fire
The Letter to the Galatians is uncomfortable because it removes our excuses.
It reminds us that:
- Salvation is grace.
- Freedom is demanding.
- Filiation is real.
- Spiritual combat is daily.
- The cross is the center.
If today you feel tired, confused, or trapped between rules and guilt, return to Galatians.
Read it slowly.
Meditate on it.
Pray with it.
And let those ancient words rekindle the fire.
Because as Saint Paul wrote:
“Let us not grow weary in doing what is right” (Gal 6:9).
Christian freedom is not light.
It is glorious.
And it begins when we stop trying to save ourselves
and allow ourselves to be saved by Christ.
