Miniature Gospel

LEGALISM on SermonAudio · Jul 25, 2026 · 19m

In the opening movements of the Epistle to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul provides a greeting that transcends mere social convention. Galatians 1:3—"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ"—functions as a "front-loaded" theological summary of the entire letter. While Paul typically includes lengthy, warm periods of thanksgiving (the eucharistia) in letters such as those to the Philippians or Philemon, he notably omits such pleasantries here. Instead, he adopts a sharp, urgent tone necessitated by a crisis of legalism. In the immediate context of verses 1–2, Paul…