Paul's Letter To The Galatians Analysis

When one reads the New Testament, a contradiction appears in reading Paul and James’ teachings concerning ‘faith’ and ‘works’. There is also question about the word ‘justified’ as to its meaning. In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, Paul writes this “16 yet we know that a person is justified[a] not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.[b] And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ,[c] and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law,” in 2:16. (NRSV) And in Galatians 3:6-7 says this, “6 Just as Abraham “believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” 7 so, you see, those who believe are the descendants of Abraham.” (NRSV) Paul also stated in Romans a similar idea, “28 For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law,” in 3:28. In chapter 4 of Romans, Paul uses Abraham as an example from

Paul’s response was concerning ecclesiastical and doctrinal controversies. These Jewish-Christians were teaching false doctrine to the Gentile members. They taught that to be saved one must be circumcised and observe the ritual requirements of the law. Paul believed a Gentile did not need to go through the ritual requirements of the law, Gentiles were welcomed into the church through baptism professing faith in Jesus the Christ. In Acts 15:24-29 the Apostles and elders of the church did call the Gentiles to live within the moral teachings of the law, most specifically to avoid idolatry and sexual sin and counseled them on kosher restrictions when eating with others who were Jewish so as not to offend and complicate ministry amongst the Jewish communities. The account in Acts actually attest to the controversies of Gentile reception in the church and what their obligation to the law would be. This is the problem Paul is trying to rectify in