Was Paul teaching believers to abandon YHWH's instructions?
Galatians is often quoted when believers begin studying Torah, honoring Shabbat, or learning about YHWH's appointed times. Before deciding what Paul meant, we need to ask: What controversy was he confronting, and to whom was he writing?
Start with the circumcision controversy
Acts 15:1 records certain men teaching that Gentile believers could not be saved unless they were circumcised according to the custom of Moses. Acts 15:5 shows that the dispute also involved questions about keeping the Law.
Peter then testified that YHWH had given the Holy Spirit to Gentiles and purified their hearts by faith (Acts 15:8–11).
The issue was not whether Scripture is good. It was whether Gentiles had to submit to physical circumcision and assume a particular covenant status in order to be saved and fully received among God's people.
Paul vigorously resisted making circumcision a condition of justification. In Galatians 5:2–4, he warns those seeking to be justified by the Law that they are turning away from reliance on Messiah's grace. Read alongside Acts 15, these warnings address a real controversy about salvation, belonging, and confidence before YHWH.
How do we belong to Abraham's family?
Paul returns to Abraham in Galatians 3:6–9 and 3:26–29. Abraham believed YHWH, and faith was counted to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). Those who belong to Messiah are described as Abraham's descendants and heirs according to the promise.
Our place in the family comes through faith in Yeshua—not through a physical procedure or a change in ethnic identity.
Does faith make YHWH's instructions void?
Jeremiah 31:31–34 promises a New Covenant in which YHWH puts His Law within His people and writes it upon their hearts.
Romans 3:31 asks whether faith makes the Law void; Paul answers that faith establishes it. In Galatians 5:13–14, he warns that freedom must not become an opportunity for the flesh, and he reaches back to Leviticus 19:18 to teach love of neighbor.
Galatians 6:2 also speaks of fulfilling the law of Messiah by bearing one another's burdens. These passages invite us to examine the relationship between grace, the Spirit, and a life of faithful obedience.
Grace and obedience are not enemies. We cannot earn salvation through our works, but genuine faith should transform how we live.
What about the difficult verses?
We recognize that passages such as Galatians 3:23–25 (the guardian), Galatians 4:8–11 (days, months, seasons, and years), and Galatians 5:18 (not under the Law) are interpreted differently by faithful readers. They deserve careful attention in their full context—not a one-verse answer.
Our understanding is that Paul was opposing reliance on circumcision and works for justification, not calling YHWH's commandments evil. We invite readers to compare his arguments with Acts 15, Jeremiah 31, Romans 3 and 8, and the words of Yeshua in Matthew 5:17–20.
One new man, one household
Galatians 3:28 speaks of equal standing in Messiah. Ephesians 2:14–19 speaks of Jew and Gentile being brought near as members of one household, and Romans 11:17–18 warns Gentile believers against boasting over the branches of the cultivated olive tree.
Being grafted in does not make us superior, nor does it require erasing the Jewish identity and historical context of the Messiah we follow. Unity in Messiah is not spiritual competition.
Want to study the whole letter for yourself? Our Galatians in Context workbook takes you through Galatians in 13 sessions, alongside Acts 15, the Torah and the words of Yeshua (instant PDF download).
Begin with one yes
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From our table to yours, Shabbat Shalom!
Beth & Daniel
We Be Shabbatin'