In his first major commentary, renowned theologian N. T. Wright asks and answers the questions “What is ‘Christian formation’? How does the Bible contribute to it? How, within that, does a book like Galatians form part of it? And—the particular challenge facing the commentator—how does a commentary on a book like Galatians form part of it?”
Wright points out what he considers to be the emphases of Paul’s letter to the Galatians: First, that “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has done what he always promised, and launched his new creation.” Second, “God’s Messiah, Jesus, has fulfilled the divine purpose for Israel in his death and resurrection, and has thereby accomplished the new Exodus, the great rescue operation from the ultimate slave masters, sin and death themselves.” Third, “God has given his own Spirit to be the transformative energy for this new people, and therefore the advanced gift from the promised inheritance.”
Delving into the book of Galatians’ historical context and political realities, Wright takes readers on an in-depth journey into Paul’s writing and the world he lived in where the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ radically inaugurated his kingdom reign on earth as it is in heaven. Though detailed and academic, Wright’s verse-by-verse commentary is an accessible and enlightening resource for teachers, pastors, and individuals who choose to spend time and energy reflecting on his insights.
Wright’s commentary ends on a note of worship, focusing on Jesus as Paul did throughout Galatians: “The whole of Galatians is permeated with the presence and gospel of Jesus himself. ... He is the one who sets his people free, whose Spirit enables them to live as renewed human beings. Jesus is the one whose death and resurrection have meant the end of the old world and the birth of the new. ... A church formed by a reading of Galatians will be a church with Jesus at the center. A church called by love, shaped by love, striving to live by love.” (Eerdmans)
About the Author
Sonya VanderVeen Feddema is a freelance writer and a member of Covenant CRC in St. Catharines, Ontario.