Galatians is the most personal, in-your-face, no-holds-barred writing from Paul’s passionate pen. Frankly, it reads like a declaration of war! Paul had heard that the Galatian Christians were in danger of falling away from the true gospel of grace by turning to a legalistic approach to salvation and the Christian life. Paul’s simple but profound response is this: Not only is the sinner saved by grace, but the saved sinner also lives by grace.

There was probably no place in Ephesus where a person could stand without falling under the shadow of the temple of Artemis, either physically, spiritually, or economically. From the perspective of a first-century Christian living in Ephesus, that city was a hostile environment. Paul’s letter sets out to reinforce the Ephesian believers’ doctrine and practice with a vital message: Because believers have new life through Christ, they ought to live a new life through the Spirit.

—Chuck Swindoll