The book of Galatians was written for recovering Pharisees. By trying to base their standing with God on their spiritual performance, the Galatians were in danger of denying the gospel. They needed to hear again the liberating message that we are justified not by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.
The church today needs to embrace that same gospel message. “We are legalists by nature,” Philip Ryken writes, and Galatians “challenges many of our preconceptions about what it means to have a right relationship with God.”
In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.
Save more when you purchase this book as part of the Reformed Expository Commentary series.
“The church’s greatest danger is not the anti-gospel outside the church; it is the counterfeit gospel inside the church.” (Page 21)
“There was a good reason for Paul’s urgency. He was facing a crisis” (Page 16)
“The good news of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, is the only gospel there is” (Page 22)
“As John Stott says, ‘The church’s greatest troublemakers (now as then) are not those outside who oppose, ridicule and persecute it, but those inside who try to change the gospel.’” (Pages 18–19)
“‘Deserting’ is a good translation because the word was first used in a military context for traitors and turncoats” (Page 16)
In an age when scholars write commentaries the size of encyclopedias so that exposition is often drowned in an ocean of background technical details, Dr. Ryken’s Galatians—the first volume in this series—appears as a welcome sign of springtime and the firstfruits of the harvest to come.
—Sinclair Ferguson, senior minister, First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, SC
Phil Ryken is a living refutation of the argument that great expository preaching just can’t be found today. He brings to his pulpit a rare combination of biblical insight, theological substance, and pastoral application. In Galatians, Ryken takes us right into the mind of the apostle Paul and into the heart of this great letter. A richly rewarding and faithful commentary.
—R. Albert Mohler Jr., ninth president, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Marvelously exhibits the model of the pastor-scholar. Laypeople will discover a wealth of sound teaching. Even pastors who want to stay abreast of more academic trends in biblical scholarship will appreciate Ryken’s godly common sense and theological wisdom. I warmly recommend this work to pastors and to those who hear them preach.
—Michael S. Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor, Westminster Seminary, CA
It is uniquely appropriate that this commentary series commences with an exposition of a Pauline letter at the center of recent discussions. Because Ryken rightly understands that Galatians is about justification, and that the problem vexing the Galatians was no mere exclusivism but legalism, his exposition will help many a preacher set forth the gospel of grace.
—J. Ligon Duncan III, senior pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, MS