How to Study the Epistles of the New Testament

One of the first steps in this process is creating a Context Outline. It’s a bird’s eye view of the enter letter. This is where you begin gathering key information from the text in a simple bullet-point format to begin uncovering the overall context or message. As you do this, take time to meditate on the verses, observe repeated themes, and begin asking questions about what the passage meant to the original audience—and what it means for you today.

​During this phase, avoid jumping to conclusions. Instead, focus on observing the flow of the text and exploring how each section connects. Let the biblical context and original word meanings shape your understanding as you prepare to go deeper into the Scripture.

 

So what is “context”? Context is the wholeness of the facts pertaining to a subject that help us to make accurate conclusions about what we’re seeing, hearing, reading, etc.

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Here’s a perfect example of what can happen if we take the Bible out of context:

John 6:53: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” (ESV)

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What happened when Jesus’ words were taken out of context?

• Makes the truth of the Bible unapproachable. John 6:60 says, “When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’” But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this?”

• People can become frustrated with the truth. John 6:66–69: “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you want to go away as well?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life...’”

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The First Step when studying the doctrinal books of the New Testament

*Collecting the basic observations of the entire epistle so we can get an overview of what the letter is about. We do this by creating a Context Outline. Here's how:

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   1. Start your study at the beginning of the book. There is valuable information about the context in the opening verses and                   chapters, as we will see below.

   2. Create an outline of the book. An outline will help you break down the basic information of the book you’re studying. *Take notes         on principles taught in the book or letter and point out the overarching context and the arguments or accounts that support it.

 

Why is creating an outline important?

What you will find is that though the books of Scripture have a major theme (or overarching context), they may also have different minor themes (“sub-contexts”) that the author weaves into the book to support his major themes. A sub-context is a subordinate argument that exists within the overarching context, used to support the overarching context by providing examples of other information and detail. Paul is notorious for this. As you may know, in his immense wisdom and skill for apologetics, the Apostle Paul jumps in and out of theological sub-contexts effortlessly as he argues his main point in his letters.

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Let's begin!

​​​For our lesson, we will create our outline of the book of Galatians! We will be using the ESV translation but use the translation that you prefer.

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Context Outline of Paul's Letter to the Galatians

​*As the outline is in bullet-point format, the Scriptures are referenced but not entirely included. Read the Scripture referenced so you can see how they fit into the outline. Don't just take my word for it!

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Galatians 1:1–2 

• "Paul, an apostle" Who is the author? The Apostle Paul. We see that at the onset of Paul’s letter where he introduces himself, as he traditionally does.

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1:2 “To the churches of Galatia”

• Who is the audience? The Galatian Christians. (We can’t say simply "the Christians in Galatia," because there is some debate on whether Paul was writing to the Roman province of Galatia or to the people in ethnic Galatia. This is information you can explore in your personal study of the Galatian people, but it does add any spiritual relevance to your study.)

 

1:3–5

• Paul gives a benediction, which is also characteristic of his epistles.

 

1:6 Paul’s major context is introduced

• "different gospel"?

Question: What is the other gospel that Paul is disputing or speaking against when he says, “...turned to a different gospel.” That’s answered later.

​•    At the end of verse 6 Paul introduces other characters into his letter saying, “but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ”
Question: Who are these that Paul mentions that turned the Galatians away from Paul’s gospel?

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1:7–9

• Paul rejects the idea of a “different” gospel—“let them be cursed.”

In verse 10, we see Paul setting up his first sub-context that will support the main context of his letter to the Galatians. (It's recognizable as he seems to change the subject.) “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”

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Full shift into his first Sub-Context

In 1:11–2:10,

• Paul gives biographical testimony disputing the idea that he got his gospel from the other apostles. He argues that he has rarely seen them and that they cannot be credited for his knowledge of Christ. Instead, Paul builds the case that he got his gospel directly from Christ and no one else.

(This is something Paul emphasized in verse 1 when he introduces himself: “Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead.”)

The sub-context that Paul introduces here is that Paul's calling and credentials as an apostle and his knowledge of the gospel are directly from Christ, not the other apostles, and are trustworthy. Therefore, when the Galatians turned away from the gospel of grace that Paul gave them they turned away from Christ.

So did someone came after Paul and cause the Galatians to question his credentials as an apostle?

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Paul transitions into the conversation about the Law, which is his second sib-context

In 2:11–21

• Paul starts with the example of confronting Peter, who ate with Gentiles openly but then refrained when unsaved Jews (who practiced the Mosaic Law) were present. Paul called Peter out for his inconsistency and for trying to maintain the respect of those who practiced the Law, not grace.

Paul uses this example to prove his position against relying on the Law. Even another apostle was rebuked for behaving according to it.

Paul brings this point home in 2:14–15: “We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ... for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.”

 

Questions: Why does Paul bring up justification by faith versus works of the Law? Does this also point to his major context—that the Galatians turned from his gospel? The information we have so far is pointing in that direction, but we still have more to uncover before completing our outline.

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Paul rests from his arguments to scold the Galatians directly:

3:1–4

• “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you...?”

Does this connect with the introduction, where Paul emphasizes grace and peace through Christ, who gave Himself for our sins? Yes, it does. Yes! 1:4, "who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father." The "present age" is the time of the Old Covenant and the Law, which was passing away as the Gospel and God's grace was being introduced. We've uncovered an awesome insight into the transition of the two covenants, from Old to New!

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​Paul returns to his sub-context refuting the Law

3:4–14

• Paul dives deeper into the error of trusting in the Law again.

 

3:15–4:7

• Paul explains that the Law was a curse lifted from us by the Promised Seed, Christ. He explains that we are now heirs through faith, not through the Law.

In verse 19, Paul shifts the context again: “What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come...”

We can further speculate now that Paul’s main context for writing to the Galatians is that he is confronting them for leaving his gospel in which they were justified by faith in Christ (the New Covenant) and they’ve turned to believing they are justified by their performance of the Mosaic Law of the Old Covenant. This is further substantiated by Paul's question in the next verse, where he again breaks from his sub-context to confront their error directly.

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Paul breaks away from his sub-context about the Law to ask another question
4:8–16 
•    Paul shows his concern and care for the Galatians. He asks: “How is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements...? I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.”

Then Paul shares some of his history with the Galatians and how they received him

4:12–14 
Here, Paul also gives us valuable hints about his history with the Galatians: “You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first...”
•    In 2 Corinthians 12:7 Paul says, "So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited." We can only speculate to what his thorn in the flesh was. But whatever it was, God used it to bring him to the Galatians first. Here Paul uncovers that his missionary journeys to preach the gospel to the Gentiles started with the Galatians! 

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4:17-20
•    Paul alludes to those responsible for turning the Galatians away from grace: “They zealously court you, but for no good...”
We see that “others” are involved in the controversy.
In verse 20, Paul acknowledges his harsh tone: “I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone...” This “tone” is something unique only to Paul’s epistle to the Galatians. Paul does not speak as harshly in his other letters.

Paul returns to his sub-context regarding the Law (*For the last time as he ends his debates)​

4:21–31

• Paul returns to the Galatians’ confidence in the Law. He uses the story of Sarah and Hagar to explain the Old and New Covenants and how believers in Christ are the children of the promise.​

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Paul first exhortation challenging the Galatians to choose Christ (A break from the sub-context concerning the Law)

5:1–15

• Paul exhorts the Galatians to stand fast in liberty from the Law: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free...”

• He also makes more references to those who misled the Galatians: “But he who troubles you shall bear his judgment...”

• Paul then challenges the Galatians about their behavior: “But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!”

Some speculation: The Galatians, now "bewitched" by the Law, had begun to judge each other based on their performance of the Law. This became an “opportunity in the flesh,” producing self-righteousness and carnality among them. How were they bewitched? They were deceived into trusting in the Law and that these resulting behaviors were spiritual and pleasing to God and Christ. Not knowing that they had strayed from Christ and who he wanted them to be! Can you see a personal application coming?​

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Paul’s 2nd exhortation

5:16–25

• One of my favorite teachings in the whole Bible! Paul teaches about walking in the Spirit: “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh...” This is one of only a couple places where walking in the Spirit is directly mentioned in Scripture.

 

6:1–10

• Paul contrast walking in the flesh verses walking in the Spirit. Another great passage.

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Paul 

6:11–16

• Paul closes with how personal this letter to the Galatians was to him: “See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand...”

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This suggests two things:

1. Galatians is one of Paul’s earlier letters. We know that because in Paul's later epistles Paul's eyesight disbelieved to have been bad and therefore he could not write his letters himself. Instead, he would dictate them to a trusted companion who would then write them down. 

2. That Paul mentions that he wrote this "large letter" with his own hand suggests that Paul loved and cared for the Galatians. So much so that he would pause his other ministry responsibilities to write to them personally and even use some course words to correct and save them.

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• He mentions again those who promoted circumcision but didn’t truly keep the Law themselves: “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ...” Paul is again pointing the Galatians to Jesus and what he had done for them. A truth he introduced his letter with (1:3&4).

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6:16–18

• Paul’s final benediction: “And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them...”

“From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.”

 

Questions:

What does Paul mean by "this rule"?

And is he asking for relief from controversy because he is suffering physically? 

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*These questions and many more will be answered in the next portion of our study.

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Our Conclusion on Galatians?

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 We've gathered some invaluable information, and we've asked some great questions! We understand that the Galatians were troubled by some who unnamed persons who turned them away from faith in Christ alone and to reliance on the Law. But who were those who "bewitched" the Galatians? And what insights are still left to be found in the original language of Paul's words? More importantly, what can we learn from Paul's letter to enhance our own relationship with the Lord and better live to serve Him? Next, we zoom in for a detailed study of the verses which will confirm any remaining conclusions about the context of Paul's letter to the Galatians, and provide us with the spiritual lessons we need from them.

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Ready to begin? Practice what you've learned by creating your own outline. Then return here once you've completed it. Your next step will be posted soon. 

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Be blessed!

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Robert

Cry Out Ministries

Helping you know God more deeply through the study of His Word.​​​