Galatians

Galatians is Paul's harshest letter. He writes urgently to churches being persuaded that faith in Christ was not enough — that they must also adopt practices of the Jewish law, starting with circumcision. The letter is so intense that Paul drops his usual thanksgiving greeting and gets straight to the point: "I marvel that you are so quickly deserting... to a different Gospel". Here he tells his own story, reports his public confrontation with Peter and argues that justification comes by faith. The final section deals with freedom that does not become license, with the list of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.