The reason why Paul had to write to the churches in Galatia is because the new population of Gentile followers in Galatia were ‘unsettled’ about the issues centered on the application of the Mosaic laws, specifically, the issue with circumcision and whether Gentiles should follow the Jewish laws. Also according to Ehrman, Paul might be writing to also address the issue of some Gentile newcomers who were being converted to Judaism at the time–the argument Paul presented through 2:15 to 21 is mainly focused on explaining the reasons why a person is not justified by following the laws but by the faith in Jesus Christ. We can see the same set of reasons come up over and over again throughout the passages–each verses from 2:15 to 21 contains the same argument which Paul presented in different ways.

Paul opened up his argument by clearly stated his main thesis through verse 2:15-16, that is, no one can be justified by the work of the laws and the only way to be justified is through faith in Jesus Christ; then in verse 17, Paul used the method induction to present this same argument about why faith in Jesus Christ is required for men to be justified by God: that is, 1)because Lord Jesus Christ is not the servant of sin, therefore 2)it is necessary for us to discontinue our own sin and 3)the only way to stop our sins is not by following the laws but by having faith in Christ because following the law of circumcision and such won’t help prevent anyone from sinning. In verse 18 to 20, Paul presented the argument of “faith over laws” by describing his own transformation from an person of anti-Christ to the one who preaches about Jesus Christ: “and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”(2:20) By telling his own story of how he became a follower of Christ is to show the people how much the faith in Christ can do for them–again, it emphasized the fact that the faith in Christ is what justified men instead of circumcision because Paul the Apostle, the author of this letter, experienced the justification from the Lord by the faith in Jesus Christ. In other words, it is impossible for anyone to deny this example simply because Paul himself is the one who actually went through the process. Paul wraps up his theological argument on “faith over laws” by presenting yet the strongest idea to support his argument in verse 21: “for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.” Paul here is proclaiming the fact that Jesus Christ died for our justification–if to say that circumcision and the rest of the laws are what justified us is no less than saying that our Lord Jesus Christ died for no reason whatsoever. The way Paul approaches the argument through verse 2:15 to 21 is rather forceful. Paul emphasized the argument of “faith over laws” by presenting this same argument over and over again yet each time Paul reengage with the same argument he also constructs a brand new form of approach that emphasizes these same points even on a higher level. Paul not only demonstrated how faith is over laws, but also why the faith in Christ is the only thing that can justify us.

To continue differentiate and even further explain the concepts of faith and laws, Paul introduced the understandings of “spirit” and “flesh”. Verse 3:2-3: “…Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? Are you foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with flesh?” That is, in order to receive the Holy Spirit, the followers needs to focus on the Spirit and the Spirit only–the faith in Christ is corresponding to the concept of spirit and the laws is corresponding to the concept of flesh. Paul argues that the only way to achieve the receiving of the Spirit is by having faith in Jesus Christ and the work of laws are only limited to flesh and has nothing to do spiritually therefore it will never achieve the reception of the Holy Spirit. Verse 5:16-26 took one step further in discussing the matter of “spirit” and “flesh”, that is, Paul stated the relation between these two is that they are completely opposed to each other. Paul also made a list of possible bad outcomes to show how dangerous it can be if one is to walk down the path of flesh or to take on the works of flesh. As that being said, Paul proclaims that it is critical for the followers of Christ to disregard the works of flesh completely and fully take on the faith of Spirit. Paul is presenting the matter of “Spirit” and “flesh” in parallel with the matter of “Faith in Jesus Christ” and “laws” in verse 6:7-10. If one is to start off with Spirit, one receives Spirit; on the other hand, if one is to start off with flesh, all one will receive are corruptions.

Paul’s comparison between “Spirit” and “flesh” demonstrated the true meaning of salvation: one can only be saved with the Spirit from the Lord, the works of flesh will never brings the true salvation and all it brings are corruptions. This means that to receive the Spirit and to be graced by Salvation has to begin with the faith in Jesus Christ. Flesh brings nothing but vanities, the true Salvation is the Holy Spirit, not the works of laws. Paul said in Galatians: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love.”(5:6)