Hermeneutics of Galatians and Its Doctrinal Engagement

Galatians offers a compelling and thought-provoking look into the dynamic realities of estrangement, encounter, and a third way within the church. Informed by the doctrines of Karl Barth, the book advances conversations in systematic theology, biblical exegesis, and ecclesiology through a critical and contextualized exegesis of Galatians that reveals these realities.

Galatians not only teaches the gospel and the law are an interdependent and unified whole but also establishes a critical order for understanding God’s word: the gospel of grace comes first, followed by the law, which provides form to the gospel. The Word is perceived differently in new times and circumstances, yet it remains both constant and dynamic, because the Holy Spirit generates the same spiritual effect, but in new and ever-changing ways.

Paul frequently cites the Old Testament texts, taking his readers back in time and bringing them into eternity with the preexistent Christ. In Galatians, we particularly engage with the intricate relationship between biblical space-time and the identity of the God of Israel and the Trinity. Through this, we encounter the concursus Dei: the divine concurrence that meets us in our freedom—a freedom that finds its proper boundaries in Jesus Christ.