In Galatians, the Apostle Paul is engaged in a battle for the gospel. A group of legalistic Jewish Christians had gone into the Galatian churches Paul had established and begun convincing new Christians that they had to follow the Old Testament law in order to be saved. In response, Paul writes a letter urging the Galatians to live in the freedom that comes from Jesus. He pleads with them to cling to the cross of Christ and not replace it with attempts to earn righteousness through their works.
In Galatians Verse by Verse, Grant R. Osborne takes us back to the first century, showing readers the high stakes that led Paul to write this letter. Osborne skillfully explains what it meant for its original audience and how it applies to us today. The clear message of this book is that Christ is not only Messiah; he brought about an entirely new era of salvation history. Under the new covenant in Christ, believers are declared righteous before God by faith alone, then empowered to live in step with the Holy Spirit.
It is a privilege to commend this fine verse-by-verse commentary on Galatians by my teacher and friend Grant Osborne. Grant rightly envisions profitable use of it in personal devotions, church Bible study, and as a sermon aid. His encyclopedic knowledge of the New Testament literature and his lucid writing style make this commentary a joy to read. Highly recommended!
—Andreas J. Köstenberger, Senior Research Professor of New Testament & Biblical Theology, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Founder of Biblical Foundations™
As a student of Dr. Osborne, I taped many of his lectures because of their deep and profound insight into New Testament Scripture. It is a marvelous blessing that he has found time to provide a verse-by-verse exposition of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. This excellent work will save pastors, professors, and speakers hours of study and preparation time. The thorough and unique presentation totally eliminates the need to look anywhere else for deeper understanding. This is an outstanding, superb, one-stop shop commentary on the book of Galatians.
—Raleigh B. Washington, president and CEO, Promise Keepers
“It is a mathematical certainty that the extent to which we depend on the Spirit is the extent to which we will defeat the flesh.” (Page 179)
“The Holy Spirit is the central sign of the new covenant reality in this age of the Spirit. In his farewell discourse of John 13–17 Jesus’ message to his disciples, preparing them for the cross, was, ‘I must depart so the Spirit might come.’” (Page 83)
“The Christian life is defined by receiving the Spirit (3:2), being led by the Spirit (5:18), and then walking in step with the Spirit (vv. 16, 25), enabling us to exemplify the fruit of the Spirit (vv. 22–23).” (Page 16)
“In realizing that justification takes place apart from keeping the law, Peter and Paul in the eyes of the Jews had become ‘sinners,’ just like the Gentiles who did not follow the law.” (Page 74)
“Virtually all of Paul’s letters were written by an amanuensis,2 a scribe who wrote down Paul’s message” (Page 2)
Lexham Press is proud to announce a New Testament commentary series from respected biblical scholar Grant R. Osborne. His seminal work, The Hermeneutical Spiral, has become a standard for biblical interpretation, and as a culmination of his life’s ministry, he's bringing his academic acumen to an accessible, application-focused commentary.
The Osborne New Testament Commentaries interpret Scripture verse by verse, bridging the gap between scholarship and the Church. This set of commentaries is for people seeking a straightforward explanation of the text in its context, avoiding either oversimplification or technical complexity. Osborne brings out the riches of the New Testament, making each book accessible for pastors and all who consider themselves students of Scripture.
Learn more about the other titles in this series.
With this new series, readers will have before them what we—his students—experienced in all of Professor Osborne's classes: patient regard for every word in the text, exegetical finesse, a preference for an eclectic resolution to the options facing the interpreter, a sensitivity to theological questions, and most of all a reverence for God's word.
—Scot McKnight, Julius R. Mantey Professor in New Testament, Northern Seminary
The Osborne New Testament Commentaries draw from the deep well of a lifetime of serious study and teaching. They present significant interpretive insights in a highly accessible, spiritually nurturing format. This is a tremendous resource that will serve a new generation of Bible readers well for years to come. Highly recommended!
—Andreas J. Kӧstenberger, Founder of Biblical Foundations™, senior research professor of New Testament & biblical theology, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Grant R. Osborne (1942–2018) was professor emeritus of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is the author of numerous books, including The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, and commentaries on Revelation (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), Romans (IVP New Testament Commentary), Matthew (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), and John, James, 1-2 Peter, and Jude (Cornerstone Biblical Commentary). He has also taught at Winnipeg Theological Seminary and the University of Aberdeen, and has pastored churches in Ohio and Illinois.