Rereading Galatians from the Perspective of Paul's Gospel: A Literary and Theological Commentary

Galatians has often been read from a rhetorical perspective with an emphasis on justification by faith Pauls autobiographical experience proofs of the gospel and exhortations to the Galatians. However it can be read as a letter of which the main theme is the gospel--an umbrella term that covers many other topics including faith righteousness freedom and new creation. Paul writes Galatians not to argue for an individual justification by faith (understood from a forensic salvation perspective) but to make explicit his gospel that all can become children of God through faith. In Pauls logic what comes first is Gods promise faith is a response to it through Christ and the law can be fulfilled through faith. The gospel that Paul proclaimed to the Galatians is based on God who called them in the grace of Christ (1:6). Kim challenges the traditional reading of Galatians exploring different dimensions of the gospel: (1) God as the origin and root of the gospel; (2) Christ as the exemplifier of Gods gospel through faithfulness; (3) the followers of Jesus as the children of God who participate in Christs faithfulness and continue to proclaim the good news of God through Jesus.