Timothy Keller's expository guide to Galatians will excite ordinary Christians in their faith and equip teachers and preachers in their work.
Galatians for You is designed to work alongside Gospel Matters, Timothy Keller's Bible study resource for small groups and individuals.
We are using this book along with the bible study book of the same name. We've stopped reading the book as it will pre empt the study guide. It's a fantastic start for me so far I would thoroughly recommend it and I'm only on week one! Eye opener Thank you.
Clear, passionate, compelling study of Galatians. Timothy Keller gets to the heart of the gospel message. When you add anything at all to the all-sufficient work Christ you lose the point of the gospel and betray the Lord. Keller also shows us the heart of Paul and his desire to keep his readers rooted in Christ and free from erroneous teaching.
Clear and succinct. Really helpful in preparing for a teaching series through Galatians.
“Galatians is all about the gospel – the gospel all of us need throughout all of our loves. It’s dynamite, and I pray that its powerful message explodes in your heart as you read this book”. So begins Dr Timothy Keller’s book Galatians For You - clearly laying out the focus of both his work and the biblical book which it examines.
Firstly, it clearly explains the book of Galatians. Without getting bogged down in dull detail, Keller provides the reader with the right amount of information about the book of Galatians’ historical context, its author and the immediate situation which Galatians addresses for the readers understanding of Galatians to be enriched. Also, by working through the entire book of Galatians from beginning to end – chapter by chapter, verse by verse (i.e. an expository approach) Keller’s book is comprehensive in its scope. Although comprehensive, Keller’s work is very readable - the chapters of Keller’s book are around 12-15 pages in length – and are handily broken into two bite size chunks if you’re pressed for time (or have a short attention span).
Secondly, this clarity is coupled with a punchy and engaging style. Keller is always winning and winsome. He uses lots of relevant illustrations and examples to help us engage with the point he is trying to make. Often nice guys shy away from confrontation, but Keller never backs down from identifying error and pointing out where people have departed from the truth (and in doing so mirrors the author of Galatians – the great apostle Paul). Part of Keller’s brilliance is to show why such teaching can seem attractive or powerful to us – while helping us to see and understand both the lies that undergird such teaching and the dangers for those who adhere to such errors.
Thirdly, each chapter ends with “questions for reflection”, pushing us further in both our understanding and application of what they have just read. Keller helps us to see that for Paul – the gospel is indeed dynamite – blowing apart hard hearts of stone. Hearts that have been hardened by years of rebellious sin or hearts that have been hardened by years of self-righteous religious observance. More than that, the gospel contains an explosive force for the ongoing life of the Christian each and every day – as the spirit of Christ works in the believer bringing the gospel and its implications to bear upon every facet of our lives.
Want to understand grace? ...this book is Ideal! Each chapter is thoughtfully broken into 2 parts, really well suited to being read a part a day. I found myself eagerly chomping through it in no time with definite positive results.
Any book which helps my heart to delight in God’s marvellous grace has got to be worth me buying. Even moreso when that book takes me into the Bible to discover reasons for such joy; together with the assurance of God’s salvation; the privilege of belonging to Him and the transformative work of His Holy Spirit. I used it to read through Galatians in my devotions, and hugely benefited from it. The layout of he book aided this by breaking down the comments on each passage into two shorter sections.
Commentary on the text was thorough, while engaging throughout with the gospel’s challenge to both the religious and the irreligious, together with the analysis of sin as idolatry. Sometimes this flowed from the text, other times it was framework alongside the text. Helpful. Stretching. Inspiring. Well written. Highly recommended!
I would highly recommend it for new believers who want to study the bible, but don’t know where to begin. Keller’s approachable language, coupled with the useability of the layout, make it a wonderful tool for both new believers, or for those who have read books about the bible, or collections of devotional thoughts, but have infrequently (or never) walked verse by verse through an entire book of the bible.
I loved Galatians For You, and am excited to see what’s next in the series. I highly encourage you to check it out. Grab a copy and read it. You may end up like me, unable to put it down.
Keller deftly balances commentary with perceptive interpretation and application in a way that makes this a useful guide for people at all levels of familiarity with Scripture. I will certainly draw on it when I prepare lessons on Galatians.