Freedom Through Faith

In The Letter of Paul to the Galatians, Paul addresses the conflict of Gentile Christians’ unclear relationship towards Judaism by urging both Jewish and Gentile believers to reexamine the Mosaic Law. This letter by the apostle is a defense of his mission of converting the churches of Galatia towards Christianity. During the early Christian movement, there was controversy surrounding the degree to which Gentile Christians should adhere to Jewish law, with Paul moving them to disregard it and follow a different path towards Christianity. Paul describes in his gospel a way in which faith in Jesus Christ frees his followers from traditional laws, and urges the Galatians to heed him instead of his opposition among the Jewish church. Paul effectively persuades his audience to abandon unnecessary laws of Moses to achieve an understanding of the importance of faith in Christ through an appeal to ethos and logos, and through allegories that introduces a reinterpretation of scripture and a new interpretation of God’s role in Christianity. Paul initially uses an appeal to ethos in his letter to build his credibility in order to make his audience acquiescent of his ideas. He first asserts that “the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin…but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ” (The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Galatians 1.11-12). This gives his claims a divine authority and refutes those who may suggest that his gospel lacks legitimacy. He implies that his gospel originates from God and Jesus Christ, signifying to the audience that his words should be noted. Paul further builds his credibility by giving a background of his advancement in Judaism and his calling as an apostle for the Gentiles (Galatians 1.13-2... ... middle of paper ... ...of defense into a triumphant presentation of gospel in the Letter to the Galatians. The requirement of Galatians to follow the Law of Moses in order to convert to Christianity is proven invalid by Paul, who teaches that faith in Christ and living by the Spirit is essential to the religion—not following gratuitous rules of the flesh. Paul offers guidance for the audience on how to follow the gospel he teaches in contrast to the strict and changeable rules his opposition forces upon the Galatians. By using an appeal to ethos to build his credibility with the audience, an appeal to logos to explain the triviality of the traditional laws of Judaism, and allegories to provide the innovative interpretation of God as a father to his followers, Paul is able to successfully spread his gospel of faith in Christ and living by the Spirit to the Galatians and other audiences.