Of all Paul’s letters, the epistle to the Galatians is undoubtedly his most fiercely worded, more so even than the two Corinthian letters. The problem in the churches in Galatia was that they had heard the gospel from the great apostle Paul, but then proceeded to modify it. A little poison in the cup may be all that is needed for the cup to be toxic. To be specific, the Galatians began to listen to the Judaizers who were telling them that they needed to be circumcised, keep the Jewish holy days, and, by implication, maintain Jewish food laws which prevented them from eating with Gentiles.

It is well known that the epistle to the Galatians played a highly significant role in the sixteenth-century Reformation, and Martin Luther was to refer to it as ‘my own Epistle, to which I have plighted my troth…’ He thought that ‘This doctrine can never be taught, urged, and repeated enough.’ Galatians takes us to the very heart and core of the message of God to us in Jesus Christ. Ultimately, its message is simplicity itself: law condemns, Jesus saves. This is a message which the modern evangelical world needs to hear in a new and fresh way.

Peter Barnes is the pastor at Revesby Presbyterian Church in Sydney, Australia, and also the lecturer in Church History at the Presbyterian Theological Centre in Sydney. He is married to Lyn, and they have six children.

'This commentary will be a valuable addition to the bookshelves of ministers and students of the Bible. I liked three particular things. Firstly, when it benefits the exposition of the verse, Barnes introduces the original Greek and its fuller meaning. Secondly, he makes mention of other interpretations — but shows by cogent argument that they are unlikely at best and incorrect at worst. Thirdly, each section is rounded off with an application, which occasionally includes valuable information from church history but is always searching for us today.'
Review from Evangelical Times (April 2007)


'The reader is presented with a very straightforward exposition of the teaching of this book. This is a preachers' commentary, written by a preacher for preachers. It is didactic and direct and burns with the spirit that longs to proclaim to all both far and wide that by faith in Jesus Christ alone the sinner can be right with the Lord of Glory.'
Review from New Life Magazine (1 February 2007)

'The reader is often given very good illustrations of the main point under discussion from church history, which Dr Barnes teaches at the Presbyterian Theological College in Sydney. These could easily be used in sermons and Bible studies.'
Review from Australian Presbyterian (March 2007)


'The whole work has the feeling, unusual in such a large volume, of having been preached to "real" people, rather than lectured to students! There have been many recent commentaries on Galatians, but this one should stand the test of time. Highly recommended.'
Review from Peace and Truth (2007:3)

'EP continue their valuable series with this latest contribution by the Pastor of Revesby Presbyterian Church in Sydney, Australia. The format of previous volumes is followed. The author presents the heart of the letter as dealing with the question of how a sinner is made right with God.'
Review from English Churchman (31st August & 7th September 2007)

'Barnes draws on past and present writers, listed in a ten-page bibliography, to elucidate the text or to show how the text has been misunderstood. Each chapter ends with helpful application to the reader’s life.'
Review from Grace Magazine (July 2007)

'This book is one of the latest in the Evangelical Press series of New Testament Study Commentaries. Dr Barnes well understands that this epistle is not for the polite, merely intellectual commentator, for the most urgent issues in the contemporary religious world are related to its truth'.
Review by Iain Murray