Book of Galatians Quiz: Faith, Freedom, and the Gospel

1. Why does Paul write Galatians, and what is his striking opening tone?

1. 'I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — which is really no gospel at all.' Paul is alarmed that the Galatians are accepting a gospel requiring circumcision
2. Paul opens with warm affirmation — Galatians is one of his most encouraging letters, celebrating the church's faithfulness under persecution
3. Paul writes to address a leadership dispute — the Galatian elders had divided into factions and Paul imposes an agreed governance structure
4. Paul writes to correct liturgical errors — the Galatian churches had adopted worship practices mixing Christian and pagan elements

2. How does Paul describe the origin of his gospel in Galatians 1:11-17?

1. 'I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.' Paul describes his past as a Pharisee, his violent persecution of the church, and his call by God's grace to reveal his Son in him
2. Paul acknowledges that Barnabas taught him the gospel — his conversion on Damascus road needed extended theological instruction before he could preach
3. Paul says he learned the gospel from the Hebrew Scriptures — his rabbinical training gave him the tools to understand Christ as the Messiah
4. Paul says the gospel was taught to him by Peter during an extended period in Jerusalem — he acknowledges his dependence on the original apostles

3. What happened at the Jerusalem consultation in Galatians 2:1-10?

1. 'I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles... James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognised the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised'
2. Paul went to Jerusalem to submit his gospel for correction — he acknowledges the Jerusalem apostles' authority to approve or modify his teaching
3. The Jerusalem apostles rejected Paul's gospel — they demanded he submit to their authority and adopt the full Mosaic law in his Gentile mission
4. The Jerusalem consultation ended in deadlock — Paul and the Jerusalem apostles agreed to disagree on circumcision, each pursuing separate and incompatible versions of the gospel

4. What happened at Antioch between Paul and Peter (Cephas), and why does Paul describe it?

1. 'When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group'
2. Paul and Peter disagreed at Antioch about whether Gentiles needed to keep the Sabbath — this was the specific issue dividing their missions
3. Paul describes the Antioch episode as a misunderstanding — Peter's withdrawal was a cultural gesture, not a theological statement, and Paul later apologised for his public rebuke
4. Paul describes the Antioch meeting as a model of unity — Peter and Paul agreed on every point about the gospel

5. What is the central argument of Galatians 2:15-16 about justification?

1. 'Justification is a process that begins with faith and is completed by circumcision — Paul opposes only the incorrect timing of circumcision'
2. 'We are justified by both faith and works — faith provides the foundation but the works of the law provide the structure. Galatians corrects the Gentile error of lawlessness, not the Jewish error of legalism'
3. 'We know that a person is justified by the Spirit — neither law-keeping nor faith alone is sufficient; inner transformation by the Spirit is the only true basis for standing before God'
4. 'We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified'

6. What does Paul declare in Galatians 2:20?

1. 'For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me'
2. 'I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me'
3. 'I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me'
4. 'It is no longer I who sin, but sin that dwells in me — my true self is united to Christ and I am not responsible for the old nature's behaviour'

7. What does Galatians 3:1-5 say about how the Galatians received the Spirit?

1. 'You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?... Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?'
2. Paul blames the Jerusalem apostles for the Galatians' confusion about the Spirit — they taught that both faith and works are necessary for the Spirit's fullness
3. Paul praises the Galatians for receiving the Spirit through careful observance of the law — their zeal for Torah was the condition for their spiritual experience
4. Paul says the Galatians never truly received the Spirit — their acceptance of circumcision proves they were never genuinely converted

8. How does Paul use Abraham in Galatians 3:6-9 to argue for justification by faith?

1. 'So also Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham... Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: All nations will be blessed through you.' Faith-justification precedes and transcends the Mosaic law by 430 years
2. Paul argues that Abraham was justified by circumcision — the sign of the covenant was what made him righteous before God
3. Paul argues that Abraham was justified by works — his obedience in offering Isaac proves that faith and works together produce righteousness
4. Paul uses Abraham to prove that Jews alone are justified — since Abraham was the father of Israel, only physical descendants of Abraham can claim his blessing

9. What does Paul mean in Galatians 3:13 when he says Christ 'became a curse for us'?

1. 'Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us — for it is written: Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.' The cross, which in Jewish law signified divine cursing, paradoxically became the means of removing the law's curse from those who had failed to keep it
2. Christ became a curse by associating with sinners throughout his ministry — his crucifixion was the inevitable result of this association, not a bearing of judicial curse
3. Paul is using metaphorical language — Christ absorbed the psychological burden of guilt that the law imposed
4. The curse Paul refers to is the curse of physical death — Christ took the penalty of death so believers could live forever, with no reference to the law's specific demands

10. What does Paul mean by the law as a 'guardian' (paidagogos) in Galatians 3:24-25?

1. 'So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.' The law served a temporary supervisory role, keeping Israel in custody until the arrival of the promised Seed
2. Paul says the law is a negative guardian only — it provides no positive benefit, merely pointing out sin without offering any remedy
3. Paul says the law is still needed for believers today — it is the guardian that keeps Christians from falling back into sin
4. The guardian metaphor means the law teaches — every Christian should study the Mosaic law daily as their primary spiritual discipline

11. What does Galatians 3:28 declare about social distinctions in Christ?

1. 'All who have been baptised into Christ have become children of Abraham — race, class, and gender distinctions remain but no longer determine covenant membership'
2. 'In Christ there is no condemnation — Jew, Gentile, slave, free, male, and female all stand equally forgiven before God'
3. 'There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus'
4. 'You are all sons of God through faith — and as sons you will receive the full inheritance regardless of your previous social standing'

12. What does Galatians 4:4-5 say about the fullness of time and the incarnation?

1. 'At the appointed time, God revealed the mystery hidden for ages and generations — that Christ dwells in the Gentiles as the hope of glory'
2. 'But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship'
3. 'In the fullness of time the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth'
4. 'When the time was right, God prepared a people through the Mosaic covenant — circumcision was the seal of readiness for the coming Messiah'

13. What is the Hagar and Sarah allegory in Galatians 4, and how does Paul apply it?

1. 'These women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: this is Hagar... But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.' The Sinai covenant (law-based) produces slavery; the covenant of promise (faith-based) produces freedom. The Galatians should stand in Sarah's line, not Hagar's
2. Paul uses Hagar and Sarah to argue that the law has its proper place in the early stages of faith — just as Hagar had a role before Sarah's son arrived, the law was necessary until Christ came
3. Paul uses the Hagar-Sarah story to argue that the Jerusalem church (represented by Hagar) has been replaced by the Gentile church (represented by Sarah)
4. The allegory teaches that physical descent from Abraham through Isaac guarantees salvation — Gentiles must be grafted in through circumcision to access the Abrahamic blessing

14. What does Paul say in Galatians 5:1 about freedom and the danger of returning to slavery?

1. 'For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love'
2. 'It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery'
3. 'Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other'
4. 'You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love'

15. What does Paul list as the 'fruit of the Spirit' in Galatians 5, and how does it contrast with the 'works of the flesh'?

1. 'The fruit of the Spirit is holiness — a single unified transformation of character, whereas the works of the flesh are many and diverse'
2. 'The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.' The works of the flesh include sexual immorality, idolatry, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
3. 'The fruit of the Spirit is wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, distinguishing of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues — the spiritual gifts that evidence the Spirit's presence in the church'
4. 'The works of the flesh are only bodily sins — gluttony, sexual immorality, drunkenness. The Spirit produces spiritual virtues untouched by bodily behaviour'

16. What does Galatians 6:1-2 say about restoring a fallen believer?

1. 'Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ'
2. 'Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters'
3. 'Expel the wicked person from among you — the church must remain pure, and tolerating ongoing sin among members undermines the entire body'
4. 'If your brother or sister sins against you, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over'

17. What does Paul say in Galatians 6:7 about reaping and sowing?

1. 'Do not be deceived: bad company corrupts good character. Therefore come back to your senses and stop sinning'
2. 'God is not mocked: a man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life'
3. 'Remember this: he who sows among the Galatians reaps the wind — the false teachers will find their circumcision gospel produces nothing but empty religion'
4. 'The one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows generously will also reap generously'

18. What does Galatians 6:14 mean — 'the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world'?

1. 'May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.' The cross has severed Paul's attachment to the world's value system — status, ethnic identity, religious achievement — all of which the Judaizers were peddling
2. Paul is describing Christian monasticism — the spiritually mature believer should withdraw from the world into contemplative life
3. Paul is describing his literal death wish — he desires to die and be with Christ and so regards the world as already dead to him
4. The crucifixion to the world refers to water baptism — the dying and rising of baptism marks the definitive break from the old world order

19. What does Paul say about the purpose of the law in Galatians 3:19-22?

1. 'Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come... But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe'
2. Paul argues the law was given by angels without any divine mediation — it was therefore of purely human origin and has no binding authority on Gentiles
3. Paul says the law was given to replace the Abrahamic covenant — the Mosaic covenant was a superior and permanent arrangement that superseded the earlier promise
4. Paul says the law was the perfect expression of God's eternal will — it was given to provide the righteous standard that all humans should aspire to fulfill

20. What is Paul's closing statement in Galatians 6:17-18, and what does he mean by 'the marks of Jesus'?

1. 'Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.' The 'marks' are the scars from beatings, stonings, and sufferings endured for Christ — the true 'circumcision' that marks Paul as belonging to Jesus
2. Paul is referring to his baptismal tattoo — early Christians marked themselves with the cross symbol at baptism, and Paul had this visible mark
3. Paul refers to stigmata — the physical wounds of crucifixion that he miraculously received as a sign of his apostolic calling
4. The marks of Jesus are Paul's travelling credentials — letters of commendation signed with the marks of his apostolic office, which he carries with him everywhere