Paul makes five appeals or pleas throughout the letter to Galatians, alternating with the main parts of the letter. We now turn our attention to these five appeals. These pleas give us a window through which we see how early Christians felt and reacted in the heat of religious controversy.

First plea (Gal 1:6-9)

The gospel Paul preached was being twisted and perverted. Paul felt surprised, quite astonished that such false teaching was disturbing and confusing the church.

Paul had strong feelings about anyone who taught falsely: Let him be accursed!" Mind you, this remark does not show a lack of love on Paul’s part. Rather, it shows that Paul loved the gospel truth. That love was so strong that he even included himself in his curse if he should twist the gospel.

Second plea (Gal 3:1-5)

The false doctrine was finding acceptance among the Galatians, so Paul called them "foolish" because, by their acceptance, they were abandoning spiritual things in favour of fleshly things.

He asks them several questions:

• "Who has bewitched you?"
• "Did you receive the Spirit by the law or by faith?"
• "If you began in the Spirit, is the flesh going to perfect you?"
• "Have you suffered in vain?"
• "Does God work miracles among you through the law or through faith?"

These questions reveal Paul’s clear perceptions: the false teaching not only attacked the Galatians' gospel faith, but contradicted their experience which was twofold:

• Firstly they had experienced suffering because of the cross, or seen others suffer, and thus before their eyes Christ had been "publicly portrayed as crucified". This was an experience caused by faith in Christ, not mere obedience to the law.
• Secondly they had personally experienced miraculous powers from God. These came by faith, and by the Spirit, not the law.

Third plea (Gal 4:10-20)

Paul points out that their acceptance of false teaching was threatening his intimate fellowship with them. They had treated him like an angel. Now he was becoming their enemy. The tactics of the false teachers were to make people who identified with Paul feel unwelcome, and to create a tension of loyalties. Paul at this stage felt like an anxious mother giving birth; he had doubts and concerns about the outcome.

Fourth plea (Gal 5:7-12)

Paul worried that the false doctrine was hindering the Galatians from running well in the Christian life. So he warns them about the insidious nature of false doctrine: "A little leaven leavens the whole lump". But now that Paul has got these things off his chest and counteracted the false teaching, he seems to have lost his doubts about the outcome. He now feels confident, and he warns that the false teacher, whoever he may be, can expect to pay the penalty for the trouble he has caused.

Fifth plea (Gal 6:11-17)

Paul exposes the real motives of the false teachers: cowardice and pride. They wanted to escape persecution and they wanted to boast about winning people over to their way. Paul makes clear what is important and what is not in this issue. The cross, and the rebirth made possible by the cross, were important. Circumcision and keeping the law of Moses were not. Paul could see clearly how the problem would be resolved in the end --by the Galatians being willing and deciding to follow the rule of truth. It was up to them.

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