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The book of Galatians was written for recovering Pharisees. By trying to base their standing with God on their spiritual performance, the Galatians were in danger of denying the gospel. They needed to hear again the liberating message that we are justified not by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.

The church today needs to embrace that same gospel message. “We are legalists by nature,” Philip Ryken writes, and Galatians “challenges many of our preconceptions about what it means to have a right relationship with God.”

This first commentary in the Reformed Expository Commentary series is for people who want to experience the gospel in all its power, especially teachers and preachers who are looking for a clear, thorough, relevant exposition of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Ryken exemplifies the objectives of the series by providing exposition that is biblical, doctrinally sound, redemptive-historical (centering on Christ), and practical.

Endorsements

“Those of us who regularly preach need commentaries that provide the best biblical scholarship and understand the challenges of today’s pastorate. The Reformed Expository Commentary series speaks to both needs. This volume in particular is a sermon preparation tool of exceptional value.”

—Bryan Chapell

“In an age when scholars write commentaries the size of encyclopedias so that exposition is often drowned in an ocean of background technical details, Dr. Ryken’s Galatians—the first volume in this series—appears as a welcome sign of springtime and the firstfruits of the harvest to come.”

—Sinclair B. Ferguson

“Phil Ryken is a living refutation of the argument that great expository preaching just can’t be found today. He brings to his pulpit a rare combination of biblical insight, theological substance, and pastoral application. In Galatians, Ryken takes us right into the mind of the apostle Paul and into the heart of this great letter. A richly rewarding and faithful commentary.”

—R. Albert Mohler Jr.

“Marvelously exhibits the model of the pastor-scholar. Laypeople will discover a wealth of sound teaching. Even pastors who want to stay abreast of more academic trends in biblical scholarship will appreciate Ryken’s godly common sense and theological wisdom. I warmly recommend this work to pastors and to those who hear them preach.”

—Michael Horton

“It is uniquely appropriate that this commentary series commences with an exposition of a Pauline letter at the center of recent discussions. Because Ryken rightly understands that Galatians is about justification, and that the problem vexing the Galatians was no mere exclusivism but legalism, his exposition will help many a preacher set forth the gospel of grace.”

—J. Ligon Duncan III

The Author

Philip Graham Ryken

Philip Graham Ryken is president of Wheaton College. He is Bible teacher for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, speaking nationally on the radio program Every Last Word. Dr. Ryken was educated at Wheaton College, Westminster Theological Seminary, and the University of Oxford, where he received his doctorate in historical theology. He and his wife, Lisa, have five children.

More by Philip Graham Ryken