Living by the Spirit: A study of the role of the Spirit in Paul's letter to the Galatians

This paper investigates the role of the Spirit in Paul's letter to the Galatians in the light of the rhetorical, historical and theological context of Galatians, in order to find the crucial issue at stake for the Galatian Christians and Paul's major response to them.;The investigation to the role of the Spirit in Galatians, using both diachronic and synchronic methods, conclusion that the real problem of the Galatians was their separation of their faith in Christ/the Spirit (indicative/identity issue) from their lives (imperative/behavior issue). This is why Paul exhorts the Galatians to live by the Spirit to solve their problems (5:16,25).;Chapter 1 sets up the rationale and purpose of this work. Chapter 2 argues that Paul structured Galatians in two major sections, i.e., the "I" section as Paul's ethos (chs 1-2) and the "You" section as the Galatians' pathos (chs 3-6) so as to persuade the Galatians to stay with Paul's gospel, not with his opponents' gospel. Chapter 3 reconstructs the issue of the Galatian Christians by examining the relevant passages and then suggests that the major issue in the Galatians is neither "a soteriological one" of that "how one is saved" (traditional view) nor "a sociological one" of that "how Gentiles enter the people of God" (new views of Sanders, Dunn, Raisanen and Hong). Rather, it is "one of Christian behavior" of that "how Christians live according to the Spirit," not according to the flesh. Chapters 4-6 shows how Paul responds to the Galatians to solve their problem. Chapter 4 argues that Paul presents his autobiography(chs 1-2) as a positive model for the Galatians to emulate. Chapter 5 argues that Paul presents his negative view of the law as an antithesis of the Spirit in chs 3-4 in order to reject the legalistic position of his opponents who are attempting to persuade the Galatians to observe the works of the law to enter the covenantal people and to participate in their blessing. Chapter 6 seeks the key role of the Spirit in the ongoing Christian life by analyzing the passages of the Spirit and the flesh in chs 5-6. Chapter 7 summarizes the result of the investigation and seeks its implications for the Korean Church.