1. Both Books deal with salvation by faith alone (Romans 4:5: "However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.").
2. Attestation and Authorship
a. Galatians - Polycarp, Ignatius, Justin Martyr, Origen, big three (Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and Iranaeus) agreed that there was strong evidence that Paul was the author. It sounds just like him.
b. Romans - Paul's greatest epistle according to Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp, Marcion, and Iranaeus. Uniformly recognized as by Paul and also part of Canon.
c. Internal Evidence - he identifies himself as the author.
3. Background and Destination
a. Galatia was part of Asia Minor (Antioch, Iconian, Lystra, Derbe [AILD]).
b. At one point, these people began to leave Christianity (Galatians 1:6-7: "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel -- which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.") to something else.
c. If he wrote to northern part (55AD), if to southern part (49AD).
d. The Book of Romans is a Book of questions. He is not writing to a specific church. The time period is 56-57AD from Corinth. Chapters One through Three are that all have sinned and that everyone can be saved, justified, and sanctified (becoming more like Christ).
Tom of Bethany "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
Index to Selected Essays And Book Reviews
Lesson 25 - Paul's Prison Epistles: Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, and Philippians
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