This letter is addressed to the churches in the Roman province of Galatia. While nine of Paul's letters start by identifying him as an apostle and ten mention grace and peace, in this particular letter, he aims to refute any false claims that suggest he received his authority to preach the gospel from other apostles. Instead, he emphasizes that his apostleship came directly from God. Paul used the term "apostle" to denote someone sent on a special mission who witnessed the risen Lord Jesus and received a divine commission to testify to the gospel. The New Testament canon preserves these apostles' foundational proclamation and interpretation of the gospel. Paul elaborates on the "Lord Jesus Christ," emphasizing His role in delivering believers from sin and evil. The doxology, likely a response to the gospel he has just summarized, concludes the passage.

In his letters, Paul typically starts with a greeting followed by a prayer of thanksgiving or blessing. However, in this case, he surprisingly deviates from this positive discourse and expresses his astonishment at how quickly the Galatian believers have strayed from the gospel. Paul's letter conveys strong emotions and deep concern. He uses the term "turn aside" to describe the distortion or corruption of the gospel, where it may appear to resemble the original but fundamentally differs from it, like night and day. If anyone, including an angel or even Paul himself, were to bring a message contrary to the original gospel received by the Galatians, they should assess the truthfulness of the message preached rather than the messenger. Paul emphasizes the need for excommunication, which he hopes will eventually lead to the restoration of those excluded (1 Cor. 5:3–5, 13; 2 Thess. 3:6, 14–15). According to Paul, his concern lies not in people's opinions of his preaching but in God's judgment (cf. 1 Cor. 4:1–5). The gospel he proclaims is not derived from a mere mortal but from the risen and incorruptible Jesus Christ. Paul's transformation from a persecutor of the church to an advocate of its message serves as a clear demonstration of this fact.

The term "Judaism" was initially used in situations of fervent determination to safeguard the unique Jewish way of life. Josephus, a Jewish historian from the first century, employed the term "destroy" to depict the violent acts of religiously motivated terrorists against various populations (Jewish War 4.405). Paul's dedication to embracing a distinctively Jewish way of life was intensified when he received his calling to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. He was an ardent zealot.

Paul received God's call as a completely gracious gift, even before he could qualify for it. By not consulting with "those who were apostles before me," Paul indicates that he became an apostle at this life-changing event. His mention of going to Arabia and then "returning again" to Damascus suggests that he addresses individuals familiar with the details of his conversion, particularly its proximity to Damascus. Before his first visit to Jerusalem, Paul spent three years in Arabia and Damascus. Essentially, he dedicated himself to conveying the message God had called him to preach to the Gentiles. It was only later that he had contact with the influential apostles in Jerusalem. Paul's purpose for traveling to Jerusalem was to visit Cephas, also known as Peter, whose name means "rock" in Aramaic. This likely refers to the foundational nature of Peter's witness to the life and teachings of Jesus. Paul probably sought to learn as much as possible from Peter about the life and teachings of Jesus.

According to 1 Corinthians 15:7, it seems that James needed an encounter with the risen Jesus to be convinced of his brother's claims. Unlike Cephas, Paul only had a brief encounter with James, likely without engaging in extensive conversations. After spending just fifteen days with Cephas and briefly meeting James, Paul departed from Jerusalem to Syria and Cilicia, now part of south-central Turkey. During his work in Syria and Cilicia, Paul claims that he was known mainly by reputation among the Christians throughout Judea. Judea, being densely populated by Jews and having strong ties to the influential apostles in Jerusalem, did not receive much of his focus. Despite not being well-known among believers in Judea, they still expressed gratitude to God for Paul's accomplishments and his partnership with Him.