Paul ends his letter to the Galatians by writing in his own handwriting. He confirms that circumcision is not the important factor of a Christian life - the Holy Spirit is. He carries scars on his body for the sake of the gospel and is passionate about the churches in Galatia.

Paul is making some concluding comments and having finished his argument about legalism, he wants to be practical in terms of helping the Galatians become mature in their churches.

Paul teaches the Galatians to live following the lead of the Holy Spirit and not by the rules and regulations of the Jews and not by the way of ‘the flesh’. He speaks of the Holy Spirit walking alongside the Christian disciple.

The Gospel and Adoption into God’s Family: Galatians 4:1-7Paul introduces the ideas of adoption and inheritance based on the experience of the Gentile areas he is preaching to. Adopted children could inherit all that belonged to the family. All those blessings are ours in Christ Jesus. We do not need to look back.

Peter comes to visit the church in Antioch and then surprisingly stops eating meals with Gentiles, as if he is still trying to obey the Old Testament Jewish food laws which kept the Jews separate from the Gentiles. Paul challenges Peter to change his behaviour because the law of Moses is no longer in operation and the Gospel unites Jews and Gentiles

Following the general statements of the last episode, Paul gives detailed teaching about the practicalities of serving God. It should be done with humility, faith and love. He lists several gifts of the Holy spirit to build up the church.

In seeking to build up the church, Paul addresses the vulnerability of the church to opposition. As Christians we should rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. We should not seek to revenge opposition but be kind to those who persecute us.

Paul states that government is God’s plan for society. Despite the different forms of government, Christians should respect and honour those in authority who are under God’s sovereignty. Christians should pay their taxes and pray for those in authority.

Following on Jesus' teaching, Paul also encourages the Christian community to ‘love your neighbour as yourself’. Our neighbour is people in the church community who need help which we can give. He introduces a sense of urgency in the light of the Second Coming of Jesus and the question of how we have used our opprtunities.

Paul addresses Christian community living which is of secondary importance but could cause division. he calls those who have need to have more rules as weak in terms of faith. He advises respect and understanding and a concern for one’s own behaviour rather than criticism of others.