Regions of Galatia

Acts 14:5 And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them,

Acts 14:6 They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about:

Acts 14:7 And there they preached the gospel.

It is uncertain just exactly where the “regions of Galatia” are located on a map. We know that Galatia was an ancient Roman province. Roman provinces were divided into “quarters.” It seems that the Romans were fond of doing things in “fours.”  One thing we do know is that Paul’s home town was Tarsus which is located in Cilicia. We also know that the Roman province of Asia was an area on the western side of what is present day Turkey. So it appears that the Galatians were located in an area between Cilicia and Asia. It is referred to as “the upper coasts” here:

Acts 19:1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

We believe that the book of Galatians in the bible was probably the very first letter the Apostle Paul ever wrote. Something serious was happening in Galatia. Paul said they were being “bewitched.”

Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

After Paul and Barnabas had preached all over the regions of Galatia during the time period of Acts chapter thirteen and Acts chapter fourteen, Paul had received word that the Galatians were being subverted to put themselves BACK under the Law of Moses. According the bible, no man can be justified by keeping the law. As a matter of fact, nobody on planet earth, other than Jesus Christ himself, has ever been able to keep the law.

According to the bible, no man can be justified by the law. The law was given for a purpose, but it was not to make a man righteous. Instead it was to show him how unrighteous he really was. Paul said “the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.” This is what Paul says in the book of Romans about the law:

Romans 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

Wow! Instead of giving a religious person something to “crow” about, to boast about, what the law really says is “just shut up!” In other words, “by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Do you know anyone who boasts that they are keeping the law? God’s Law and God’s Grace are two mutually exclusive things. They don’t go together. A person who puts himself under the Law puts himself under a curse. We need to find out more about the grace of God don’t we?

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