Galatians for You by Tim Keller is a volume in the “God’s Word for You” series that is published by The Good Book Company. Originally published in 2013, it has been republished in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 (a good sign that it’s a good book!).
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About the Author: Tim Keller
Keller is an excellent Bible teacher as well as a physician of the soul. He helps the reader to rightly understand the Bible as well as how to rightly apply the Bible. That is, after all, the theme and purpose of this entire series.
As Carl Laferton (the series editor) mentions in the preface, the aim of this series is to be Bible-centered, Christ-glorifying, relevantly applied, and easily readable. Each volume is written in such a way so that the reader may read, feed, and and/or lead. In other words, this book could be read from cover to cover, or as a daily devotional, or as a resource that assists in preparation to lead others through the study of God’s Word. Keller excels at this!
Galatians for You
The book of Galatians is a beautiful book about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the introduction, Keller mentions:
“Galatians brings us face to face with the gospel. It’s very common in Christan circles to assume that ‘the gospel’ is something mainly for non-Christians. We see it as a set of basic ‘ABC’ doctrines that are the way in which someone enters the kingdom of God. We often assume that once we’re converted, we don’t need to hear or study or understand the gospel—we need more ‘advanced’ material. But in this short letter, Paul outlines the bombshell truth that the gospel is the A to Z of the Christian life. It is not only the way to enter the kingdom; it is the way to live as part of the kingdom.”
Keller shows us how this lives out practically from one page to the next in this wonderful book!
Layout and Content
This book is 13 chapters with 200 pages. As in all of the other volumes in this series, there is so much truth communicated within the pages without getting into the technical and scholarly discussions on every topic (that’s not a bad thing, but it’s not the purpose of this series). Without attempting to be comprehensive, Keller is nonetheless bountifully informative in his teaching. I love that about this series!
Each chapter is divided into 2 parts (each chapter is a part). As one works through the chapter, each verse is found in bold (making it very easy for those who are using this as a resource to teach). There are also bold headings that help the reader to know what each section of the text is about. I also like the added touch of the indented quotes found on some of the pages.
Each chapter includes questions for reflections. Now, please hear me out at this point! Many books provide questions at the end of a chapter. I am guilty of skipping over those questions at times because of how poorly they can be written (not always practical; sometimes too easy, sometimes too complicated; etc.). Keller writes out questions that are actually helpful and useful! Don’t skip over these.
Lastly, I just want to mention that there is a glossary included at the back of the book. Every now and then, the reader will come across a word that is gray, indicating that the word is found in the glossary due to it being a word that is not used in everyday language outside of the church. This can be very helpful!
I love this series, and I love this volume by Keller! Tolle Lege! Take up and read!
Other Book Reviews in the “God’s Word For You” Series:
- 1 & 2 Samuel For You
- 1 & 2 Timothy For You
- 2 Corinthians For You
- Colossians & Philemon For You
- Ephesians For You
- Exodus For You
- John For You
- Luke For You
- Philippians For You
- Psalms For You
- Revelation For You
- Romans For You
- Titus For You
Related Book Reviews by The Good Book Company:
Disclaimer: My thanks to The Good Book Company for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Matt became a joyful follower of Jesus at the age of 21. He is very grateful to be a husband to Lindsey, and a father to four boys. He is an ordained minister (teaching elder) in the PCA. He previously served as a pastor of biblical counseling and is currently a corporate chaplain in southern Delaware. Matt received his Master of Divinity degree in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and holds an advanced certification in biblical counseling from the Association of Biblical Counselors. In his free time, he loves playing with his boys, traveling with his wife, and reading (and buying!) books.
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