As Paul brought the Galatian letter to a close, he again emphasized some of the great issues discussed throughout the epistle. The conclusion contains both a summary and final statement of the issues the apostle felt so strongly about. Paul concludes his epistle to the Galatians by contrasting the improper motives of the legalists with his proper motives.

After dictating a letter, it was Paul’s custom to take the pen and write his own farewell. His standard signature was, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you” (1 Thes. 5:28; 2 Thes. 3:17–18). But Paul is so concerned that the Galatians get the message of this letter, that he takes the pen and writes an entire concluding paragraph with his own hand.

Why did Paul write this paragraph, and why did he use such large letters? The Holy Spirit inspired him to add these closing words to give one more contrast between the legalists and the Spirit-led Christians, to show that the Spirit-led believer lives for the glory of God, not the praise of man.

Paul does not have anything good to say about the legalist. He describes them in four ways: (1) they are arrogant boasters (v. 12a, 13b); (2) they are compromisers (v. 12b); (3) they are persuaders (v. 12a); and (4) they are hypocrites (v. 13).