Galatians
Paul’s letter to the Galatians is about freedom in Christ, and the fruit the Spirit grows in a life.
My Patience Is Still Ripening · Galatians 5:22
Crewneck · 7 colors
Price range: $36.95 through $39.95
My Patience Is Still Ripening · Galatians 5:22
Hoodie · 7 colors
Price range: $42.95 through $46.95
My Patience Is Still Ripening · Galatians 5:22
T-Shirt · 7 colors
Price range: $24.95 through $28.95
About the book of Galatians
Galatians is a New Testament letter written by the apostle Paul to a group of churches in the region of Galatia, in what is now Turkey. Paul had planted these churches himself. After he left, other teachers arrived and told the Gentile believers that faith in Jesus was not enough: they also had to keep the law of Moses, including circumcision, to be truly saved. Paul wrote this letter with real urgency to defend the true gospel.
Main themes
The first two chapters are partly personal. Paul explains that he received the gospel directly from Jesus Christ, and he describes how he once opposed Peter to his face when Peter’s behavior threatened that gospel (Galatians 2:11-14). The center of the argument is that we are made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by keeping rules (Galatians 2:16). Chapter 3 goes back to Abraham to show that the promise always rested on faith, and it says that in Christ the old dividing lines between Jew and Gentile, slave and free, man and woman no longer decide who belongs (Galatians 3:28).
The second theme is freedom, and what to do with it. Paul warns the Galatians not to use their freedom as an excuse for selfishness, and he sets the works of human nature beside the fruit the Holy Spirit grows in a believer. Once we are saved, the Spirit lives in us and changes how we act from the inside out. That is why Galatians speaks to people who are tired of trying to be good by sheer effort.
Verses from Galatians on our apparel
Galatians 5:22 reads, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,” and Paul finishes the list in the next verse. Our My Patience Is Still Ripening design takes the old English word “longsuffering,” which means patience, and gives it an honest, lighthearted nod for anyone whose patience is still growing. It is available as a T-shirt, a hoodie and a crewneck.
Galatians 5:22–23 gives the whole portrait: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Paul writes “fruit” in the singular, because the nine qualities belong together as one character that God grows. Our Fruit of the Spirit design carries this passage on a T-shirt, a hoodie and a crewneck.
Frequently asked
Who were the Galatians? They were non-Jewish believers in the churches Paul founded in the region of Galatia, in what is now Turkey. Paul wrote to keep them from turning to a different gospel.
What does longsuffering mean in the King James Bible? It means patience or endurance: bearing trouble or provocation for a long time without lashing out. In everyday terms it is the strength to stay kind with hard people and slow seasons.