[GALATIANS] St. Paul wrote this letter to the churches of Galatia, to respond to Judaizers who claimed that salvation was through the law. He proves that salvation is through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.  St. Paul also defended his apostleship, in response to attacks by Judaizers undermining him as not being an eyewitness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[EPHESIANS] St. Paul writes to the faithful in Ephesus (in modern-day Turkey), to describe the blessing of being members in the Church, which is the body of Christ, and also discusses the importance of behaving in a manner worthy of the calling to be members in Christ’s body. 

[PHILIPPIANS] St. Paul wrote this letter while imprisoned in Rome under house arrest, expressing gratitude to the Philippians for their generous financial support, and comforting them because of their concern about him while he was in prison. In this letter, he conveys a tone of joy throughout, despite the circumstances he was facing.

This Orthodox Christian commentary is derived from a series of sermons given by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States, where His Eminence has been serving since the early 90s.