What exactly did the Galatians turn away from when they followed the Judaizers?
They did not turn away from Christ or Christianity, but from Paul's Gospel of pure Grace. By embracing the Judaizers' teaching, they began believing they had to practice the Law, moving from Grace toward legalism. The letter's purpose was to correct this drift and affirm that they were not under Law but under Grace.
Les explains that the Galatians’ error was not a total rejection of Christianity or Christ. They had turned their back on Paul’s Gospel of pure Grace and were now believing the Judaizers, who suggested they maybe had to practice the Law. They were bending in that direction, and this was the purpose of the letter: “You’re not under Law, you’re under Grace.” Les says this is still the heart cry today—why can’t people see that we’re not under anything legalistic? Grace is simply the fact that there is nothing we can do to merit favor with God; the only thing we can do is believe that everything God has said is true and that everything He has done has been from His direction.
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
More Questions
Was the 'another gospel' the Galatians followed a completely different gospel?
The 'another gospel' Paul mentions in Galatians 1:6 is not actually a different gospel, but the same gospel Paul used to establish the Galatians, now being perverted, polluted, and corrupted.