For some time know, the world has been in anticipation of the current Summer Olympic games in Beijing China. One central issue surrounding these games has been the issue of freedom and human rights violations in China. Chinese Communist leaders have been heavily criticized for their crackdown on dissent in the weeks leading up to the Beijing Games.
In a speech delivered this week in Bangkok, U. S. President Bush denounced the detention of political dissidents and religious activists. He said:
Quote: "America stands in firm opposition to China’s detention of political dissidents, human rights advocates and religious activists. We speak out for a free press, freedom of assembly and labour rights, not to antagonize China’s leaders, but because trusting its people with greater freedom is the only way for China to develop its full potential." (http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=706940)
The Chinese government has maintained that Bush is not an authority on China One way to deny the truthfulness of a message is to deny the authority of the one who gives it. The Galatian church had received the true gospel of grace from Paul and had believed it until some false teachers came in after he was gone. They not only attacked the validity of the message but also that of the messenger. Apparently the Judaizers had convinced some of the Galatian church members that Paul was a self-appointed apostle with no divine commission. So at the outset of the letter Paul dispensed with the usual personal greetings and immediately began to establish the genuineness of his apostolic authority, which he later (1:11–2:21) expands on in detail.
In this brief salutation Paul summarizes 1) His authority (his right to speak), 2) His message (the truths he speaks), and 3) His motive (his reason for speaking). In understanding these, we understand the power and freedom of life in Christ.
1) THE AUTHORITY (Galatians 1:1-2)
Galatians 1:1-2 [1:1]Paul, an apostle--not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead-- [2]and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: (ESV)
I want to cover a lot of ground very quickly in this first section on Authority before we get to the message. Nevertheless, don’t pass over the content of the salutation lightly as though it contained merely formal niceties such as the “Dear Sir” or “Yours truly” of a modern letter. The prescript of a Pauline letter by itself constitutes “an essential part of the letter’s content.” ( G. Ebeling, The Truth of the Gospel: An Exposition of Galatians (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1984), 8.) The salutation reveals not only the mood in which Galatians was written but also the passion and burden of Paul’s heart that prompted him to write it.
What is at stake is the content of the gospel Paul proclaimed to the Galatians. This too is restated with force in these opening verses as Paul draws a theological line in the sand against the false teachers who have undermined the gospel by undermining his apostolic authority (George, T. (2001, c1994). Vol. 30: Galatians (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (76). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
Following the custom of his times, the apostle begins his letter by stating his name, Paul. He then establishes his authority as an apostle, 1) first on the basis of his right to the title “apostle,” 2) second on the basis of the manner in which he was chosen for that office, and 3) third on the basis of his relationship to fellow believers.
o While we can assert with great certainty that the content of this epistle owes its structure to Paul, the actual mechanics of writing were, most likely, that of an amanuensis (secretary), as evidenced by the notation made as to what he personally wrote in the final words of the epistle. The majority of the epistle was likely generated through the process of dictation..( Elwell, W. A. (1996, c1989). Evangelical Commentary on the Bible . (electronic ed.) (Ga 1:6). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.)
A)THE TITLE APOSTLE (Galatians 1:1a )
Galatians 1:1a [1:1]Paul, an apostle—(not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead)
Saul (Paul was probably his Roman surname) was born into a Jewish family from the tribe of Benjamin. He was raised as a strict Pharisee (Philippians 3:5), grew up in Tarsus, and was educated under a well-known teacher, Gamaliel (Acts 22:3).( Barton, B. B. (1994). Galatians. Life application Bible commentary (3). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.)
• Given his background, teaching and previous vocation, he was extremely well aware of the particular challenges the Galatians were facing from the Judaizers who advocated an adoption of Jewish ritual acts.
An apostle (“one who is sent with a commission”) was an envoy, ambassador, or messenger who was chosen and trained by Jesus Christ as His special emissary for proclaiming His truth during the formative years of the church. In its primary and technical usage, the term applied to the original twelve who were chosen at the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry (Mark 3:14; Luke 6:13) and were set aside to lay the foundation of the early church and to be the channels of God’s completed revelation (Acts 2:42; Eph. 2:20), They were also given power to perform healings and to cast out demons as verifying signs of their divine authority (Acts 2:43; 2 Cor. 12:12; Heb. 2:3–4). It should be noted that, shortly before Pentecost, Judas was replaced by Matthias (Acts 1:26).
In a wider sense, the term apostle is also used of men like Barnabas (Acts 14:14), Silas and Timothy (1 Thess. 1:1; 2:6), and other outstanding leaders (Rom. 16:7). Such men are more specifically called messengers (apostoloi) of the churches (see 2 Cor. 8:23; Phil. 2:25), whereas the Twelve and Paul were “apostles of Jesus Christ.” Neither group was perpetuated. Except for Judas (for obvious reasons), there is no New Testament record of an apostle in either the primary or secondary group being replaced after he died.
Because Paul was not among the original twelve, he needed to defend his apostleship in ways that they did not. Because one of the qualifications was witnessing the risen Christ (Acts 1:22), Paul witnessed the resurrected Christ in a unique way As he was traveling to Damascus (Acts 9:3–5). Through the godly Anamas of Damascus, the Lord declared this former enemy of the gospel to be “a chosen instrument of Mine.(Further personal appearances of the Lord to Paul are recorded in Acts 18:9; 22:17–21; 23:11; and 2 Corinthians 12:1–4 (cf. 1 Cor. 9:1).
B) THE MANNER IN WHICH HE WAS CHOSEN (Galatians 1:1b)
Galatians 1:1b [1:1](Paul, an apostle--)not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead-- (ESV)
Because false teachers were accusing Paul of being a spurious, self-appointed apostle who had no authority to teach and to rule the churches, Paul emphatically stated that his was “not by human appointment or human commission”. He was not (sent) from men. He had not appointed himself and had not even been divinely appointed through the agency of men as he says nor through man. No human means of any sort was involved in his apostolic commissioning. No human source, no human ceremony, no laying on of hands by any group in Jerusalem, Antioch, or anywhere else was involved in his call to apostleship, though the elders at Antioch were a part of the sending process of his special mission tour to evangelize (Acts 13:1–3).
“not by human appointment or human commission”
Paul’s original call to apostleship was directly through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead. Jesus called Paul and set him apart before he had contact with any of the other apostles. After several years of divine preparation (see Gal. 1:17–18), he was sent out to begin his work among the Gentiles directly by the Holy Spirit, whose divine appointment was acknowledged by the leaders of the church at Antioch (Acts 13:2–3). Paul’s authority was not man-given or self-given but God-given, and his right to instruct the Galatians was grounded in that divine prerogative.
• Paul certainly had a vastly superior commissioning to any of the false-teaching, self-appointed Judaizers who were confusing the Galatians and trying to set themselves above his authority.
Very early in Galatians we see the mention of the resurrection, without which the gospel would be powerless. The God who appointed Paul an apostle was God the Father, who raised His Son from the dead.
o Apparently, the Galatians were not wholly satisfied with the Savior’s work, because they were trying to improve on it by adding their own efforts at law-keeping. (MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Ga 1:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.)
The apostle’s frequent mention of God and Father in relation to Jesus Christ throughout the New Testament marks an emphasis that should not be missed.
The intent is not for us to understand God as our Father (although that truth is mentioned in 1:4) but the Father in relation to the role He has in the Trinity, particularly His relation to the Son. The intent is to emphasize the significance of the relationship between the first and second members of the Trinity as to essential nature. The title is to express equality of deity between the two, a Father and Son who share the same nature (cf. Matt. 11:27; John 5:17–18, 22; 10:29–33; 14:9; 17:1–5; Rom. 15:6; 2 Cor. 1:3; Eph. 1:3; 1 Pet. 1:3; 2 John 3). It asserts that Jesus Christ is the One who is of the nature of God and that the true God is the One who is the Father of Jesus Christ.
In summary, Paul says that he is an apostle, not of man (“of has reference to source), neither by man (“by” has reference to agency), but by Jesus Christ and God the Father (“by” again refers to agency. Jesus Christ and God the Father were not only the source but also the agency of Paul’s apostleship).( Gingrich, R. E. (2005). The Book of Galatians (8). Memphis, TN.: Riverside Printing.)
C) HIS ASSOCIATION (Galatians 1:2)
Galatians 1:2 [2]and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: (ESV)
A third basis of Paul’s authority is implied by his referring to companions with him at the time of writing as the brothers/brethren, in contrast to his own identification as apostle.
o Paul is saying that he is not alone in his doctrine; in that this doctrine is embraced by all of his colleagues in the Gospel work, traveling with him (Ac 19:29, Gaius and Aristarchus at Ephesus: Ac 20:4, Sopater, Secundus, Timotheus, Tychicus, Trophimus, some, or all of these).
o Not that these were joint authors with Paul of the Epistle: but joined him in the sentiments and salutations. ( Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., Fausset, A. R., Brown, D., & Brown, D. (1997). A commentary, critical and explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments. On spine: Critical and explanatory commentary. (Ga 1:2). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.)
This series is going to deal with the nature of the Gospel and the many deviations from it. One central issue is of authority. How can this issue before us be confused? One ways today is by liberal Bible scholars and theologians who maintain that the apostles were no more significant or inspired than other human witnesses of Jesus Christ who happened to live at the same time He ministered on earth. What they taught and wrote was based on their own human insight and understanding and was not divinely authoritative or binding on other believers, either of their own day or of later ages. Every believer has his own experiences of what is often called “the Christ event.”
Roman Catholic dogma maintains that the church wrote the Bible and is therefore a higher authority than the Bible. The church can therefore add to or modify Scripture as it sees fit, and its ecclesiastical pronouncements are held to have the same spiritual and moral authority as Scripture-even when they clearly contradict scriptural teaching.
Paul would have argued against both of those views with every breath in his body. If he and the other apostles of the New Testament were not divinely inspired in a unique and authoritative way, they were the most presumptuous of men, because they boldly and unequivocally claimed to speak and write in God’s name. As apostles they spoke to the church, not on behalf of the church. The church derived its doctrine from the apostles, who received it directly from God (Eph. 3:5).
Ephesians 3:4-5 [4]When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, [5]which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. (ESV)
They are never spoken of as apostles of the church but always as apostles of Jesus Christ.
• The authority that I or any other Christian has is not based on a particular denomination that you belong to, the prominence of the human teacher or the office that you hold today. The authority of teaching is only based on the word of God.
The direct audience is identified here in Galatians as that of the churches of, (most probably southern) Galatia were in the central Asia Minor cities of Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, where Paul had ministered on both his first and second missionary journeys (Acts 13:14–14:23; 16:1–5). Pessinus and Ancyra were the principal cities; but doubtless there were many other churches in Galatia (Ac 18:23; 1Co 16:1).( Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., Fausset, A. R., Brown, D., & Brown, D. (1997). A commentary, critical and explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments. On spine: Critical and explanatory commentary. (Ga 1:2). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.)
o The reason why there is a dispute as to the recipients of this letter relates to the naming of the region. Several hundred years before the birth of Christ, some fierce tribes migrated from Gaul (modern France) into Asia Minor, and founded Galatia, which simply means “the country of the Gauls.” When the Romans reorganized the ancient world, they made Galatia a part of a larger province that included several other areas, and they called the entire province Galatia. So, back in Paul’s day, when a person talked about Galatia, you could not be sure whether he meant the smaller country of Galatia or the larger Roman province. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996, c1989). The Bible exposition commentary. "An exposition of the New Testament comprising the entire ’BE’ series"--Jkt. (Ga 1:1). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books )
o To give a modern example, consider the way the Russians incorporated Georgians, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, and other ethnic groups into the former Soviet Union. Although these groups retained their ethic identities, they were sometimes referred to as “Russians”. (Philip Graham Ryken: Galatians: Reformed Expositional Commentary. P&R Press. New Jersey. USA. 2005. p. 8). With the present invasion of Russia into Georgia, just like the Roman occupation of Galatia, the naming of a region is usually based on the ruling force. Just ask Tibet, Taiwan and Hong Kong, all part of China.
o In the context of the book of Galatians, the fact that Paul founded those churches certainly gave him some authority in dealing with them (cf. 1 Cor. 4:14–21, where Paul expresses his right to reprimand the Corinthians because he was their spiritual father).
• Galatians is a circular letter, intended for several churches. (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (Ga 1:2). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)
The question arises as to when this letter was written. The problem in dating Galatians centers around the relationship of the letter to the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 (c. A.D. 49–50), since both were concerned with the question of circumcision and Gentile salvation. Since Paul does not mention the decision of the Conference, some feel that Galatians must have been written in A.D. 48–49, after the first missionary journey and just prior to the Conference. The major difficulty with that date is that it leaves very little time for the events discussed to transpire. Others date the letter A.D. 55–57, several years after the Jerusalem Conference. This is based on the presupposition that Galatians 2:1–10 is a reference to the Jerusalem Conference (Acts 15). This view assumes that Paul does not mention the apostles’ decision on circumcision because he is arguing that his doctrine is from God, not from men. (Believer’s Study Bible. 1997, c1995. C1991 Criswell Center for Biblical Studies. (electronic ed.) (Ga 1:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.)
The mention of these churches is brief and impersonal, and there is an apparent lack of the amenities usually found in Paul’s epistles. His resentment of their defection from the gospel of grace forced him to dispense with any commendation or personal remarks, and he simply gave a gospel greeting before he rebuked them.
We have seen: 1) THE AUTHORITY (Galatians 1:1-2 ) and now:
2) THE MESSAGE (Galatians 1:3–4)
Galatians 1:3-4 [3]Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, [4]who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, (ESV)
Paul commonly combines the two ideas of grace and peace in the introductions of his letters (1 Cor. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:2).( Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (Ga 1:3). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)
Quote: The early Church Father John Chrysostom relates these two words to the special situation in which the Galatians found themselves: “For since they were in danger of falling from grace, he prays that they may recover it again, and since they had become at war with God, he beseeches God to restore them to the same peace.” (Chrysostom, “Homilies on Galatians,” 4.)
Paul’s greeting attacked the Judaizers’ legalistic system. If salvation is by works as they claimed, it is not of “grace” and cannot result in “peace,” since no one can be sure he has enough good works to be eternally secure.( MacArthur, J. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible : New American Standard Bible. (Ga 1:3). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Two of the most precious words related to the God-given gospel are grace and peace. The first is the source of salvation and the second is the result. Grace is positional, peace is practical, and together they flow from God our Father through His Son and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The word “Gospel” itself is a word of Anglo-Saxon origin, and meaning “God’s spell”, i.e., word of God, or rather, according to others, “good spell”, i.e., good news. It is the rendering of the Greek evangelion, i.e., “good message.” (Easton, M. (1996, c1897). Easton’s Bible dictionary. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.)
In the Greek culture of Paul’s day the common greeting was chara (“joy”). But although joy is among the many blessings Christians receive from God and should reflect in their lives (Gal. 5:22), the distinctly Christian greeting of grace … and peace held special meaning and significance for Paul and for other believers in the early church.
Quote: Martin Luther said: “Grace releases sin, and peace makes the conscience quiet. The two fiends that torment us are sin and conscience. But Christ has vanquished these two monsters, and trodden them under foot, both in this world, and in the world to come”. (Barton, B. B. (1994). Galatians. Life application Bible commentary (8). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.)
Please turn to Romans 3
Be honest. In the deep recesses of your mind, when you are not really thinking about it, do you begin to believe that unless you do something for God, He is not going to love you anymore? In a world of selfishness, where it is always implied: “What have you done for me lately? We have come to expect things from people in order to maintain a relationship. This often slips into our relationship with God. We being to feel that unless we are doing a whole bunch of things as we see it “for God’ then He won’t love us anymore. What we fail to realize is that it was God who first loved us, we did not first love God. He changed our heart, drew us to himself and sustains us. We cannot do anything to earn or merit His love. Because of God’s Grace, He always presents the indicative before the imperative. He presents what He has done before he indicates what He expects.
Since it offered no grace and provided no peace, the law system being taught by the lying Judaizers is attacked even in this simple greeting.
Romans 3:20 [20]For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (ESV)
And now to Romans Chapter 4
Romans 4:4-5 [4]Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. [5]And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, (ESV)
• If being right with God and possessing salvation is by works, as those false teachers maintained, then it is not of grace (Rom. 4:4–5) and can bring no peace, since one never knows if he has enough good works to be eternally secure.
• I was an actively practicing Roman Catholic growing up. I did everything that Rome told me to do. I was an alter boy, serving mass several times a week. I did every charitable work I could find though the Roman Catholic fraternal order, the Knight of Columbus. But after I did all this, I still had no assurance of Salvation. In fact I was taught that such assurance was heretical.
• This is no different from every works based religion, like Islam, to that taught by the cults like Jehovah’s witness.
o In fact the teaching of assurance in Salvation is often the doctrine I go to in witnessing, for it clearly distinguishes genuine Christianity from counterfeits.
o The true message of salvation is based solely on God’s grace (1:6; 2:21) received by faith (Eph. 2:8), and it provides peace with God (Rom. 5:1). (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (Ga 1:3). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)
Jehovah-Shalom: The Lord Send Peace (Judges 6:24)
Quote: William Cowper said of grace and peace:
Jesus! whose blood so freely stream’d
To satisfy the law’s demand;
By Thee from guilt and wrath redeem’d,
Before the Father’s face I stand.
To reconcile offending man,
Make Justice drop her angry rod;
What creature could have form’d the plan,
Or who fulfill it but a God?
No drop remains of all the curse,
For wretches who deserved the whole;
No arrows dipt in wrath to pierce
The guilty, but returning soul.
Peace by such means so dearly bought,
What rebel could have hoped to see?
Peace, by his injured Sovereign wrought,
His Sovereign fasten’d to a tree.
Now, Lord, Thy feeble worm prepare!
For strife with earth, and hell begins;
Confirm and gird me for the war;
They hate the soul that hates his sins.
Let them in horrid league agree!
They may assault, they may distress;
But cannot quench Thy love to me,
Nor rob me of the Lord my peace.
Olney Hymns, William Cowper, from Cowper’s Poems, Sheldon & Company, New York (Galaxie Software. (2002; 2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press.)
In verse 4 of Galatians 1, Paul gives a succinct summary of the true gospel of grace and peace, showing A) its nature, B) its object, and C) its source.
A) THE NATURE OF THE GOSPEL: CHRIST’S ATONING DEATH AND RESURRECTION (Galatians 1:4a)
Galatians 1:4a [4]who gave himself for our sins (to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father), (ESV)
In turning from grace to a legalistic system of salvation by works, the Galatians had ignored the significance of the death of Christ.
The heart of the gospel is Christ’s willing sacrifice of Himself for our sins.
When Peter wrote his second letter to those Christians being threatened by false teaching from within the church, he said:
2 Peter 2:1 [2:1]But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. (ESV)
The message that Paul is trying to say to the Galatians is that Salvation is not earned by one’s efforts to eliminate sin, but by one’s trust in God’s promise to forgive sin through the work of Jesus Christ. His atoning death was the most essential part of the divine plan of redemption, without which all of His teachings and miraculous works would have been meaningless and a mockery.
• Apart from Christ’s sacrificial death, His earthly ministry would have portrayed the power and truth of a great and wonderful God—but a God with whom men could never be reconciled, because they had no way out of their sin. Since no one can eliminate sin by works (Rom. 3:20), it must be forgiven. That is why it was absolutely necessary that “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Pet. 2:24). If Christ had not died on our behalf, He could not have been raised on our behalf; and if He had not been raised, Paul says, then preaching the gospel would be vain, trusting in the gospel would be worthless, and everyone would still be in their sins (1 Cor. 15:14–17).
The statement who gave Himself for our sins affirms that the purpose of Christ’s coining was to be a sin offering (cf. 3:13).
B) THE OBJECT OF THE GOSPEL: TO DELIVER FROM THE PRESENT AGE (Galatians 1:4b)
Galatians 1:4b [4](who gave himself for our sins) to deliver us from the present evil age, (according to the will of our God and Father), (ESV)
The purpose of the gospel is to deliver (the Greek subjunctive expresses purpose) those who believe in Christ from the present evil age. Jesus’ death was a rescue operation, the only possible means of saving human kind from the doomed world and from eternal death by providing for them eternal life.
• Grace not only saves us from the penalty of sin; it also delivers us from the power of sin. We have been rescued from the enslaving power of this present evil age—a world (of) Satan (1 John 5:19), full of cruelty, tragedy, temptation, and deception.(Anders, M. (1999). Vol. 8: Galatians-Colossians. Holman New Testament Commentary; Holman Reference (6). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
Exaireô (deliver) carries the idea of rescuing from danger. The word was used by Stephen in his sermon before the Sanhedrin as he described the divine deliverance of Joseph and the children of Israel from Egyptian affliction (Acts 7:10, 34). Peter used the word to describe God’s deliverance of him from prison (Acts 12:11), and the Roman commander Claudius Lysias used it of his rescue of Paul from the belligerent mob in Jerusalem (23:27; cf. v. 10). Galatians 1:4 contains the only metaphorical use of the term in the New Testament.
Please turn to John 17
Age (aiôn) does not refer to a period of time but to a passing, transitory system, in this case the evil, satanic world system that has dominated the world since the Fall and will continue to dominate it until the Lord’s return.
• In the context, evil related to a rot, corruption, diseased and disordered state of affairs (John Brown: Galatians. Geneva Series of Commentaries. Banner of Truth Press. Great Britain. 2001. p.28).
Although they are not removed from the earth until they die or are raptured, believers are rescued from the present evil age the moment they receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. They are still in the world, but they are no longer of it
Jesus Prayed for His saints in the Garden before His death:
John 17:11 [11]And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. (ESV) [14]I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. [15]I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. [16]They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. [17]Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. [18]As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. (ESV)
Likewise, in speaking of our citizenship:
Philippians 3:20-21 [20]But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, [21]who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. (ESV)
(John 17:11, 14–18; Phil. 3:20–21; Col. 1:13-14; 1 John 5:5). The faithful Christian life is the heavenly life lived on earth.
From A) the Nature, to B) the Object, to now:
C) THE SOURCE OF THE GOSPEL: THE WILL OF GOD (Galatians 1:4c)
Galatians 1:4c [4](who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age), according to the will of our God and Father, (ESV)
Please turn to Hebrews 10
The source of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ is the sovereign, loving, compassionate, gracious will of our God and Father. (Cf. Mt 26:42; Jn 6:38–40; Ac 2:22, 23; Ro 8:3, 31, 32; Eph 1:7, 11; Heb 10:4–10).
Hebrews 10:4-10 [4]For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. [5]Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; [6] in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. [7]Then I said, ’Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’" [8]When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), [9] then he added, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He does away with the first in order to establish the second. [10]And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (ESV)
• This is a great passage comparing the Old Covenant sacrificial system, the will of God and the offering of Christ.
Specifically, every rescued believer is delivered because of the sovereign, gracious will of God.
John 1:12-13 [12]But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, [13]who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (ESV)
• Salvation is thus removed from the will of man and is buried deep in the sovereign decree of God.
We have seen: 1) THE AUTHORITY (Galatians 1:1-2) 2) THE MESSAGE (Galatians 1:3–4) and only briefly:
3) THE MOTIVE (Galatians 1:5)
Galatians 1:5 [5]to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (ESV)
Paul concludes his introduction with a doxology fitting for such a saving God. Paul’s motive for writing to the Galatian churches was that he might acknowledge that God is worthy of glory forever and ever. The apostle’s supreme purpose was to glorify his Lord, and he calls all believers to do everything “to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).
In these five opening verses of Galatians Paul covers the four stages of man’s salvation.
The first stage was the sovereign decree of God to save, the second was the death of Christ for man’s sins, the third was the appointment of apostles to testify to that divine provision, and the fourth was the gift of God’s grace and peace to those who believe in Jesus Christ. In each of the stages the Father and the Son work together, because Their will and Their work are always one (John 5:30; 6:38; 10:30).
Paul and the other apostles were commissioned and sent out by the Father and the Son, and the grace that brings salvation and the peace that salvation brings are likewise both from the Father and the Son. Salvation is provided, preached, and granted by the common operation of God the Father and God the Son. Together They planned salvation, together They provide salvation, together They announce salvation, and together They grant salvation to every person who comes to Them in faith.
Amen expresses the affirmation fitting the worthiness of God to receive glory for such a wondrous provision of eternal, gracious salvation.
In Just these five verses we have seen:
• The free grace of God as the cause of salvation;
• Peace with God as the result of salvation;
• Christ as the heart of salvation
• Christ’s death and resurrection as the means of salvation
• Deliverance as the hallmark of salvation
• The will of God as the source of salvation
• The glory of God as the purpose of salvation.
(Edgar H. Andrews: Free in Christ: The Message of Galatians. Evangelical Press. England. 1996. p. 21) (Format Note: Outline and base notes from: MacArthur, J. (1996, c1987). Galatians. Includes indexes. (1). Chicago: Moody Press.)
