Return to Grace

Galatians 1:1–5 CSB

Paul, an apostle—not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead—and all the brothers who are with me: To the churches of Galatia. Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Introduction:

The letter of Galatians was penned to early Christians, primarily Gentiles from a Celtic background, who were in cities in the regions of Galatia. These cities Paul had visited during his first missionary journey as recorded in . Many New Testament bible scholars consider Galatians to be one of earliest New Testament books written.

The main theme of the letter is Grace - that we are saved by grace and that we live by grace - not by law. This book represents a 6 chapter defense of grace. One could divide this letter into 3 sections. An explanation followed by an exposition in which doctrinal foundations are laid and then a practical exhortation as the letter encourages and appeals to living in grace as a Christian.

Holman New Testament Commentary: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians Galatians 1: You Were Born to Be Free

Written to help offset the influence of false teachers, who taught that to be saved Gentiles must keep the Mosaic Law in addition to believing in Christ.

• Theme: We are saved by grace and must live by grace, not by law, for no one can keep the law.

The main theme of the letter is Grace - that we are saved by grace and that we live by grace - not by law. This book represents a 6 chapter defense of grace. One could divide this letter into 3 sections. An explanation followed by an exposition in which doctrinal foundations are laid and then a practical exhortation as the letter encourages and appeals to living in grace as a Christian.

Galatians 1 CSB

Paul, an apostle—not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead—and all the brothers who are with me: To the churches of Galatia. Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, a curse be on him! As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him! For am I now trying to persuade people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin. For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism: I intensely persecuted God’s church and tried to destroy it. I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. But when God, who from my mother’s womb set me apart and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me, so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone. I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who had become apostles before me; instead I went to Arabia and came back to Damascus. Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days. But I didn’t see any of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. I declare in the sight of God: I am not lying in what I write to you. Afterward, I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. I remained personally unknown to the Judean churches that are in Christ. They simply kept hearing: “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith he once tried to destroy.” And they glorified God because of me.

Listen to Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of verses 1-5:

Listen to Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of verses 1-5:

The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language Chapter 1

1 I, Paul, and my companions in faith here, send greetings to the Galatian churches. My authority for writing to you does not come from any popular vote of the people, nor does it come through the appointment of some human higher-up. It comes directly from Jesus the Messiah and God the Father, who raised him from the dead. I’m God-commissioned. So I greet you with the great words, grace and peace! We know the meaning of those words because Jesus Christ rescued us from this evil world we’re in by offering himself as a sacrifice for our sins. God’s plan is that we all experience that rescue. Glory to God forever! Oh, yes!

To understand the letter to the Galatians - we need to understand what was happening in the life of these believers. The letter was written to confront the influence and deception of false teachers in the churches. These false teachers, sometimes referred to as “Judaizers” were teaching that in order to be saved the Gentile believers needed to keep the Mosaic Law in addition to having faith in Christ. These “Judaizers” were trying to make Christianity better and complete by adding the observance of the Mosaic Law. Jewish social customs, that were seen as a sign of commitment to the law of Moses, were being required for true justification by God.

As a result, the message of the gospel was being changed. This is the reason for this letter - to confront the distortion of the gospel message and the means of justification and sanctification. There is also a racial or nationalistic component to this. The Jews felt as God’s elect and chosen people that the new converts to the faith should become like them - that their culture and law was superior. But it is wrong to think along racial and nationalistic lines when it comes to the gospel. God’s people, as promised to Abraham, would be made up of individuals from all races and places. The message of the Judaizers became “join our group” not “surrender to Christ”

Scot McKnight states, whatever practices detract from the all-sufficiency of Christ and the enabling ministries of the Spirit must be opposed; whatever practices build walls between people who believe in Jesus Christ must be torn down; whatever practices seek to supplement trust in Christ and dependance on the Holy Spirit must be cleared away; whoever seeks to demand any such things must be countered. In effect, whatever message that is not Christ and the Spirit alone is a perversion and must be radically denounced.” (NIV Application Commentary, 34-35).

So to summarize:

Galatians is concerned with teaching that seeks to deny the sufficiency of Christ and his finished work and the nature of spiritual freedom and life in the Spirit. As a result a misplaced emphasis is given to performance as a means of acceptance before God rather than depending on the Spirit. Another concern is the division caused by this form of legalism. At the root of this is judgmentalism, as other believers are constantly being judged by one another, not according to the Spirit or Word but by pre-conceived ideas about religious conduct or personal preference - “join our group” or “be like us” rather than “Surrender to Christ” becomes the message.

2- Galatians is concerned also with measuring spiritu

Finally, that when the Christian attempts to live by the flesh and not by the Spirit, they may be able to keep all the particular rules and miss the blessing of walking in the Spirit. A person can be outwardly conformed to all kinds of laws and not be living in the Spirit. Of utmost concern is the fact that many may be resting their hope not on Christ alone but on there ability to keep these particular rules or laws.

Now, let’s give attention to the introduction of this letter, particularly verses 3-5 as we consider “A Return to Grace”

Note:

I. The Ministry of the Messenger

Clearly, the apostle Paul had experienced a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. This forever altered the course of his life. He had been placed into the ministry by Jesus Christ.

His Authority and Appointment

“Paul, an apostle - not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead..”

This letter begins with Paul’s name. John Phillips notes, “The name Paul on an epistle is like the name Mozart on a musical score, the name Rembrandt on a painting, the name Rockefeller on a check.”

Paul’s authority as the minister of God’s grace and messenger of the gospel came from God - not from men. He had been divinely appointed to be an Apostle. The word “apostle” means a special messenger of Jesus Christ commissioned directly by Him or by other apostles. An apostle is someone who has been taught directly by Jesus and who is invested with the authority to speak on His behalf. Paul is an official representative of Jesus Christ.

Paul’s authority as the minister of God’s grace and messenger of the gospel came from God - not from men. He had been divinely appointed to be an Apostle. The word “apostle” means a special messenger of Jesus Christ commissioned directly by Him or by other apostles. An apostle is someone who has been taught directly by Jesus and who is invested with the authority to speak on His behalf. Paul is an official representative of Jesus Christ.

His Expectation

Clearly by the tone and brevity of Paul’s introduction - his expectation was that these Galatian believers would listen.

Paul used no flattering words in this introduction. Indeed, the greeting here is different from any of the other epistles. He is confronting the assertions and mis-characterizations enemies of his and the gospel have been making. These individuals, who were troubling the Galatians, were most likely sent from the ultra-conservative wing of the Jerusalem church. Some were certainly placing doubt in the minds of the Galatians as it relates to Pauls’ true calling and apostleship.

His Companions

“and all the brothers who are with me.” We know that Barnabas had traveled with Paul in this region - establishing churches all throughout. Furthermore, he is not alone in his defense of the gospel of grace.

II. The Message of the Messenger

“Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Twin Blessings of the Gospel

Grace - God’s unconditional good will toward men. The unmerited favor of God that reaches out to men enslaved in sin and gives to them what they do not deserve and could never earn. Grace is God’s love in action.

Peace - harmonious relations and freedom from conflict.

While this is certainly what is accomplished in salvation - the context is indicating also that Paul’s greeting is one of grace and peace. That while he is confronting the issue - his approach is with a love and desire for the well-being of his recipients.

The Sacrifice of the Savior

“who gave himself for our sins to rescue us”

The emphasis here is on the finished work of Christ. In the opening verses, Paul is laying again the foundation of the gospel. Christ died for our sins. He is desiring once again to point these believers to the Savior - Jesus Christ.

How deep the Father's love for us How vast beyond all measure That He should give His only Son To make a wretch His treasure How great the pain of searing loss The Father turns His face away As wounds which mar the Chosen One Bring many sons to glory Behold the man upon a cross My sin upon His shoulders Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice Call out among the scoffers It was my sin that held Him there Until it was accomplished His dying breath has brought me life I know that it is finished

apostle n. — an envoy of Jesus Christ commissioned directly by Him or by other apostles; normally someone who has been taught directly by Jesus and who is invested with the authority to speak on His behalf.

I will not boast in anything No gifts, no power, no wisdom But I will boast in Jesus Christ His death and resurrection Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer But this I know with all my heart His wounds have paid my ransom

What are we being rescued from?

“this present evil age”

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 ruled by Satan, full of cruelty, tragedy, temptation, and deception. Later in chapter 5 Paul will explain how grace works in our lives to give us this power over sin’s slavery. Christ accomplished the victory over sin through the voluntary gift of himself to us in dying on the cross. This was all according to God’s eternal plan to bring us salvation.

The Glory of God

The Glory of God

Paul’s desire was for the glory of God alone.

Conclusion:

• Perversion of the truth is more difficult to spot than blatant falsehood.

• God has given us only one way by to be saved—through Jesus Christ.

• A teacher may be sincere and still be sincerely wrong.

• Your testimony is a powerful witnessing tool.

• The gospel is true because it comes straight from God and it changes lives.

Have you heard the story of the man searching for his keys under the street light? His friend saw him and stopped to help. After some minutes he asked, “Exactly where did you drop your keys?”

“In my house,” the man answered.

“In your house? Then why are we looking out here?”

“Because the light is better out here.”

You’ll never find what you are looking for unless you look in the right place. Today people are looking for spiritual life, but like this confused man they are looking in the wrong places. Originally the Galatians knew where to find the key to salvation. They had heard Paul’s message and had been saved by putting their faith in Jesus Christ. Now they were confused. They began to listen to the legalists who said that they needed both the keys of faith and good works (the law) to be saved. Confused, the Galatians were looking for the key to salvation and Christian maturity in the wrong place.

Sadly today many people are also looking in the wrong place for the key that unlocks a relationship with God. Even churchgoers aren’t applying the key of grace to unlock salvation and a relationship with God. Christian author and marketing expert, George Barna writes:

Undoubtedly, one of the rudest awakenings I have ever received in my efforts to help churches grow was the discovery, born out of research, a few years ago that half of all adults who attend Protestant churches on a typical Sunday morning are not Christian! For years, I had been lulled into the comforting but erroneous notion that every Sunday morning I was singing praises to God with the convinced.

Jerry Bridges in his book “The Discipline of Grace” states, “Perhaps we have become self-righteous about our Christian lives because we look at society around us and see flagrant immorality, pervasive dishonesty, wholesale greed, and increasing violence. We see growing acceptance of abortion as a “right” and homosexuality as an alternative lifestyle. Because we are not guilty of these more gross forms of sin, we fan begin to feel rather good about our Christian lives. He continues, “As long as we compare ourselves with society and with other believers who we feel are not as committed as we are, we also are apt to become confident of our own righteousness. The result is that instead of living the Christian life by swimming in the pool of God’s grace we become religious and morality police who seem to find delight in being the bearer of bad news about others.