Introduction to Galatians

Galatians 1:1-9 Introduction to Galatians Introduction: Grace and freedom are perhaps two of the greatest implications of the gospel that have caused people (not just christians) to puzzle over. The reason why is because there is nothing in all the world like the grace of God. God’s saving grace has been the theme of more works of art, pieces of literature, film and music, than probably any other story line. It is the most compelling narrative, and though we’ve seen it or heard it and even received it personally, it still shocks us again and again. That God loves, forgives, and rescues sinners from judgment and death at infinite cost to himself is one of the most astounding ideas that has ever been brought forth. Victor Hugo portrays a beautiful picture of this kind of grace in Les Miserables… (set the scene) “Is it true that I am to be released?" he said, in an almost inarticulate voice, and as though he were talking in his sleep. "Yes, thou art released; dost thou not understand?" said one of the police officers. "My friend," resumed the Bishop, "before you go, here are your candlesticks. Take them." He stepped to the chimney-piece, took the two silver candlesticks, and brought them to Jean Valjean. The two women looked on without uttering a word, without a gesture, without a look which could disconcert the Bishop. Jean Valjean was trembling in every limb. He took the two candlesticks mechanically, and with a bewildered air. "Now," said the Bishop, "go in peace. By the way, when you return, my friend, it is not necessary to pass through the garden. You can always enter and depart through the street door. It is never fastened with anything but a latch, either by day or by night." Then, turning to the police.. "You may retire, gentlemen." The police retired. Jean Valjean was like a man on the point of fainting. The Bishop drew near to him, and said in a low voice:-- "Do not forget, never forget, that you have promised to use this money in becoming an honest man." Jean Valjean, who had no recollection of ever having promised anything, remained speechless. The Bishop had emphasized the words when he uttered them. He resumed with solemnity:-- "Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I buy from you; I withdraw it from black thoughts and the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God.” One Lutheran pastor said this about the Gospel -“We are justified freely, for Christ sake, by faith, without the exertion of our own strength, gaining of merit, or doing of works. To the age old question, “what shall I do to be saved?” The confessional answer is shocking: “nothing! Just be still; shut up and listen for once in your life to what God the Almighty, creator and redeemer is saying to his world and to you in the death and resurrection of his Son! Listen and believe!” - Gerhard Forde Sadly, few of us accept the gospel for what it really is. The ancient church father Tertullian is reported to have said, “Just as Jesus was crucified between two thieves, so the gospel is ever crucified between these two errors”. What errors is Tertullian referring to? We often call them religion and irreligion; the theological terms are legalism and antinomianism. Another way to describe them could be moralism and relativism (or pragmatism). These two errors constantly seek to corrupt the message and steal away from us the power of the gospel. Legalism says that we have to live a holy, good life in order to be saved. Antinomianism says that because we are saved, we don’t have to live a holy, good life. This problem of misunderstanding the Gospel is nothing new to the Church. It happened from the very beginning as Acts and Galatians (among other books) make clear. It is for the sake of the purity of the Gospel that Paul writes this epistle. 1. Historical Setting 1. Galatians was the first epistle, that we know of, written by Paul the Apostle. Written around AD50, some 15-20 years after Jesus death and resurrection. Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles (non-jews) and his common practice was to go into a region and plant churches, train and set up church leadership and then supervise these new congregations through his letters. This, as I said, is the first of those letters. 2. This letter addresses a social and racial division in the churches of Galatia. The first Christians in Jerusalem were Jewish, but as the Gospel spread out from that center, increasing numbers of Gentiles began to receive Christ. However, a group of teachers in Galatia were now insisting that the Gentile Christians practice all the traditional ceremonial customs of the law of Moses, as the Jewish Christians did. They taught that the Gentiles had to observe all the law and be circumcised for full acceptance and to be completely pleasing to God. 3. Although this specific controversy may seem disconnected to us today, Paul addressed it with an abiding, all important truth. He taught that the cultural divisions and disunity in the Galatian churches were due to confusion about the nature of the Gospel - what Jesus had really done and accomplished in his sacrifice and resurrection. By insisting on Christ-plus-something-else as a requirement for full acceptance by God, these teachers were presenting a whole different way of relating to God ("a different Gospel", 1:6) from the one Paul had given them (“the one we preached”, 1:8) It is this different Gospel that was creating the cultural division and strife. Paul forcefully and unapologetically fought the “different gospel” because to lose one’s grip of the true gospel is to desert and lose Christ himself. That means that everything was at stake in this debate. 4. Tim Keller points out that the most obvious fact about the historical setting is often the most overlooked. “In the letter to the Galatians, Paul expounds in detail what the gospel is and how it works. But the intended audience of this exposition of the gospel are all professing Christians. It is not simply non-christians but also believers who need continually to learn the gospel and apply it to their lives…..The Gospel is not only the way to enter the Kingdom of God; it is the way to live in the Kingdom of God.” - Tim Keller 2. Paul’s Introduction 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[a] who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: 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, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen 6 - I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed." 2. We’ll talk about Paul’s introduction in a moment. But consider the intensity with which Paul is talking to these Christians. 1. Paul claims that the Gospel that he gave to them is in fact the only Gospel and if anyone, including Paul himself or an angel from heaven brought any other message they would be under a curse by God. Not only that, but since these Galatians are accepting this addition to the Gospel they are actually forsaking not just the true Gospel, but Jesus Christ himself. 2. Paul does something beautiful here in his introduction of the letter. Before he’s even mentioned what is going on with the Galatian Church, he already makes it clear where he’s coming from and where he is going with this letter. 3. Paul Begins with the Gospel -Rescued by God 1. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Although grace and peace were common greetings, they are pregnant with theological substance. In fact, they summarize Paul’s gospel of salvation. The nature of salvation is peace, or reconciliation. Peace with God, peace with humanity, peace with ourselves.The source of salvation is grace. God’s free gift, irrespective of any human work, his loving-kindness to the undeserving. 1. If the reason of Christ’s death on the cross was 'for our sins', it’s objective was, ‘to deliver/ rescue us from this present evil age’. This idea of rescue strikes at the heart of this epistle. “The gospel is a rescue - and emancipation from a state of bondage.” -John Stott 2. But what is it exactly that God is rescuing us from? -This present evil age. 1. The Bible divides history into two ages: there is the present age (filled with sin, decay, trials, and death), and there is the age to come (The Kingdom of God, full of righteousness, peace and Joy.) The age to come has in fact already dawned. It came when Christ (messiah) Jesus rose physically from the dead, after his death by crucifixion and three days in the grave. When you think about it, it might seem strange to hear all of these strange words.. rescue, resurrection, new age. 2. You have to understand this was very standard stuff for Jews. Most Jews (esp. in the apocalyptic movement) believed that the ultimate establishment of God’s kingdom would be marked by the resurrection of people from the dead. 2 Baruch (not canon) says, “the earth will surely give back the dead at that time.” Jews also believed that when Messiah came he would be Lord of all the world, and he would have one people, one family. And though this family is the fulfillment of what God promised to the Jews, through Abraham, the amazing thing is that, because of Jesus, you don’t have to be a Jew to belong. The God of Israel wants to be know as ‘Father’ by the whole world. 3. Understand though, no Jew expected God to do in the middle of history what they believed he would do at the end of history, and especially didn’t know/understand that the resurrection would first come through Messiah, then later to all God’s rescued people. But now since resurrection had come through Jesus, Paul and many other devout Jews had come to believe that the new age of the kingdom of God had dawned, and all things were becoming new. Therefore, to be a Christian, one who has put their trust, the whole of their life in the life of messiah Jesus, is to be living out this life of the age to come. 4. Paul, in saying, “that we are being delivered from this present evil age” alludes to what will become the key theological argument of the letter: In Christ, God has inaugurated a new age in salvation history, a situation that changes everything - including, especially, the evaluation and application of the Law. 1. Actually, it’s funny. We use the term eternal life a lot as people in general, but especially as Christians. But when we talk that way it get’s confusing because there is no description except that life goes on eternally. But the Jews never used those words or terms, they always spoke of it as “Life in the age to come,” Life in the kingdom of God. Jesus claimed that for his people this is something that began with his earthly ministry, is taken up by his spirit in the life of the church, and carries on into the new age. 2. Something we talk about frequently at Refuge is made clear in this passage. The purpose of Jesus Christ death was not only to bring us forgiveness - this is absolutely true, and without the shed blood, faith, repentance and salvation would not be possible, But Jesus mission was the rescue of mankind and creation from the fall, sin and all it’s effects of decay and death, in order to bring us into the kingdom of the new age. Having been forgiven of our sin, and rescued from this present evil age, we should live a new life, the life of the age to come. - This is why the son of God gave himself. “(Christ) gave himself for our sins to RESCUE us from this present evil age…” Conclusion: Many people have taken the Book of Galatians to be anti-Law, against the Law of Moses, and have often tried to pit Paul against Jesus. I love what one commentator said about this idea, “Contrary to popular belief Paul’s fundamental question that he addresses is not ‘What is wrong with Judaism or the Mosaic law?” But “What is so wrong with humanity that Judaism and the Mosaic law cannot remedy?’ We are so sinful, so flawed and broken, that no Law, no internal goodness, nothing we can do can deliver us from this present plight. “Not the labour of my hands Can fulfill Thy law's demands; Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow, All for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone. Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress; Helpless, look to Thee for grace; Foul, I to the fountain fly; Wash me, Savior, or I die! No, we needed nothing less than the sinless life blood of the Son of God, to rescue us from our depravity, and eternal damnation. Substitution is why the gospel is so revolutionary. You and I are so flawed, God himself had to give his perfect self, to redeem us from sin. And yet, we are so loved that Christ Jesus gave himself willingly in our place to deliver us from the power and penalty of sin and to bring us back to God. By his substitutionary atoning death, he alone redeems us from hell and gains for us forgiveness of sin, righteousness, and life in the age to come. This is a radical rescue! To change the Gospel, is to lose it. To add to it is to take away from it.