1 Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

This month we are going to read Paul’s letter to the churches he had established in Galatia, a region in central modern-day Turkey. Paul speaks very bluntly (as we’ll see tomorrow), because there was a group of false teachers who were leading these young Christians away from the true gospel of the Lord Jesus.

Here’s a quick roadmap for what’s ahead. The false teachers were painting Paul as a false apostle who had taught them an incomplete version of the gospel. So in chapters 1–2, Paul defends his standing as a true apostle who received the gospel message directly from the risen Lord Jesus. That’s why he introduces himself in verse 1 as “an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.” The apostles were people who physically saw the Lord Jesus after his resurrection, and who Jesus personally commissioned as his messengers. (That’s also why, if I ever introduce myself like that in a sermon, you should report me to my bishop … hi, Pete!)

Next, in chapters 3–4, Paul explains the key distortion of the false teachers: they were teaching that we are justified on the basis of faith in Jesus plus certain works of the Old Testament law, like circumcision. That tiny little “plus” completely destroyed the true gospel of Jesus, which says that we can only be justified as a gift of God’s grace, not “part gift, part our fleshly works.” Finally, in chapters 5–6 he explains how that true gospel of grace frees us to live the new life of the Spirit.

As a final reflection on these first verses: It’s very helpful to have right expectations. If I expected the Eels to win the NRL every year, I’d be very depressed by now. That’s why I find the phrase “this present evil age” helpful (v2). It reminds me that we shouldn’t ever expect human society in this world to become good, let alone godly and Christ-centred. It will always be an “evil age.” But there is another age coming – the age of the Spirit, of eternal life, of righteousness and joy in God’s new creation. Jesus has already rescued us from this evil age by dying for our sins, and he has entered the age to come by his resurrection. So if you trust in him, you belong to the age to come, and your resurrection life with him is assured. What an amazing hope – a certain expectation – to anchor your identity and fuel your prayers this week.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our senior minister.