The Messenger and the Message (Galatians 1:1-5)
The Book of Galatians is held very dear to Protestants. It figured prominently in the discussions concerning the separation with Rome. In fact, Martin Luther’s commentary over the Book of Galatians was very influential during the era of the Protestant Reformation. And it has figured prominently in many other conversations as well.
Why has the Book of Galatians been so prominent?
It is because its central message is that salvation is found in Jesus alone. And that word alone is important. It really means alone.
We are not to add anything to Christ. Jesus has accomplished our redemption for us through His perfect life, death, and resurrection.
“Your power alone Oh Son of God can all my sin erase.” Is the line from a great hymn called “Not What My Hands Have Done”
We understand the Book of Galatians to be the first of Paul’s epistles that we have in our Bible. It was written very early, sometime around the time of the Jerusalem Council in Acts15. We can’t be sure if it was written before or after that, but there is a discussion of Paul’s spat with Peter that took place just before the Jerusalem Council in the Book of Galatians. So, either one of these are a possibility. And really, we can only guess as to which is true. But this means the book was likely written between 48-49 AD, about 15 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus.
The Book of Galatians was probably written to the churches of Southern Galatia. We discussed this as we went through the Book of Acts. But these would have been some of the first churches that Paul planted on his missionary journeys.
Paul’s reason for writing is clear. Judaizers, which were a problem in the Book of Acts, were troubling the churches of Galatia. These people were attempting to convince the people of Galatia to abandon the grace that is found in Christ alone for something else. They were trying to convince the people that keeping the Jewish Laws and festivals was necessary for their salvation.
The Judaizers were convincing the churches of Galatia that they must add to Jesus in order to be right with God. And they did this, in part, by discrediting Paul to the church at Galatia.
And Paul wrote the Book of Galatians to counter this false teaching.
I will not be speaking much about Paul’s position today. But you should know that it is there. Paul’s call to ministry was different than other people’s call to ministry. He was headed off to persecute Christians when he saw the risen Christ. Jesus scolded him, blinded him, converted him, and gave him a commission to preach to the gentiles. And so, as we will see, these people attempted to discredit Paul. And Paul appeals to his unique call to ministry.
After that he destroys their other false teachings as well.
He does this, really in 3 phases. He first defends his apostleship. Second, he teaches that salvation is through Christ alone. And third, he teaches that God’s grace frees us so that we can follow Christ.
Today we will discuss the introduction to the letter found in Galatians 1:1-5. This is different than the other introductions. And the reason is that Paul is very frustrated. He normally has something good to say about the people he is writing to, but here he has nothing good to say. But we also see that he gives an outline for the book itself.
Today we will see that God gave Paul a message to deliver, salvation and freedom from sin are found in Christ alone.
A Messenger From God (Galatians 1:1-2)
Paul was no ordinary preacher, and these people were calling Paul’s bona fides into question. But Paul’s calling was not like the calling of other pastors. He was called to ministry directly and only through God.
Pastors are to be called out by God and then recognized by congregations as such. The guidelines for recognizing a person’s call to ministry are found in the pastor qualifications in the New Testament. By the way, Paul was the human author of these letters (1 Timothy 2, Titus 1).
As I have said in previous sermons, I believe that many of the problems found in churches today are due to ignoring these qualifications. They would rather choose an unqualified person that might draw a crowd than a qualified person to be their pastor.
No person has the right to call their self a pastor if they do not fit into the pastor qualifications. And no church has the right to call a pastor that does not fit into the pastoral qualifications. Christ is King over His Church. We are His blood bought servants, and He gets to choose how we will be organized.
When we think about Paul, he does not fit well into this category. He was qualified. But he did not receive the approval of a church before preaching the gospel and starting churches. He did not need this approval, for he saw the risen Christ and was called directly by Him. Paul’s process was different than the process that exists today. Paul was called to his work directly through God.
This is illustrated in the fact that the Apostles recognized Paul’s authority. But he did not need this recognition. In fact, early on, Paul confronted Peter to his face. That is discussed in the Book of Galatians. Paul had every right to do so. Peter was wrong. And Paul was called by God to be the Apostle to the Gentiles. He was called by Jesus Christ and God the Father, directly.
One thing to quickly note before moving on is that Paul discussed God the Father and God the Son on an equal plane. One is not declared more important than the other. In fact, Jesu was mentioned first. I only point this out because it is in the text and is one of those places that the equality of the Son to the Father is asserted.
Why does this matter? Why does Paul’s authority matter?
It matters greatly because we are reading Paul’s letter right now. And in it he articulates the true gospel over and against a Christianity that sought to take in Jewish rights and customs and say that they were necessary for a person’s salvation.
This matters greatly because we occasionally run into the same problems today.
A Seventh Day Adventist will come to your house and tell you that you are going to Hell if you don’t go to church on Saturday instead of Sunday,
I have heard random idea after random idea concerning the relationship of the Old Testament to the New Testament. And in the age of the internet, it seems that everyone has an opinion that they think is authoritative.
But here is the point. Paul was set apart by God in a way that some keyboard warrior typing his thoughts from deep within his parents’ basement is not.
What happens when a pastor in the area decides that Paul’s words are not authoritative and he should really be able to ordain a homosexual to be the pastor of his church? Well, he’s not on Jesus’s side. Jesus chose Paul for this task. He did not choose that other person.
There is an authority to Paul’s work and words that ours can never have. I believe that I was called to ministry, and I’ve told the story on a few occasions. But I was not given the authority to declare myself a pastor. A church had to say that they agreed with my assessment and ordain me to gospel ministry.
Paul was a messenger chosen by God for the purpose of declaring the message of peace with God.
A Message of Peace with God Through Christ Alone (Galatians 1:3-4)
Paul begins with a greeting that is common to him. “Grace to you” quite literally means “unmerited favor to you”. Grace is “God’s unmerited, unearned kindness that is given to you.”
Peace is the idea of wholeness, fullness, and in this case with regard to relationship with God. “Shalom” or “peace” is a major idea in Judaism and one that Paul likely carried over to his day to day life. Even today, “Shalom” is how a person says both “hello” and “goodbye” in Hebrew. And it means “Peace”, fullness, wholeness, God’s blessing.
This grace and peace is God the Father and Jesus Christ. In this case, Paul again speaks of God the Father and God the Son as equal. And the fact that he speaks of grace and peace coming from both God the Father and God the Son leads me to think of passages of Scripture such as John 3:16.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 ESV)
God the Father planned our redemption. He sent His Son to accomplish this work. And this Jesus did through His life, death, and resurrection.
We rebelled against God and earned His wrath and justice. God the Son took on human flesh and dwelt among us to achieve our forgiveness. Jesus lived a perfect life fulfilling righteousness for us, died on the cross paying the punishment for sin, and rose from the grave accomplishing our justification. And it is through Him alone that we have forgiveness of sins and deliverance from this present evil age.
We earned for ourselves God’s justice and wrath. God gave to us His Son. God the Son accomplished redemption for us.
Couched within the Book of Galatians, the argument is clear. There is salvation in no one or anything else. There is nothing you can do to earn this salvation. It is found in Christ and Christ alone.
You can’t do enough good in this life to earn your redemption.
Eternal life is found in Jesus Christ alone.
There is a question that often comes up in conversation with folks about salvation. It will be something to the effect of “Why do you believe there is only one way?” Or, “Why would God not allow any other way?”
They don’t seem to understand that it is God they have offended. They are at war with God because they have rebelled against Him. It is not as if the Scriptures say that we are at peace with God before He gives us peace.
“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:10 ESV)
The unbeliever is an enemy of God, having defied Him. And God brings into His Kingdom. He makes us His people.
Now, I ask you. God is the ruler of all. He created all things and all things and people owe allegiance to God. We have repeatedly broken His law. Do we have a right to choose how we come to Him?
Obviously not. Obviously it is God that gets to choose. And the way that He has chosen is through His Son. He has chosen to give us salvation in Christ and Christ alone. It is only through Him that we have forgiveness of sins. It is only through Him that we have peace with God.
A Messenger of Victory Through Christ (Galatians 1:4)
Paul said that Jesus did this to achieve our right standing with God, but also to deliver us from this present evil age.
Look around. We live in a world that is broken by sin and Satan. It is a world that is corrupted by the Fall. And it is a world that we desperately need to be delivered from.
God’s Word really only recognizes two kingdoms. A lot of people would be frustrating at my saying this, but today there exists the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of this world.
We know that Christ rules overall. But there is still an entire world system that is in defiance of the King. And Satan rules over this defiant world system. And here Paul is telling us that we have been delivered from that.
This salvation is not just for the future. It affects us here and now. Because of the salvation that Christ has accomplished for you, you are no longer the person that you once were. You have been rescued from this world and the ways of this world.
This is important for us to note today.
The world is dark. The powers of this wicked world are at work around us daily. As a Christian, you have been rescued from the dark and wicked world power controlled by Satan. You have been removed from Satan’s kingdom and brought into the Kingdom of Christ. And that has an affect upon you.
Satan has been disrupting people in major ways of late. Pornography is rampant and it changes brain chemistry. Studies repeatedly show that around 90% of men consume pornography at least once per month and over 60% of women. Studies have also show that the repeated use of pornography changes the brain chemistry. These studies show that actual gray matter is reduced among those that consume it frequently. This means that decision making and rewards are actually changed in a person that watches it frequently. And health problems are starting to crop up related to this problem. The consumption of it leads to difficulties in marriage, divorces, and there is a strong correlation between the consumption of it and health issues for men. Issues that are prevalent among young men that once were only associated with old men. Its usage is also linked with behaviors that were once thought to be abhorrent.
And people are stuck in this. They are in bondage to it. Commercials come on television occasionally warning people of the dangers of it and people feel stuck, unable to lose their addiction.
But it should not be so with you. You are not in bondage to sin and death. You are no longer part of this wicked world. You are one of God’s people. You are part of God’s Kingdom.
Because of the finished work of Christ, you are not a slave to the princes and principalities of this world. You are His. You have victory over this world through the finished work of Christ.
A Message of God’s Glory in Our Salvation (Galatians 1:5)
This introduction ends with a doxology. “To whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
It is God alone that gets the glory for our salvation. It is God who planned it. It is God the Father who sent His Son. It is God the Son that accomplished our redemption. And it is God the Holy Spirit that applies this redemption to our lives.
We sing Psalm 100 at home to the tune of the doxology. And so, as a family we probably sing the doxology 2-3 times per week. It’s a family favorite, so we choose it often.
“Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above the heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Amen.”
All of our blessings flow from the Lord. We have much to be thankful for. And this is true with regard to our salvation as well. From God all of these blessings flow. Not from us, from Him. So we end the sermon doxologically, praising God for the incredible blessing of our redemption.
Conclusion
God has given to us a message of God’s grace and mercy. Salvation is found in no one. God’s grace is found in no other way. It is only through Jesus Christ that we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. And it is through Jesus that we are rescued from the powers of this evil age.
“Praise God from whom all blessings flow.”
R. Dwain Minor