The Book of Galatians #1
Galatians 1:1-5
The message of Galatians is the message of liberty. It is the message of freedom. It is the message of release from the bondage of legalism. And while it is an intensely doctrinal, it is also extremely practical.
That is especially true in today’s society. We have riots and protests all over the world as people are in search of answers of one kind or another.
Some are looking for new leadership in their country. They are tired of living under a dictator. Others rebel against the establishment. They feel like they are in bondage. We talk and search for true freedom, and Galatians comes through with the answer as to what freedom is all about.
There is true freedom. "If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free, indeed." Or, putting it in the words of Jesus Christ, "You shall know the truth, and," what? "The truth shall make you free."
The book of Galatians just simply takes those two statements and expands them and really pushes it into every possible consideration. It is truth alone that frees. Anything else is bondage.
I love mathematics. But if you have a mathematical problem, it holds you captive until you find the solution to the problem. And once you know the solution, the truth, you are then free from its hold.
That is true in any arena of life. Only truth liberates.
And until a man comes to truth, he is never free from the search. So Galatians just expands on the fact that the truth is Jesus Christ. And it offers to men true freedom.
Think about how many people are held in spiritual bondage all over the world today. It might be a cult or false doctrine. It might be possessions or influence. There is a vast array of things that offer people “freedom”, but the truth is only Jesus can set you free. And if He sets you free you shall be free indeed.
It’s a shame, isn’t it, that most people seek freedom, but they wind up purchasing what they think is freedom at the expense of another kind of bondage.
But for those who really want to know freedom, freedom comes simply through the truth. And so Paul submits in the book of Galatians that the truth is in Jesus Christ. That is genuine freedom. And that is the theme of the book.
Now Paul deals with this theme from two angles. First is salvation. Paul says that a man with no freedom can have freedom. You come to Christ, and He sets you free.
Secondly, he talks about freedom through sanctification. What does that mean? Even though a Christian is a free man, sometimes he winds up in bondage anyway.
So Paul is going to say two things. He's going to say to you who aren't free, let me show you how to be free, and to you who are free, let me show you how to enjoy your freedom.
Now the book of Galatians is somewhat different from Paul’s other letters because of his introduction.
Usually he starts off buttering up his audience a little. Like Philippians, "I thank God upon all remembrances of you, and I remember you in prayer, and you're wonderful, and this and that and the other thing." Even to the Corinthians he said all that.
But here, nothing. He just dives right in. He is upset, to put it mildly. And so the letter really comes as a letter from a flaming heart.
Why was that the case here? What was it that prompts him to write this letter about freedom and to deal with it so forcefully?
It is the same old problem that he constantly fights. It is false doctrine and false teachers perverting the truth.
He loves these people and he loves the truth of God’s Word so much that he is not going to tolerate anybody messing with them. He has poured his life into these churches and he owes his life to the gospel, so it just makes sense that this passion would surface. That is often misunderstood in a preacher who is passionate.
I have often been regarded as harsh in my preaching. But understand, that desire to shoot straight and bring out the best in us is motivated by my love for you and the Word of God.
Paul loves this church. These are his babies.
And, like any really effective father, spiritual father, he had warned them about false teachers. He was concerned in his heart about false doctrine. He knew that it would happen, because it always happened.
And it happened in Galatia as we will see.
They attacked, primarily, three things. And Paul’s answers to those attacks forms the outline for the book.
They questioned Paul’s authority as an apostle. They denied salvation by grace, and they believed you had to keep the Mosaic law to be right with God.
So Paul had to do three things in Galatians. One, he had to defend his apostleship. If he's going to say something, he's got to have the right to say it and be listened to.
So the first thing he does is defend his apostleship.
Secondly, he's got to restate that salvation is by grace, not works. Thirdly, he has to encourage Christians to live free from the law.
Now watch this. He defends his apostleship in chapters 1 and 2. He establishes grace as the only way of salvation in chapters 3 and 4. And he shows the Christians that their walk is in grace, free from the law, in chapters 5 and 6.
Just to get us started tonight, let’s look at the first five verses.
1-5
Now, in the first five verses that I just read you, there are three things that Paul establishes.
First of all, Paul establishes
1. His Authority
Notice, right off the bat, he writes as “an apostle"
and then a parenthesis, "(not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead)."
Why does he do that? Because the apostles were the ones who spoke authoritatively for Christ. In the early church, what did the early church study in Acts 2:42 when they met together, they all came together for breaking of bread and for communication and for prayers and for the apostles' doctrine. Why? Because Jesus Christ actually taught and worked and operated His power through those men.
So Paul wants to establish at the very beginning that he is no fly-by-night, Johnny come lately, self-appointed character. He is an apostle.
Two requirements for apostleship: 1) he had to have seen the resurrected Christ, and, 2) he had to have been chosen by the resurrected Christ.
You will often find Paul defending his apostleship because he knows he didn’t follow the normal pattern. His personal encounter with the risen Christ and subsequent calling came after the fact of the earthly ministry, but was nonetheless real.
But it was quite a problem for early believers who were skeptical of Paul, especially considering his past employment history as a terrorist specializing in killing Christians.
But he was chosen by Jesus Christ and qualified to serve as an apostle nonetheless.
So his authority is established.
Secondly, he wants to establish
2. His Message
verses 3 and 4
Do you know that he managed to get the whole gospel in there? That's his message.
And as I mentioned, there's no commendation here. Why would he do that? Why would he take the time to commend the Corinthians, who were involved in every kind of sin and lust and immorality and fouled up situation and brag on them, and then over here, he doesn't say anything?
I'll tell you why. Because the Corinthian error was an error in the Christian walk. The Galatian error was an error in the method of salvation.
See the difference? You can be a little more tolerant of an error in the Christian walk. But we must be absolutely totally intolerant of an error in the doctrine of salvation. One hinders our testimony, the other sends men to hell. So he doesn't fool around with any commendation at all. You trample on the gospel of grace and you get dealt with immediately.
He begins by saying, "Grace be to you and peace"
Do you ever think about what those two words mean? Grace is the source of salvation, and peace is the result of salvation. So he’s not just being polite. He’s saying something.
Grace brings peace. Grace is positional. Peace is practical. They flow from the Father through the Son. "Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ."
Verse 4
Here he gives the gospel, and he points to three aspects. I just want you to see them.
First he gives
-the nature of Christ's death
He died for our sins. Jesus didn’t die for us only because he loved us. It was a sacrifice for sin. It was motivated by love, no doubt. But primarily it was a sacrifice for sin. He died for our sins.
You will see that theme surface time and again in Galatians. He begins with this little kernel of the gospel.
Then there is
-the object of Christ's death
He delivered us from this present age. That's the object.
The word "deliver" there is the word "rescue." It's a very strong verb. It’s the word used in Acts 7:10 to describe how God “delivered him (Joseph) out of his affliction." God rescued him out of his problem.
So the nature of the gospel is Christ died and rose for our sins. The object of the gospel is to rescue us from the evil age.
Then there is
-the source of Christ's death
It was "according to the will of God and our Father."
Everything was planned by God! The whole thing! It was God's will that Jesus die.
So there is the gospel. "Who gave Himself for our sins." That's the nature of His death. "That He might deliver us from this present evil age." That's the object of His death. "According to the will of God and our Father." That's the source of His death. God planned it.
So Paul's authority and Paul's message.
3. His Motive
What do you think his motive is? What's the motive for everything? "
It is for the glory of God. Paul says, "I am what I am to speak what I speak that God may be glorified." That's really what it's all about.
Now, as I close, notice what Paul has done in these verses.
It's an amazing thing. He traces the three stages of man's salvation.
Stage one, the death of Christ for our sins rescues us out of this evil age. It's done.
Step two, the appointment of Paul as an apostle to testify to that salvation.
Step three, the gift to us who believe of the grace and peace which Christ won.
Watch how this comes together.
In every stage, you see the Father and the Son acting together.
The first stage, verse 3, at the end. "The Lord Jesus Christ who gave Himself for our sins that He might deliver us from this present evil age according to the will of God." There's the Father and the Son working together to provide salvation.
Then notice the second stage. "Paul, an apostle," by whom? "By Jesus Christ and God the Father." Here you have it again, the Son and the Father joined to appoint Paul as the authority.
Thirdly, he offers grace and peace to every man. Grace and peace from whom? "From God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
Now what does that say to us? Here’s what it says.
Salvation, both as it's planned, as it's preached and as it's granted, is an operation of the Father and the Son? Together they provided salvation. Together they announced salvation. And together they will grant salvation to any man who comes in faith.
Let's pray.
