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Galatians 1:1-5
Weve gotten a chance to review the account in Acts concerning Pauls first encounter with the people to
whom this letter is written. These people appear to have resided in the southern portion of the Roman
province of Galatia, in Asia Minor modern-day Turkey.
During their first missionary trip, Paul and Barnabas had preached the gospel in several of the cities in
Galatia Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. Later in the same trip, they had returned to each of
those cities, strengthening the new converts there, and appointing elders in each assembly.
Judging from the account in Acts, these new converts were principally Gentiles native Galatians and
Phrygians, Greeks and Romans. There were also many Jews that believed, but only in two of the cities
mentioned (Psidian Antioch and Iconium each had a synagogue, but Lystra and Derbe did not, which meant
there were very few Jews there). So the assemblies in two of the cities were mixed, and in two others, they
were almost exclusively Gentile.
It was sometime after Paul and Barnabas had returned to Antioch that false brethren had come into the
assemblies in Galatia, teaching that having simple faith in Jesus was insufficient for salvation. These false
teachers insisted that one must additionally keep the Law of Moses and be circumcised in order to be saved.
Pauls letter to these assemblies, preserved in our Scriptures, is the response of the Holy Spirit to anyone
who tries to add a system of works to simply believing in the finished work of the Savior, Jesus.
Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians after dealing with this problem elsewhere, first-hand. Teachers of the
very same influence had come into Antioch, Syria and Cilicia, attempting to deceive these predominantly
Gentile assemblies that they must be circumcised in order to be saved (Acts 15:1).
Remarkably, these false teachers were spreading this heresy right in the presence of Paul and Barnabas in
Antioch, who immediately began to refute it. The contention that resulted was eventually settled in a
conference with the predominantly Jewish assembly in Jerusalem, who came to the conclusion that both
Jew and Gentile are saved in the same manner by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 15:11), as any
man puts his faith in Him.
It was only after returning to Antioch with this decision that Paul would have learned that the Galatian
assemblies had succumbed to this false teaching, as well. Pauls letter reflects his shock and dismay
concerning the Galatians deception. Unable to immediately head out to resolve this issue, Paul sent his
letter on ahead for the purpose of contesting this false teaching long-distance, until such time that he could
return and reinforce the Galatian assemblies with the truth.
Now, this is a letter, and we like to maintain the flow of the letter by reading it through as we study it; but
because this letter is a bit long for that, well be reading it a chapter at a time. So we begin Pauls letter to
the Galatians chapter 1.
[Read Galatians 1:1-24]
Lets return to the beginning of the letter, reading just the prescript the heading of the letter.

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1:1-5 The prescript of ancient letters from this time typically contained the identity of the sender, the
recipient, and a word of greeting, often followed by a word of thanks for the recipient. The prescript of
Pauls letter is found in verses 1-5.
Paul follows the general ancient form, but personalizes it to express himself. Note that he expresses no
note of thanksgiving for this assembly. In his other letters retained in Scripture, Paul somewhere in the
letter expresses thanks for every assembly except this one. He cannot at this time express thanks for
these Galatian assemblies, because they are acting very foolishly (Gal 3:1, 3). Who is ever thankful for a
fool?
Pauls prescript here also stands out because he uses this opening formality to introduce the whole subject
of his letter, as we will be seeing.
Paul begins, Paul, an apostle. Do you remember what the word apostle means, literally? It means
sent one. An apostle was an ambassador; one sent as the representative of another, who is invested with
the authority of the one who commissioned him, as his messenger.
Now, in the NT, we see the term apostle used in two different ways. During His ministry, Jesus chose
twelve of His disciples to be apostles. Lukes gospel records this in detail. Turn to Luke chapter 6.
[Luke 6:12-16] Verses 12 and 13 suggest that the disciples whom Jesus chose were selected based upon
His communion with God in prayer the night before. That is, these twelve disciples were chosen in
accordance with the will of God. These chosen disciples were being commissioned by Jesus authorized
by Him to be His particular representatives, and they ministered in ways that were characteristic of His
own work before and after His death.
These twelve disciples had an especially close relationship with Jesus. There were some things that the
twelve were given to witness, and some teaching in which they were instructed, that was not revealed
directly to other disciples of Jesus. On one occasion, Jesus sent out His twelve apostles to preach the
message of repentance, enabling them to do miraculous works of healing as well (Mt 10:1-15).
So distinguishing characteristics of the original twelve apostles were that Jesus Himself chose and
commissioned them, that they were given special revelations by Him, and that they were sent out by Him to
call men to repent of their sins. After the resurrection of Jesus, He also particularly commissioned His
apostles to preach the gospel and teach His doctrines to those who believe (Mt 28:19-20).
One of the original twelve was the traitor, Judas Iscariot. His choice to be part of this inner circle of Jesus
made him a unique witness which was always Gods intent with him.
When Judas later expressed remorse over his betrayal of Jesus, saying I have sinned by betraying innocent
blood (Mt 27:4), Judas was saying so having had every opportunity imaginable for finding Jesus not to be
innocent. As one of the twelve, the life of Jesus was laid open for Judas inspection, and Judas an enemy
could find no fault with Him. In this unique way, God demonstrated that Jesus was sinless.
After the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and His ascension back into heaven, His disciples followed
His command to return to Jerusalem and wait there for the promise of the Father the baptism in the Holy
Spirit (Acts 1:4-5). Continuing with one accord in prayer to the Lord, the disciples were led by the Lord to
replace Judas, who by his transgression had fallen from his ministry as an apostle. Turn to Acts chapter 1.

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[Acts 1:21-22] The criteria for this replacement was a disciple who had been with Jesus throughout His
ministry, until He ascended back into heaven. This disciple would become the replacement of Judas and
would witness with the other eleven apostles to Jesus resurrection.

It was the Lord who selected this disciple Matthias through the casting of lots (Prov 16:33). Matthias
was thereafter numbered with the eleven apostles making twelve again which, in Scripture, is the
number of Gods government; His order.
The apostles would be foundational to the order of the true church the dwelling place of God on the earth
along with the prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone (Eph 2:20). The apostles,
having been commissioned by the Lord, would be sent out as witnesses to Him, preaching the gospel.
Those who believed would become as living stones, being built up a spiritual house (1 Pet 2:5), on the
foundational truths the apostles taught.
Later on, the term apostle came to be used in a second way. Others who ministered alongside the
apostles such as Barnabas and James, the brother of Jesus were extended the title of apostle, in that they
had a similar ministry to them. But the twelve men appointed by Jesus retained the special and distinctive
usage of the word.
Now, Paul opens his letter to the Galatians, and other letters, citing himself to be an apostle. Is he using the
word in its wider sense, as it is used for Barnabas and James or in its more distinctive sense? Actually, he
is using it in its more distinctive sense but in a unique way, because Paul was unique.
Paul was not one of the Twelve; but he absolutely maintained that he was equal to them. In what way? In
that he was chosen and commissioned directly by Jesus, as were the Twelve.
Notice what Paul writes here: Paul, an apostle not from men, nor through man. Paul was not appointed
to the office of apostle by the decision handed down from some body of men. Paul may be particularly
alluding here to the apostles in Jerusalem. Had they appointed him, he could be considered subordinate to
them; but Pauls apostleship did not come from men.
Nor did Paul receive his commission as an apostle through any man. This is to say that his commission
was not of human origin at all; but instead, it was through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised
Him from the dead.
Paul is stating that his apostleship was of divine origin. Paul shows both Father and Son in the deed; and
the Holy Spirit was the anointing of Paul for this ministry (Acts 9:17).
Paul had a particular reason for mentioning that it was God the Father who raised Jesus from the dead.
Paul was intent on showing that he was chosen as an apostle by the risen Lord.
The Lord chose Paul through a revelation of Himself that he made to Paul. Later, the Lord personally also
opened up Pauls understanding of the Scriptures, then sent Paul out as His authorized representative to
the Gentiles. This follows the pattern of what Jesus did with His original apostles, qualifying Paul as an
apostle on equal ground with the original Twelve.

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Now, Paul will bring out all of these points as he continues in his letter; but this morning, were going to go
back and look at the commissioning of Paul as the apostle to the Gentiles, to see some of these special
features of Pauls apostleship.
Turn to Acts chapter 9. Paul enters Lukes account as Saul his Hebrew name a young Pharisee. Saul
was born in the city of Tarsus, in Cilicia, of Asia Minor. So Saul was born a Hellenist Jew.

But Saul was raised from a young age in Jerusalem maybe five years old, or so being educated there as
a disciple of Gamaliel, probably the most influential leader of the Pharisees in his day. So Saul was strictly
trained according to the letter of the Law, as well as the oral traditions handed down from the fathers rules
and regulations that men had added to the Law; supposed interpretations of it.
Both by temperament and by training, Sauls character took the shape of an ultra-religious zealot. As he
would later say, he was a Hebrew of Hebrews (Phil 3:5). As such an outstanding Pharisee, it is likely that
Saul was being groomed for a leadership position in Jerusalem.
On the whole, the Pharisees in Jerusalem rejected Jesus as the Messiah of Israel. In part, this was due to
their mistaken conception of the Messiah, for they, like most Jews, were looking for a political deliverer,
who would free them from their Roman oppressors.
But the enmity of the Pharisees against Jesus was particularly aroused by how He challenged their teaching
and their authority with the people. Meanwhile, the teaching of Jesus was a challenge to them as well
pointing to an inner righteousness, which showed up their self-righteousness acts as filthy rags (Is 64:6).
The Pharisees were always concerned with the outside; but God looks at the heart. Jesus decried their oral
traditions as teachings that had been handed down, not from God, but from men (Mk 7:8-13).
As one who was exceedingly zealous for the traditions of his fathers (Gal 1:14), Saul would have
considered Jesus to be a false prophet, and certainly not Israels Messiah. In fact, Saul would have
considered the crucifixion of Jesus to be the proof that God Himself did not approve of Jesus; that Jesus
was accursed by God for that form of death was named in the Law of Moses to be a curse (Deut 21:23).
The rulers in Jerusalem would have thought that the death of Jesus would result in the dissolution of His
followers; instead, they found the opposite to be true. His followers claimed that Jesus had been
resurrected from the dead, and had then ascended back into heaven. Now the disciples of Jesus preached
that the risen Jesus was indeed the Messiah of Israel. And the whole city was being filled with their
doctrine (Acts 5:8).
As more and more Jews placed their faith into Jesus, the rulers began to take action against the disciples
first with warnings, then a beating but these things did not prove to be any deterrent to the faith. It wasnt
until the death of the former Hellenist Stephen that the tide of popular favor turned against the community
of believers in Jerusalem, and persecution began in earnest.
The one who spearheaded that persecution in Jerusalem was Saul. Having heartily approved of Stephens
death, Saul rode the wave of persecution that resulted, hunting down the followers of Jesus, and dragging
them off to prison (Acts 8:1, 3). And when the believers left the Jerusalem to flee the persecution, Saul
pursued them.

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Many believers took refuge in the city of Damascus, which had a large population of Jews at this time.
Saul obtained letters of authorization from the high priest in Jerusalem to extradite any believing Jews that
fled to Damascus, to bring them in chains back to Jerusalem for trial.
Sauls intended to have these believers put to death, and he was not above giving false testimony against
them or forcing them to blaspheme in order to make that happen, as he would later testify (Acts 26:10-11).
His ultimate goal was the extermination of every last believer in Jesus. Such was the misplaced zeal of
Saul; a zeal that he thought he had for God.
We pick up the account in chapter 9.
[Acts 9:1-30]
9:1-2 The Way is Lukes name for those who follow Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life (Jn
14:6). He is the one and only way to the Father. But of course, Saul was going his own way at this time.
Saul was apparently in the company of some attendants (v. 7), as they would be needed to escort the
believers back to Jerusalem. The men most likely made this journey to Damascus by foot.
v. 3-6 This is the amazing testimony of Pauls dramatic calling. Twice more, Luke will record an account
of Pauls conversion experience, when Paul is testifying before the Jews in Jerusalem (Acts 22:1-21) and
before King Herod Agrippa (Acts 26:1-23). We will supplement from these accounts, as well as from
Pauls letter to the Galatians, to fill in some details here.
On the road to Damascus, Saul had a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus. From the other accounts, we
learn that it was midday, when the sun is at its brightest; yet the light that shone around Saul was far
brighter still; and it knocked him right off his feet.
That light penetrated right into the darkened mind of Saul, enabling him to perceive the source of that
heavenly light. Saul was in the radiant presence of the risen Lord, revealed before Saul in all His dazzling
glory. And where was Saul? Exactly where he should be; in the dust, at the Lords feet. It was quite a fall
for the young Pharisee, but now, he was in the right place with God for the first time in his life.
First, Saul saw the Lord, and then he heard His voice. And what did the Lord say? Saul, Saul, why are
you persecuting Me? No severe rebuke; just a gentle question. Who was it who Saul was persecuting?
He was persecuting the followers of Jesus. So who must this be?
Saul must have been terrified to ask, but he did: Who are you, Lord? Saul called Him Lord, because
there could be no denying that this was the Lord from heaven.
And then came the answer back to Saul; the answer that turned his world upside down. I am Jesus, whom
you are persecuting. The Lord from heaven was none other than Jesus; Jesus, who had been rejected by
the Jews, and put to death God had made this same Jesus both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). Here indeed
was the Messiah of Israel; and He was revealing Himself to Saul, His chief persecutor.
Jesus said, It is hard for you to kick against the goads. The goads were pricks that were placed behind
oxen in the yoke to keep them in the way in which the plowman desired them to go. To kick against the
goads was a proverbial expression which signified an act of rebellion against the master; but the ox only
hurt himself in his rebellion.

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Saul had taken on himself the yoke of the Law, but he would not go Gods way in it. God designed the
Law to lead Israel to their Messiah (Gal 3:24); but instead, Israel changed the Law into something they
tried to keep; an unbearable burden. In their rebellion, Israel only hurt themselves.
This is what Saul had been doing. What a shock this must have been to Saul, who had always deceived
himself into thinking that all of his actions were done out of his holy zeal for God!
In the account of his testimony to King Herod, Paul gave additional details on what the Lord said to him at
this time. Turn to Acts chapter 26. In the details we see that Jesus was choosing Saul, commissioning him
as His apostle to the Gentiles.
[Acts 26:15-18]
26:15-16 Jesus states His purpose is make Saul a minister and a witness to Him. Saul was an eyewitness to
the risen Lord, just as the original apostles; Jesus had already revealed Himself to Saul, and would make
further revelations to him, in time as He had revealed certain truths to His original apostles.
v. 17-18 Note that Jesus purposed to send Saul to the Gentiles. Saul was sent out, as the original apostles
were sent out, chosen and commissioned by Jesus for their ministry. The Gentiles were to be Sauls
particular mission field.
[Return to Acts 9]
The revelation that the Lord made of Himself shook Saul to the core of his being; but there was no question
in his mind as to the reality of it. Later he would say, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision
(Acts 26:19). Saul immediately obeyed the truth; he believed into Jesus as Lord; his Lord.
So Saul heard the call of the Lord, and responded to it in faith. Now he readied himself to act upon it:
Lord, what do You want me to do? Saul was ready to do for God or so he thought.
Saul was used to operating within a religious system of works, where one performs acts of righteousness
for God, to supposedly earn the right to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Saul needed to learn that the
only One who is truly righteous Jesus had already earned Saul entrance into heaven by virtue of His
death on Sauls behalf. All that Saul needed to do now was to rest in the completed work of Jesus.
When Saul asked what Jesus wanted him to do, Jesus simply responded that he should get up, and go into
Damascus, until he received instructions. Basically, the Lord was telling Saul not to act, but to wait; to wait
upon Him. The first act of the disciple is to learn what it is to just be in Christ.
v. 7 So the attendants with Saul saw the light, but not the Lord; they heard the sound of a voice, but not the
words. This revelation was for Saul alone.
v. 8-9 Saul opened his eyes, only to discover that he was now blind. Later he would say that he could not
see, for the glory of that Light (Acts 22:11). The last thing Saul had seen was that vision of His Lord; a
vision that would forever be before him.
The attendants led Saul by the hand into Damascus. What an experience for Saul the one who was
always taking charge, and in control, being led like a little child, who cant see the way. This was the

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perfect training for the Lords new disciple, who was learning to be led of the Lord, step by step, in the
Way.
For three days, Saul was sightless. During this time, he fasted; in later account, we learn that he also
prayed. It was as if his body was in a state of suspended animation, while the inner man was beginning to
be enlightened by the Lord. Having believed into the Lord on the road to Damascus, Saul now had the
Holy Spirit to guide him into all truth (Jn 16:13).
After three days, the Lord sent one of His disciples in Damascus to Saul. This disciple, named Ananias,
was instructed by Jesus to lay hands on Saul, so that he might receive his sight. Note what the Lord says to
Ananias starting in verse 15.

v. 15-16 Saul was a chosen vessel of the Lord. He had been chosen, as the original apostles had been
chosen, to bear the name of the Lord before men, preaching the gospel and teaching the Word of God to
those who believe. In Sauls case, the work would involve great suffering such as he was experiencing
now with his wayward converts in Galatia.
Ananias went to Saul and laid hands on him, and the Lord restored his vision. Then Saul was baptized with
water a symbolic act to witness to the fact that he now belonged to Jesus. Saul then received the
anointing of the Holy Spirit, who would empower Saul for his ministry.
Notice that Sauls fall and blindness; his three days in a kind of stasis; and his restored sight and anointing
with power follow the pattern of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord.
Skip down to verse 19.
v. 19-21 Initially, Saul spent some time with the believers in Damascus. These would have been the very
disciples of Jesus that Saul had come to arrest three days earlier; now he was fellowshipping with them!
Surely Ananias had to first allay the concerns of the believers as to the reality of Pauls conversion, for
Sauls reputation preceded him to Damascus (Acts 9:13-14).
Notice that Saul immediately preached Jesus to be the Son of God in the synagogues. I think Saul might
have been getting a little ahead of the Lord, here.
Those who heard were amazed, not at what Saul was saying, but at the fact that it was Saul who was saying
it, knowing Saul to have been a chief persecutor of believers in Jerusalem. Other than that, there is no
record of his preaching having any effect. It may be because Saul began preaching Jesus as the Son of God.
After Saul was taught of the Lord, he always began by showing how Jesus is a fulfillment of the OT
Scriptures concerning the Messiah. The Jews would have a hard time beginning with the Son of God. The
Jews would be quick to reject this, based on their mistaken understanding of their own confession of faith,
the Shema, from a verse in Deuteronomy: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! (Deut
6:4). [The word one does not mean singleness, but unity].
From Pauls account in Galatians, it appears very likely that this is the time when Saul went to Arabia. It
was there that the Lord opened up his understanding to the OT Scriptures concerning Messiahs first
coming. By the Spirit, the Lord revealed to Saul how these Scriptures had been fulfilled in the life of Jesus.

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It is thought that this revelation was given over a period of nearly three years, after which Saul returned to
Damascus (Gal 1:17-18).
This kind of special revelation is something seen with the original apostles of Jesus; there were occasions
when He instructed them privately. This was not intended for the purpose of excluding other disciples; the
apostles would teach the others all the things that Jesus had taught them, just as Paul taught others the deep
truths that Jesus revealed to him.
The next verse in Acts chapter 9 is thought to reflect Sauls return.
v. 22 the term increased all the more in strength is used metaphorically here for spiritual strengthening.
We can see that this corresponds well with Sauls three years in Arabia being taught by Jesus.

The term proving in the Greek means to place together. Saul placed the OT Scriptures alongside of the
events in the life of Jesus, demonstrating that He is the fulfillment of the Scriptures concerning Messiah.
Now Paul preaching had an effect. The Jews in Damascus were confounded by the amazing correlation
they could not refute it but they still refused to believe what it meant.
v. 23-25 This was the first plot to take the life of Saul, because of his preaching of the gospel. It wouldnt
be the last. As Jesus had promised, He delivered Saul from the Jews (Acts 26:17).
v. 26-30 Saul had been gone for about three years total, according to the account in Galatians. He left, the
chief persecutor of Jesus; he returned, His most ardent follower. Did those in Jerusalem know? Its likely
the rulers did, assuming their attendants returned. But the assembly in Jerusalem did not know or, at
least, they didnt believe it for they still feared Saul.
Somehow, Barnabas was aware of what happened to Saul, and brought him to the apostles. The account in
Galatians indicates only Peter and James, the Lords brother, were in Jerusalem at that time, and that Sauls
visit only lasted 15 days, before he had to be whisked out by the brethren when another plot against Sauls
life surfaced.
This was not terribly surprising, as the Hellenist Jews must have been particularly infuriated when Saul
came into their synagogues seeking to prove to them that Jesus was Israels Messiah and this from the
very man who used to lead them in opposing the followers of Jesus.
So Saul was shipped back to his ancestral home in Tarsus, in Cilicia, Asia Minor far from those in
Jerusalem, who had a zeal, but not according to knowledge (Rm 10:2) just like Saul used to have, before
he was called by Jesus and commissioned as His apostle to the Gentiles.
Paul would spend several years in the regions of Syria and Cilicia (Gal 1:21) before the Holy Spirit would
send Barnabas to fetch Saul, to help with the harvest in Antioch (Acts 11:25-26). The Lord apparently used
these in-between years to continue training Saul in his ministry; Scripture bears witness to churches that
had been established in both Syria and Cilicia (Acts 15:23).
[Return to Galatians]

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What we have learned from this is that it was Jesus Himself, in accordance with the purposes of God the
Father, who called Paul, revealed special truths to him, and commissioned him to bring the gospel
particularly to the Gentiles. By this, we can understand how Paul can make the statement that he does in
verse 1.
But there is another question; why is he making this statement? Is there a particular reason why Paul is
pointing out, in this unique way, his divine appointment? Or is he simply identifying himself, giving his
name and title? No, Paul is definitely making a point.
As this letter unfolds, what we absorb from a careful reading of the first and second chapter is that Paul is
defending himself, and that he is defending the gospel he preaches. Now, why would he be doing that? It
can only be because Paul and his gospel have been challenged; Pauls authority as an apostle, and the
message that he has brought to the Galatians have been brought into question. Who would have done that?
The false teachers who have come into the assemblies.

In order to establish their own authority and message, the false teachers denigrated Pauls authority and
message; they have created doubts in the minds of the Galatians about Paul and what he taught them.
Obviously, since Paul is defending himself, he knows that the false teachers have done this. How would he
know this? It must be from the same resource that has brought him the bad news from Galatia in the first
place, concerning the false teaching that has gripped the assemblies there.
This resource would have been a believer who was either from, or had recently been in Galatia. He either
came to Paul and told him what was happening, or sent a message to him. The communication would have
included information about the false teachers, and how they were deceiving the new converts which
would include their efforts to discredit Paul and his message.
Now, why would Paul have felt it necessary to defend himself? Was he concerned for his good name? No;
he was concerned for the good name of Jesus.
If the false teachers could create the illusion that Pauls authority was not as great as their own, the
Galatians would be more inclined to disregard Pauls message in favor of the message of the false teachers.
In this way, the false teachers would be able to suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Rm 1:18) the truth
concerning salvation through simple faith in Jesus Christ alone. The false teachers would be discrediting
the only name under heaven given among men by which they must be saved (Acts 4:12).
So Pauls opening remarks even in the prescript of his letter are aimed at asserting where it is that he
derives his authority from and as we have seen, it is from the highest source that there is. Pauls authority
has been given him from no less that God Himself. He has received his commission from the risen Lord;
the same authority who commissioned the original apostles (Mt 28:18-19).
Paul then mentions the brethren who are with him, though not any by name. It is simply a reminder to the
Galatians that there are others who toil alongside of Paul in the work of God, such as Barnabas, who
ministered with Paul in Galatia. These are true brethren, fellow laborers in the gospel of Christ, as opposed
to the false brethren, who had infiltrated Galatia.

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10

Paul then gives his standard greeting to the churches of Galatia, those local assemblies that he himself had
taken part in establishing. Paul sends them greetings of grace and peace.
This is a greeting that transcends that which was traditionally included in ancient letters. Paul wishes the
Galatians the grace of God Gods unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor. And Paul wishes them peace
the well-being that they will possess if indeed they are recipients of Gods grace. Did Paul wonder, as he
wrote, if all those in the Galatian assemblies had truly received the grace of God if there were those who
thought to earn their salvation?
Paul indicates that this grace and peace are from God the Father the One who has made the plan; and
from our Lord Jesus Christ the One who has implemented His plan. And then Paul gives an amazing,
concise description of just what that plan was: Jesus gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us
from this present evil age. Thats Gods will for us by which He extends His grace to us, and we receive
His peace and its a glorious plan.

Lets look a little more closely at what Paul is saying. In verse 4, the Greek word for gave means to
deliver over; to consecrate or devote oneself on behalf of another. Jesus devoted Himself to death for us;
that is, He sacrificed Himself for our sins. Here we see Jesus as the offerer the one who provides the
sacrifice; the offering He is the sacrifice itself; and the priest the one to offer the sacrifice. The offering
was a free-will offering; a gift that He gave to all mankind.
Jesus gave Himself for our sins; that is to say, on account of our sin. That was the reason He died. He did
so in the stead of us; because we couldnt save ourselves.
The author to the Hebrews would write, For such a High Priest was fitting for us, holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as
those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the peoples, for this He did
once for all when He offered up Himself (Heb 7:26-27).
Jesus sacrificed Himself for a purpose: that He might deliver us from this present evil age. The Jewish
people in that day divided history into two main ages: the first is the present age of wickedness, which is
ruled over by evil nations; the world system, which is lies under the sway of the wicked one (1 Jn 5:19.
The second age is the age to come in the regeneration when Gods rule will be established on earth in
His Christ (Acts 3:21, Rev 11:15). By virtue of the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins, we have been delivered
out of this evil age, and have already been ushered into the age to come.
You might not feel that way; it might seem to you as if you are still very much in this world system. But
remember, you are not of it why? Because you are in Christ.
In Christ you are a new creation; old things have passed away this present evil age; behold, all things
have become new were in the age to come (2 Cor 5:17).
Jesus has delivered us from the power of darkness in this present evil age and conveyed us into the
kingdom of the Son of His love in the age to come (Col 1:13).

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We have been made alive together with Christ, and raised up together, and made to sit together in the
heavenlies in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:5-6). In Christ, we have received eternal Life, and are already in our
glorious bodies, united with our Lord and at home with Him forever. The age to come has come for us
already in Christ.
Now, Pauls reason for bringing this out right away to the Galatians is that, since Christ has already
delivered believers from this present evil age, then there is nothing that can be added to what He has
already done. It has all already been accomplished for them in Christ.
He gave Himself He couldnt give any more. He gave Himself nothing can be added to that.
Next week: Read Galatians 1 and 2. Review Acts 9, 11:19-26.

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