Day 2

Lisa Scheffler, author

How do you react when someone you care about questions something you said? If it’s a minor issue, you might let it go. But what if it was something important? Something that, if they fail to believe you, could have a life-shattering impact on their life? You’d probably work hard to persuade them.

Imagine what kind of tactics you might use. How would you try to prove your authority or expertise? What sources would you rely on? If there were others trying to discredit or contradict you, how would you respond? How would you emphasize the importance of trusting what you say?

When we encounter Paul at the beginning of Galatians, we’ll see him using some of these tactics to try and convince the believers to trust in his message. We’ll take a look at his greeting today.

But before we dive into our short reading, I’m recommending that you watch this seven minute video from The Bible Effect. It’s worth your time. It will give you more context and a better understanding of situation that Paul is facing in Galatia. It’s clear and engaging, and even a little funny in places, so go ahead and follow this link and watch. We’ll wait…

(Really, you should watch!)

Read

Galatians 1:1­–5

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

To the churches in 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 for ever and ever. Amen.

How does Paul describe himself? Why do you think he chose this description for this letter?

How does he describe Jesus? Why do you think he chose that description?

Reflect

Here we see Paul using the familiar structure of the letter’s greeting to set the stage for what he will say next.

First of all, Paul established that he was an apostle sent by God. In the general sense, an apostle (apostolos in Greek) was a messenger, literally “one who was sent.” Early Christians recognized a special class of apostles who had been specially commissioned by the risen Christ to represent him. Paul’s status as one of these apostles had come under question. His opponents, who had come with their own message to the churches of Galatia, challenged his authority. They saw him as a “second-hand” apostle — one who’d received his message from other people and not directly from Jesus. We’ll see Paul fully meet their challenge later in the letter, but right away we see him insisting that his message comes directly from Jesus Christ and God the Father.

Much of our focus as we go through Galatians will be on Paul’s message and what it means for everyone who truly believes it. Paul came to Galatia with the gospel. As unique as that term is for Christians, in the ancient world, it simply meant “good news.” It was often used of a royal proclamation, such as one that announces the emperor’s latest conquest or victory. Paul’s gospel is all about the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ and how he is the ultimate savior, victor, and king-to-end-all kings. By sacrificing himself “for our sins” (verse 4) he has conquered sin and death and rescued his people from “this present evil age.”

The Jewish scriptures (our Old Testament) often made a distinction between “this age” and “the age to come.” “This present evil age” is characterized by the rebellion of both human and supernatural beings who defy God. In the “age to come,” evil is defeated, and God’s righteous reign brings love, goodness, justice, and peace.

Paul believed that Jesus’ death and resurrection, and his gift of the Spirit to all believers had inaugurated this new age. “In Paul’s theology, the experience of the Spirit gives believers a foretaste of the coming age even while they continue to bear witness in this one.”^[1] Paul is concerned that by confusing and confounding the Galatian believers, his opponents are preventing them from living out this reality. Here in the first few lines of Galatians, Paul is reminding them of what Jesus has rescued them from.

This is a reminder we need now as much as the Galatians did then. The gospel announces our rescue and the Spirit empowers us to live out our freedom every day.

Respond

We’ve spent a lot of time so far this week learning about the past, but I hope you’re already seeing how the issues facing the Galatians are ones we still face today. While times have changed, we still encounter messages that are counter to the gospel. Take some time in prayer to ask the Spirit to guide you in all truth and strengthen your faith so you can live out the gospel. Rejoice in your rescue from sin and confess ways that you are still bound.

^[1] Craig S. Keener, Galatians: A Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic: A Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2019), 55.