Delivered from this Evil Age

Galatians 1:1-5

Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

The custom of ancient letters differed from today in that they began by introducing the author before addressing the recipients. Paul is the primary author, but he includes other Christians who were with him when he wrote to the many churches in the region of Galatia. This letter is unique since Paul wrote to churches in multiple cities rather than to a single person or to churches in a single city. As a result, it has a broader application to what was happening in various churches rather than dealing with specific issues within a single city. Paul begins by establishing his authority. He was called to be an apostle by the Lord Himself and not by man. This gives us insight into Paul’s view of Jesus. He acknowledged the humanity of Christ, but here He establishes that Jesus is more than just a man, He is the divine Savior. Paul offers his customary greeting of grace and peace, the two most common salutations in Greek and Hebrew respectively. The order is always the same in every letter because you cannot experience true peace until you have first received God’s grace. The source of grace and peace is God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Since both the Father and Jesus are equal persons within the Godhead, Paul places their ability to offer grace and peace on equal standing. Jesus gave Himself as a sacrifice for our sins to deliver us from evil in the world, and He did it according to the will of God, to whom belongs unending glory.

We often think of salvation as Paul describes it in the opening passage of this epistle to the churches in Galatia when he says that Jesus gave Himself for our sins. We should be grateful for the forgiveness we have in Christ, and the payment He made on our behalf. Without His forgiveness we would be destined to eternal shame, suffering, and separation from God. But salvation is much greater than just being forgiven of your sins. Paul says Jesus gave Himself to deliver us from this present evil age. In Christ, you have been delivered from the penalty of sin—an eternity in hell apart from the Lord. Now, you are able to overcome your sin nature because you have been delivered from the power of sin. But the final stage of salvation is when you enjoy the glorious presence of the Lord free from the presence of sin. That is what being delivered from this present evil age means. You won’t have to live among the blatant perversion being propagated in books, entertainment, schools, libraries, and other public venues. The world will be free of human trafficking. Gender confusion and transgenderism will be unheard of because everyone will be exactly who God created them to be. Murder, hatred, and racial animosity will no longer be an issue. People will get along and love each other as they live in the glory of the Lord forever and ever. Unfortunately, we won’t experience this glorious promise until we are with the Lord in eternity. In the meantime, prepare yourself for that coming kingdom by living in God’s grace and peace so you can be delivered from this present evil age as much as possible until the Lord comes.