Review

Paul is not happy, and the opening words of this letter convey unease.  The words ‘from Paul, an apostle … to the churches of Galatia’ (1:1) are hardly warm, certainly compared to the beginnings of others of his letter, for example, 1 Corinthians; ‘Paul, called to be an apostle … to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints …’ (1 Cor 1:1,2).  Paul does not launch into the subject of his concern but we will find this out soon enough (tomorrow).  Though typically of the man and whatever his personal concerns and the reason for the letter, he begins by giving glory to God. This is the general subject of all these opening verses.

A circular letter

Paul wrote to ‘the churches of Galatia’ (1:2); this means it is a circular letter.  Galatia was a region within what is now central Turkey.  The churches here were some of the first to be founded by Paul (Acts 13,14), including those at Antioch (in Pisidia), Iconium, Lystra and Derbe.  In writing to these pioneering Christian congregations Paul is particularly concerned for the purity of the faith they now live and preach.

When these churches were founded there had been much opposition (Acts 14:19,20), but almost a decade later towards the end of the 40’s AD, Paul writes to them about a concern.  He has heard something about them and believes he must challenge them, and the result is this ‘letter to the Galatians’.

Paul’s qualifications and background

Another example of Paul’s concern is the way he writes to justify his calling and his right to speak to these churches as an apostle.  He claims the title immediately, because as we know from Paul’s other letters there were people who did not believe he was an apostle.  They said that because he was not one of the twelve who had lived with Jesus as a disciple he could not claim to be an ‘apostle’.  In his letters, Paul argues that his own experience of Christ and the ministry to which he is called are sufficient for him to claim this calling.  He has met Jesus at first on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:1-9f.), and hints at other visionary experiences of Christ (2 Cor 12:1-5).

This is a small point, but in verse 2, Paul says that his letter is from himself ‘and from all the brothers who are with me’.  We do not know exactly where Paul is when he writes the letter, but he does not put this into the letter casually.  It is likely that he wants the Galatian church to know that he is part of a group of people doing missionary work.  He is not a loner with crackpot claims, but a member of a Christian community doing the Lord’s work.

‘Apostle’

Strictly, the word ‘apostle’ (1:1) means ‘one who is sent’.  In the New Testament, this describes the twelve disciples (with Matthias replacing Judas – Acts 1:21-26) commissioned by Jesus to take the Gospel to the whole world (Matt 28:16-20, Acts 2 etc.).  Paul is the exception, and he consistently claims this title by revelation from God, set apart specifically for mission to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13, 1 Cor 9:1,2, 1 Tim 2:7).  

Paul certainly has to fight to be included as an ‘apostle’.  It is a unique calling and is not included in the great lists of spiritual ‘gifts’, even of leadership (Eph 4:11f.).  For this reason, Paul starts his letter here by saying that his apostleship is not ‘on behalf of man ...’ but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead’ (1:1).  In this way, he claims his apostleship is of God and not subject to the claims and counterclaims of people even within the church.  It is a bold claim, born out by the fact that his missionary work effectively starts the church as we know it, and his letters are now included in what the church has agreed to be Scripture.

A statement of faith

It is worth noting that Paul includes within his opening remarks a simple but telling statement of faith; ‘through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead’ (1:1).  Of course, this is Paul’s testimony of the Christ who has called him.  Note however that it is about the resurrection of Jesus.  

In the first century those who had the most authority were those who were witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus, and those apostles who had been disciples were rated as the foremost witnesses.  Here, Paul claims to be an apostle, so he must ‘testify’ to the resurrection, and he does this in these simple words.  Interestingly he speaks of the resurrection of Jesus rather like we do today; he was not there himself, but he testifies to it as a ‘statement of faith’.

‘Grace and peace’

At this point it is worth jumping ahead a bit to check out exactly what the ‘problem’ is in Galatians, and what Paul intends to write to these people about.  As soon as we get further on in chapter 1 we find that it is about the difficult issue of jewish people wanting Gentiles in the church to adopt all the traditional Jewish ways, laws and practices. Paul will not have it, and warns those he calls ‘Judaisers’ to stop trying to pervert the church of God in no uncertain terms (see 3:1f.).

Knowing that Paul intends to write in this way it is all the more poignant that he offers at the beginning of his letter his classic greeting, ‘grace and peace’ (1:3).  The word ‘grace’ (‘charis’) is a classic Greek greeting known throughout the Roman (Gentile) world, and the word ‘peace’ (‘shalom’) is a classic Jewish greeting known by all Jews, but certainly not all Gentiles!  By putting the two together, Paul makes a forceful statement of intent.  In God’s Kingdom, there is ‘neither Jew not Gentile’ (see Gal 3:28), and the way people should greet each other is by using both these two magnificent words together; ‘grace and peace’.  What was previously separate is in this phrase brought together; and a greeting not found before Paul becomes the classic Christian greeting of choice!

Salvation - God’s rescue plan

The rest of our reading today consists of a simple statement of the saving grace of God.  In summary, he says that Jesus has died for our sins in order to save us from the perils of the evil world, according to God’s will and plan(1:3-5).  This sentence does not go into the spiritual depths of how this is achieved or explore the dire state of the world from which we are saved, or even describe the glories of the work of Christ by which this is achieved.  It is a statement of faith that this is what Christ has done.  God has a rescue plan for this world, and this is it!

Typically, Paul is writing to the Galatians about a problem (Judaisers), but he will not do this without giving glory to God for His work.  In so doing, Paul is laying the foundation of faith that will assist both himself and the people of the churches he is addressing in dealing with this difficult issue.  There is trouble ahead, but the saving grace of God is not up for question, and Paul will return to appeal to this throughout the letter.

From the evil world to the Kingdom of God

The grand sweep of this statement is interesting, because although the Bible often speaks of evil as something that afflicts the world and is constantly present within it (Acts 19:12f., Rom 1:29f. etc.), Paul here speaks of the present age itself as ‘evil’ (1:4).  A statement we may have some sympathy with today.

Sometimes we are very loose about what we mean by salvation, but Paul is very clear.  He says that we are saved by the free grace of God because Jesus died and rose again for us.  This salvation breaks down the barriers between God and people, and rescues us by lifting us out of the present age into a new ‘world’ or ‘age’ in which evil and sin are no longer dominant and Christ is Lord of all.  The Kingdom of God!

The triumphant conclusion has not yet come, but in the mean time, we may trust in Jesus for all things, and have confidence that He will make our salvation complete

1 From Paul, an apostle, appointed neither by men or on behalf of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead, 2 and from all the brothers who are with me, to the churches of Galatia.

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins and to rescue us from the age of the evil one in which we now live, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory for ever and ever: AMEN