We begin studying in Galatians this week. The apostle Paul planted the pure teaching of the gospel among the Galatian churches, but at some point, false teachers crept in who tried to overthrow all that he taught. Instead of rejecting the false teaching, the Galatian churches entertained it, so Paul sent this urgent letter about the most crucial subject to get right, the core issue of the gospel of Christ.
The first thing Paul does is remind them of his apostolic credentials in verse 1: “Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.” Men didn’t appoint Paul to be an apostle. Men cannot convey the gifts and grace that the office of an apostle demands.
Paul mentions the resurrection of Christ because it certifies that all Christ says or does is of God. It was the raised, exalted, glorified Christ who appeared to Paul and commissioned him to be an apostle of the gospel. There is no higher source of authority than what Paul had-- such authority that Christians take this letter as inspired by God himself to convey the truth of Christ through his appointed messenger. We do well to pay careful attention to it.
In verse 3, Paul gives a divine blessing: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Right away, the apostle points to the core of the gospel. Grace is God’s unmerited favor towards sinful mankind, which is demonstrated in the work of redemption that Christ accomplished in his death and resurrection.
Through grace comes peace with God. After Jesus was raised from the dead, he showed his disciples the wounds of his crucifixion and said, “Peace to you.” God alone can dispense peace to us, for all our sins are against him. The Father gave the Son, and the Son “gave himself for our sins” (verse 4). Grace means God gives; Christ is the gift of God. The gospel is good news because salvation is by faith in Christ, not my own merits.
The false teachers leading the Galatians astray wanted to add requirements to the work Christ did in making atonement for sin. But that would mean Christ was not a perfect Savior. Grace would cease to be grace. It’s not true; if the blood of Jesus can’t save us, our souls will die.
The great lesson we must learn if we would be saved is that we cannot take our own sins away. We cannot do one thing to take our sins away; no righteous deeds will take one sin away. Christ was crucified for this reason: that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. “Shall not perish” means Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient for any sinner who believes in Christ.
We tend to take sin lightly, but Christ’s death shows us the infinite price necessary for our sins. Christ was given by God not for holy and righteous people, but sinners, those who have broken both tables of the law, unrighteous, ungodly, unbelieving, idolatrous, blasphemous sinners. Grace gives a believer the merits of Christ for nothing, and the merits of Christ give infinite grace.
The apostle Paul was the prime example of a man full of sin, yet proud of his own righteousness and blind to his actual state before God. When the light of Christ revealed his sin, he saw the wonder of the gospel truth: “Christ came into the world to save sinners.” Then the converted Paul said, “I will boast of nothing but the cross of Christ.”
Grace and peace are such comforts for those who believe in Christ, that you would think the saints would never be deceived by false teaching that diminishes the sufficiency of Christ in any way. But we are prone to pride and vulnerable to thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought. The Lord may bring us low to renew his gracious words upon our hearts.
When grace first comes to a soul convicted of his sin, who, before had thought it would be misery to serve God, now hears the offer of forgiveness. Christ now appears in a different light than he had before. He doesn’t appear as a tyrant or hard master, but a friend, a Savior, full of pity and love. He suffered for me and gave himself willingly to blot out all my sin and gave me peace with God. Grace and peace now become the precious gifts from Christ “his” Savior and God “his” Father.
