From this Evil Age
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul states that he was commissioned as an apostle to the Gentiles by the same God that raised Jesus from the dead and “delivered us FROM THIS EVIL AGE.” This statement anticipates his response to certain Jewish believers who were operating in Galatia as if the old era was still in effect.
In the first two chapters, Paul details how
he received his gospel for the Gentiles by revelation, and this was confirmed by the
leaders of the Jerusalem church. And he recounts that during an earlier
controversy at Antioch “false brethren slinked in to spy out our freedom
which we have in Christ Jesus” - (Galatians 2:4-5).
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| [Photo by Denys Nevozhai on Unsplash] |
Certain men “from Jerusalem” disrupted the church in Antioch, claiming it was improper for Jewish Christians to have table fellowship with uncircumcised Gentiles. But a church divided along ethnic lines is the inevitable result of this practice as is returning to the rituals required by the Levitical regulations.
FALSE TEACHERS
- (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 among the dead, and all the brethren with me; to the assemblies of Galatia; Grace to you and peace from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory unto the ages of ages: Amen!”
Customarily, Paul begins his letters with salutations
and gracious words of thanksgiving, but in Galatians, his statements are
noteworthy for their brevity and lack of praise.
And instead of praise, he launches into a
stinging rebuke, indicating the depth of his concern and the level of his
agitation (“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who
called you in grace!”).
He defines his apostleship by first using a
double negative in the Greek sentence (“neither from men nor through man”)
followed by a positive affirmation (“but through Jesus Christ”). In this
way, he introduces a key issue that he will address in the next few paragraphs
- his divine appointment to the apostolic office - (Galatians
1:10–2:10).
His Jewish opponents do not dispute his
office but claim his apostleship is derived from human authorities, presumably,
the church leadership in Jerusalem.
Paul denies that his commission is dependent
on any human authority, whether the mother church in Jerusalem or the church at
Antioch. Instead, he affirms that he received it directly from Jesus - (1
Corinthians 9:1, Acts 9:4-6, 22:7, 26:16).
HIS COMMISSION
And from its beginning, his ministry has focused
on proclaiming the gospel to the Gentiles without requiring them to conform to
the regulations of the Torah, especially circumcision- (Acts
9:15, 13:46-48, 22:21, Ephesians 3:1-8).
Unlike his opponents, he was commissioned by the
risen Jesus. He also links his gospel to the “Father…who raised Jesus from
the dead.” The fatherhood of God plays an important role in the letter
since he stresses that believers have become children of one God and Father by “adoption”
- (Galatians 3:7, 3:26, 4:2-7, 4:22-31).
The resurrection of Jesus was an apocalyptic
event that signaled the commencement of the messianic age. In his death
and resurrection, the “powers and principalities” that enslaved humanity
were defeated decisively.
The resurrection marked the inauguration of an entirely new era and the final stage in God’s redemptive plan. Ever since, nothing can be the same again - (1 Corinthians 2:5-8, Ephesians 1:17-23, Colossians 2:15, 1 Peter 3:22).
Paul writes from this apocalyptic perspective
as he exhorts the Galatians not to subject themselves again to the “elementary
spirits of this world.” They will do so if they submit to circumcision and place
themselves under the calendrical rituals of the Torah. With the
coming of the Son, the jurisdiction of the old order has reached its end - (Galatians
4:3-11).
By reminding them that the God who
commissioned him is the same one who raised Jesus from the dead, Paul prepares his
readers for the description of how he received his gospel by direct revelation -
(Galatians 1:11-16).
HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION
Jesus is the one who “gave himself ON
ACCOUNT OF our sins.” His death was necessary because of the sins of humanity
that alienated men from God. The same idea is implicit in two declarations by
Paul - (Galatians 2:20, 3:13):
- “The life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself ON ACCOUNT OF (huper) me.”
- “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse ON ACCOUNT OF (huper) us.”
Christ’s death was “according to the will
of our God and Father.” This emphasizes the magnitude of what
God did. If the Galatians place themselves under the Law, they risk the loss of
His “grace and peace.”
And by means of his death, God “rescued us from the present evil age.” In Jesus, the messianic age dawned, and in the middle of the present age. Thus, his death inaugurated the age of fulfillment.
In the Hebrew Bible, history is divided into
two ages - the present evil age and the age to come. The law
belongs to the “present age.” It is part of the old order that began to
pass away with the resurrection of Jesus.
By emphasizing his death and resurrection, Paul
highlights the all-sufficiency of Christ’s death for the forgiveness of sins
and our deliverance from this “present evil age.” In him, God acted
decisively, impacting human history, forevermore.
