From the apostle: a promise of peace, a path to sacrificial living
By Dean Collins
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.”
I usually end my posts with the Scriptures that have prompted that day’s writing. Today feels different. Maybe it’s the volume of sad and troubling issues and events that moved me to put today’s verse at the beginning.
‘This present evil age’
I’ve lived a little more than six decades. Over my life there have always been turmoil, suffering, and tragic losses at the hands of humans. Some who kill do it out of untreated mental illness in their life. Some die from what seems to be inexplicable causes. Some die because those who have power or seek power choose to ignore or avoid issues because it might disturb or disrupt held or sought power. And maybe all of it flows somehow from what Paul refers to as “this present evil age.”
Paul opens the letter of Galatians with a prayer over the recipients of the letter, both then and now, that we receive grace and peace from God the Father and from his Son Jesus, who gave himself for our sins. The God of all creation sent his Son, Jesus, who gave himself for our sins. Breathe that in again right now. Breathe it in every day. It was for our sins that Jesus died. It is by God’s grace that we have forgiveness, and peace comes as a result. Peace that’s more than just a gentle stress-free breeze. Peace that is an indication of a reconciled life that connects us to our Maker and restores the image of God in us again and forever.
Paul wrote that because our sins are paid for, we are delivered from this present evil age. You might think, Well wait just a minute. Aren’t we still experiencing the present evil age? After all the tragic events filling our news feeds these days?
N.T. Wright in his commentary on Galatians* helps here. He concludes that just as God delivered his people from the bondage of Egypt that they might be free, now in Jesus we are once again delivered from the bondage of this present evil age. This happens by way of the cross. When we accept Jesus we enter a new kingdom that will last forever. The seeds of this new kingdom literally break the bondage. Sadly, like both the Jewish people in Paul’s time and like many in the first-century church, we cling to the systems and structures of the law, both religious and secular to accomplish what only this new kingdom can do.
‘Crucified with Christ’
In Galatians 2 we find these familiar words: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.”
Our surrender of life to die with Jesus brings a resurrection now and later. The first resurrection is that the life we live today is the life of Jesus. We no longer pursue our desires, the desires of the flesh, but rather we as the temple of the Holy Spirit are led by Jesus living in us and through us. But the tug to hold onto what is familiar is strong.
Herod the Great restored the temple not many years before Jesus came. The Jewish people took comfort in its presence. Then Jesus came and spoke startling words about the temple being destroyed. First, he spoke of himself being destroyed only to rise again in three days. And later of the ultimate destruction of the temple in Jerusalem that would happen in AD 70. That has never been resurrected.
Some who sought to discredit Paul tried to teach first-century believers to cling to some of the old ways. Paul explained that the whole point of the gospel is that Jesus has begun a new thing. His new kingdom is to go on forever and ultimately be culminated when he returns in glory.
In our moment we must resolve to surrender all to Jesus so that his life would be expressed in us. Unfortunately, we hope and work desperately to try to blend the ways of the world with the ways of Jesus. Yes, we can reform laws and many changes are needed. Some will help stop some evil. But evil will find another way. The only solution that can birth a new way forward comes by and through the cross of Jesus. It is expressed clearly when we Christians live the ways of Christ instead of just talking about them.
We desperately need the grace and peace of Jesus in our current moment. May God fill us and use us to spread the good news that we can be set free from this present evil age. It comes not by escaping but by serving and loving and living out the ways of Jesus today and until he comes again.
*Click this link to whet your appetite for a good commentary on Galatians by N.T. Wright.
Your time with God’s Word
Galatians 1:3-4; 2:20-21 ESV
Photo by Joshua Earle at Unsplash.com
To receive daily posts delivered directly to your inbox, complete the form at the bottom of our home page.
To download a printable version of today’s post, click here.
