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, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Galatians 1:3 ESV
Paul’s prayer draws our attention to the grace and peace that come from God. Here we pause to consider. It will not come from the appetites in the world, for Paul calls this a ‘present evil age’. It was a present evil age when Paul wrote this letter, and it will remain a ‘present evil age’ until Jesus returns. In this world you will have trouble, but we are not of this world, nor do we fashion ourselves by its system. While we live out our earthly time, we are daily reminded of this reality.
In the now and not yet, Paul calls for our attention to be directed to God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who holds the grace and peace needed. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, ‘where sin abounds, grace does much more abound. Simply meaning, sin is not stronger than the enabling power of God working to keep you from falling into whatever temptation is set before you. But it is by faith that we access this grace and stand in it, as Romans 5 says. The writer of Hebrews tells us to come boldly to the throne of grace receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.
God is our ‘Boethos’. The one who responds to our cry for Help.
Our cry must come first, then God responds to it. We must see our need for God.
If I trust in the arm of flesh, there will be no supernatural power coming to me. These are truths I must continually hold before me. I am not the Saviour. There is no other name given under heaven where mankind is saved - out of, from, this present evil age.
As our Father, he is moved with compassion. Jesus is touched with the feelings of our infirmities. Grace and peace are to the one who comes to the one who is filled with the power and might to help, and ‘our Father’ as the one who is moved with great love and compassion to save.
We find both the nature and character of God in the very word Father. Ephesians tells us we have been chosen by Him to be adopted into His Family. The James T. Hudson Translation of Ephesians 3 of Paul’s prayer in verses 14-15 reads, ‘ I bow my knees to the Father from whom every family in heaven and earth derives its name and nature.’
We see in our verse from Galatians 1 Paul’s immersion into the thankfulness of this place and provision we have been given through Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from this present evil age ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD. We need to hold on to the reality of what God's will is for our lives.
While we live in this world, we are called to endure and remain steadfast in our commitment to Christ. We live overcoming lives through what Christ has provided, deliverance from the power and dominion of sin, with all the grace, mercy and peace we need daily.
This is the will of our God and Father, which is why Paul proclaims, to Him be the glory forever and ever.
Amen.