Born Again Free
Galatians 1:1-5
INTRODUCTION: Jean Jacques Rosseau began his famous treatise, The Social Contract, with these famous words: "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." I would like to paraphrase that slightly: "Man is born-again free and yet everywhere we see him going back to the chains that bound him before his conversion."
· Galatians, though one of Paul’s shorter epistles, is highly esteemed as one of his greatest and most influential.
· It was called “the cornerstone of the Protestant Reformation” or “the Magna Carter of the Reformation.”
· Galatians has been called “the Magna Carta of the Reformation” and Luther’s “Katie von Bora.”
· Leon Morris wrote, "Galatians is a passionate letter, the outpouring of the soul of a preacher on fire for his Lord and deeply committed to bringing his hearers to an understanding of what saving faith is."
Written By: Paul - Very
few would doubt it since it has been held so by the early church and Paul
identifies himself here and the book has his autobiography in it.
Written to Whom and Why: Galatians, (probably southern
The
most pressing controversy in the early church was the relationship of new
believers, particularly Gentiles, to the Jewish laws. Galatians was written, therefore, to refute the Judaizers and to call
believers back to the pure gospel. The Good News is for all people—Jews and
Gentiles alike. Salvation is by God’s grace through faith in Christ Jesus and
nothing else. Faith in Christ means true freedom.
DATE WRITTEN: About A.D. 49, from
Two primary issues
addressed:
·
First,
Paul’s apostleship,
·
Secondly.
The sufficiency of the work of Christ
alone for salvation.
These two issues are dealt with in these
opening five verses….WE NOTE A DIFFERENCE IN THE USUAL PATTERN OF PAUL’S
GREETING IN THE OPENING OF THIS LETTER…THERE IS NO NOTE OF THANKSGIVING FOR THE
GALATIANS AND AN EARLY REBUKE!
The story is told of a man who was the kind of person who did not like to be interrupted while engaged in a project. Knowing this, his wife walked into the garage and stood quietly at his side for several minutes, waiting for the proper time to speak. At last her husband looked up; the signal that she was free to say what was on her mind. Very calmly, and without a trace of panic, she said, “The house is on fire.”
THIS
WAS THE URGENCY WITH
·
Paul had
strong and important words for these Christians, it was important that they
understand that his was not just another opinion to be considered but the words
of an apostle
·
NOTICE, we
don’t ordain apostles in the church today – Evangelists, Teachers, Pastors,
deacons, elders, but no apostles – WHY?
·
"The word apostle
as Paul uses it here does not merely refer to one who has a message to
announce, but to an appointed representative with an official status who is
provided with the credentials of his office." (Wuest) – A direct spokesman
of Jesus Christ!
·
The church
founded upon the words and teachings of the apostles…Ephes. 2:19-20 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and
foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
[20] And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus
Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
[KJV]
·
Not from men
or through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father:
· . ." (Martin Luther) "When I was a young man I thought Paul was making too much of his call. I did not understand his purpose. I did not then realize the importance of the ministry . . . We exalt our calling, not to gain glory among men, or money, or satisfaction, or favor, but because people need to be assured that the words we speak are the words of God. This is no sinful pride. It is holy pride.”
·
CALVIN – “This
authority depends not on the judgment or opinion of men, but exclusively on the
calling of God; and therefore he demands a hearing on the ground of his being
“an Apostle.”
·
In Acts 13:2, 3 Paul
and Barnabus set apart by ordination…
·
But this calling was
far more that that
·
APPLICATION: IT IS NOT IN THE POWER OF MEN, ULTIMATELY, TO
CALL MEN TO CHURCH OFFICE BUT ONLY GOD.
·
GRACE and PEACE –
GRACE Comes FRIST, THEN AND THEN ONLY
CAN THERE BE PEACE
· Paul uses the word grace 100 times in his writings. Among all the other writers of the New Testament, it is only used 55 times.
ISSUE TWO ADDRESSED - The sufficiency of the work of Christ alone
for salvation
·
Who gave
Himself for our sins
·
The word for
in this passage clearly has the idea of substitution.
2 Cor. 5:14
For
the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore
all died;
·
Martin Luther on
who gave Himself for our sins: "Let us equip ourselves against the
accusations of Satan with this and similar passages of Holy Scripture. If he
says, ‘Thou shalt be damned,’ you tell him: ‘No, for I fly to Christ who gave
Himself for my sins. In accusing me of being a damnable sinner, you are cutting
your own throat, Satan. You are reminding me of God’s fatherly goodness toward me
that He so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. In calling me a
sinner, Satan, you really comfort me above measure.’ With such heavenly cunning
we are to meet the devil’s craft and put from us the memory of sin."
Romans 8:32
He
who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not
also with Him freely give us all things?
·
JESUS
GAVE HIMSELF FOR OUR SINS…WHY???? That He might deliver us from this present evil age
·
CALVIN - He likewise declares the design of our redemption to be, that
Christ, by his death, might purchase us to be his own property
· To whom be glory. CALVIN -- By this sudden exclamation of thanksgiving, he intends to awaken powerfully in his readers the contemplation of that invaluable gift which they had received from God, and in this manner to prepare their minds more fully for receiving instruction.
God’s plan all along was to save us by Jesus’
death. We have been rescued from the power of this present evil age—a world
ruled by Satan and full of cruelty, tragedy, temptation, and deception. Being
rescued from this evil age doesn’t mean that we are taken out of it, but that
we are no longer enslaved to it. You were saved to live for God. Does your life
reflect your gratitude for being rescued? Have you transferred your loyalty
from this world to Christ?
CONCLUSION –
HERE IS WHERE WE FIND THE TRUTH OUT ABOUT THE
RESURRECTED LORD JESUS ---THE WORDS OF THE APOSTLES – THE WORD OF GOD –
WHY
THIS IS THE PRECIOUS GOSPEL – CHRIST ALONE
SAVES US AND NO OTHER – WE MUST DRAW A
GRACE and PEACE ALONE FROM HIM –
LET US