Serve in Grace in Peace

1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

The true gospel and commissioning comes from God alone

Background to the letter

This is one of Pauls early letters (he wrote this and the Thessalonians 1 and 2 within a few years).

He is writing to the church in Galatia. There are some questions to particulars, but we can be sure that the people of this church knew Paul.

The church has wondered from the gospel Paul preached.

This letters introduction is fairly standard.

Starts with the sender, Paul

Then the recipient, to the churches of Galatia

But more detail is given. Much of this detail is opening the letter with some of the concerns this letter is addressing

Paul claims his authority and its source in this letter

The Letter to the Galatians I. Paul’s Opening Greeting (1:1–5)

The term “apostle” refers to an envoy or delegate who is sent to carry a message or enact a commission on behalf of another

James sent other groups to check on daughter churches, but Paul is emphasizing that the source of his mission is from Christ Himself.

This is an important aspect because of the issues that have come up.

We are generally sent on a mission by someone. When I am sent on a DR mission we are deployed. DR cannot act on its own but must be sent. Here however, Paul is saying James nor any of the other Apostles sent him. It was not man, but by God’s authority that he is writing.

In the statement of authority He is emphasizing the power of God and the miraculous resurrection of Christ.

He is claiming his apostolic authority from God who works through the death and resurrection of Christ.

We must seek to serve according to our mission.

The true gospel and commissioning comes from God alone

The blessing in the letter.

Galatians 1:3 ESV

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

In this we take the final importance of this letter, the reason for Christ’s sacrifice and its affect to is.

His formal greeting to the church

Grace was a common greeting in Greek, he is also playing with the words in Greek

While Grace is a common greeting he adds peace, a common Hebrew greeting, shalom.

In doing this he is emphasizing the coming together of Jew and Gentile. He continues this emphasis in the letter, and does this in most of his letters.

It is according to the will of God

Churches should not be separated by anything like this. Churches in HI are a good example of this. I have had many Jewish individuals in class and we are to not be separated, but unified in the gospel.

We must serve in grace in peace. We do so as a church not separated by nationality or ethnicity.

The true gospel and commissioning comes from God alone

He is emphasizing the sacrifice of Christ saves us from this fallen age.

We do not serve because of orders to earn righteousness.

We serve because we were saved. We serve because we are called.

We are to remember that is all of this, it is God who is to be glorified and will be forever and ever.

Individual call

We must seek to serve according to the will of God alone.

The true gospel and commissioning comes from God alone

You

Let us:

Seek to serve our mission

Seek to serve in grace and peace

Seek to serve God’s Will

A well executed mission cannot be accomplished unless that mission is know. It is to be in grace and peace, a unified mission. And it is to be according to the will of the sender.

We serve in grace and peace, not of our own doing, but by the power of God.

In this we are reminded all glory belongs to him forever and ever, amen.

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