Gospel Prayer Ministry

📖 Passage

Galatians 1:1–5
Read Galatians 1:1–5 (NKJV)

🧠 Context & Background

Galatians is Paul’s urgent defense of the one true gospel against teachers who insisted that Gentile believers must add works of the Law (especially circumcision and other boundary markers) to faith in Christ to be fully accepted by God. This “other gospel” was no gospel at all (1:6–9) because it shifted trust from Christ’s finished work to human performance.

Historically, the letter most naturally addresses congregations Paul planted in the Roman province of Galatia during his first missionary journey—Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe (Acts 13–14). The dating turns on the “South vs. North Galatia” discussion: many date Galatians early (AD 48–49), perhaps just before or just after the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), while others place it a few years later. Either way, the crisis is the same: itinerant influencers (“Judaizers”) claimed to honor Christ yet required Torah observance for covenant status, thereby undercutting justification by faith and the unity of Jew and Gentile in one church.

Paul’s response unfolds in three movements. (1) Personal/apologetic (1:10–2:21): he defends the divine origin of his apostleship and message (not “from men … but through Jesus Christ,” 1:1), recounts his independence from Jerusalem’s authorization, his agreement with the pillars (2:1–10), and even his public rebuke of Peter at Antioch when behavior contradicted the gospel (2:11–14). (2) Doctrinal (3–4): he argues from Abraham and the promise that righteousness comes by faith, not by Law; the Law served as a guardian until Christ (3:24), but now believers—Jew and Gentile—are sons and heirs in Christ (3:26–29; 4:4–7). (3) Practical/exhortational (5–6): Christian freedom is freedom to live by the Spirit, not license; the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit (5:19–23) show the stark contrast. The rule that counts is “new creation”—not circumcision or uncircumcision (6:15).

Theologically, Galatians beats with the heart of the Reformation: justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (2:16). The cross removes the curse of the Law (3:13), grants the Spirit (3:2–5), unites believers to Christ (2:20), and forms one new family. “Works of the Law” encompasses any attempt to secure standing with God by law-keeping, and the letter insists that adding anything to Christ subtracts from grace. Yet grace does not produce antinomianism: the Spirit leads to love-shaped obedience (5:6, 13–14).

All of this is previewed in 1:1–5. Paul asserts God-given authority, blesses the churches with grace and peace (the order matters: grace produces peace), and summarizes the gospel: Christ “gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father”—a concise statement of substitution, rescue, and sovereign purpose—ending with doxology (“to whom be glory forever,” 1:5). The greeting isn’t small talk; it’s the seed-form of the whole epistle.

🌿 Key Themes

Divine Authority — Paul’s apostleship is from God, not commissioned by men.
Grace & Peace — True peace with God flows from grace, not performance.
Christ’s Self-Giving — The cross is substitutionary: He gave Himself for our sins.
Deliverance — The gospel rescues us from “this present evil age.”
Doxology — The only fitting response is glory to God forever.

📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary

Galatians 1:1 — Apostolic Authority from God

“Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead—”

Not humanly derived: Paul’s commission is neither from human origin nor mediated by human appointment; it is directly from Christ and the Father.
Resurrection seal: The Father’s raising of Jesus validates the whole apostolic mission—Paul preaches the risen Lord, not human wisdom.
Pastoral edge: If Paul’s authority is divine, then the gospel he preaches is non-negotiable (setting up 1:6–9).

Galatians 1:2 — To the Churches

“and all the brothers who are with me, to the churches of Galatia:”

Corporate endorsement: Paul writes with a fraternal witness; the gospel is not a lone opinion but the shared faith of the apostolic community.
Plural “churches”: The message spans multiple congregations, showing its catholicity (universal scope) and continued relevance.

Galatians 1:3 — Grace and Peace Source

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

Order matters: Grace precedes peace—only grace reconciles sinners to God, producing true peace.
Joint source: Blessing comes from the Father and the Son, underscoring Christ’s full deity and the unity of the Godhead in salvation (cf. John 10:30).

Galatians 1:4 — The Cross: Substitution and Deliverance

“who gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,”

Substitutionary self-giving: Christ gave Himself—voluntary, sacrificial, for our sins (cf. Isaiah 53:5–6; 1 Peter 2:24).
Purpose: Deliverance—not merely pardon but rescue from the enslaving powers of “this present evil age” (cf. Colossians 1:13).
Divine initiative: All is “according to the will of our God and Father”—salvation is of the Lord, not man’s achievement (cf. Ephesians 1:4–7).
Galatians trajectory: If Christ’s cross truly delivers, adding Law-works is regression back into bondage (foreshadowing 2:16; 3:1–3).

Galatians 1:5 — Doxology Proper to Grace

“to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Grace leads to glory: The only fitting response to sovereign grace is worship.
Forever and ever: The gospel secures an eternal doxology—the Church’s song in time and eternity (cf. Revelation 5:9–13).

🔍 Trusted Insight

“Christ did not come to earth to help you, by your own efforts, to save yourself; but He gave Himself for our sins. If He has given Himself, what more is needed? He Himself is the very essence and substance of our salvation.” — Charles Spurgeon

Spurgeon underscores Paul’s opening emphasis: the gospel rests on Christ’s self-giving, not man’s contribution.
Deliverance from “this present evil age” (v. 4) is not moral improvement but a rescue accomplished by Christ’s sacrifice.
Because salvation is “according to the will of God and our Father,” all grace and peace flow down from Him, and all glory rises back to Him (vv. 3, 5).

Summary: Spurgeon reminds us that our assurance rests not in what we add, but in what Christ has already finished—salvation is His gift, and all glory belongs to God.

🧩 Review Questions

🌎 Worldviews

Religious performance:
Humanity’s default is to seek peace and acceptance through rule-keeping, ritual, and outward conformity. The Galatians were tempted by this—adding works of the Law to the finished work of Christ. Paul dismantles this view by insisting that grace and peace flow only from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. True peace is not the fruit of human performance, but the gift of divine grace.
Secular self-rescue:
In every age, cultures proclaim self-improvement as salvation: through education, therapy, politics, or sheer willpower, people imagine they can “better” themselves out of evil. This worldview trusts human progress instead of divine redemption. Paul counters by declaring that Christ gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age. Deliverance comes not by human ingenuity but by the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ’s cross.
Biblical worldview:
Salvation is not conceived in man’s imagination but in the eternal will of God. It is accomplished by Christ’s self-giving death, applied by the Spirit who unites us to Christ, and answered with doxology: “to whom be the glory forever and ever.” This worldview acknowledges that every element of redemption—plan, accomplishment, application, and response—is of God. Humanity contributes nothing but the sin that made the cross necessary.

🙋 Application Questions

Where are you tempted to seek peace apart from grace (approval, success, discipline)?
What habits in your life reflect deliverance from the present age? What needs re-alignment?
How can your prayers and worship become more doxological in response to grace?

🔤 Greek Keywords

Apostolos (ἀπόστολος) — One sent with Christ’s authority (v. 1).
Charis (χάρις) — Grace; God’s unmerited favor and power to save (v. 3).
Eirēnē (εἰρήνη) — Peace; reconciliation with God and wholeness (v. 3).
Edōken heauton (ἔδωκεν ἑαυτόν) — “Gave Himself”; voluntary self-sacrifice (v. 4).
Exelētai / Exaireō (ἐξαιρέω) — Deliver, rescue (v. 4).
Aiōn (αἰών) — Age; the present fallen order from which Christ rescues (v. 4).

📚 Cross References

Acts 13:38–39 — Forgiveness and justification apart from the Law.
Romans 3:24–26 — Justified freely by grace through Christ’s propitiation.
Ephesians 2:8–9 — Salvation by grace through faith, not works.
Titus 2:14 — Christ gave Himself to redeem and purify a people.
Colossians 1:13–14 — Delivered from darkness, transferred to Christ’s kingdom.
1 Peter 1:18–19 — Ransomed by Christ’s precious blood.
Revelation 5:9–13 — Heaven’s doxology for the Lamb who was slain.

📦 Next Study

Next Study → Galatians 1:6–10 – No Other Gospel

Galatians 1:1–5 – Paul’s Greeting - Grace That Delivers