You can turn in your Bibles to the book of Galatians, Galatians chapter 1. While you find your way there, or before we read from Galatians 1, James Montgomery Boyce says this with regards to the book of Galatians and its significance, its importance. He writes, not many books have made such a lasting impression on men's minds as the epistle of Paul to the Galatians, nor have many done so much to shape the history of the Western world. Protestant reformers had this as something of a flagship book, because it lifts up the doctrine of justification by faith alone before the eyes and the minds of men, and it brings forth the reality of Christian liberty.
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage. The Apostle Paul is the author, as we'll look at in a number of minutes here. It was written probably in the year 47-48 AD, most likely Paul's first epistle. He's writing this to the churches of Galatia.
These would have been the southern Galatian churches that he preached the gospel to in Acts 13.1 through Acts 14.28. He goes through Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. He comes back through and follows up that proclamation with a checking in on the churches, and then eventually he writes the epistle of Paul to the Galatians. The theme of the book is a glorious one.
It is simply the defense of the gospel of sovereign grace with special emphasis on justification by faith alone, and that was necessitated by those who were perverting the gospel of Jesus Christ. These Judaizers, these most likely Jerusalem Jews who had gone to Galatia to pervert the gospel of Jesus Christ. The danger is, as Edy writes, putting partial or complete trust in legal observances. This is why Paul time and again exalts justification by faith alone apart from the works of the law, because if justification comes, whether partially or completely, by trust in legal observances, then that sets aside the grace of God and it renders the cross of Christ as empty and vain.
Much is at stake here in the letter of Paul to the Galatians. Well, let's read verse 1 to verse 10, and then we'll have a look specifically at the first three verses And then verse 4 and 5 this evening. This is Galatians 1, 1.
Scripture Reading
Paul, an apostle, not from men nor through men, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father who raised him from the dead, and all the brethren who are with me, to the churches of Galatia, Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. I marvel that you are turning away so soon from him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another. But there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men or God, or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
Amen. Well, let us pray.
Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for this now, the preaching of Your Holy Word. We would ask that You would bless this time of worship. Help the preacher to proclaim rightly the things of Your Holy Scriptures. We do pray that You would, by Your Spirit, tend unto those gathered.
We would ask, Lord God, that those saints of Yours would be well instructed and lifted up, edified, encouraged in your word and by your Christ and for your glory we pray that they would leave here equipped well equipped to go into this upcoming week to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of your glorious gospel and we do pray as well for those who entered in these two doors outside of Christ in unbelief we would ask Lord God that you would Save them from on high, that You would send Your Spirit, that by amazing grace they would turn from their wickedness, that You would make them alive by sovereign grace and cause them to leave this place rejoicing in our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We do pray that all that is done, Lord God, would be unto Your glory. We pray in the name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Introduction
Well, we're going to look at verses 1 to 3 this morning, and it's perhaps verses that sometimes can be overlooked in a reading of an epistle. Some, you know, with human minds, well those are the only sorts of minds that we can come to the Bible with, but with our minds, we can come to the beginning of a letter and we can kind of think the tradition of letter writing and just sort of skip past some of the letters that, or some of the words that these letters begin with. You know, when we read, hopefully this isn't the case, but sometimes when we read letters written by human authors, uninspired, you know, dear so-and-so, I hope this letter finds you well, we can kind of just mumble that in our minds and skip past it and go to the good stuff. You see, there is much in the opening words of these epistles by the apostles and by those inspired of God to the various churches as we find them in the New Testament, and we ought not to simply skip past these things.
We ought not to think light of these introductory words as if it's just the Apostle yawning and writing an introduction and then getting to the meat and potatoes. No, we have the Apostle Paul introducing this letter and it does us well, or we are well served to key in on some things. Why certain wording is being used and what certain wording means.
Sermon Outline Announced
We're simply going to look at three things this morning, and those are, first, the author, second, the audience, and third, the benediction.
First: The Author
Notice, first, the author. It's very simple. First off, we want to observe Paul. Now, this is one of those things where many Reformed preachers could come to the word Paul, and that could be the stuff that'll launch a four-sermon series on what that means.
Paul's Conversion and God's Grace
Paul before conversion, Paul after conversion, Paul in his calling to the apostleship, etc., etc. But very briefly, let's consider the author of this letter here for a moment, Paul. We've said it before from this pulpit, I know I have, that when you come to a book of the Bible or a particular portion of narrative in your Bibles, never just skip past a reflecting upon the person under focus or concern. In this case, it's Paul.
It's an amazing thing that Paul is writing to the churches of Galatia and that he opens up benedictorally with grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Because we know what Paul was. We know who Paul was.
It's a testament to the grace, the almighty and amazing grace of God, that this Paul, once Saul, is taking pen to parchment and penning these words. Again, we've done this before, but let's go through this exercise. Consider the psalm that we read this morning, Psalm 32. Never skip past Psalm 32 without a solemn and joyful reflection upon who is penning these words.
Psalm of David, a contemplation, blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity. Those words in and of themselves are glorious because truly blessed is the man who has his sins covered. Truly blessed is the one to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity.
But this is David penning these words. The one who lay with Bathsheba. The one who, to cover that up, set Uriah into the forefront of the hottest battle to be murdered. This is David penning those words.
Never skip past an opportunity to reflect upon who is penning certain words. Think of the Apostle Peter in his first letter. Other places to be sure, but the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 1 writes, to those who believe he is precious. Writing of the Lord Jesus Christ, to those who believe he is precious.
Don't just skip past those words, move on to the next, without reflecting for a moment on who is penning those words. Peter, the one to whom the Lord said, you will deny me three times, but I will restore you. I will restore faith to you and you will strengthen your brethren. He cast, Peter did, his eyes upon Christ, right after denying thrice before a servant girl.
His eyes caught the gaze of his Master and he broke down. But post-resurrection, Christ comes to him and he doesn't berate him, he doesn't rebuke him, he doesn't lean in on him with a strong arm. He feeds him breakfast, gives him a Bible study, and restores him. Well, here we have the Apostle Paul, that one who sought to put an end to Christianity, now penning the blessed words of this epistle.
Just look at what Paul says of himself. Notice in verse 11, But I make known to you, brethren," this is Galatians 1, 11, but I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man, nor, excuse me, for I neither received it from man nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. Now notice, for you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. See, the Apostle Paul doesn't shrink back from rehearsing his former conduct as a sinner, outside of Christ, in damning activity and engaging in multitudinous wickedness.
He says, I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. Verse 14, and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. This was Paul prior to being confronted wholesomely by sovereign and victorious grace. And this is the one that is now writing this letter because, v. 15, but when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles.
Notice as well, v. 21, Afterward, I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, and I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea, which were in Christ, but they were hearing only, he who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy, and they glorified God in me." You see, brethren, this is where we ought to take pause. Though 2,000 years removed from these Syrians and Cilicians and these rejoicing that God had saved Paul, we should take pause to likewise glorify God. Because He really is a God rich in grace. To take a Paul who is seeking to put an end to Christianity, seeking to destroy the church, dragging men and women from out of their houses, off to prison, even unto death, unto murder.
He stood by and welcomed the heavy robes of those who were crushing Stephen's head with large rocks. And He did so approvingly. And yet, by amazing grace, that Saul is turned into this Paul, the greatest propagator of the Christian faith ever to walk the earth, save our Lord Himself. We have such a rehearsal that can be engaged in at just the word Paul.
Never skip past an opportunity to reflect upon the author of a particular letter.
Paul's Apostolic Authority
Now, notice as well an apostle. Paul and Apostle. Now this might, you know, to the quick mind that's reading through these words, to the mind just saying, Paul and Apostle, okay, yeah, and you're moving on to the churches of Galatia, etc. You might just think, okay, that's just the Apostle Paul identifying himself.
I'm Paul, the Apostle. And then that's it. There's something very important in what he is doing when he says, Paul and Apostle. First off, he is stressing the reality that he comes to them and he writes to them as one with an official office.
He's not just Paul, a citizen of our shared earthly community that wants to share some things with the Galatian churches. He's Paul, an apostle. And not just a small A Apostle, a messenger, one sent, generally speaking, but a capital A Apostle, one officially sent by a king sovereign in order to bring a message, bearing the authority of the sovereign sending. He is a commissioned Apostle.
There is a general sense in which we can see Apostle as just a messenger. In fact, the greatest messenger that ever walked the earth, the Lord Jesus Christ, is called Apostle in the book of Hebrews. Apostle can refer simply to messenger, but here Paul is using the word and employing it to identify himself in order that they might understand that this letter comes with authority. You see, what was happening in the church was this.
As Edy notes, the Apostle's standing had been challenged by a faction in the Galatian churches in order that his distinctive teaching might be disparaged or set aside. You see, that was one of the issues. Not only was it a perversion, these people coming in to trouble the Galatians, not only was it a perversion of the Gospel, but it was an usurping of the authority of the Apostle Paul as one sent by God preaching the riches and the excellencies of Christ. What better way to pervert the gospel by saying that the one who came to preach the gospel was not officially sent and is not a valid messenger of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
To undermine his doctrine, he goes on to write, they denied or explained away his apostleship. It seems to have been alleged against him that as he had not been a personal disciple of Jesus, he could not claim the inspiration enjoyed by those on whom he breathed, as he said, receive ye the Holy Ghost. That his gospel had been communicated to him through a human medium and therefore was not primary and authoritative truth. So Paul rightly doesn't just say Paul, he says Paul, an apostle.
But you see, he then underscores that and bolds it by this bracketed qualification, not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead. You see, he's underscoring the reality that his apostleship isn't some earthly established reality. He wasn't commissioned by men. He was not sent into action by earthly figures, but rather by the triune God.
His apostleship, or rather, the Apostle Paul comes to them and he writes to them as one divinely commissioned. He has been commissioned by God to bring his apostleship. That's why he writes, again, not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, and note, who raised Him from the dead. His very apostleship comes from the power of God.
That same God who through great divine power raised again the Lord Christ from the dead. He wants to stress that it's not the Apostle Paul. that is the errorist, that is one preaching error. It's not the Apostle Paul that is not divinely commissioned. It is these who are seeking to pervert the gospel of grace, who come not with the warrant of God, but rather with the stamp of the devil himself, seeking to pervert such a glorious gospel.
What's at stake, brethren? When Paul writes here an apostle and when he punctuates that by this qualification, divinely commissioned apostle, what's at stake is the eternal salvation of souls, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, remember in the book of Revelation, There's the letter to the church in Ephesus. And one of the commendations that the Lord Christ gives to that church is that they tested those who said that they were apostles and were not, and found them to be liars.
It is absolutely necessary for the Church of Christ to mark those who do bear the stamp of approval as being commissioned by God, and those who are not. And one of the ways that that can be established, not the only way, but a chief way, is which gospel do they preach. That's why we have verses 8 and 9, even if we are an angel from heaven come preaching any other gospel, let him be accursed. He says it twice, to underscore, to punctuate the absolute importance of protecting the gospel, of saving grace.
Not from man, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ. Notice the language that he uses in verse 15, just a reminder. Or excuse me, verse 11. But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.
For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ." You see, that's not just Paul rehearsing how he came into his apostleship, or sort of giving a narrative of when the Lord Christ commissioned him, but he's defending the reality that his apostleship comes by divine commission. He was sent by God, through the Lord Jesus Christ, by the Lord Jesus Christ, from God the Father, who raised Him from the dead. He comes with the authority of God Most High.
Applications from the Author
Just before we move on to our next point, I think we need to take away a few things from these things. I think we should enrich our Bible reading when we're reading certain portions of the Bible by reflections on the characters involved. And when I say characters, I mean the real persons that the Bible is telling this story about. In this case, the Apostle Paul.
Never read, not never, that's perhaps binding your conscience, but when you read Galatians, when you read Ephesians, when you read Philippians, when you read Colossians, when you read all of these books, perhaps at some point go back to the Book of Acts and find those portions of the Book of Acts that deal with the very things that those books are dealing with. Remember that the Apostle Paul isn't just writing a letter to the Galatian churches, having never dealt with them before, and having never spoken to them before, and having never preached to them before. You go to Acts 13.1 through Acts 14.28, and therein you find a chunk of the book of Acts dealing with the very churches that he's writing to here. You read through the book of Galatians, or perhaps even before you do, read Acts 13, 1 through 14, 28, and you see the background of what Paul is getting at here, and actually through chapter 15 with regards to the Jerusalem Council, the very matter that is being dealt with here was dealt with at that Jerusalem Council as well.
So enrich your Bible reading by reflecting upon the author as often as you have occasion to do so. Secondly, don't count persons beyond the reach of divine grace. What do I mean by that? Don't count persons beyond the reach of divine grace.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul wrote, You see, I think in our Christian lives we can very often become anxious and frustrated. We've spoken to friends and family members of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, the holiness, the perfections of our triune God, the sinfulness of men, the glory of Jesus Christ in saving men from their sins.
They will have nothing of it. It's folly, it's madness, it's ridiculed, it's mocked. We get frustrated and we can figuratively, or maybe for some of us, literally bang our heads against the wall. We should never do that.
Why? Because the God over those things is the God of the Apostle Paul. This man was seeking to put an end to Christianity, to put it down. He shed the blood of men and women in order that he might bring an end to the Christian faith.
And yet God comes upon the wings of victorious grace and brings that wretch. to salvation in Jesus Christ the Lord. Never count persons beyond the reach of divine grace. Pray for them. Remain diligent.
There is sufficient biblical warrant to stop at some point preaching if they're coming at you with guns and knives, but insofar as there's still breath in their lungs and they're not railing outright against the things of the kingdom, Keep with diligence proclaiming the gospel of saving grace, because there are none beyond the reach of amazing grace. Thirdly, respect the persons God has ordained to bring the gospel of peace. There is in this letter, even in just these, well, in the entirety of chapter one, where Paul is arguing for his apostleship, there is sufficient warrant that extends to us in our own day, that we are to respect those who have been commissioned to proclaim the gospel of peace. We are not to exalt men, but we are to respect those whom God has put in places of influence to proclaim the gospel of saving grace.
Second: The Audience
Well, let's move on to the audience. Who's the audience here? In fact, before we do, we ought not to skip by the first part of verse 2. And all the brethren who are with me.
So the Apostle Paul is the author of this letter. He gives this qualification respecting his apostleship that it is by divine commission. And then he says, and all the brethren who are with me. There's something important in this too.
Well, first off, who are all these brethren that are with him? It's probably not the congregation of Christians that he found himself among. I mean, that's fine if you would hold that to understanding of that portion of the verse. It's most likely certain people in his inner circle that bear the same recognition of the proper gospel of saving grace.
In other words, it's not just Paul alone who is the proclaimer of justification by faith alone without the works of the law, not by the works of the law, but all these brethren that are with him. It's not just Paul, this rogue apostle, running around preaching a gospel of saving and victorious grace, but rather the brethren that are with him bear the mark of a stamp of approval upon the legitimacy and the veracity, that means the certain truthfulness, that the gospel of Jesus Christ is such that we're saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ Jesus alone, and not by the works of the law. For if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain. So who is the audience?
He writes to the churches of Galatia. And two things we ought to note here. First off, who these churches are. I know I've already alluded to it briefly, In engaging in that exercise that was just recommended,
The Galatian Churches in Acts
let's turn to Acts 13 for a moment. We're not going to read the whole portion, but just to make a note of who these churches in South Galatia are. Acts 13. We want to make two observations from the text that speak to the populating, if you will, of the churches of Galatia by amazing grace through the gospel's proclamation.
But notice that in Acts 13 we have the ministry of the Apostle Paul. We have the apostolic ministry going out to many churches. And you'll notice first we have Pisidian Antioch. There is the Antioch in Pisidia that they go to.
They preach the gospel there. They go to Iconium. They go to Lystra. They go to Derbe, etc.
Those are the churches that populate South Galatia. Notice a summary report in Acts 13, verse 48. Now, when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord, and as many as had been appointed to eternal life, believed. So, at the preaching in Pisidia and Antioch, they preach the gospel of glorious and saving grace, and there are those gathered who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, having aforehand been appointed unto faith.
As many as had been appointed to eternal life believed." And then notice in verse 1 of chapter 14, now it happened at Iconium, that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews and so spoke that a great multitude, both of the Jews and of the Greeks, believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands." So you see there, if you read through that narrative, you see how God is populating, if you will, these churches in South Galatia. He preaches the gospel of Christ, and many Jews and Gentiles are brought into the church by amazing and victorious grace. and these are the churches of Galatia that Paul is writing to.
Now,
A Subtle Rebuke in the Address
a second thing we ought to observe here is the fact that Paul only says or only writes to the churches of Galatia. He doesn't write to the churches of God in Galatia called to be saints. He doesn't write, to my beloved brethren in Galatia, grace to you. Well, he does say grace to you, but he doesn't say to the churches beloved of God in Galatia.
And there may be a reason for that. There may be in here a subtle rebuke. Notice in the book of Romans. Verse 7 of chapter 1.
Notice what we find there. This is the Apostle Paul. Then he uses the same benediction, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. But you see what is present here that is absent in Galatia He says, Beloved of God, called to be saints.
In 1 Corinthians 1, what do we find there? We find, To the church of God, which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints. In 2 Corinthians 1, we find this, To the church of God, which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia. And just bear with me, in Ephesians chapter 1, notice what we find there.
To the saints who are in Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus. Philippians, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi with the bishops and deacons. And finally, but not even to really exhaust the examples, notice in Colossians 1. to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colossae. So now we get back to Galatians 2 here, to the churches of Galatia.
There's probably here a possible rebuke. You see, because verse 6 says, I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different Gospel. You see, what's at stake here in Galatia is dire. It's a grave situation Galatia, in the churches of Galatia.
So Paul is very quick, and he leaves out a reflection upon commendable things, that it's the church of God, that they're beloved of God, that they're saints in Christ Jesus. It's the only instance where he just says, to the churches of Galatia. Now, believe that or don't believe that, that there is a rebuke in there, but I think what follows immediately strengthens that understanding, because he doesn't go off on, you know, we're thankful to God for you, we've prayed for you, etc., etc. He launches immediately into a rebuke.
He launches immediately into this wholesome astonishing that they're turning away from the gospel of grace to a perverted gospel, which is no gospel at all. Now,
Third: The Benediction
Notice then, thirdly, the benediction. The benedictions. We know the author. We know the audience.
Notice the benediction. Verse 3, Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. We need to observe and we need to appreciate that these aren't just mechanical words. It's not just an apostolic formula.
Again, the Apostle Paul wasn't sitting down, you know, just getting this introduction out of the way, yawning, as he says, grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Heaven forbid. This is rich with pastoral love and care. What is the answer to the issue in Galatia?
What is the answer? What is the remedy to the perversion of the gospel? Well, it's certainly that the triune God would bring to the hearts of the churches of Galatia grace and peace. We'll see why in a moment, but we need to appreciate that, at large, this is not simply a formulaic beginning to the letter, but it represents the genuine pastoral heart of the Apostle Paul, and it reflects an immediate need that the Galatian churches had.
Very rightly, not by formula, but rightly, and to a designed purpose, he writes these words, grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. So, just generally then, what does it mean when he writes grace to you and peace? What is he getting at there? Probably what's not in view is salvific grace and peace.
He is writing to saints. He is writing to believers. He is writing to those who are the recipients of the verse for reality, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father. So the grace and peace that's in view is probably not that salvific grace and peace that God affects in the hearts of His elect for His own glory.
Now, no doubt the Apostle Paul preaches that elsewhere, and we ought to understand that for persons who are reading this letter, hearing this letter in the churches that are outside of Christ. God can own such words unto the saving of their souls, but the grace in peace and view is most likely not that salvific or saving grace.
Grace: Increase in Time of Need
What is it then? Well, first, the grace. This can be described as an increase of grace as to its degrees, acts, and exercise as guilt. An increase in grace.
Growth in the grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. We read that in Peter's epistles, don't we? Grow in the grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. That is a reality for Christians.
We are saved by grace, and then by grace we grow in that self. Same grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. And so the grace that's in view is, again, this, an increase of grace as to its degrees, acts, and exercise. One of the places that we find that is in Hebrews 4.
In Hebrews 4. This idea of grace, again, not being a saving grace, but a grace that comes from God to saints, and usually in times of absolute need. Not that we're never outside of the need of God's grace. but very often in time of need, in time of gravity and seriousness. In Hebrews 4.15, what do we have?
We have these blessed words, For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. The Galatians were in a time of need. The Galatians were in a time of...
They were in a very needy time. These people were coming in, tossing away the apostleship of Paul, saying it was through men, that it was by men. Saying he was not commissioned by God, and so this gospel then that this apostle Paul was preaching to you, it's not of God. You see, this is the gospel, the different gospel, the perverted gospel, which is not another that they were preaching, that the errorists, that the heretics, that those troubling the Galatians were preaching.
Christ Jesus, yes, you know, He's enough. He did A, B, and C. But you see, you need to do D through Z. I said that for any Americans in the crowd because it rhymes with C.
You need to do D through Z because Christ didn't do enough to affect your salvation. Christ, yes, you need to believe in Christ, that's good, but you also must be circumcised according to Mosaic institution, and you must adhere to Mosaic precepts in order to be justified before God. You see, Paul doesn't just roll into town and say, oh, let's just all live together, they can have their gospel, we'll have ours, and we'll just sing Kumbaya around the fire. No, Paul speaks to that perverse gospel and calls it such, a different gospel, a perversion of the gospel, one that is to receive anathema, a devotion unto destruction. it incurs the curse and the wrath of God.
That's what's at stake here. They need grace. They need to obtain help from the throne of grace, from Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So that grace in view is just that, an increase in grace.
John Eady speaks of it this way, that grace in this case is that many-sided favor that comes in the form of hope to saints in despondency, of joy to them in sorrow, of patience to them in suffering, of victory to them under assault, and of final triumph to them in the hour of death. We ought to pray. We may never come under such things as many of our brothers and sisters of Christ have and do and will come under. But we ought to always pray for such grace that we would have hope in times of our own despondency. that we would have the strength from on high given to us to endure through these trials, through afflictions, that we would have victory under assault, final triumph in the hour of death.
Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Peace: Felt Favor of God
What does the peace mean then? If grace is not necessarily that saving grace, but rather that growth in grace, that strengthening of grace, that increase of grace, what then is the peace being spoken of? Well, again, it's probably not that saving, reconciliatory peace between God and man, but there would needs be a chastening taken away, by a correction back to the proper gospel. If Paul is marveling that they were turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, then they would need that peace restored in the sense of the chastening of the Father casting a chastening eye upon a wayward saint.
But the peace that's in view is probably, and we'll list a few descriptions or a few definitions of what the peace in view is. Mental tranquility, you know, bear with me with that one. I'm not talking about a Buddhist mental tranquility where they're just supposed to meditate somewhere in the Iconium Desert and, you know, just empty their minds of all thought and hum. Mental tranquility, perhaps further defined this way, the felt enjoyment of the favor of God, peace in the conscience, and as Edy says, that form of spiritual blessing which keeps the heart in a state of happy repose.
Why do they need peace? Why do they need this happy state? Why do they need an inflamed conscience calmed and restored? Why do they need the waters of peace to wash away the flames of mental intranquility?
Well, because they are being taught to assume, they are being taught to believe that they need to engage in obedience to the law of God in order to merit His favor. If any man, woman, boy or girl ever under a system that says that you must strive unto perfection in order to merit justification and divine favor, we would never be at peace under such a system. Never at peace. What is the autobiographical report of Martin Luther?
He was tormented. tormented in this task that he thought he had to go through. You know, he had to do X, Y, and Z. Perfect obedience to the law of God. This righteousness that avails with God in that system was a righteousness that he had to perfect through his life.
Obedience to precept after precept. Purification law after purification law. institution after institution of the Roman Catholic Church, in order to maybe, at the end of that laborious journey, maybe hear words, enter the bliss of everlasting life. But probably not even that. Enter purgatory, where for an indeterminate amount of time, you'll have to go through purging after purging until God lets you into the bliss of everlasting life.
What a peaceless religion that is. You see, these were in a state where they were being taught that it is not justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. There is a Christ element, but you see, we also need the act of circumcision. We also need to adhere to mosaic institution after institution in order to finally hear those words.
Enter ye faithful to the bliss of everlasting life. They would have been taxed, stressed, burdened down with things that never entered into the mind of God. This is why Paul writes in Galatians 5 at verse 1, Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. It's hard for me to read that verse without thinking of Alan Cairns, I think, with his Irish accent.
I listened to a sermon when God first saved me. He was preaching on the Reformation and he's in the King James. I can't say it without the King James English, too, that is in there. But stand fast thereby in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
You see, that's what's at stake here, being entangled in a yoke of bondage. Oh, the Gospel of amazing and victorious grace. It casts off all bondage. It casts away, that chases away all manner or institution of religion that would say, yes, we can add, yes, we must add, whether partially or to completion, things to the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
May that never enter into the churches of Christ. May that never enter into a true church of the Lord Jesus Christ to argue that Christ is not enough. Horror and affront to the gospel of saving grace is any such thought. Paul, writing at the end of Galatians 2, writes these words, and this is what is at stake ultimately.
I do not set aside, verse 21, the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain. The cross of Christ, that blessed though horrible act, Wicked act of wicked men delivering Christ up to death, though in the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God an event foreordained unto the salvation of multitudes that no man can number. But that glorious event, that glorious, glorious event is rendered as vanity and is rendered empty and is rendered as no effect if we can be justified whether in part or completely by adherence to the law. Christ came in vain then.
Christ died in vain then. You see why some look at the present landscape of religion, Christian religion, and those who would say that they are Christian but are not. There's this idea that we just need to seek peace. It's been 500 years since the Council of Trent and the Protestant Reformation.
Can't we all just grab a guitar grab some Oscar Mayer wieners and sit around a fire and sing Kumbaya and just disregard the gospel of Jesus Christ at the point of justification. Of course we can't. You see what's at stake here? Oh, you mean Protestants?
Oh, you mean adherence to confessions of faith throughout the years that have upheld justification by faith alone apart from the works of the law? Why are you so mean to those who are preaching a little different gospel? It's not just a different gospel. It's no gospel at all.
It's the perversity of true and proper and holy religion. to say that Christ coming into this world, giving His life, a ransom for guilty sinners, perfecting the saving work that God the Father sent Him to do, that's not enough. To look at the bleeding wounds of the Lord Jesus Christ, in effect, obviously not looking, literally, but to look upon the bleeding wounds of the Lord Jesus Christ, a massacred body upon Golgotha's gibbet, and to say, you know, that's not enough. to dwell upon a victorious Redeemer arising from the tomb, victorious in His saving work, ascending to the right hand of the Majesty on high where He receives dominion and glory and a kingdom, and to say, no, it's not enough. I need to tape stones to my knees and walk upstairs to a statue of the Virgin Mary in order to possibly get into heaven. I need to do X, Y, and Z in order to merit everlasting life.
No, Christ paid it all, all to Him I owe. Nothing in our hands do we bring, but simply to Christ's cross do we cling. That's what's at stake. And this is all to get back to peace, brethren.
Peace in your souls you will not have if you're seeking to merit the favor of God by obedience to the law. If you're seeking justification, if you're seeking salvation and redemption by your own doing, you will never find peace. To have peace, you need to be resigned by grace unto this reality, that Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe.
What a blessed gospel. It is Christ who worked perfectly. It is Christ who obeyed perfectly. It is Christ who died a perfect death upon Calvary's tree so as to secure the salvation of a multitude that no man can number.
Not an atonement of maybe. Not an atonement of perhaps. Not an atonement that needs supplementation by the deeds of the sons of men. Perfect atonement.
Perfect saving work. And a glorious march from death's tomb. A glorious march from that tomb. Victorious was our Savior.
We not not. We can not. God forbid that anyone would cast him under the dirt of a religion of salvation by works, whether in part or in completion. Grace to you and peace.
The felt enjoyment of the favor of God, peace in the conscience, that form of spiritual blessing which keeps the heart in a state of happy repose. We find that in this benediction. Perhaps you've, maybe you haven't, but maybe you have. When you read these benedictions sometimes, for example this one, notice what it is in its fullness.
Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
A Trinitarian Benediction
There's noticeably someone, a person of the Trinity, absent from this benediction. Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps the question has arisen, arised in your Bible reading, where's the Holy Spirit? For example, if you read Paul in other portions of his letters, we have that same benediction identically, grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ in Romans 1-7, 1 Corinthians 1-3, 2 Corinthians 1-2, Ephesians 1-2, Philippians 1-2, Colossians 1-2, 2 Thessalonians 1-2.
The Apostle Paul really liked to place that in verse 2, didn't he? There was no versification when he wrote. 2 Thessalonians 1-2, Philemon, I said that for those who don't like the way I pronounce Philemon, Philomone 1-3, and other variations as well that have just a little bit different language. Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Make no mistake that this is still a triune benediction. a triune benediction.
This is Ambrose, a brother of old from the late 4th century. And peace is good and necessary. Oh, excuse me, that's Ambrose, but not the right one. You see, then, that we are told that the grace of the Father and the Son is one, and the peace of the Father and the Son is one.
But this grace and peace is the fruit of the Spirit. as the Apostle taught us himself, saying, but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience. What we have here is a triune benediction, and that is simply seen in this, that the Holy Spirit, though not explicit, is implicit as the one who brings grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a triune benediction. This isn't some example of, well, you know, the early apostolic church wasn't fully flowered yet in its Trinitarian doctrine.
The Apostle Paul hadn't yet realized that the Holy... Of course not. We see Trinitarian theology throughout. But the grace and the peace is brought from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit.
Make no mistake, this is a Trinitarian benediction. In fact, what we have in view here, or we can see this later in the book in Galatians 4. We're going to close in a couple of minutes here, but turn to Galatians 4 for a moment just so that we can see Paul's Trinitarianism simply in one verse benediction, even though the Holy Spirit, while not mentioned, is present by virtue of being the one who brings grace and peace to the hearts of believers. Notice in Galatians 4, beginning in verse 4.
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Verse 6, And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, Abba, Father. Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. You see the sending forth language there of God pertaining to the Spirit.
God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts. Our Confession of Faith, chapter 14, paragraph 1, says that that grace of faith, whereby the elect are enabled to believe unto the saving of their souls, is the work of the Spirit in their hearts, and is ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the Word and also Lord's Supper and the baptism, prayer, other means ordained by God. It is increased and strengthened. The Holy Spirit is not absent from the benediction, though not explicitly there.
He is implicitly there as the one who is sent forth by God, the Father and the Son, to bring grace and peace to the hearts of believers. It's important to see that. It's important as it feeds our Trinitarianism. We, as Christians, are Trinitarian.
Let us never hold to a conception of God that is just ambiguously the one and only true God who is not also three. One God in three persons. Blessed Trinity. We are Trinitarian.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We worship one God in three persons. Blessed Trinity. Our confession, speaking about this sending forth language, and in fact, the early church at Galatians 4 and verse 6 used this sent forth from God into your hearts to back up the language of procession of the Holy Spirit.
In this divine and infinite being, there are three subsistences, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit of one substance, power and eternity. each having the whole divine essence and the essence undivided. The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding. The Son is eternally begotten of the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is a Trinitarian benediction. And notice, this language, from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, we should see there the origin of all blessings is God. In times of despondency, where do we go? Do we go to ourselves?
Do we go to help from other people? Well, that's good sometimes. We need the saints to help, to build us up in our most holy faith. Very often we do need each other.
But you see, ultimately and finally, the peace and the grace, the origin of all blessings, these come from God. These come from the throne of grace, that God, that triune God who helps us in time of need. So we need to understand, we need to appreciate, we need to glory in this, that in times of need, every time, but in times of need, when we need supplies of grace and peace, we go to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The equality of the Son with the Father again is brought forth here.
Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. The Son is not somehow inferior to the Father. The Son is not somehow in some sort of authority structure submitted or subordinated to the Father who doesn't also dispense grace and peace, but rather He has divine equality with the Father. Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Application
Brethren, in closing, just two things that we ought to take from this single benediction. First, seek after growth in grace and peace. To seek after growth in grace and peace, that's a hard sentence to say. growth and grace and peace. Brethren, this is what we ought to seek after.
Let it never be the case that we seek after stagnancy in the Christian faith. Let's just float in the water and just bask in the sun. We've arrived. No need for growth and grace.
No need to swim. No need to blast through those waves coming at you. No need to pray for strength in order to swim unto that great day. We need grace to endure.
We need peace to endure. We need strength from on high to endure. Seek after growth in grace and peace. How do we do that?
How do we seek after growth in grace and peace? One thing that hopefully you never roll your eyes at in this church, the way to grow in grace and peace, first off, is to attend unto the means of grace. Come to church. You don't need to seek after a book.
You don't need to go home and Google, OK, pastor Porter said, I need to grow in grace and peace, I need to find a book series, I need to find a conference, how to grow in grace and peace. How do I grow in grace and peace? The preaching of the Word of God, the administration of baptism in the Lord's Supper, prayer, and other means ordained by God. By those things we are strengthened, we are nourished from on high to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of Christ.
Christianity isn't a rogue religion of isolationists where we all just go about and do our thing and we come back into these pews on Sundays, but you know, it's still just me there and I'm going to leave and forget the rest of you. You know that when we stand and when we sing hymns, Our confession says, the Bible says, our confession summing it up, that we are singing to each other psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. You don't open up that hymn book, flip to the page and sing to yourself or for yourself. You're singing for the glory of God and horizontally you're singing for each other, building each other up in our most holy faith, singing back to each other the words of God and the glory of the gospel.
You come to church and you hear the preaching of the Word of God, that particular and a special place where God blesses His people through the proclamation of His Word through cracked pots. That's whereby you're going to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of Christ by coming into church, by sitting down, and by hearing the Word of God proclaimed. and by God's grace faithfully, not by perverters of the saving grace of God and the perfection of the saving work of Christ, but by those who uphold the true and saving doctrine of the true and saving gospel. Baptism in the Lord's Supper, prayer. You know, it's not just church.
We hammer a lot from this pulpit the need to be in church, to be here, you know, Sunday in and Sunday out, and attend unto the means the Lord's Supper. You see as well in your own private homes, there is a place for private worship as well. In your homes, how can you grow in the grace and in the knowledge of Christ? Buy a book by so-and-so?
Well, there's some books out there that might help you, but open up your Bible. There's a book that'll help you. Open up these 66 books of the Old and New Testaments and avail the grace of God through the Spirit by taking in the revelation of the living and true God. Feed your mind and your soul with the blessed words of Holy Writ.
Brethren, One thing that we need in this lower world, when we're beset on all sides by wickedness, maybe not even wickedness, maybe by our own wandering hearts, the attacks of the devil, whatever it may be, we need grace and peace to endure. Pray to our triune God for daily supplies of such things. In times of ease, sometimes we're never brought to contemplate these things. But there are those times where hardship comes.
And will you fall apart? Maybe. You're brought together by the God of grace and peace, though. But prepare your hearts for those times of difficulty by attending unto the means of grace and private worship whereby you can be strengthened by God in grace and in peace.
If you're here this morning and you're outside of Christ, This growing in grace and peace will not help you, because first you need that saving grace from on high, that you might own the name of the Savior and rejoice in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. If you're here and you're outside of Christ, you don't believe in this Jesus, you've put Him off, you've mocked Him, you've just said, perhaps another day, perhaps you're young, you're with your parents, They bring you to church, and you cross your arms, and you don't really care if the preacher finds you with your head down, looking at your watch, or whatever you're looking at, because I'm going to leave soon anyway. You need to understand, or you're old, or you're middle-aged, or however old you are. Boy, girl, man, woman, you're outside of Christ.
Know that that is a horrible lot. It's a horrible place to be. There is one who saves. Why do we need salvation?
Because of the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, the fact that God cannot look with approval or cannot simply look away from depravity and wickedness and the breaking of His law minute after minute, hour after hour, but must wholesomely, with wholesome severity, punish wickedness. You stand under the curse and the wrath of God for breaking His law time and again and for rejecting His Christ. But you see, there is that blessed good news. Christ Jesus came into this world.
Sinners such as you. Sinners such as us to save. The glorious gospel. That's the gospel that was at stake.
That there's one who lived in obedience. That there's one who died a perfect death. That there's one who rose again. And all this to save sinners from their sins.
Look to this Christ. Believe on this Christ. And you will have everlasting life. And you will rejoice along with Paul, giving the triune God glory for such a glorious gospel.
Let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. We rejoice in your revelation to men and what it discloses concerning the perfect work of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We do pray, Lord God, that you would keep us, protect us from any perversions of the gospel. We pray that we would not entertain for a second anything that would seek to sully the finished and perfect work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We pray that you would help us as a church to be unified around these blessed truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ and salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Him and protect us from the attacks of the devil and from the attacks of wicked men who would seek to pervert that. We do pray, Lord God, that You'd go with us now, help us to rejoice in You, help us to sing the praises of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And we do pray, God, that You would just go with Your saints into this upcoming week, strengthening them and giving them daily supplies of grace and peace, that they might order their lives after the Gospel of Christ, that they might conduct themselves, that we all might conduct ourselves in the manner worthy of our calling by grace. And do save sinners, Lord God, even as we're praying and as many are contemplating the things spoken.
As many are contemplating the things read aloud, we do pray that you would conquer the hearts of those who are outside of you. You would come by victorious grace and bring them from deadness to life and light in Christ Jesus the Lord. And it's by His name, in His name, that we do pray. Amen.