Galatians chapter 1. This morning, we looked at verses 1 to 3, the brief identification of the author and the addressees to the churches of Galatia, and then we looked at verse 3, the benediction, grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Tonight we'll look at verses 4 and 5. where the author Paul further identifies this Lord Jesus Christ, speaks of the will of the Lord God Almighty in the Gospel, and then finishes with a call to doxology. I'll read from verse 1 to verse 10 again, and then we'll pray and have a look at verses 4 and 5.
Once again, the Word of God. Paul, an apostle, not from man nor through man, 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. Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for what Your Word discloses concerning Christ, our Savior, and the salvation of men. We do pray that You would bless this time together in Your Word. We pray again that You would help preacher, that You would be with hearer.
We pray that You would strengthen me, Lord God, in the pulpit. Help me to preach well the things of Your revelation to men. And we do pray, Lord God, that Your saints would leave this place rejoicing, well-equipped, Lord God, that sinners would be saved by your victorious grace, and that this would all yet again be unto the praise of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We pray in the name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Introduction
Well, you'll remember this morning we looked at the author, the audience, and the benediction. This is the Apostle Paul, that one who once was an enemy of the Church of Christ, but by God's grace was placed into Christian apostleship, was saved, and given divine commission to proclaim the riches of Christ unto the Gentiles. Unto Jew and Gentiles, but primarily unto the Gentiles. We have this Paul writing to the churches of Galatia.
Remember those churches founded in Acts 13.1 through 14.28, Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, those churches that constitute southern Galatia. And he writes to these churches and he writes with great urgency. because there were those coming in seeking to trouble them, seeking to steal away their liberty that they had in Christ Jesus, and they were proclaiming a perverse gospel, which is not a different gospel only, but not even a gospel at all, as Paul says in verse 6. And so Paul, with great urgency, writes to them, and he gives them this benediction that we spent some time opening up a little bit this morning. Grace to you and peace from God our Father, or God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now notice what we find following after that, which will be the focus this evening.
The Gospel: Christ Who Gave Himself
Very simply, two things, the gospel and the doxology. the Gospel and the doxology, notice how he identifies, or immediately after the benediction, he further identifies who this Lord Jesus Christ is by speaking concerning His work. And we read in verses 4 and 5, "...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." Now, before we get into looking at the gospel as it's presented by Paul here, we need to know that verse 4 is delivered in order to counter the false gospel that was being preached by the errorists in Galatia. Errorists, again, simply mean those bringing error.
There were those bringing error, perverting the gospel of Christ in Galatia. And verse 4 is a summation, if you will, of the true and saving gospel of God's grace over and against the perverse gospel that was being propagated by wicked men, 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. Notice first, under the Gospel from verse 4, this language, who gave Himself. The text says in verse 4, concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, it says in verse 4, who gave Himself.
We need to take pause there for a moment and appreciate the weight of those three words, who gave Himself.
The Free Act of the Son of God
First off, we want to observe the free act of the Son of God in the redemption of sinners. Notice the language. Who gave Himself? The Lord Jesus Christ gave Himself.
He was under no compulsion. He was under no duress from the Father. He was under no obligation, no natural necessity to come and to give Himself. a ransom for many, but rather, He gave Himself. He freely offered Himself up.
He freely came. He voluntarily submitted to the eternal plan, taking upon himself man's nature to live a perfect life, to die a perfect death, to rise again, to grant salvation to men. The free act of the Son of God in the redemption of sinners. Notice what Owen says with regards to this.
We may behold the glory of Christ in His infinite condescension in taking this office on Him, that is, the office of mediator. We may behold the glory of Christ in His infinite condescension and taking this office on Him and taking our nature to be His own. It did not befall Him by lot or chance. It was not imposed on Him against His will.
It did not belong to Him by any necessity of nature or condition. He stood not in need of it. It was no addition to Him. But of His own mind and accord, He graciously condescended to the assuming and discharge of it.
He freely came, the Son of God, to give His life a ransom for many. That language is blessed for the Christian who gave himself. The free act of the Son of God. There's one text, if we were to talk about the free act of the Son of God in the redemption of sinners, the salvation of men, one text that may come to mind, and that is in Philippians 2.
The preacher of the Gospel in a pulpit in Christ's church. ought often to come to this passage in Philippians 2. Why? Because it is a gospel encapsulated. In fact, it is the intention, the purpose of the Bible encapsulated.
Galatians 2, beginning in verse 5. Notice at this particular point, but notice the glory of everything else there, but at this particular point, the free act of the Son of God in v. 5 of Philippians 2, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself, of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men." Notice the language of the free act of the Son of God continues, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. You see the free act, the voluntary act of the Son of God coming into the world, sinners to save. This language that we find, if you're reading the New King James or the King James, you have this language here, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God.
That simply carries the meaning that Christ did not consider equality with God something to be selfishly grasped or held onto, but rather humbled Himself and came taking on the form of men in order to redeem them. He didn't grasp onto His divinity, but came in the incarnation in order to bring salvation to the sons of men. He made Himself of no reputation. He humbled Himself.
That is the language of Galatians 1.4. Who gave Himself. The free act of the Son of Man. There's a very interesting set of verses in John chapter 10, where in the span of only eight verses, The Lord Christ speaks to this very reality, setting forth the sovereignty of His will, the free act of His own will in the salvation of sinners.
Notice in John 10, five times in the span of eight verses, the Lord Jesus Christ speaks to this reality, the free act of the Son of God in the salvation of sinners. Notice in John 10, beginning in verse 7. John 10, beginning in verse 7, Then Jesus said to them again, Most assuredly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.
I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Now notice in the span of just eight verses, five times Christ speaks to the free act of His will in redemption. I am the Good Shepherd, verse 11, the Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.
The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep, and am known by my own. As the Father knows me, even I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life, that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father." if we were to continue, John chapter 10 is a chapter of the greatest peace and repose to the soul of a Christian, because it finishes with the Father and the Lord Christ having an impenetrable grasp upon Christians, upon those who are saved by grace through faith in Christ.
This text that precedes it speaks to the reality that the Lord Jesus Christ lays down His own life He gives Himself for sinners in verse 11, verse 15, verse 17, and then twice in verse 18, He speaks to that very reality. The free act of the Son of God in the redemption of sinners. Secondly, we want to note, Well, actually, even under this we ought to note, because you might be asking, well, we have in the very book of Galatians, the language in chapter 4, of the Father sending the Son. Notice in Galatians 4.4, a very familiar verse that we often pray at the outset of worship.
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son. We have this reality in Galatians 4 that the Father sends the Son, so by what propriety then can the Son say that He lays down His own life, that He may take it up again, that no one takes it from Him. He lays it down of Himself. How can we read here of the Son who gave Himself for our sins?
We must recognize with regards to the Triune God, with regards to the Trinity, The outward acts of God are the undivided acts of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is one God, there is one will, there is one essence, there is one divine will, and yet we have three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Their outward acts of creation, providence, and redemption are all the undivided acts of Father, Son, and Spirit, yet they correspond with, there is a manner of working peculiar to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that follows after the manner in which they exist in the Godhead. If you want to talk to me about that afterwards, come and talk to me.
But because the Son has equality with the Father, and because there is a unity of purpose in the triune God to effect the salvation of men, we can with propriety say and read that the Father sent the Son and that the Son lays down His life of His own accord. Christ gave Himself. And notice, it is as well seen in this who gave himself is also seen in the assumption of our nature in order to be the suffering servant. So first, if this who gave himself pertains to his free act as the Son of God affecting the redemption of men, secondly, we need to recognize that that's seen in the assumption of our nature in order to be the suffering servant.
Christ takes to himself humanity. That's what the Philippians 2 text said, didn't it? He humbles himself and comes in the form of a bondservant. He takes to himself the likeness of man, not some sort of fake appearance as a man, but the actual humanity, save for sin, that you and I have.
Christ takes to himself humanity to effect the salvation of sinners. Blessed gospel, who gave himself? The Son of God condescends from such a height to our lower world of shame in order to take on our nature and affect the salvation of men. Our Christian regenerate hearts ought to skip, ought to be immensely warmed by the reality that the Son of God came sinners to save, taking upon Himself our nature, as our confession says, with all the essential properties and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin.
What does that mean? He has the same temptations, the same weaknesses, not with sin, but with regards to the fact that we read of our Christ that He was weary, He was hungry, He was tired. He needed to lay his head down upon that boat, and in many other instances. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the One who is eternal and unchangeable, and all of those divine perfections, takes to Himself our nature in order that He might save us from our sins.
Again, scan the world, search the earth, Research, well, don't really do that. It would be a burden and laborious to research all the religions and that sort of thing. But to see, to read about the various religions out there, none of them have our Redeemer Christ. What a blessed thing it is to be found within the number of those called from darkness to light who, by God's grace, can own the triune God and the Savior of men.
No other religion has God taking upon himself humanity in order that he might alone save us from the wrath of God, from the condemnation, the power and the guilt of sin. Blessed Gospel. He assumes our nature in order to be the suffering servant. That is also wrapped up in this language, who gave himself.
What else is? The taking on of the whole course of a vicarious obedience. What does that mean, vicarious? Kids, maybe you've heard that before.
Adults, maybe you've heard that before. When we read who gave himself, And we say that that includes the taking on of the whole course of a vicarious obedience. What does that mean? It simply means that Christ vicariously, that is, in our place, was obedient to the law of the Father so that we might have a righteousness that avails with Him.
That's why we can have peace with God. Because our righteousness does not come from ourselves, from a slavish obedience to the law of God, from even if we could even manufacture a reality, the joyful obedience to the law of God in order to merit salvation. There is no universe such as that. But an obedience to the law of God in order to win our own salvation is a peaceless religion because it can never happen.
We're sinful. We're depraved. We're dead in our trespasses and in our sins until the grace of God makes us alive in Christ. And then the righteousness that avails with the divine magistrate is not our own righteousness, heaven forbid. the righteousness of another, the Lord Jesus Christ.
And so when we read who gave Himself, we are to understand, among many other things, this reality that He took on the whole course of a vicarious obedience. He was obedient to the law at every place, in our place, so that we might be justified before God. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him.
Not through our own righteousness, which is from the law, but through the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone. Lastly, under who gave Himself, we see that as well in, and of course, the giving of Himself sacrificially upon the cross. Don't all things converge there at Golgotha? Calvary.
The giving of Himself is seen in the giving of Himself sacrificially upon the cross. When we read, who gave Himself, we are to contemplate many things, but we need to arrive at the cross, because that's where He affects the salvation of sinners. That's where He perfectly secures the multitude of sinners that no man can number. The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Beautiful, glorious cross. And these considerations of the things wrapped up in who gave Himself for our sins, never depart a consideration of these things without recognizing the love of Christ. The love of Christ. What do we have in Galatians 2?
If we flip a page over, do we find, resting behind, foundationally under the giving of Himself, Notice in Galatians 2, beginning in verse 19, "'For I through the law died to the law, that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.'" The infinite and unchangeable love of God rests behind the cross of Christ.
The infinite and unchangeable love of God rests behind this reality that the Lord Jesus Christ gave Himself. The love of Christ in the salvation of sinners. Before we move on to for our sins, we need to remark, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, that The cross of Christ in Christ giving Himself is front and center in this epistle. Remember, what's at stake?
What is at stake? You see, Paul is marveling, verse 6. He's astonished. He cannot believe that they are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel.
Why is he so astonished? And why does he marvel? because of the verse 21 reality again, that if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain. The cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, that doctrine of the perfect, substitutionary, sacrificial death of the King of kings and the Lord of lords, is front and center, and we ought to never leave a consideration of Christ giving Himself without glorying in the cross.
For Our Sins: Substitutionary Sacrifice
Secondly, we need to note under the Gospel the language here, for our sins, because you see the text continues, beginning again though, at our Lord Jesus Christ who gave Himself for our sins. You see, if the language of our Lord Jesus Christ who gave Himself wasn't enough, the Apostle Paul amplifies it and girds it up with the additional language, for our sins. Christ gave himself for our sins. What we ought to notice first at this point is the substitutionary nature of the giving of himself.
That's a long word, substitutionary, but it is a necessary and an absolutely glorious word when we talk about the Lord Jesus Christ. What does it mean? Christ died in our stead. He died for us.
Whenever you read in the scriptures the language that Christ died for us, we ought not to simply have some ambiguous idea of love, that He did that as a gift to us, though that is glorious. Christ did it as an exercise, an application, an expression of that infinite and unchangeable love, and it is a gift, brethren. It is a gift. But when we read Christ died for us, we ought to recognize that that carries the meaning of in our place, in our stead.
Instead of us, he took upon himself the wrath of God at Calvary's cross. Glorious truth. The substitutionary nature of the cross work of Christ. Notice we have that in Galatians 3.
In this book, remember, the cross is front and center. If righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain. Galatians 3.13. Notice what we read there.
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. For Christ's elect, for His people, He bore that curse upon Calvary's tree. For us.
The language of Isaiah 53 is appropriated. That is, taken on by. Peter in his first epistle. Notice the glorious language speaking about the substitutionary nature of the giving of Christ in 1 Peter 2.
In 1 Peter 2, beginning in verse 20. For what credit is it if, when, you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow his steps, who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth.
Who, when he was reviled, did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously. who himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness, by whose stripes you were healed." Isn't that glorious? First, in verse 21, because Christ also suffered for us, But you see, that language of substitution is brought more to clarity and more to the fore in verse 24, where we read, "...who himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree." Substitutionary sacrifice. Christ bore our sins.
He became a curse for us. There is much more wrapped up in Christ died for us than I think the modern church attributes to those blessed words. Christ died for us. He died taking our sins in His own body on the tree, that we having died to sins might live for righteousness.
Oh, blessed gospel. the substitutionary nature of the giving of Himself.
Active and Passive Obedience
Not only was His obedience to the law of God vicarious, that is, for us, in our place, so was His death. In His active and in His passive obedience, Christ does these things for us, for His people, for all who believe in His name. Glorious, glorious gospel again. Do you see what's at stake in following after any other gospel?
In preaching any other gospel? Any other gospel that does not find at the heart of it the free grace of God and the salvation of sinners by the work of Christ alone steals from the glory of Christ and the perfection of His work. It is to do violence to the finished and perfect work of Christ to say that in part or in whole salvation can be affected by the doings of the sons of men. That is why it is so vital that Paul launches immediately into a condemnation of the false gospel, because it steals from the glory of Christ, rendering it as vain and empty because of the deeds of men somehow availing before God.
As well, what do we see in the language of for our sins? We see that He saves us from the guilt and the condemnation of sin. He saves us from the guilt and condemnation of sin, who gave Himself for our sins. It was substitutionary, and in so doing that, or in so dying that substitutionary sacrificial death, Christ saves us from the condemnation and the guilt of sin.
Death no longer has a hold on us. Hades no longer has victory over us. O death, where is your victory? O Hades, where is your sting?
Christ Jesus has conquered death for us by virtue of His death. The sixth century Byzantine emperor Justinian wrote a hymn, and in it he penned these words, O Christ our God, trampling down death by death, save us. Isn't that glorious? That's how Christ tramples down death by the death of Himself.
He gives Himself a ransom for sinners. He dies that cross death, and in so doing has victory for us, all who believe, over death and the condemnation of sin. And as well, He cleanses us from the guilt of sin. It's that beautiful language in Hebrews chapter 1 that speaks of the Lord Christ and His saving work, and it uses the language of a thoroughgoing cleansing.
The language is, "...upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins." Isn't that beautiful? He purged our sins. Do you know that that word is used by John the Baptist talking about the Lord Christ coming to thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor? Thoroughly purging.
All of the impurities. Christ comes, this One who upholds all things by the Word of His power. Notice, when He had by Himself, that language again of the free act of the Son of God and the redemption of sinners, when He had by Himself purged our sins, He cleanses us from the guilt of sin. Remember, that guilt isn't only, isn't first seen in the psychological weight and stress of having violated the law of God and having sinned, though He helps us with that too.
It is the legal culpability that we have for having transgressed God's law. Just like a criminal guilty of a crime, so too are all the sons of men guilty of violating the law of God. And Christ comes for His elect, for His people, for all who believe, and He by Himself purges, that is, thoroughly cleanses the threshing floor of the hearts of His people. Purging us from our sins. who gave Himself for our sins.
Blessed words by the Apostle Paul.
Deliverance from This Present Evil Age
Notice as well, continuing along with the Gospel, thirdly, we have the language in v. 4, who gave Himself for our sins that He might deliver us from this present evil age. This language of deliverance applied to the Lord Jesus Christ. He effects a deliverance for His people. He delivers us.
You see, in these sorts of passages, never just roll through a reading without pausing and considering the weight of each clause, the weight of every word, 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. Now, what does this language mean, this present evil age? A few options. this present evil age, does it pertain alone to the contemporary time that Paul found himself in? This present time where he's writing to the Galatians in order to issue a corrective against any perversion of the gospel?
Is it only speaking this present evil age to the troublous times there that they were going through when these Judaizers were perverting the gospel of saving grace? Probably not though that is something that they're delivered from is it perhaps speaking about their bondage to the bondage to the Mosaic institutions and that that present evil age that they're being delivered from is it only in other words confined to the first century and Or does it speak to this present world system throughout the ages? And this is Edie on this. The phrase, the present evil world, cannot therefore mean merely the mosaical constitution or the entire system of things defective and unsatisfactory connected with it.
An exegesis too technical and narrow, and which comes far short of the meaning of the Apostle's pregnant words. The meaning of the verse is that the purpose of Christ's self-sacrifice was to rescue believers out of a condition fraught with infinite peril to them, the kingdom of darkness, and bring them into a condition safe and blessed, the kingdom of His dear Son. That's what we have wrapped up in that passage, is that second option that Edy brings out, that he delivers us, Christ does, from this system of the world, this system of depravity and sin, this system of peril, the kingdom of darkness, bringing us from out of that kingdom of darkness by His grace to the kingdom of the Son of His love. He delivers us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father.
Perhaps what is in view is the stuff of Ephesians 2, 1-3. Ephesians 2, 1-3, where we read these words, And you, He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the Spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. This present evil world, Christ, by the giving of Himself, delivers us from that present evil world. The blessed change comes in verse 4, "...but God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved." You see, we glory in that truth, don't we?
That Christ delivered us from this present evil age. delivered us from the wooings of the devil, falling into temptations by the father of lies and murder himself. No longer are we children of the devil, but we're children of God. Brought forth from darkness to light, from out of the bondage to sin, from out of our own bondage to our own depraved wills, Christ delivers us from the madness of that state. And he delivers us from the allure of the world.
The world no longer has sway over us. We're no longer attached, affixed, falling under her allure, but rather we're free from the power of sin in that regard. In fact, the Apostle Paul, in the book of Galatians, in verse 14 of chapter 6, speaks to that where he writes, But God forbid that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." You see, by the saving crosswork of the Lord Jesus Christ, we've been circumcised from the world. We've been set apart.
We've been delivered. We've been crucified to the world, and the world has been to us. We have been delivered from this present evil age.
According to the Will of God
And notice, lastly, it is according to the will of our God and Father. Lastly, under the Gospel, before we move on, closing with the doxology, that this is according to the will of our God and Father. Let's read the phrase again. 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. and Father.
The sovereignty of God in the salvation of sinners. The eternal purpose of God displayed in the saving work of Christ and in the salvation of His elect. What a glorious Bible that we have. Again, this isn't a corpus of 66 books slapped haphazardly together that is constituted by some ancient truths.
This is God's revelation to men wherein contained is the true account of Christ who came into the world, sinners to save. It's the opening up of the eternal purpose of God in the saving work of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, effecting the salvation of a multitude that no man can number. It is according to the will of our God and Father. Speaking, of course, again to the free act of the Son of God and the redemption of sinners, at this point, Christ Himself was resigned unto the fact that He was doing the will of God and that it was an eternal purpose.
In the book of Luke, in fact, on the night in which He was betrayed, the Lord Jesus Christ with great diligence, with great resolute confidence in marching to the cross, speaks these words when he's betrayed by Judas. In Luke 22. Notice this wonderful language here. Beginning in verse 20 of Luke 22.
Likewise, he also took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you. But behold, the hand of my betrayer is with me on the table. And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined. But woe to that man by whom he is betrayed.
See, the Lord Jesus Christ understood the sovereign purpose of God in the salvation of sinners. He understood that he must march to the cross. He has that moment in the garden, yes, where he cries out, Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.
You talk to me afterwards, that is Christ speaking after His humanity, after the fact that He took to Himself man's nature. It's not the Son of God with one will, you know, coming up against, if you will, the will of the Father. both according to their divine natures, but rather it is the man Christ in the travail of the garden, the travail of soul, crying out, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. But all that to come back to this, Christ was resigned to the fact that this was the eternal purpose of God. Truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, as it has been aforehand written, as it has been eternally preordained.
You see, Peter was listening on this day. Peter was present. And what does he say in his first epistle? That we have been redeemed not by corruptible things like silver and gold, but by the precious blood of Jesus Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last days for you. Christ Jesus was resigned unto this reality that the giving of Himself for our sins that He might deliver us from this present evil age was according to the will of our God and Father.
The Doxology: Glory Forever and Ever
Lastly then, if we find our way back to Galatians, we want to close with a recognition of the doxology. Notice back in Galatians 1, beginning in verse 3, 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. It's a good way to close that portion of the introduction to his letter, isn't it?
It's always a good way to close anything with, to whom be glory forever and ever, amen, when we're talking about God and his saving work. To whom be glory forever and ever, amen. What does this mean? What does this mean, to whom be glory forever and ever, amen?
God Does Not Stand in Need of Glory
Well, first off, what it doesn't mean, it doesn't mean that God stands in need of glory. That is, He doesn't stand in want or in lack of anything. Glory, we're considering right now. To whom be glory forever and ever.
Amen. It is a call for the Galatians to give unto the Lord glory. So, are we to understand that God is or does stand in need of glory to be added to Him? Of course not.
Our confession speaks this way. We'll see where in the Bible it backs this statement up. Our Confession says this with regards to God not standing in need of glory. God having all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of Himself, is alone in and unto Himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creature which He hath made, nor deriving any glory from them.
Where would the framers of our confession get that from? Well, one place would be, well, they get it from the Bible, but the one place in the Bible specifically that they would get it from is in Job 41. This is a text that Paul picks up in Romans 11, but notice in Job 41. Job 41 at verse 10.
No one is so fierce that He would dare stir Him up. Who then is able to stand against Me? Who has preceded Me that I should pay Him? Everything under heaven is Mine." That language of, Who has preceded Me?
We could understand that as, Who has given to Me? Who has given unto Me that I should pay back to Him? Everything under heaven is Mine. See, the argument that God is making here, He doesn't have, He doesn't owe anybody anything.
He doesn't have some onus unto anyone. He isn't obligated to render unto anyone anything. but rather everything under heaven is His. What can we give unto God? What can we render unto Him that He does not already have in the eternal blessedness of Himself?
Notice in Acts 17, this language that speaks to the very thing. And you see, if God stood in want of anything, if God stood in lack of something, if men could give something to God that He stood in absence of, He would then be a pagan deity, a god of the Gentiles. God is perfect in his eternal blessedness, and this is one of Paul's arguments, arguing against pagan deities in one sense in Acts 17, beginning in verse 22. Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious.
For as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription to the unknown God. Therefore, the one whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you. God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is He worshipped with men's hands as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. You see, in an infinite and in a stark contrast to the pagan deities that surrounded God's people throughout the ages, God does not stand in need of anything that He has made.
But rather, you notice the language here, nor is He worshipped with men's hands. Well, wait a minute. Don't we serve God? What is Paul saying here?
Nor is He worshipped with men's hands. Well, the qualification comes as though He needed anything. God doesn't need a ministering unto. God does not stand in want of glory, blessedness, or anything, but rather is the eternally blessed God.
Amen. He does not stand in need of anything since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. The very glory that we ascribe unto God is given by the strength that He affords unto us, and the breath whereby we proclaim His glories is spoken by the very breath He gives us. God does not stand in need of any creature He hath made, nor does He derive any glory from them.
Ascribing Glory to God
So then, what does it mean then, to whom be glory forever and ever? It simply means that we are to ascribe unto the Lord the glory due His name. It is a call to His creatures to ascribe unto the Lord the glory that He only ever and always eternally has as the One who is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in all of His perfections. So this Pauline doxology, to whom be glory forever and ever, Amen, is a call is imploring the Galatians to render unto the Lord glory and strength.
There's that very interesting text in Psalm 29. Very interesting, because one of the interpretations of what the psalmist is saying is that he is mocking heathen deities, mocking pagan gods, which are no gods at all, calling on them to render worship unto the only living and true God. Notice Psalm 29, at this very point, of ascribing to God the glory that is due His name. Psalm 29, verse 1, Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, give unto the Lord glory and strength.
Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. So what is Paul doing in Galatians then when he says, to whom be glory forever and ever, Amen? He is calling upon the Galatians to understand and to know their God, and to reflect upon what God has done through Christ, according to His will, through the giving of Christ for the salvation of sinners, and to worship God. to ascribe unto Him glory and strength, to render unto God the glory due to His name.
Why? Because He, even He is the Lord, who blotteth out our transgressions for His own namesake. He is truly to be praised, truly to be honored, and truly to be gloried in. Charnock writes, He could not be the most blessed being if He were not always so, and should not forever remain to be so.
He is blessed from everlasting to everlasting. It's interesting, if you read your Bibles from Genesis through to Malachi in the Old Testament, well actually if you read it from Genesis through to Revelation, there's only five times where there is a double Amen. That is a phrase, Amen and Amen. There's one instance in Numbers 5 that we won't refer to right now.
You can read it later in Numbers 5, verse 22. In the English, in the New King James, in the King James, I think it is, amen, so let it be, or so be it. But the others, all in the Psalms, Psalm 41, 13, Psalm 72, 19, Psalm 89, 52, and then actually in Nehemiah 8, 6, there is a double amen, amen and amen. In other words, Verily, verily, so be it, so be it, an exclamation of praise and recognition to the worshippers and unto God because of a certain truth that is aforehand mentioned before the amens.
And what is in view in every case is the eternal blessedness of God. when there is a double Amen. In other words, our Lord God does not stand in need of anything which He hath made, having given to all life, breath, and all things, but rather we ascribe unto Him glory and blessing. Blessed is He from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.
So closing then with this.
Application
Three things, and we pray. First, we should know the triune God, Father, Son, and Spirit. Hopefully, just a simple reflection on five verses. Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
The triune benediction. Grace and peace coming by the Spirit from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Christianity is a triune religion. It is not Christianity where the Trinity is rejected.
Unitarianism is not Christianity. Any so-called religion that flies the banner of Christian while rejecting the deity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, specifically the Son and the Spirit, any such religion is no Christian religion at all, but will incur the curse and the anathema of God. Our God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and is to be worshipped as that God, one in three persons, blessed Trinity. Secondly, we are to guard our hearts from false gospels and rejoice in the true gospel.
That's what the point of Galatians is all about. Instructing, aiding, helping, commanding, exhorting the Galatian churches to reject, to guard themselves against all false gospels and to rejoice in the true gospel. That's why he says, I marvel that you are so soon turning away from the gospel of Christ unto another gospel. We are to guard our hearts from false gospels and rejoice in the true gospel.
Do not follow after any other so-called different gospel that wants to say, I've got a new truth. I've got a new gospel. It's sort of like the Christian gospel. It's Christian, but you see, for 2,000 years, the church has misunderstood, Paul.
The church has misunderstood what Christ meant here and there and in the other place. No, guard your hearts against such false gospels. Spurgeon has said something to the effect of, we will have no new gospel and no new God. If anyone comes to you and says, aha, look at my new gospel, he says that is akin to Mary coming up to you, little Mary, the seven year old, and saying, see my pretty new frock?
See my pretty new, whatever a frock is, what is it, a dress, a hat? You see, introducing a new gospel is the same as a child coming up to you and saying, look at this pretty little shiny thing. There is new gospel. There is no new gospel.
There is no new God. We have the God who has ever and always been blessed forever and ever, and the abiding Gospel of the grace of Christ by the perfection of His saving work. There is one Gospel. Guard your hearts against false Gospels and rejoice in the true Gospel, because what is at stake?
It is to render the cross of Christ as empty vanity if we attach anything to His blessed and perfect work. And lastly, ascribe unto God the glory due to His name. That is what we are to do as Christians. We train ourselves for eternity here in this lower earth, ascribing now as we worship to God the glory that is due unto His name.
We train ourselves for joining the angels in that bliss of Emmanuel's land where we will exclaim forever the glory and the blessedness of God. Well, let us close in prayer.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your revelation to men as we've read it tonight from Galatians and in various other places. We rejoice. in you disclosing the salvation through Jesus Christ, disclosing your glory, your holiness, the perfections of your being in your Holy Word, and the reality that man is sinful, that man has transgressed your law, but that blessed remedy, that blessed salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord that you also disclose in the Bible, that one, that only one, given among the sons of men under heaven, that only name by which we can be saved, the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank You that You have made us to know this. We do pray that Your saints, having made known this by Your grace and for Your glory, would leave this place seeking to live in light of their calling.
We do pray that we would bring honor and glory to you in this lower world. Help us by your grace, Lord. Help us by those supplies from the Spirit, those growings and those helps in grace to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of Christ that we might know you more and more, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We do pray that you would help us to guard our hearts, that you would Protect us from false gospels and cause us daily to rejoice in the true.
And we do pray, Lord God, that you would just give us the grace to endure, day after day, that we might give ascriptions of glory unto you, that we might praise you, that we might honor you, that we might find, Sunday after Sunday, ourselves in this place, ascribing unto you glory and strength and the honor that is due to your name. Go with us now, and might in all that we do, might we bring glory to You, and might we be able to do in this lower world those good works in accordance to Your will that might show men the glory of our God, the rightness of the Gospel, and that we might not bring reproach upon the Word of God. We pray in the name of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.