Whatever Happened To Grace?

The book of Galatians is the Magna Charta of the Protestant Reformation. It was Martin Luther’s favorite book. The great Epistle was written by the Apostle Paul to the churches in Galatia. History tells us that the churches he addressed were probably Pisidia, Antiock, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. He evangelized these cities on his first missionary journey into what is now sourthern Turkey and Acts 13 and 14 serve as confirmation of his outreach to the non-Jewish world.
Legalism and misunderstanding the grace of God may be the greatest contemporary problem in Christendom. I grew up in a legalistic environment, one that kept me insecure and confused. I thought that I had to be perfect to go to heaven when I died. The preachers and pastors of my childhood painted a very bleak picture of my possibility of going to heaven. Therefore, I was discouraged most of the time and ran from God because I thought it impossible to “live the life” that was presented to me. In my early years as a minister, I found myself preaching the same negative messages that I had been taught. The result was frustration and self-condemnation as I pursued a life of “holiness” and perfection. It was only after years of doubt, confusion and frustration that I discovered the marvelous grace and the implication of the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Jesus paid the full price for my salvation, sanctification, justification and eternal life. Many believers trust the cross for salvation, but then in an all-consuming fashion totally resort to works that they carry out to achieve their sanctification or spiritual formation. The idea is “I embrace the finished work of Christ on the cross for salvation, but what do I do to live a sanctified life?” Paul answers that question in his first letter to the Corinthians. “It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” (I Cor. 1:30)

The words grace and peace are familiar words in the New Testament, especially being used by the Apostle Paul.

Grace is from the Greek word, charis, and has two meanings. (1) It means sheer beauty in the secular sense. The idea is beauty is charm. (2) Theologically, it means underserved generosity – a gift that we do not deserve.

Peace is from the Greek word, erene’, or the Hebrew word, shalom. Paul being Jewish must have had shalom on his mind, and shalom meant more than the absence or cessation of trouble. William Barclay wrote, “It means everything which is to man’s highest good, everything which will make his mind pure, his will resolute and his heart glad.”

Paul announces who brought this grace and peace. He declares the One “who gave Himself for our sins,” referring to the death and resurrection of Christ.

The great evangelical preacher of the twentieth century, Dr. John Stott, declared, “ The death of Jesus was primarily neither a display of love nor an example of heroism. But a sacrifice for sin.” Martin Luther said, “These words are very thunder claps from heaven against all kinds of unrighteousness.”

Paul declared that Christ died “to rescue us from the present evil age…” (Galatians 1:4) The verb, deliver, reveals that it is a gospel of rescue, and emancipation from a state of bondage.

The Greek word for deliver is exaireo and is in the middle voice (which means the subject is acting on behalf of himself). We have other usages in the New Testament: (1) In Acts 7:34 it is used in the rescue of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. (2) The rescue of Peter from prison in Acts 12:11 and (3) The rescue of Paul from the mob in Acts 23:27. Its usage in Galatians is the only place it is used metaphorically of salvation.

What did He rescue us from? This “present evil age” – sin and wickedness. Evil from the Greek word, poeros, which connotes rottenness and extreme evil. John states in I John 3:8, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, the He might destroy the works of the devil.” Are there any greater evil workd than legalism? That which takes from the sacrifice on Calvary and replaces it with good works? Satan loves it when we replace the finished work of Christ on the Cross with good works.

Let us take a look at the false teachers and teaching that invaded the Galatian church. Paul was both surprised and alarmed at the church’s acceptance of those Judaizers. He wrote to them with total sincerity. “I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel.” (verse 6) What does it mean that they were removed? Removed is the Greek word, Metatithemi; it signifies to transfer one’s allegiance, and is used of soldiers in the army who revolt or desert. In reality, they had received a gospel of grace, now they are turning to a gospel of works. What does “another gospel” imply? Acts 15:1 clearly delineates the answer. “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” In Galatians 5:4 Paul declares, “(Y)ou have fallen away from grace.” The context declares they were abandoning grace for the old covenant. Circumcision and other aspects of the old covenant were becoming priorities in their lives.