“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Galatians 1:3-5)

We would have no hope, if it was not for the grace of God. Jesus came to us with grace. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) Jesus’ glory was with God before the world began. Jesus prayed, “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” (John 17:4-5) Before the world began, Jesus already was full of grace. God already had a plan to bring us back into a relationship with Him before sin entered into the lives of those created in His image. That plan was for God the Son to become flesh and take our sin, dying in our place, then conquering death and sin by rising from the dead. The plan and promise comes to us full of grace and truth.

As Paul writes to the churches in Galatia, He opens his letter with a community prayer acknowledging God’s grace. Grace which has come to us through Jesus’ giving Himself for our sin. “’He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.’” (1 Peter 2:24) His grace not only forgives, but it also rescues us from the evil all around us, “who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age.” (Galatians 1:4) We can now live in the midst of this world and point them to Christ, because by grace we can live in His strength overcoming the ways of the world. Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) We do this because we are to live in His righteousness and not in our sin. “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24) All is given to us by God’s grace through Jesus Christ.

Paul not only offers a prayer in the opening of his book to the churches, but he also concludes the book with a prayer. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.” (Galatians 6:1) His prayer is that those who read it will be filled with Jesus Christ all because God has offered to us grace. Living through the grace of God, we are filled with hope. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2)

In the Love of Jesus,

Michael Block