In Galatians 1:4-5 grace is defined as unmerited favor or “God’s riches at Christ’s expense.” As such we are gifted God’s riches by simply trusting in Christ’s work on our behalf alone. We don’t need Rules, Regulations and Rituals as they offer us nothing, they won’t make us more right with God, they won’t contribute anything to a more productive joyous life. In fact that will rob us from the peace that only grace can provide!
Think of verse 4 as a simple definition of grace, a summation of grace if you will. Jesus giving Himself for our sins, that in so doing He might deliver us from the power and penalty of this present evil age. The verb “deliver” strikes the keynote in this letter as the Gospel is a gospel of rescue an; “emancipation from a state of bondage.” The idea behind the word “deliver” is not deliverance from the presence of something, but deliverance from the power of something. And what are we rescued out of? “this present evil age.” We will not be delivered from the presence of this present evil age until we go to be with Jesus. But we can experience deliverance from the power of this present evil age right now. He doesn’t take us out of the world He takes us out of the power of evil that is in this world! Jesus’ death isn’t just that we would be forgiven from our evil but that having been forgiven we would live a new life amongst those still dwelling in this evil age and that we may be living what we are proclaiming to those still held in this evil age so that they may be free!
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