Wednesday 29th June - Galatians 1

Today’s chapter is Galatians 1, you can read it here

Tom writes:

It says Jesus rescues us from the present evil age. Up front we must acknowledge that our world is still defined by evil. This doesn’t mean that there is no good in the world or that the people around us are altogether wicked. Rather it tells us that something ruthlessly sinister is prowling around with evil intent. When we lie awake at night or mull over the murkier parts of the news, we know this in our hearts and we long for an escape. The nature of our escape route is the question of philosophy and religion and the subject of this letter. In it Paul strains every sinew to stress that human answers to this question will never cut the mustard. All we can do is rearrange the furniture on the Titanic. If we want real rescue our only hope is the God who sits outside of this evil age. The central tenet of this letter is that this God has acted in Jesus to offer us rescue; the gospel of Jesus is God’s revelation that sets us free. So we just trust in it, right? We just get in the lifeboat of the gospel, right?

Well, one of the biggest issues with this present evil age is the cunning of evil. A bit like the triksy ring in the Lord of the Rings evil whispers suggestions that the gospel is not real Truth. The Galatians had listened. They were almost convinced that Paul’s gospel was one that Paul, or some other bloke, had made up to suit their needs. Very similar suggestions are made on social media every single week. The Evil in this Age whispers to us, trying to deconstruct the gospel as if it isn’t from God. Huge numbers of “evangelicals” are buying into this deconstruction project. Galatians shows them how to advance. There is little merit in debating the state of the church or scrolling on social media for a voice that you like. Evil is too good at tricking us when we try to do those things. Instead we need to look at history. Look at the evidence of Paul, his life, and how something from outside turned everything upside down. If you are in this place, make history your friend. Go and read a trusted researcher like Tom Wright or Lee Strobel. Our God has intervened in our world. He did it supremely through Jesus and he is doing it right now. If we look in the right places our faith can set us free.

Question for reflection

What is the gospel that you believe? Is it the same one Paul preached?