Galatians 1:4
“who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father”.
The verse is one way of describing the gospel (good news); God, the Son, offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins to rescue us from this evil age. There is much to say about this. Let’s start in the opposite order. We needed to be rescued from this evil age.
Before accepting Christ, we had only one nature; a fallen one (Romans 7). Ephesians 2:3 describes this state this way, “Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest”. We lived according to this nature. I John 2:16 adds the pride of life to the lust of the flesh and lust of the mind (eyes). He ascribes this evil trio, not to God, but to the world.
The unregenerated person’s life consists of these. The flesh refers to the bodily appetites that are exercised outside of the biblical guidelines. The lust of the mind is acquiring things and the pride of life is the arrogance of position. This is life on one plane.
The Lord wants us to live on a higher plane. Romans 8:13 says, “for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” The pull of the old nature is to be denied and we are to live according to the new nature.
How does this work? As we go throughout our days, we have plans and goals. These often hit road blocks. We seek to navigate around them. Our frustration grows and we get angry at those who are obstructing us. This is where the higher plane is to be sought. The Lord wants these reactions to be replaced with patience and love. While we can still seek goal fulfillment, we are to let peace reign in us. We put these pursuits in God’s hands. We say, “Lord, if this is Your will, please work it out. Otherwise, show me another way.” We don’t bulldoze our way through people and roadblocks. Also, instead of getting angry at those blocking our way, ask God to give us love and understanding for them.
The low road is made up of selfish opportunism, frustration and anger, while God’s way is made up of His plans and peace. The evil age referred to grinds us down. The Lord wants to rescue us from it.
How does God do this? The first step is to be reconciled to God. Paul says in today’s passage that “He gave himself for our sins”. Our sin separated us from God. Jesus’ death on the cross paid for that sin and reconciled us to God. Before that, we couldn’t reach Him and His holy nature kept Him from us. Once we’ve been forgiven, we are then connected to the great God who loves us and wants the best for us. Once reconciled, the Lord works in us as we go throughout our days. We check in with Him all day. We praise Him for what He does in and through us.
Lord, thank You for the Good News. Thank You that You’ve rescued us and seek to lead us.