By J.A. Medders
If Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses registered as a 9.0 earthquake on the Reformation’s Richter scale, his commentary on Galatians was the aftershock. Luther saw in his commentary how the church in Galatia needed a revival around the gospel of grace, and Paul’s letter to them was the catalyst. And honestly, who doesn’t need this kind of kick-start?
Paul wrote this passionate letter to the Galatians because they were toying with the gospel. Because of false teachers in their community, the gospel of grace was being diluted by added human works. But we don’t make the gospel better by adding to it—that’s a quick way to de-grace the gospel. Christ alone makes us righteous before the Father. This is why Paul wrote to the Church, and this is what we still need to hear today on the regular.
Paul jumped to this message immediately, opening with, “Grace to you” (Galatians 1:3). This is not a climb toward grace, stretching to reach for it. It is simply, “grace to you.” Grace is running downhill, meeting us right where we are. Only Jesus can deliver us from our sins—past, present, and future—and we cannot deliver ourselves or make our relationship with God right. Only Jesus can rescue us. Faith alone in Christ alone is the only way we are saved. Simple. Supernatural.
Right now, in the heavenly places, the risen Christ lives for you. The Father raised the Son out of a borrowed tomb, defeating the biggest threat in your life: death. Jesus cracked the jaws of death when His eyelids flung open that Sunday morning. Were any of our works present that first Easter? No. But our risen Savior was there.
Grace alone. Grace always.
And that leads us to Paul’s address, saying, “To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (v.5). And that’s what the book of Galatians is all about: God alone gets the glory. We can’t smuggle in any works, impressiveness, or goodness along with God’s grace. It’s just grace. It’s just Jesus. He is more than enough. Glory to God.
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