Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Galatians 1:3-5 (ESV)
If you were to describe the work of Jesus in just a few words, how would you do it? That is, in a sense, what Paul did in the introduction of this letter to the Galatians.
He began by expressing that the Lord Jesus gave himself for our sins. Jesus offered himself to be the atoning sacrifice to deal with our sin debt. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves.
And in giving himself for us, he delivered us from this present evil age. This is a case of “already, but not yet.” In a very real sense, we are still in this age. Our final deliverance will not come until Jesus returns for us. But we have been born again to a new life. A life that we experience even now in the current age but will be realized more fully in the coming age.
Paul goes on to tell us that this was according to the will of our God and Father. This aligns with John 3:16, “God so loved the world that he sent his Son.” It was the Father’s will that Jesus died for us. And his will that through him we would have eternal life.
See also “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” John 6:38 (ESV)
God’s purpose in creation and our redemption was not to bring glory to himself. But he is rightly glorified because of it. To him be all glory throughout eternity. While it is the Father specifically mentioned here, that glory is to the entire triune God, Father, Son, and Spirit.
