Christ Gave Himself to Rescue Us (Galatians 1:1–5)

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Galatians 1:1–5 tells us why Christ gave Himself to rescue us. Paul’s opening greeting introduces the truths the entire letter defends: the gospel comes from Christ, salvation is His work, and the glory belongs to God alone. Jesus did not merely help us get started so we could finish saving ourselves. He gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age.

Why Paul’s Greeting in Galatians 1:1–5 Matters

When you open a letter, how much attention do you give the greeting? Probably not very much. You want to know why the person wrote. If it is a bill, you look for the amount. If it is an invitation, you look for the date. You read the greeting quickly on your way to the important part.

We can read our Bibles that way, too. We open one of Paul’s letters, see his name, read something about grace and peace, and keep moving to get to the important stuff.

But Paul packs so much into his greeting in Galatians that, by the time he finishes it, he has already introduced the truths the whole letter defends.

A little background helps us understand why. Paul had preached the gospel to these people. They believed. Churches were planted. Then Paul moved on.

After he left, some teachers arrived with a different message. They said believing in Jesus was a good start, but Gentile Christians also had to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses. Only then would they be saved.

Sadly, many of the Galatians were listening to these teachers, so Paul had to set them straight.

The Gospel Is Christ’s Message, So No One Has the Right to Change It

Galatians 1:1 (ESV) — Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—

In most of Paul’s letters, he simply says he is an apostle “by the will of God” or “called to be an apostle.” Here, he adds a denial before the affirmation: “Not from men nor through man.” His apostleship did not originate with people.

Why would he need to say that? Because the false teachers were attacking his apostleship. Their argument was something like this: “Paul isn’t one of the real apostles. He wasn’t one of the Twelve. He wasn’t with Jesus. Whatever he knows, he got secondhand. We have better information.”

If they could undermine the messenger, they could undermine the message.

So Paul goes straight to the source of his commission: “Through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.” Notice that last phrase. The Twelve walked with Jesus during His earthly ministry, which was great, but Paul was called by the risen Christ. He met Jesus on the road to Damascus after the resurrection.

This brings us to the first lesson: the gospel is Christ’s message, so no one has the right to change it. Paul defended his apostleship because the message came from Christ, not because he wanted a title.

A few verses later, after defending his authority, he puts himself under the same standard as everyone else:

Galatians 1:8 (ESV) — But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

Did you catch that? “Even if we.” Paul includes himself and his traveling companions. He knew that if he changed the gospel, he would be as wrong as anyone else.

Adding to the Gospel: Jesus Plus Something

Paul uses a similar picture later in the letter:

Galatians 3:15 (ESV) — To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified.

Notice the two ways you can tamper with an agreement: annul it or add to it. The same is true with the gospel. We can subtract from it—Jesus minus something—or add to it—Jesus plus something.

The Galatians’ danger was addition: faith in Christ plus circumcision, or faith in Christ plus the law. There is still that temptation today:

• Jesus plus a list of practices that “real” Christians follow.
• Jesus plus a good enough track record.
• Jesus plus enough prayer and Bible reading.

Typically, we call this legalism. Some of those things may be good or even commanded, but as soon as we act like we are adding anything to our salvation, we are creating a false gospel. As we saw in Haggai, religious activity cannot make us holy.

Subtracting from the Gospel: Jesus Minus Something

The other danger is subtraction. We also see this in our culture:

• The gospel without sin.
• The gospel without repentance.
• The gospel without the cross.
• A Jesus who affirms everyone and confronts no one.

We see this in liberal churches that deny sin and judgment. Other times, it is called “hyper-grace” teaching: Christians never need to confess or repent. This also creates a false gospel, which Paul later says is no gospel at all.

Test Every Teacher by the Unchanging Gospel

This has three applications for us.

First, and most obviously, we do not edit the gospel to make it easier or harder.

Second, the gospel is a litmus test for every teacher. If a teacher cannot get the gospel right, we should not listen to that teacher. That includes your favorite author, the podcast you enjoy, and the teachers at our church—including me. This is a deal-breaker for any Bible teacher’s influence on our lives.

Third, we can rest. There is something very calming and reassuring about the unchanging nature of the gospel. If the gospel were man’s message, it could change with the culture or the next generation. But because it is Christ’s message, it is as unchanging as Christ Himself, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The gospel that saved Abraham, the other saints throughout the Old Testament, Paul, and the other saints throughout the church age is the same gospel that saves sinners today.

Why Paul Offered No Commendation to the Galatians

Galatians 1:2 (ESV) — and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:

Notice three things. First, “all the brothers who are with me.” Paul was not a lone voice with a strange new idea. Other believers stood with him.

Second, he writes “to the churches of Galatia.” Galatia was a region, not a city. Several congregations had the same problem.

Third, that is all he says. There is no commendation in this greeting. In almost every letter Paul wrote to a church, right after the greeting, he thanks God for the people he is writing to. He tells the Romans he thanks God that their faith is proclaimed in all the world. He tells the Philippians he thanks God every time he remembers them.

We have been going through 1 Corinthians in our Sunday-night home fellowship. Corinth had some of the worst problems of any church in the New Testament: division, immorality, lawsuits, and abuse of the Lord’s Supper. Yet listen to how Paul greeted them:

1 Corinthians 1:2 (ESV, excerpt) — To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints…

Sanctified. Called to be saints.

But to the Galatians, just “the churches of Galatia.” There is not a single positive commendation in his greeting. That alone shows how serious it was that they were getting the gospel wrong.

Corinth’s problem was people failing to live out the gospel. Galatia’s problem was people walking away from the gospel itself. Those issues are worlds apart. That is why Paul was so serious with them.

Grace Comes First, and Peace Follows

Galatians 1:3 (ESV) — Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

Paul opens almost every letter with “grace and peace.” But in Galatians, these words carry extra weight.

Grace is God’s unmerited or unearned favor, and it is exactly what the Galatians were leaving. In verse 6, Paul says, “you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ.” For a closer look at these related words, read what the Bible teaches about the difference between mercy and grace.

Peace is the result of grace. When God saves us by grace through faith, “we have peace with God” (Romans 5:1).

Here is the order: grace first, then peace. Never the other way around. You do not work your way to peace with God and then receive grace as a reward. God chooses to be gracious to us, and then peace follows.

The false teachers were reversing that. People who reverse it never have peace, because it is all about what they are doing for God rather than what God has done for them. They never know if they have done enough.

One Gospel for Jews and Gentiles

There is something else worth noticing in these two words. When Greeks wrote letters, they opened with a word that meant “greetings.” Paul changes it to a word that sounds almost the same in Greek: grace. When Jews greeted one another, they said “shalom”—peace.

Paul takes a Greek greeting and a Jewish greeting and puts them side by side to welcome Gentiles and Jews together.

That matters in every letter, but it is especially significant in Galatians because the false teachers were telling Gentile believers they needed to become Jews to be fully accepted by God.

Before Paul ever gets to that argument, his greeting has already shown it. Grace and peace. One gospel for everyone.

Christ Gave Himself to Rescue Us, Not Merely to Help Us

How does God give grace to sinners? Paul tells us in the next verse:

Galatians 1:4 (ESV) — who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

This is the gospel in one sentence. It brings us to the second lesson: Christ gave Himself to rescue us, not merely to help us. There is so much in this verse that we should look at it phrase by phrase.

“Who Gave Himself”: Jesus Went to the Cross Willingly

Nobody took Jesus’ life from Him. He said:

John 10:18 (ESV, excerpt) — No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.

The soldiers, the religious leaders, and Pilate were responsible for their actions. But Jesus went to the cross willingly. He gave Himself.

“For Our Sins”: The Problem Christ Came to Solve

There are many wonderful ways Jesus makes our lives, marriages, and relationships better. But He did not come to give us lives free from trials, ensure we are always healthy, help us make lots of money, or even guarantee perfect marriages and families.

Yes, coming to Christ often means better marriages and families. But for some, especially those with unbelieving spouses or family members, it means the opposite: ruined relationships. When I became a Christian, I largely became estranged from my Catholic family members.

That is why it is important to remember the primary reason Christ gave Himself for us: for our sins. Sin is the problem Christ came to solve.

“From the Present Evil Age”: Grace Is Not a License to Sin

This phrase allows us to strike the important balance in this discussion of the gospel. If we are talking about sin, there is a greater temptation toward legalism: we had better give people lots of rules to follow so they do not get judged. If we are talking about grace, as we have been in Galatians, there is a greater temptation toward license to sin: God is so gracious that I can do whatever I want.

But God delivered us from the present evil age. Even though we still live here, He rescued us from the power this age has over us: sin, guilt, condemnation, and the ways of a world rebelling against God.

If God delivered us from it, we know He would not want us to be part of it. Grace does not mean license to be worldly.

Listen to another way Paul describes Christ rescuing us:

Titus 2:14 (ESV) — who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

He gave Himself for us to redeem us, and then He purifies us. The same Christ who rescues us also changes us. Paul says later in Galatians:

Galatians 5:13 (ESV) — For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

We are not saved by good works. But we are saved for good works. The rescue comes first. The changed life follows.

“According to the Will of Our God and Father”

The cross was not Plan B. It was not the Father reluctantly agreeing to something the Son wanted. The Father willed our rescue, and the Son willingly gave Himself.

“To Deliver Us”: We Needed a Rescuer

“To deliver us” is a rescue expression. The same verb is used when Stephen recounts God speaking to Moses at the burning bush:

Acts 7:34 (ESV, excerpt) — I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them.

I like this example with Egypt because it is one of the best illustrations of salvation in the Old Testament. The Hebrews were delivered from their slavery in Egypt through the Passover lamb, just as we are delivered from our slavery to sin by Christ, the true and greater Passover Lamb.

How much did the Hebrews contribute to their deliverance? They did not unleash the plagues. They did not defeat Pharaoh. They did not part the Red Sea. Just as God came down and delivered them, He came down and delivered us.

When we were going through Haggai, I said it is helpful to ask why the prophet is saying what he is saying to the people he addresses. We should do something similar when we read New Testament epistles: why is Paul saying this to the Galatians?

He is contradicting the false teachers who said the Galatians needed to help Jesus. They were not denying Christ, but they were demoting Him. According to them, Jesus does not rescue you. He helps you get started, but then you finish the job with your obedience.

Two Rescue Stories That Illustrate Our Need

Lenny Skutnik and the Rescue from the Potomac

On January 13, 1982, in the middle of a snowstorm, Air Florida Flight 90 took off from Washington, D.C. Shortly afterward, it struck the 14th Street Bridge and plunged into the icy Potomac River. Seventy-eight people died in the disaster. Only five people from the plane ultimately survived.

One was a woman named Priscilla Tirado. A police helicopter lowered a lifeline, but she lost her grip near the riverbank and went under. Hundreds of bystanders had gathered on the bank. Then Lenny Skutnik jumped into the icy water, swam out to her, and brought her toward shore, where others helped get her out.

Lenny did more than offer Priscilla advice. He went into the water to rescue her.

Welles Crowther, the Man in the Red Bandana

The second story comes from September 11, 2001. Welles Crowther was a 24-year-old equities trader who worked on the 104th floor of the South Tower. As a child, he saw his father getting dressed for church and wrapping a small comb in a red bandana he kept in his pocket. When Welles was six years old, his father gave him a red bandana that he always kept with him.

After the second plane hit the tower, a group of injured people was trapped in the smoke on the 78th floor. Welles put the bandana over his nose and mouth and carried a woman on his back down seventeen flights. Then he turned around and went back up for others.

He never made it out. His body was found months later in the lobby of the South Tower, alongside firefighters. He was credited with saving as many as eighteen people. Survivors remembered the man in the red bandana.

Those people needed someone to rescue them. That is what Jesus does for us spiritually.

The false teachers were denying this. They taught that Jesus gets things started, but then you help Him the rest of the way. Picture drowning in the ocean while Christ stands on the shore telling you how to swim and yelling encouragement. Or being in a burning building while Christ hands you a map so you can find a way out.

Paul asks the Galatians later:

Galatians 3:3 (ESV) — Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

In other words, “Are you so foolish that you think the Spirit began the work, but your own effort has to finish it?”

Because Salvation Is God’s Work, the Glory Belongs to God Alone

Think again about those two rescues. When people tell the story of Air Florida Flight 90, nobody praises Priscilla Tirado for how well she swam. They talk about Lenny Skutnik risking his life to save her.

When survivors from the South Tower tell their story, they do not talk about how they found their way out. They talk about the man in the red bandana rescuing them.

The rescued do not take the credit. The rescuer gets it. That is exactly the point Paul makes in the next verse:

Galatians 1:5 (ESV) — to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

This brings us to the third lesson: because salvation is God’s work, the glory belongs to God alone.

Look back over these verses. Who is doing the work?

• The Father sent Paul.
• The Father raised Jesus from the dead.
• The Father willed our rescue.
• The Son gave Himself.

Because God did everything for us, He gets all the glory.

Salvation by Grace Leaves No Room for Boasting

A false gospel that teaches salvation involves works always takes glory from God and leaves room for boasting. A true understanding of the gospel excludes boasting.

Later, Paul tells the Galatians:

Galatians 6:14 (ESV, excerpt) — …far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Paul had plenty he could have boasted about. He was educated. He was zealous. He was advancing in Judaism beyond many men his age. But he says, in effect, “The only thing I’ll boast about is the cross.”

Similarly, he said to the Ephesians:

Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV) — For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

God designed salvation this way on purpose: “so that no one may boast.”

Make Christ the Hero of Your Testimony

This should affect us in three ways. First, it should shape the way we describe our conversions. When you share your testimony, who is the hero?

Sometimes our testimonies sound like, “I was in a bad place, and then I made a decision, and I turned my life around.” Instead, we should emphasize what Christ did for us.

Remain Humble toward Others

Second, it should keep us humble toward others. If salvation were a reward for being good, we could look down on people who are not saved.

But when we recognize we did no more to be saved than Priscilla Tirado did in the Potomac or the people Welles Crowther rescued from the South Tower, we know we are no better than anybody else.

Let the Gospel Move You to Worship

Third, it should make us worshipers. Paul’s greeting occupies verses 1–5, but one part seems out of place:

• In verse 1, Paul introduces himself as the author.
• In verse 2, he identifies his readers: the churches of Galatia.
• In verses 3–4, he gives his greeting on behalf of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Verse 5 is a doxology—a statement of praise to God.

Doxologies often appear at the end of a letter, serving as a closing note of praise. We see examples in Romans 16:25–27, Philippians 4:20, 2 Timothy 4:18, Hebrews 13:20–21, 2 Peter 3:18, and Jude 24–25.

What is happening here? It is as though Paul describes what Christ did for us and cannot help himself. He has to break into praise: “To whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

He did not wait until the end of the letter. He praised God in a greeting, in a letter where he was upset!

What a good example for us. When we remember what Christ has done for us, praise should be the response.

Notice that last word: “Amen.” It means “so be it” or “it is true.” Paul is inviting the Galatians to agree with him. He is inviting us, too.

Live Like Someone Christ Has Rescued

Most people skim a letter’s greeting to get to the important part. But in Galatians 1:1–5, Paul tells us the most important part right in the greeting:

• Who sent him—Jesus Christ and God the Father.
• What Christ did for us—He gave Himself to rescue us.
• Who deserves the glory—God, forever and ever.

The rest of the letter defends those truths. Paul defends his calling, defends the gospel, and shows us how to live in the freedom Christ purchased for us. But it all starts here, with a Savior who gave Himself.

Has Christ rescued you? If not, stop trying to save yourself and trust Him today.

If He has, live like someone who has been rescued. Do not go back to trying to earn what He already gave you. Instead, give Him the glory, because to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Listen to the sermon above, follow the Scott LaPierre Ministries podcast, or continue studying why God’s grace is greater than our sin.