Galatians 1:4 Age

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

We in the West often frame idea and concepts from an individual point of view. We ask, “How does this affect me?” rather than “How does this affect us?” But much of the world doesn’t see life in this disconnected, individualistic stance. And this is to our detriment.

In our text, the opening greeting, common to that day and age, Paul points out that it is to “us” that the rescue from “our” sins has come. But look carefully at our text. I was surprised by what it said.

This text is not so much about our individual sins. It is about rescue from “the present evil age” of which our sin is only a part. And it is “our” sin, plural, collective, together, that needs rescue from this evil age.

Part of what Paul is saying is that this present evil age, all of time since Adam and Eve exited the Garden and until Christ returns and sets up the new garden. All of time after that point is separated from God’s plan. Evil has been doing its best.

Sin is the membership requirement for this present evil age. And all have membership. But Jesus came to pay the membership fee for another age, one yet to come. When sin is dealt with in Jesus, the way is open to another age.

The people Paul is writing to in this letter are going through a theological war. On one side are  those who are trusting God’s grace to bring them into the new age. The other side is retreating to the old understanding of how entry is gained through keeping a set of rules.

Paul is having none of the old way. He knows that that way leads to death. The only rescue involves returning to the starting block. We must return to a dependence on the LORD to determine right and wrong. We must allow Him to be in charge.

This is the only way out of this present evil age. If you doubt that we live in an evil age, just open your eyes and look around the world. Is it really moving forward, toward a more peaceful and loving place? It that is what you see, your vantage point must be very different from mine!

Sin had infiltrated every corner of society. It infiltrates the very corners of our minds, souls, spirits, inner beings. We need rescue from the evil within. We are not immune to the affect of this present evil age. Is fact, we are one of its biggest promoters. Too many of us are living billboards for the evil age in which we live.

This is a sad state of affairs. Jesus has come that we might have life. We can be set free, even in this present evil age, to live a life in line with the coming age. We become billboards for the restored heaven and earth, even while we walk through this present evil one. Or at least that is the way it is supposed to be.

But too many of us get partially restored and think that is enough. We change our reservation, begin to pack, and then we pause, feeling ready enough. But this present evil age still infiltrates us. We must resist its influence and promptings. This is holiness in action.

We are called to live a different kind of life in this evil age. We citizens of heaven now living in a foreign land. Let’s not adopt the culture of our temporary home. Let’s continue to live our true identity.