Galatians 1.1-5

The implication of these illustrations is that the angel-like being standing at the podium with the giant book is checking people into the Kingdom of Heaven only if their name is written in his log book, Biblically known as God’s Book of Life.

So, I ask you this morning, when you imagine yourself standing in the clouds at gate of Heaven and speaking to the keeper of the book of life, how do you imagine the conversation will go?

Do you think you will say something like, “Hello, my name is Frederick Reid Scragg, the 5th.  My name is on God’s roster in God’s Book of Life because I was a good person on earth.  I tried my hardest and did my best.  I am pretty sure that my good deeds were more numerous than my bad deeds, so, God should be expecting me.”

I would argue that this way of thinking about entrance into God’s Kingdom of Heaven is commonplace with great numbers of people around the world — maybe even some of you in this room right now.

However, as our Biblical text for this morning is going to show us,  this way of thinking about how one enters God’s Kingdom of Heaven needs to be corrected. 

In a biography of 19th Century American Writer Mark Twain, born Samuel Clemens, Twain was quoted as saying:

As we begin a 15 week sermon series through the Biblical New Testament book of Galatians, we are going to hear the Apostle Paul hammer home the absolute, bottom line, Good News, that God does not need or require our good works to forgive our sin and welcome us home into Heaven.  The truth is that because of the seriousness of Sin, there is no number of good works that would ever cause you or me to earn or merit acceptance by God. 

Galatians 1:1–5 has Paul introducing himself—the writer of the letter—and naming the intended recipients of the letter along with his reason for writing to them.

Let’s hear from the Apostle Paul in the beginning of the Biblical book of Galatians now.

Galatians 1.1-5 says this:

[1] Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—[2] and all the brothers who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

[3] Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, [4] who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, [5] to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (ESV)

In 1535, while lecturing on the Biblical book of Galatians, 16th Century Church Reformer, Martin Luther spoke these words to his audience:

“In the very title of his epistle [meaning, letter] he erupts and speaks what he has in his heart. His purpose in this epistle is to discuss and to defend the righteousness that comes by faith, and to refute the Law and the righteousness that comes by works. He is filled with thoughts like these, and out of this marvelous and overflowing abundance of the excellent wisdom and knowledge of Christ in his heart his mouth speaks…

By this righteousness alone we are justified, and by it we shall also be raised from death to eternal life on the Last Day. But those who are trying to undermine the righteousness of Christ are resisting the Father as well as the Son and the work of both of Them.”¹

As we make our way through Biblical texts in our Sunday sermons, you often hear me share some truths from the Apostle Paul. 

Well, today, we are going to get insight into who the Apostle Paul is and why he is so important to the Christian Church.

But, to begin, let’s ask, “What is the book of Galatians?”

The book of Galatians is a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to a group of churches in the city of Galatia during the mid-1st century.

After his dramatic conversion to Christianity, which we will hear about in a few minutes, the Apostle Paul traveled around the Mediterranean region preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ alive, dead, and resurrected for the forgiveness of your sin and your eternal life.

As people repented of their Sin and found hope in Jesus the Savior, the Apostle Pau started churches for all the believers to gather in on a regular basis—usually Sunday, the first day of the week, the Lord’s day, the day of Jesus Christ’s resurrection.

After the Apostle Paul left a city, he would receive reports about how the churches and Christians were doing in their faith and their sharing of God’s love.  In response to what he heard, the Apostle Paul would write letters to encourage them in their sharing of God’s love and, when need be, correct their sinful thinking, speaking, and acting.

The Apostle Paul writes the letter of Galatians to the Christians in the city of Galatia as both a warning and a rebuke. 

The Apostle Paul has heard that false teachers had entered the church and were telling the Christians that faith in Jesus was not enough for justification and salvation.  The false teachers were telling them that in order to be accepted by God they also had to work hard to complete the over 600 Jewish commands for pleasing God with your life.

The false teachers were teaching the false belief hat your name is written in God’s Book of Life through proving yourself worthy in good deeds on earth.

The false teachers were denying the original sin that corrupt us and makes it impossible to do truly unselfish good deeds.

The false teachers were giving people the false hope that at the gates of Heaven you could say:

“Hello, my name is Frederick Reid Scragg, the 5th.  My name is on God’s roster in God’s Book of Life because I was a good person on earth.  I tried my hardest and did my best.  I am pretty sure that my good deeds were more numerous than my bad deeds, so, God should be expecting me.”

This false teaching of Jesus plus good works righteously angered the Apostle Paul because he had first hand experience with attempting and failing to complete the over 600 Jewish laws and commands in an attempt to please God and earn a place in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Let’s hear the history of how Saul the Jewish zealot, who killed and imprisoned Christians, as an attempt to complete the Jewish laws and please God, became the works denying and Jesus exalting preacher and Church planter.

Paul’s conversion to Christian repentance and belief is recorded for us in another New Testament Biblical book called Acts.

Acts 9.1-22 tells us this:

[1] But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest [2] and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. [3] Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. [4] And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” [5] And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. [6] But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” [7] The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. [8] Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. [9] And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

[10] Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” [11] And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, [12] and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” [13] But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. [14] And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” [15] But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. [16] For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” [17] So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” [18] And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; [19] and taking food, he was strengthened.

For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. [20] And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” [21] And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” [22] But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. (ESV)

If anyone has come to know the difference between the lie of justification by works and the truth of justification by faith alone, it is the Apostle Paul.  He spent a large percentage of his life trying to make God happy by thinking, saying, and doing “the right things.”  But, when confronted by Jesus Christ, he came to see that the road to Heaven is only opened up by faith in Jesus Christ who alone was able to think, say, and do the things that made God happy.

So, in another letter from the Bible’s New Testament, Philippians, the Apostle Paul issues another warning about following false teachers and gives us a little bit more of his qualifications for knowing and preaching the truth of Jesus Christ alive, dead, and resurrected for the forgiveness of Sin and eternal life.

In Philippians 3:2–11, the Apostle Pauls says:

[2] Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. [3] For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—[4] though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: [5] circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; [6] as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. [7] But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. [8] Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ [9] and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—[10] that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, [11] that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (ESV)

Returning to Martin Luther’s 1535 lecture on Galatians, we hear:

“Christian holiness is not active but passive. Therefore let no one call himself holy on the basis of his way of life or his works—fasting, prayer, flagellation almsgiving, or the consolation of the sad and afflicted.  Such works, of course, are holy, and God strictly demands them of us; but they do not make us holy. You and I are holy; …—not on the basis of [our] own holiness but on the basis of a holiness not [our] own, not an active holiness, but a passive holiness.  [We] are holy because [we] possess something that is divine and holy, namely, the calling of the ministry, the Gospel, Baptism, etc., on the basis of which [we] are holy.”²

In this morning’s Biblical text from Galatians 1 and in these additional Biblical texts that we have heard from, the Apostle Paul is saying that all that he is, all that he has (both here and in Heaven), and all that the Christians in Galatia have, comes from God’s grace through (the person and work of) Jesus Christ.

So, I now ask you this morning, when you imagine yourself standing in the clouds at gate of Heaven and speaking to the keeper of the book of life, how do you imagine the conversation will go?

I hope and pray that each of you will say something like, “My name is Frederick Reid Scragg, the 5th.  I am confident that my name is in God’s Book of Life because Jesus Christ, my Savior, my Redeemer, my Friend, has given His life over to death on the cross for me. I know that in exchange for my sin, He has given me his perfect record of righteousness so that life in God’s eternal Kingdom of Heaven is mine.  If you look at my name, and all of the other names in that book before you, they are written with the blood of Jesus who alone makes entrance in Heaven possible for everyone who believes in Him.”

So, this morning, “…believe that Christ was given not only for the sins of others but also for yours. Hold to this firmly, and do not let anything deprive you of this sweet definition of Christ, which brings joy even to the angels in heaven: that Christ is, in the strictest of terms, not a Moses, a tormentor, or an executioner but the Mediator for sins and the Donor of grace, who gave Himself, not for our merits, holiness, glory, and holy life but for our sins.”³

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

January 26, 2025.

Prayer:

Lord God, 

We thank you from the depths of our hearts for your wondrous grace and love to us in Christ. You have proven your faithfulness to us in the death and resurrection of your only Son and have promised us that you will not withhold any good thing from us. You are our sun and shield, and we should love to dwell in your presence more than anything else on earth. Yet we confess that we are full of sin and cannot walk uprightly. We are quick to grasp whatever blessings we can for ourselves and reluctant to trust in your perfect will. We scheme endlessly and impatiently to establish our own kingdoms and fail repeatedly to submit to your wisdom, power, and holy will. We have deceived and manipulated others to get our way. Help us to repent of these sins and make us willing to make restitution. 

Jesus Christ, without your perfect obedience given to us, we would have no hope at all of receiving favor from our heavenly Father. You walked uprightly on our behalf, yet you were treated like a wretched criminal, losing all honor and favor before your Father, so that we could live forever as treasured sons and daughters of the King. Now you are glorified and exalted, and you have lifted us up and covered our shame with your glory, even though we remain very sinful. Jesus, thank you. 

Spirit of the living God, you indwell us and always have your way with us. Help us to find our peace and refuge in God’s protection, so that we stop trying so hard to protect ourselves. May we find our true blessing in him, so that we can stop our restless and sinful attempts to grasp blessings for ourselves. Let us rejoice at the end of each day that you have done all things well and have not withheld from us one thing that we needed. Please give us the sweet grace of repentance so we can know your forgiveness, and give us the courage of confession and restitution, since we have been so lavishly loved by our Savior. Thank you for the weakness that keeps us near the cross, marveling at your rich and overwhelming grace to broken sinners. In Christ’s name we pray, amen.

Benediction:

Go in Peace today and “…believe that Christ was given not only for the sins of others but also for yours. Hold to this firmly, and do not let anything deprive you of this sweet definition of Christ, which brings joy even to the angels in heaven: that Christ is, in the strictest of terms, not a Moses, a tormentor, or an executioner but the Mediator for sins and the Donor of grace, who gave Himself, not for our merits, holiness, glory, and holy life but for our sins.”

1. Luther, Martin. Luther’s Works, Vol. 26: Lectures on Galatians Chapters 1-4, 21. ↩︎
2. Luther, Martin. Luther’s Works, Vol.26: Lectures on Galatians Chapters 1-4, 25. ↩︎
3.  Luther, Martin. Luther’s Works, Vol. 26: Lectures on Galatians Chapters 1-4, 38. ↩︎