Serious Concerns

Galatians 1:1-24

Do you remember learning how to write business letters when you were in school? There are rules about formatting the return address and the recipients address, where to put the date, how many spaces to put before the greeting, and even the fact that the closing punctuation for the greeting should be a colon, rather than the less formal comma. Etc., etc.

There were rules about the format and structure of letters in the first century, too, and Paul breaks the rules as he begins his letter to the believers in Galatia. Some of his language may seem forceful enough, but the fact that he sent his letter without the required section of praises for the Galatians is AT LEAST AS OBVIOUS AS SENDING A MESSAGE IN ALL CAPS. PAUL IS SHOUTING AT THE GALATIANS!

Why? He says he's shocked by the way they've turned their backs on God and the Gospel of Jesus. We'll learn more about their mistakes and the correction Paul offers in the chapters to come. But let it be clear, Paul wants the Galatians – and us – to know without question or confusion that the Gospel is our treasure. It is not to be messed with, and it is not to be taken lightly. The Gospel, as brought to us in Scripture, is the Truth and our only hope.

As we begin reading and studying this letter to the Galatians, we know that part of Paul's purpose is to help us understand and experience in a deeper way the truth and power of the Gospel, which he summarizes for us in verse 4: "Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live."

Lord Jesus, speak to us through this letter. Reveal to us new depths of your Gospel, and correct us, where we have traded your truth for something else.