Dear Church

Galatians 1:6-10

During last Sunday’s sermon, we were asked to write a personal letter to someone using the words “grace” and “peace”.  On the rare occasion that I write a letter by hand, I will begin with “Dear” followed by the name of the intended recipient.  It’s easy for many to look past that “Dear” but to me it means a lot in expressing how deep my affection is for the one I’m writing to.

In our text this week, Paul expresses a very serious concern he has for the churches in Galatia – that they would not desert God and the grace by which He has called them in Christ by turning to a false gospel being preached to them about self-righteous works.  He goes so far as to say that anyone who preaches a distorted version of the gospel to the church should be damned to hell. 

Paul loves the Galatian churches and wants them to experience peace through the good news of God’s plan to fulfill the messianic covenant with mankind through Jesus as the one true Hero. Paul does not hope for any to be damned by believing or preaching a false gospel, rather he writes with a deep love for the Galatian people because they are dear to him and he knows even more so that they are dear to God.  Any distorted version of the gospel that adds a salvific condition on top of Jesus as the one true Hero clouds the Son and leads the church astray. 

Jesus has lived the perfect life that God requires, took the curse of our sin on Himself by dying on the cross once for all, rose from death to life, ascended to the position of honor and authority at the right hand of God, and sent His Spirit to seal our eternal union and empower us to live as followers of Christ.  This is the greatest thing that has ever happened in all of human history for our good and to the praise of our Heroic God! 

Droves of people are still prone to be led astray by visions and teachings that err from the gospel preached by Paul and the other Apostles.  May it not be so with His church today.  Instead, let us be amazed by the Heroic work of Jesus Christ that reclassifies us from DAMNED to DEAR in Christ.  May we be a people that share this amazing hope of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.  Let us do so faithfully as we are led by His Spirit to those He makes dear to us because of how dear they are to their Heavenly Father.

Grateful & Hopeful in Christ,

Jon