“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” How would life be if all we did began with the grace and peace of God? How would life be if forgiveness flowed freely in all our relationships? What freedom we would have! And what trouble we would avoid! Such freedom and grace are ours to be enjoyed through faith in the gospel of Christ.

As we commence this series through Galatians entitled ‘True Gospel : True Freedom’, we hear of Paul’s astonishment and anguish towards the Galatians who knew this grace and enjoyed this freedom, but are so quickly deserting them. In fact, they are deserting God himself, and turning to a different gospel, which is no gospel at all.

Just as there was in Paul’s day, as we live today, in this ‘present evil age’, there are forces and powers, both within ourselves and in the world, which are determined to distort the gospel of Christ and diminish our freedom in him. However, Christ has given himself for our sins to deliver us from this present evil age. It is by grace alone, through faith alone, that we are saved and given this freedom and the full forgiveness and promise of the Spirit of sonship. There is no work we can do, or are expected to do, in order to be saved – the only thing that counts is faith in the gospel and grace of Christ. This is the one true gospel which brings true freedom. What grace! What freedom! What a God! What a Father! To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen!