From this Evil Age
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul states that he was commissioned as an apostle to the Gentiles by the same God who raised Jesus from the dead and “delivered us FROM THIS EVIL AGE.” This statement anticipates his response to certain Jewish believers who were operating in Galatia as if the old era was still in effect.
This
same Jesus commissioned the Apostle Paul to proclaim the “good news” of
God’s kingdom to the Gentiles, and he affirms in Galatians that
he received his apostleship directly from the risen Jesus.
His
resurrection is more than just the miraculous restoration of the life of one
man in the first century. It was and is an apocalyptic event that signals
the commencement of the messianic age.
In
his death and resurrection, the “powers and principalities” that
enslaved humanity have been defeated, and most decisively so.
CHANGE IN ERA
His
resurrection marked the inauguration of an entirely new era and
the final stage in the redemptive plan of God. And ever since, nothing has been
or can ever be the same - (1 Corinthians 2:5-8, Ephesians
1:17-23, Colossians 2:15, 1 Peter 3:22).
Disciples
of Jesus have been rescued “out of the authority of the darkness and
translated into the kingdom of His beloved Son.” No longer are they under
the dominion of the “powers and principalities,” therefore, they have
received the “ransomed release, the discharge” of the judicial sentence
for their sins - (Colossians 1:12-20).
That is why Paul declares believers have been “rescued from this evil age” even though they remain in the existing fallen world. With the coming of the Son, the jurisdiction of the old order has reached its termination point - (Galatians 4:3-11).
Jesus
“gave himself on account of our sins.” His death was necessary
“ON ACCOUNT OF” the sins
that alienated us from God (Greek - huper - Strong's #G5228). In other words, Christ acted for our
sake when he gave his life on the Cross. The same idea is implicit in two
declarations of Paul in Galatians:
- “The life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself ON ACCOUNT OF (huper) me” - - (Galatians 2:20, 3:13).
- “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse ON ACCOUNT OF (huper) us” - (Galatians 2:20, 3:13).
By
his death, God “rescued us from the present evil age.” In the Hebrew
Bible, history is divided into two ages - the present evil age, and
the age to come. And in Christ’s death and resurrection, the new
messianic age has dawned in the middle of the present evil age. Though we live
in this evil age, we belong to the new age that already is invading the
present.
Thus,
the death of Christ inaugurated the age of fulfillment that continues to this
very day. All the messianic promises are coming to fruition in him, and the old
order is in the process of passing away - (Romans 12:2, Colossians
1:12-13, 2:19, 4:3-9, 5:5, 1 Corinthians 7:31).
And
by emphasizing his death and resurrection as the basis of all that God has done,
Paul highlights the ALL-SUFFICIENCY of Christ’s sacrifice for the
forgiveness of sins and deliverance from this “present evil age.” Thus,
seeking salvation and deliverance elsewhere is in vain, including in
circumcision or the other requirements of the Law.
