The Final Amen of Our Justification
Galatians 1:1-5
Grace and peace come to God's people because it was His will that His Son give Himself for us. Any other peace is non-lasting and cannot end
#Justification
#grace
Published January 2nd, 2021
Phrase
Phrase (Greek-SBL)
Phrase
editing
NT
Galatians 1:1-5
mine
esv
Grace and peace come to God's people because it was His will that His Son give Himself for us. Any other peace is non-lasting and cannot endure.
Paul,
an apostle
Paul designated himself an apostle at the outset of this letter. The authority by which he writes, he soon demonstrates
Appositive
not from men
The two phrases that follow demonstrate this authority:
Negative (Source)
nor through man,
The phrase οὐκ ἀπʼ ἀνθρώπων (not from man) indicates the source of his calling. The denial is that he was not called as an apostle by man's will.
Negative (Agency)
but through Jesus Christ
Likewise, his denial οὐδὲ διʼ ἀνθρώπου (nor through man) is a denial of agency; that is, he was not sent by any man.
Positive (Agency)
and God the Father,
Now comes the affirmation of both his commissioning and his sending: ἀλλὰ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ θεοῦ πατρς (but– an adversative conjunction– through Jesus Christ and God the Father.) This is a twofold witness of his apostleship which was required under Jewish law. Fitting, as he is writing to Gentiles wishing to become Jewish.
who raised him
from the dead
This is a God who raises people from the dead, as distinguished from the pagan gods who could do no such thing. The idea here is a complete separation from death along with all its consequences, not merely just in a physical sense but also spiritually.
Separation
and all the brothers
who are with me,
To the churches
Destination
of Galatia:
Grace ... and peace
to you
The Greek text varies a bit here from the ESV. Some Greek texts have our God and Father while others have our Lord Jesus Christ. Greek scholar, Phillip Comfort, states this about the variant: The NU editors adopted the WH NU reading because it accords with Paul’s usual style (cf. Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:3; 2 Cor 1:2; Eph 1:2; Phil 1:2; see TCGNT). However, it has to be noted that Paul did not always use the formula “God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ”; in three other instances, Paul wrote “God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:3; 2 Tim 1:2; Titus 1:4). Thus, the textual decision here should not be made on the basis of Pauline style. Documentation, both early and diverse, supports the first variant [God our Father...].
Advantage
from God our Father
Even though the Greek here is not a true relative pronoun, but rather a pronominal article, I decided to treat it as relative based upon the English translation. The same is true for v. 1g.
Agency
and the Lord Jesus Christ,
who gave himself
Paul now states three ways in which Christ gave Himself for us:
for our sins
1. For, or on behalf of our sins. The preposition here indicates substitution.
Substitution
to deliver us
2. For the purpose of deliverance. This deliverance is specific: the present evil age. The reality of that time, much like ours today, was an evil one.
Purpose
from the present evil age,
(3) This is all done according to the standard of God's own will. It is this will that Paul ascribes glory to the end of the ages.
according to the will
Standard
of our God
Subjective
and Father,
Relationship
to whom be the glory
forever
Temporal
and ever.
Explanation
Παῦλος ἀπόστολος, οὐκ ἀπ’ ἀνθρώπων οὐδὲ δι’ ἀνθρώπου ἀλλὰ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ θεοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ ἐγείραντος αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν,
καὶ οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ πάντες ἀδελφοί, ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις τῆς Γαλατίας·
χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ,
τοῦ δόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν ὅπως ἐξέληται ἡμᾶς ἐκ τοῦ αἰῶνος τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος πονηροῦ κατὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς ἡμῶν,
ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων· ἀμήν.
phrasing
Phrase (Greek-SBL)
Galatians 1:1-5
sbl
Παῦλος
ἀπόστολος,
Apposition
οὐκ ἀπ’ ἀνθρώπων
Negative (Source)
οὐδὲ δι’ ἀνθρώπου
Negative (Agency)
ἀλλὰ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ
Positive (Agency)
καὶ θεοῦ πατρὸς
τοῦ ἐγείραντος αὐτὸν
ἐκ νεκρῶν,
καὶ ... πάντες ἀδελφοί,
οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ
ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις
τῆς Γαλατίας·
χάρις ... καὶ εἰρήνη
ὑμῖν
ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς
Agency #1
καὶ κυρίου ... Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ,
Agency #2
ἡμῶν
τοῦ δόντος ἑαυτὸν
ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν
ὅπως ἐξέληται ἡμᾶς
ἐκ τοῦ αἰῶνος
τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος πονηροῦ
κατὰ τὸ θέλημα
τοῦ θεοῦ
καὶ πατρὸς
ἡμῶν,
ᾧ ἡ δόξα
εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας
τῶν αἰώνων·
ἀμήν.
Παῦλος ἀπόστολος, οὐκ ἀπ’ ἀνθρώπων οὐδὲ δι’ ἀνθρώπου ἀλλὰ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ θεοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ ἐγείραντος αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν,
καὶ οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ πάντες ἀδελφοί, ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις τῆς Γαλατίας·
χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ,
τοῦ δόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν ὅπως ἐξέληται ἡμᾶς ἐκ τοῦ αἰῶνος τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος πονηροῦ κατὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς ἡμῶν,
ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων· ἀμήν.
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