Jesus Christ as God in Galatians 1

This week in preparing a study on Galatians, I was struck by some very straight forward, obvious statements from Paul that are foundational to our Christian faith. 

From the writer of Galatian's understanding (Paul the Apostle) Jesus Christ is not only a man, but is someone and something more than just a man. It doesn't take long, just a few verses in Galatians to see how Paul understood and believed that Christ Jesus was divinely God. 

In Galatians 1:1, at the very beginning of the letter Paul writes "Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father". In this very opening phrase the church in Galatia was shown who was sending them this letter. This letter was from Paul, but who sent Paul? The authority of the letter was not just the authority of Paul. Paul writes that he has been sent. Who sent him? According to Paul, Jesus Christ and God the Father. We might mistakenly think this is a division between the man Jesus and the God of Paul. But Paul lumps both Jesus Christ and God the Father together.

Why is this compelling in understanding who Jesus Christ is? 

Because Paul underscores that he has not been sent "from men nor by a man". If Jesus Christ was only human, then this statement makes no sense and the sentence Paul writes is gravely confusing. But rather than being confusing, this introductory statement is clarifying. Paul leaves ZERO doubt for the Galatians he was writing to. Paul was on an errand of God. Who is that God according to Paul in verse 1? God is the Father and Jesus Christ. Paul has made a claim from the very get-go of the book of Galatians about the divinity of Jesus Christ. 

At this point, some might say "Well....that's just your understanding of one verse Jacob"

Alright, let's keep reading Galatians past the introductory sentence. Let's pick up again only a few words after verse 1, in verse 3:

3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Galatians 1:3-5)

Paul here communicates a desire for the Galatian church. This is pretty standard greeting and well wishing language by the Apostle Paul to churches he had personal relationship with. Paul's hope is that the destination of grace and peace will be "to you", to the Galatian church. Notice where grace and peace comes from? The origin of the grace and peace desired by Paul for the Galatian church is "from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (see Galatians 1:6 as being another location where grace's origin point is from Christ only).  Here we see Paul including Christ Jesus alongside the Father as being the senders of grace and peace. In Galatians grace and peace come exclusively from God. God being detailed by Paul as the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

In verse 4 Paul has a brief mention of Christ's work "who gave himself for our sins...". For a moment Paul is only speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, but then he brings the Father back in stating that the work of Christ in giving himself for our sins was "according to the will of our God and Father". Christ's work and the Father's will are linked. For Paul Christ's work was the fulfillment of the will of the Father. There is a distinction between the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Father, and yet they are also inseparable. 

In verse 5 Paul speaks of the glory of someone: "to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen". The question should be asked, whose glory is this that Paul is speaking of?  One reading of the passage could be that Paul is ONLY and exclusively referring to the glory of  God the Father since the Father is the last/closest noun to the clause. Another reading of the passage could be that Paul began this paragraph of thought with grace and peace, and now ends with glory. If this is the case, then the grace and peace Paul first spoke of in 1:3 has a common origin (it's origin being God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ) and a common glory. Throughout the whole book of Galatians Paul mentions "grace" 8 times (Galatians 1:3, 1:6, 1:15, 2:9, 2:21, 3:18, 5:4, 6:18). Each time grace is spoken of it is either a reference of grace originating from Jesus Christ (1:3, 1:6, 5:4, 6:18), or an explicit gift of God the Father through Jesus Christ (1:15, 2:9, 2:21, 3:18). This second reading I believe takes into account the first, that God the Father is being referenced, just not exclusively as the entire paragraph isn't exclusively about God the Father, but rather God's work in Christ and God's will in the Father. 

In verses 11 and 12 Paul emphasizes the origin of the gospel which he preached to the Galatians.

11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

Paul here explicitly says that the origin of the gospel he preached isn't from humanity. Paul says the gospel he preached is the same gospel he received from Jesus Christ. In distinguishing the origin of the gospel Paul again emphasizes that Jesus Christ is in another category other than mere humanity. 

What's the takeaway? Why does any of this matter? 

1. If you have only put your faith in Jesus, as Jesus was only a human, than your faith is fundamentally different than the faith of Paul the Apostle. 

2. There are very few today who doubt Jesus' humanity, but the divinity of Jesus is a central aspect of Christianity. Any Jesus who is only human can be affirmed by atheist's, Muslims, Orthodox Jews, and several cults. The good news of the gospel is that the Lord Jesus was both fully human, and fully God. In this way he was able to fully represent humanity's interests before God, and perfectly fulfill holy justice before God. In being both fully human, and fully divine, the Lord Jesus was the only and perfect mediator to open up the way of peace between God and humanity.  

3. We are about to head into the "Christmas season". Plenty of folks take joy and delight in the celebration of a little human baby. For Christians who know the Lord Jesus from the scriptures rather than from pop-culture, we celebrate something more than just the special birth of a special baby. We celebrate God's very own humbling of himself in taking on flesh for the sake of rebellious enemies of God. What a God of grace and peace to secure peace with his people, by offering his grace!