The Means of Deliverance

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

(Galatians 1:3-5 ESV)

There is no question that we are living in an evil age. We watch the news and hear continual reports of war and violence. Throughout the course of our life, we experience hardship and suffering in its various forms. And sooner or later we all experience disease and death.


This is our reality because we live in a world that is corrupted by sin. We are a sinful people living among a sinful people.  And, as a result, we live in a world that suffers the consequences of sin.


It’s safe to say that we all long to be freed from the evil of this age. We long to be set free from the consequences of our wrongdoing. And we have various ideas about how this can happen.


For many of us, this falls into the realm of politics. If we can only find the right formula, if we can only satisfy the needs of the masses, we believe that the effects of sin will go away. If only we can eliminate poverty, give equal access to health care, and provide access to a quality education, there will be no more need for sin or violence.


For others among us, it’s a matter of self-help. If people will only read the right books and pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, things will be better. If only they work hard enough, if only they would restrain themselves, the evils of this world would be a thing of the past.


And, while I’m not denying the reality of mental illness, some of us go to the extreme that every act of sin and violence results from a mental health issue. We believe that those who commit mass shootings must be mentally ill. We believe that those who abuse their spouse or children must be mentally ill. We believe that those who steal, who lie, and who are resistant to authority must be mentally ill. And if we can only help these people, the evils of this world will be no more.


Most of our ideas, when it comes to escaping the evils of this present age, have to do with creating a utopia. They have to do with our creation of a heaven on earth. They have to do with our creation of circumstances where acts of evil are prevented and no longer seem necessary.


However, as we look at Paul’s words in the above passage, we find that the solution to the evil of this age has nothing to do with us. We find that it is not we who will provide the escape that we desire. This is found only in Jesus.


Jesus gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age. In saying this, Paul is referring to Jesus’ death on the cross, by which he paid the penalty of our sin, and by which he defeated the power of sin. He’s referring to the fact that Jesus willingly laid down his life that we might be saved.


He did this according to the will of God the Father. In other words, Jesus didn’t do this of his own accord. He did this because he, along with God the Father, desire our salvation.



Although this deliverance was secured by Jesus’ sacrifice, it’s something that we anticipate. It’s not something that we can experience in this world or age. It’s something that we’ll enjoy in the life to come. It’s something we’ll enjoy when Jesus returns, the dead are raised, and the new creation is brought forth.