Paul wraps up his letter to the Galatians by attributing to those saved through faith alone three blessings from God. Beginning in Galatians 6:16, He writes, “as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be (is) upon them, and upon the Israel of God.” Then in verse 18 he adds, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.” It’s all about peace and mercy and grace. Instead of wrestling all the days of our lives with trying to earn God’s acceptance. Jesus provides that for us. He makes “peace” with God on our behalf. We then get to enjoy a God connection without fear. Paul make this clear to the Romans also, for in Romans 5:1 he wrote, “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” I remember my Dad often saying that the most important thing to him was to have “peace of mind.” Jesus brings that to us through faith!
We have peace, I believe, not because we’re so deserving of God’s acceptance, but because of God’s mercy. That’s the second thing that Paul attributes to the Galatians and to us! God is merciful to us because He “so loved the world…” I love the way the old Puritan write, George Swinnock describes the impact of God’s love. He says, “Have you never beheld a condemned prisoner dissolved into tears upon the unexpected and unmerited receipt of a pardon, who all the time before was as hard as a flint? The hammer of the law may break the icy heart of a man with terrors and horror, and yet it may remain ice still, unchanged; but when the fire of love kindly thaws its ice, it is changed and dissolved into water—it is no longer ice, but of another nature.… Therefore meditate much on the love of God and Christ to your unworthy soul.”
Finally Paul commends Grace to us! Paul began his letter in Galatians 1:3 with grace. He ends his letter her with grace as well. I love with C. H. Spurgeon is famous for saying; “The longer I live, the more sure I am that salvation is all of grace… Me too! Paul is expressing his conviction regarding God’s grace to the Galatians. One commentary on the last chapter of Galatians and this specific verse wraps it up well. Speaking about the Galatians and about us, it says, “It is the grace that sustains them, equips them to be living witnesses, fills their hearts with peace that passes understanding and with joy unspeakable and full of glory, and brings them at last to their inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, and never-fading. Is it not true that throughout the letter the emphasis is on the marvel of God’s grace as contrasted with human work?