The Soul Purpose of God
Comments on Galatians with an ear to Luther’s commentary
Scripture Text: Galatians 1:1-5 and Hebrews 12:7-11
Series: Comments on Galatians
When one thinks about his own earthly father, in some moods or situations all he conjures is a taskmaster and man of discipline, hardness, and demands. Sometimes fathers seem impossible to please. So, it is important to recall an earthly father’s duty to his child. He must raise him to be a responsible, contributing citizen who is aware of the law.
Just so, we see that, “True Christian theology does not inquire into the nature of God, but into God’s purpose and will in Christ” (Luther, Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians). God the Father’s purpose is seen growing purposefully in the Scripture. His aim has always been to restore fellowship to his creation. His greatest desire has always been to be your Friend (John 15:15), by bringing us into his holiness. Your soul must be suited to this relationship but your personal discipline cannot attain to it; your law-abiding ways are not sufficient means. And so, a Savior is needed.
It is imaginable that God the Father had long trained his Son to be a Savior, taking his arms, so to speak, and spreading them wide to teach him how he must die. It is the Son who was disciplined for those who could never be trained well enough. Because a Father loved his world so much, he sent his only Son to achieve a singular purpose in the history of all people: to redeem our souls to himself. Christ is the agent of this wondrous event. We must never lose sight of his outstretched arms.
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Author
Rev. Dr. Mark E. Ryman has served as Pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC, since 2021. Previously, Pastor Ryman served congregations in North Carolina and Ohio, as well as a call to specialized ministry with Sola Publishing.
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