Deliverance is Today

“Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:” (Ga 1:3-4 AV)

 

The mood of the phrase ‘...he might deliver…’ is subjunctive.  What that means is it may or may not occur based on circumstances.  It is a possibility.  Not a certainty.  This is important for understanding Paul’s statement.  The deliverance from this present evil world is not death.  We know this because death is a certainty.  This deliverance is not salvation which results in a home in heaven.  We know this because we are eternally secure in Christ.  We cannot lose our salvation, therefore, it would be a certainty.  This deliverance is the deliverance from an evil world which salvation accomplishes today.  That is a deliverance from the temptations and influences of this present evil world.  Christ, being our payment for sin, frees us from the old man bound to sin.  In His offering on Calvary, Jesus has freed us from the bondage of sin.  In that freedom also comes freedom from an evil world.

Think of it this way.  Imagine a poor child who must make his living in the shambles or marketplace of a common market.  His craft finds him there every day.  From sun up to sun down, he sits there selling his service.  To get ahead, he must use every angle he can imagine as he competes with others for the little business there is.  Along comes a wealthy benefactor.  He offers this lad an opportunity.  He will offer him a place to stay, improved equipment for his business, and a makeover to make him more presentable.  However, he still must come to the marketplace to earn his keep.  This boy agrees.  At the end of the day, this young lad arrives at his benefactor’s home.  He is escorted to a small outbuilding where he finds a small one-room building.  It has all he needs.  A small kitchenette, a full-size bed, a chair, and a full bath.  Hanging in the corner are fresh clothes.  Laying next to the chair is the newer equipment.  “All this is yours under one condition.  You must ethically conduct your business”, says the benefactor.  The boy agrees.  The next day, he gleefully arrives at the marketplace.  With the new equipment in hand, he sets up shop in the same place as always.  As he watches his competition, he quickly realizes he can make more money if he did what they did.  However, he remembers the agreement made with his benefactor.  He would lose all that he had gained if he compromised his ethics.  If he were to stay in the graces of his benefactor, he would have a roof over his head, fresh clothes in his closet, and newer equipment to do his job.

God has not promised to take us out of this world.  In fact, Jesus said as much.  “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” (Joh 17:15 AV)  Eventually, we will be.  There will come a day when that trumpet blows or the LORD calls us home.  Until then, we are stuck here.  But that does not mean we have to be a victim of our surroundings.  This world holds no power over us other than what we concede.  It may persecute us, but it cannot take our joy.  It can tempt us, but it cannot take our will.  Unless we surrender to this present evil world, we are free from it.  This is what salvation means in daily application.  This world will pass with the using.  It will get burned up and recreated in righteousness and true holiness.  This evil world is temporary.  I know Jesus is fixin’ to come back real soon.  How do I know? Because of the unmatched precipitous rise of evil in our day.  With more and more of the world going after the devil, the closer our Lord and Savior is to His return.