DELIVERED FROM THIS PRESENT EVIL WORLD
Gal 1:4 KJV 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:
The text is talking about the purpose why Jesus came. According to Paul, Jesus gave Himself up for our sins. He was not coerced, forced, compelled or intimidated but willingly, He gave Himself for our sins. And why did He have to do this? It is because He loved us. He saw us in our misery and we were destitute to bail ourselves out, He came to rescue us.
Gal 2:20 KJV I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
He became the substitute for us. That is why Paul in 2Cor 5: 21 says that He that knew no sin was made sin for us. He took our place so that we might take His place. There was a divine exchange that took place on the cross. It was a vicarious sacrifice that He made.
In the Old Testament when the offeror comes with the goat or lamb for his sin offering Lev 3:2, he laids on it and by that he identifies himself with the offering as his substitute and then his sin is transferred unto it. He goes home while the goat is killed and his blood shed. This was the type of what was coming and had now taken place.
Lev 16:21-22 KJV 21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: 22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
his right hand upon his left hand on the head of the live goat; this was done in the name of the people, hereby transferring their sins, and the punishment of them, to it:the iniquities, transgressions, and sins of the people of Israel before confessed, and that by confession of them, with imposition of hands; and which was typical of the imputation of the sins of the people of God to Christ, of the Lord laying, or causing to meet on him the iniquities of them all, and of his being made sin by imputation for them.
Christ, who has borne all the sins of all his people in his own body on the cross, and all the punishment due unto them; and so has made full satisfaction for them, and has removed them from them, as far as the east is from the west, and out of the sight of avenging justice; so that when they are sought they shall not be found, nor shall they ever return unto them, or be brought against them any more; see Isa 53:12
The word for sin there is “Harmattia” and it is a noun which is the name of any person, place or thing. The other word for sin is “harmattano” and that is a verb. This one talk about actions of sins like murder, stealing, fornication, etc. But what God did was to go to the root of sin itself and that is why Jesus gave himself for our sin. The inherent sin and what is normally called the original sin.
Rom 5:12 KJV Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
It was through what Adam did that we all became sinners because we inherited that Adamic nature from him. Because of his offence many became sinners and the consequence of his action was that death entered into the world. The death there was spiritual death. Of course there were other forms of death like physical death, second death and eternal death. The spiritual death was separation of the spirit from God. The effect of that was that man was now associated and attached with the devil and all he stands for. Sickness, poverty, lack, killings, evils multiplied in the world because of the sin.
Rom 6:16 KJV Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
The wages of sin is death Rom 6:23. Man was condemned to death and physical death was just a by-product of spiritual death. Man has to pay for his sin. There was nothing in man or what he can offer to bail himself out and God has to come to the rescue of His creation through the atonement of the Lord Jesus.
Jesus died to deliver us from this present evil world. The word “deliver ” there is in Greek called “exaireō” and it means: to pluck out, draw out, i.e. root out, to choose out (for one’s self), select one person from many.
It has the sense of ‘taking to or for oneself,’ not merely deliverance as by removing the scourge, but by taking the people.
In other words, Jesus came to remove us completely from the hold of sin. He not only delivered us but actually took us to Himself that according to Peter we might be His peculiar or prized possession. By His death, the judgement, penalty, guilt and condemnation due to man were taken by him. 2Cor 5: 19 says that He that knew no sin was made sin for us. How was that possible? It was by imputation. How did we become sinners? It was by imputation and when Jesus was made sin for us, it was for a purpose that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. His righteousness was imputed unto us.
He died so that we might be delivered from this present evil world. Not from the world that has passed or the world to come but this particular one.
The word for world there is “aions’ ‘ and not “kosmos” which is for physical things and material world. The aion talks about ages, long periods of time, course of life or how things go with an individual relative to environment or circumstances of life. This present evil world therefore talks about the evils in our world and in this generation. All the evils that sin brought into the world. The evil of lack, poverty, killings, materialistic, worldliness, calamity, sorrow, untimely death, etc. Jesus gave Himself for our sins because sins brought all these evil and He delivered us from them.
We are already delivered. A done deal. A completed fact.
Col 1:12-13 KJV 12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
It was an action that was done in the past and would not be repeated. So it is wrong for Christian to pray to God to deliver them. We are already delivered and not only did He deliver us, He took us into another environment, the kingdom of His dear son. We have been relocated totally from under the dominion of satan and sin into a different kingdom.
Rom 6:14 KJV For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Sin is associated with the author of sin Satan, so when the Bible says sin shall not have dominion over us, it is equivalent to saying Satan shall no more have dominion over us. We have been delivered from his power. His hold over man is sin. And since our sin has been paid for and wiped away, he has no hold over a Christian any longer.
Rom 6:6-11 KJV 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sin has been obliterated. His dominion has been broken.
Application
Why then do we still suffer affliction, lack, poverty, sorrows, evil? There are many factors but one of the greatest factors is that most Christian don’t know who they are, the authority they possess, they don’t even know this very fact. Ignorant of what Christ has done for us. For many, the celebration of Easter and Christmas is just a fun time. Many have not taken advantage of the death, burial, resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And the devil takes advantage of them.
Psa 82:6-7 KJV 6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. 7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
It is very simple, if Christ died to deliver me from all these, why do I have to experience them again? It means that Satan has no right to place sickness on me because Is 53: 4-5 says he borne them away. It is illegal for Satan to bring them back to me what Christ has taken away. More so, my body has been purchased, it’s not mine 1Cor 6: 20. Satan is trespassing over another man’s property. Jesus became poor so that i can be rich, so i am not going to spend another day of my life in lack and penury 2Cor 8: 9; 3Jn 2.
What must be done?
Fight the good fight of faith 1Tim 6: 12. This is to compel our rebellious situation to line up and conform with what the word says. The word has become the judge. Jesus paid for this, I am obtaining them, I won’t be cheated out of them. It is not about God coming to deliver me, He has done all that needed to be done to give me a good life. It is my responsibility to appropriate them and use them in this lifetime.
We have the promise of God that promised exclusion from evils that befalls common mere men. Take for instance the promise of protection in Psalm 91.
Psa 91:1-8 KJV 1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
However, as good as the promise is, they are only affected when we declare them with our mouth. They are voice activated.
Declare that you have been made free. Rom 6: 7; John 8:36
Ja 4:7 says resist the devil and he will flee from you. Confess who you are in Christ Jesus.
Argue your case. Isa 41:21 KJV Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.