separated him from those who, to avoid the offence of the cross, adulterated the gospel of

grace with the dregs of Jewish ritual.

All slaves were branded. As the slave of Christ these were His brand marks. Could

his enemies show such practical evidences of their devotion and faithfulness to Christ?

He ends the epistle, as he always does with a reference to grace:

The word at the very end of the sentence, apart from Amen is "brethren", a blessed

word to end his epistle where so much feeling has been manifested and so much error

exposed and condemned.

We trust we have seen that the truth presented in this glorious epistle lies at the very

centre of the gospel of grace. Its importance cannot be overrated and all who have the

responsibility of preaching and teaching must give this epistle a prominent place in their

witness. It is a wonderful companion to the epistle to the Romans and was one of the

main instruments, through Luther's ministry of promoting the Reformation and all who

wish to be faithful to the truth which is centred in a risen and glorified Christ must give

constant heed to its message.