“I marvel that you are TURNING AWAY SO SOON from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, TO A DIFFERENT GOSPEL, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you AND WANT TO PERVERT (metastrephō : to turn around) THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, IF ANYONE PREACHES ANY OTHER GOSPEL to you than what you have received, LET HIM BE ACCURSED. For do I NOW PERSUADE MEN, OR GOD? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:6-10)
Paul began his letter with a brief, beautiful explanation of what the gospel message—the “good news”—about Jesus truly is. Jesus gave His life to pay for human sin before being returned to life by God the Father. Scholars call this “substitutionary atonement,” meaning Jesus TOOK OUR PLACE and PAID THE FULL PENALTY FOR OUR SIN. Without that, we would be trapped and DOOMED TO DEATH instead of delivered from “this present evil age” (Galatians 1:4).
Now Paul turns fully to the reason for this letter. He speaks directly to people who believed the gospel of Jesus when Paul told them about it on his first missionary journey to their region. They heard the simple truth that through faith in Christ, they could be saved from their sin. No extra works were required to assure their place in God’s family. Jesus had paid in full with His life. As will become clear, Paul is frustrated with his readers, if not angry. HE IS, IN FACT, “ASTONISHED” THAT THEY ARE SO QUICKLY TURNING AWAY FROM THE SIMPLE TRUTH. More specifically, Paul writes that they are deserting or abandoning Christ Himself BY BELIEVING a different idea, A DIFFERENT “GOSPEL,” than the one he showed them. “IF ANYONE PREACHES ANY OTHER GOSPEL…LET HIM BE ACCURSED.”
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham