Paul warned the Galatian Christians, “…if we or an angel from Heaven preach a gospel to you BESIDE WHAT WE PREACHED TO YOU, LET HIM BE ACCURSED. As we said before, and now I say again, if anyone preaches a gospel to you beside what you have received, let him be accursed. For now, do I persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:8-10) Paul has expressed his great astonishment that the Galatian Christians, who had so profoundly come to Christ with great rejoicing when he brought the gospel message to them, were now ABANDONING CHRIST TO BELIEVE A DISTORTED “GOSPEL.” The distortion was this: A group of religious Jews were going to places where non-Jews—referred to as Gentiles—had believed Paul’s preaching and received salvation from their sin BY TRUSTING IN CHRIST’S DEATH FOR THAT SIN ON THE CROSS. These Judaizers could not stand the idea that these Gentiles believed themselves right with God WITHOUT FOLLOWING THE LAW OF MOSES. So they came FALSELY TEACHING that true salvation required BOTH FAITH IN CHRIST AND OBEDIENCE TO THE LAW.
What is the good news, “God SO LOVED the world THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, that WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that THE WORLD THROUGH HIM MIGHT BE SAVED.” (John 3:16-17)
Paul’s letters usually open with some kind of praise or thanksgiving for his readers. Not Galatians. He immediately expresses how baffled he is that THESE PEOPLE WHO RECEIVED THE GOOD NEWS about salvation by God’s grace and through faith in Christ HAVE SO QUICKLY DESERTED CHRIST. Anyone WHO TEACHES ANY OTHER GOSPEL than the one Paul taught to them IS CURSED AND WILL BE ETERNALLY CONDEMNED. Paul points to that harsh statement as evidence that HE IS NOT TRYING TO PLEASE ANY MEN. He serves and lives for the APPROVAL OF GOD.
AS EACH ONE OF US SHOULD…
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham