His opponents were a group of Judaistic agitators who were
seeking to impose circumcision and the burden of the Mosaic law as
necessary for salvation.
Paul taught that men were saved by Christ period and the
Judaizers taught that men were saved by Christ plus.
This heresy Paul strongly resisted and the book of Galatians
shows us just how much he resisted it.
S.P.S.: Galatians 1:6-10 presents the OCCASION for the
epistle. Here the ISSUE which brought forth the letter and the TONE
of the epistle are clearly seen. A consideration of THREE THINGS
will help us to understand Paul's thought in these verses. Today, we
will consider: 1) The DEFECTION of the Galatians; 2) The DISTORTION
of the Judaizers; and, 3) The DENUNCIATION of the Apostle Paul.
I. The DEFECTION of the Galatians...
GAL 1:6 NIV I am astonished that you are so quickly
deserting the one who called you by the grace of
Christ and are turning to a different gospel--
Paul expressed great surprise that the Galatians were so quickly
removing themselves from the God who called them in the grace of
Christ unto another message.
The tense of the verb "removed" (A.V.) is present
and suggests that the Galatians were in the process of
turning away but their defection was not complete. In the NIV,
it's "are turning to a different gospel..."
The voice of the word is middle and
indicates that their turning was a voluntary act.
The fact that they didn't resist the Judaizers very
much and that they could be so easily swayed would indicate that
they were not so firmly grounded in the teachings of grace.
This is further seen in WHOM
they turned from and WHAT they turned to.
It was God himself who
called them with a message of grace that centered in Jesus Christ.
They were turning away from the
person of the Lord who called them to himself.
This SUBJECT IS OF ETERNAL
CONSEQUENCE!!! You can't say "It doesn't matter...."
Paul a few verses later
pronounces an ETERNAL CURSE on those who would preach "another
gospel."
When you turn to a different
GOSPEL, you turn AWAY FROM GOD!!!
The CORRECT understanding of GALATIANS is a WATERSHED
ISSUE of ETERNAL consequences...
The fact that the Galatians were
turning away from the Lord and the Gospel Paul preached
caused Paul to doubt the reality of their salvation experience.
In 4:11 Paul said, "I am
afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain."
Again, in 5:2 he said, "Behold, I Paul say unto you,
that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing."
II. Just what is the MESSAGE that Paul preached to the
Galatians???
Just what is the message that Paul
preached to the Galatians when he came to them?
There is no question that Paul
believed that his Gospel was the only Gospel that could bring
men to God.
He made no allowance for another message.
Some of the distinctive features of
Paul's message can be seen by looking up verses which contain the
word gospel in them. For example:
1.) It is the GOSPEL concerning the SAVING ACTS OF
CHRIST...
1CO 15:1 NIV Now, brothers, I
want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you,which you
received and on which you have taken your stand. {2} By this gospel
you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.
Otherwise, you have believed in vain. {3} For what I received I
passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died
for our sins according to the Scriptures, {4} that he was buried,
that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, {5}
and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. {6} After
that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the
same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen
asleep.
2.) It is the GOSPEL of God...
ROM 1:1 NIV Paul, a servant of
Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel
of God-- {2} the gospel he promised beforehand through
his prophets in the Holy Scriptures {3} regarding his Son,
who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, {4} and who
through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the
Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus
Christ our Lord. {5} Through him and for his name's sake, we
received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the
Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.
3.) It is the GOSPEL of CHRIST...
GAL 1:6 NIV I am astonished
that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the
grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- {7} which is
really no gospelat all. Evidently some people are throwing you into
confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.
4.) It is the GOSPEL of GRACE.
ACT 20:20 NIV You know that
I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you
but have taught you publicly and from house to house. {21} I have
declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in
repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. {22} "And now,
compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what
will happen to me there. {23} I only know that in every city the
Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. {24}
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may
finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given
me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. {25}
"Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about
preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.
5.) It is the GOSPEL of FAITH...
ROM 1:15 NIV That is why I am so eager to preach the
gospel also to you who are at Rome. {16} I am not ashamed of the
gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone
who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. {17} For
in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a
righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it
is written, "The righteous will live by faith."
HEB 4:1 NIV Therefore, since
the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful
that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. {2} For we
also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did;
but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those
who heard did not combine it with faith. {3} Now we who have
believed enter that rest, just as God has said, "So I
declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'"
And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world.
6.) It is the GOSPEL of SALVATION....
EPH 1:11 NIV In him we were
also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him
who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
{12} in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might
be for the praise of his glory. {13} And you also were
included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel
of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with
a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, {14} who is a deposit guaranteeing
our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's
possession--to the praise of his glory.
7.) It is the GOSPEL of PEACE....
ROM 10:8 KJV But what saith it?
The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is,
the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and
with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the
scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12
¶ For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for
the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and
how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how
shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach,
except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of
them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings
of good things!
8.) It is the GOSPEL of the KINGDOM OF GOD....
ACT 28:22 NIV But we want to hear what your views are,
for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect."
{23} They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even
larger numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning till
evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and
tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and
from the Prophets. {24} Some were convinced by what he said, but
others would not believe. {25} They disagreed among
themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final
statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers
when he said through Isaiah the prophet: {26} "'Go to this
people and say, "You will be ever hearing but never
understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving."
{27} For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear
with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they
might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with
their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.' {28} "Therefore
I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the
Gentiles, and they will listen!" {29} {30} For two whole
years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who
came to see him. {31} Boldly and without hindrance he preached
the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.
9.) It is the ONLY GOSPEL.....
GAL 1:7 NIV which is really no gospel at all.
Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying
to pervert the gospel of Christ. {8} But even if we or an angel from
heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you,
let him be eternally condemned! {9} As we have already said,
so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other
than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
This is the message that the Galatians were turning away from.
In Paul's thinkikg it was in comprehensible how anyone could turn
from that gospel to a message that called for obedience to the
Mosaic law.
III. The DISTORTIONS of the Judaizers....
The opponents of the apostle Paul were
known as Judaizers.
They were a group of agitators who
sought to discredit Paul's apostleship and to distort his message.
They attempted to discredit his
apostleship by claiming that they came from the headquarters at
Jerusalem but Paul came with no such authority.
They further accused him of not
being a true apostle.
They said that he had not been a personal follower of the
Lord and that he got all of his knowledge of the gospel second hand.
The Judaizers also attempted to pervert Paul's message by
exclaiming that circumcision was necessary for salvation (cf.
Gal.5:1-4; 6:12-15).
Verse 7 states that these Judaizers were at that time in the
process of troubling the Galatians by their fifth column activities
(cf. Acts 15:24). They had begun their disturbing work but their
ultimate desire to was to pervert the gospel preached by Paul and so
change it into something entirely different.
At the end of verse 6 and beginning of verse 7 reference is made
to "another gospel: which is not another." The word used
in verse 6 means another of a different kind. Then he adds in verse
"which is not another" of the same kind)
In other words the gospel of the
Judaizers is a fake. They may retain the name "gospel" but
the substance is not the same.
We must not be so quick to embrace
everything as "gospel truth" just because it comes a from
denominational headquarters, seminary, church or the pulpit.
Identity of terminology is no guarantee that there is
identity of substance. For example consider:
1. The gospel of the Romanist
The Roman Catholic Church does not
proclaim the gospel of grace wholly apart from the works of the law.
They reject justification by faith
alone.
They teach salvation by grace plus
works.
The death of Christ was sufficient
to make the downpayment, now you have to pay the monthly
installments.
That is the gospel of Rome but not the gospel preached by
Paul.
2. The gospel of the Modernist
Modern religion teaches that
salvation is a character-building process.
You must have an awareness of God,
follow Jesus as your example, and do the best you can.
That way you will accrue merit so
God will receive you when you die.
That is the gospel of modernism but not the gospel preached
by Paul.
3. The gospel of the cultist
Every cult gives some place to the
Bible in its system and also uses many of the same terms as orthodox
Christianity.
However, anyone who takes the time
to examine what the cults teach about Jesus Christ and salvation
will discover that they preach "another gospel: which is not
another."
There is not one cult that pro claims that salvation is
purely by grace through faith and wholly apart from human effort.
4. The Gospel of PROSPERITY....
IV. The DENUNCIATION by the Apostle Paul...
GAL 1:8 NIV But even if we or an angel from heaven should
preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be
eternally condemned! {9} As we have already said, so now I say
again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you
accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
In these verses the same apostle who
penned 1 Corinthians 13 pronounces a curse upon any one who
perverts the gospel of Jesus Christ.
No one is excluded from Paul's anathema - his associates,
himself, or even an angel from heaven. (Compare the angel Moroni of
Mormonism).
That curse includes spiritual death which is eternal separation
from Christ (cf. Rom. 9:3; 1 Cor. 16:22).
ROM 9:1 NIV I speak the truth in Christ--I am not lying,
my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit-- {2} I have great
sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. {3} For I could wish that
I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of
my brothers, those of my own race,
1CO 16:22 NIV If anyone does not love the Lord--a curse
be on him. Come, O Lord !
Paul believed that the gospel he preached was the only gospel for
he received it from God himself.
Some might accuse Paul of narrowness
but he would be the ffrst to admit it.
Truth is narrow.
Some might accuse him of being
unloving by the attitude he displayed.
To that he would probably answer. "Quite the contrary, I
have so much love in my heart for the souls of men that I cannot
stand it when anyone perverts the only hope they have.
CONCLUSION:
GAL 1:10 NIV Am I now trying to win the approval of men,
or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to
please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Verse 10 really belongs with the paragraph we have been studying.
Keeping in mind that the Judaizers were trying to convince the
Galatians that Paul was out to curry the favor of men, listen to the
way the New English Bible renders verse 10 -
"Does my language now sound as if I were canvassing for
men's support? Whose support do I want but God's alone? Do you think
I am currying favour with men? If I still sought men's favour I
should be no servant of Christ."
The gospel of God may not be popular but it is true. It may not
be the only thing you hear today in religious circles but it is the
only message that will save your soul.
You may not win many friends for
receiving Paul's gospel but you will become a friend of God and that
's what counts after all.
Acknowledgement: I gratefully acknowledge
the help of Pastor David W. Haines of Palisades Community
Bible Church, Revere, PA, who has graciously shared his notes from
over 40 years in ministry
