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GALATIANS - I Have Been Crucified With Christ
Studies in the Letter of Paul to the Galatians
PART 1: THE OPENING: GREETINGS AND QUESTIONS (Galatians 1:1-10)
3. Paul’s concern about defects in the church (Galatians 1:6-10)
GALATIANS 1:6-10
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 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. 9 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. 10 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.
Paul declared, in Galatia, the wrath of God on our sins, and he emphasized the great forgiveness by the death of Christ on the cross; and when the Galatians heard this call of God to his grace manifested in Christ, and accepted him believingly, he who was raised from the dead poured out the power of the Holy Spirit into their hearts, and salvation was effected in them. This is the truth of the Gospel, and we cannot say anything else. The Gospel is neither a boring philosophy, nor strict obligations, but a saving power from the person of the living Jesus. We do not believe in a renewer of thought or science, but in the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, and we commit ourselves to him forever.
There came Christians of Jewish origin to the Galatians, and taught them that righteousness is attained by the Law, as if their salvation and their commitment to God were not sufficient, but needed their own efforts. Such belief in man’s ability to save himself by himself denies the work of grace, and gives the lie to the call of God. Did you know that you, in yourself, are evil, unsuccessful, fool, and unable to save yourself? Did you experience that God is the only One who enlightens you, calls you, purifies you, give life to you, and fills you with his Holy Spirit? Our salvation is but a grace. He who learns any other principle will annoy the church with his devious, misleading teachings.
As the lawyers tried to build the church on righteousness by the law, and not on faith by grace, they became enemies of the Gospel, corruptors of the church, and adversaries of God. Did Paul threaten them with God’s curse and judgment? He did not mention the names of the misleaders, but he said that if they went on in their misleading preaching, they would never escape the condemnation of God against them.
Woe to the priest, bishop, teacher, or preacher who urges his hearers on good works as a means by which they win heaven. Such are the deceivers who deserve eternal damnation, for they nest the false belief in stupid humanism, and do not build the salvation of the sinner only on Christ’s word and work.
The Greek word anathema “cursed” signifies that every misleader who willfully perverts the Gospel lays himself under God’s condemnation, and is in danger of laying the church under it too. Not every preacher who glorifies man and the human power, and overburdens people with laws and rites is of God’s Spirit, even if he saw beautiful visions, or an angel spoke to him, and inspired him with verses and orders. Any inspiration, which is not built on the Gospel, is not a true inspiration, and everyone who does not preach the death of Christ as the only reason for our salvation, remains an enemy of God. So, do not forget that the Gospel means salvation by grace alone.
The Jews mocked at Paul because he spoke to the Jews as a Jew, and to the Gentiles as a Greek. By his announcing God’s damnation on the deceivers, the apostle proved that he neither aimed at the applause of men, nor feared them, but he only served his Lord. He did not praise his hearers to win them through flattery and fair speech, but he condemned before them those who corrupted the grace with authority as given to him by the Lord to loose the sins, and to bind the disobedient sinners who pervert the grace with their wrong teachings on the law.
PRAYER: O Father, we thank you because you called us and saved us by the Gospel of Christ from sins, death, and destruction. Help us to stand fast in your grace forever. We do not want to increase righteousness by our own works that we may not disparage the glory of the cross. Keep us in the whole Gospel, and do not allow deceivers to deceive us, but give us the spirit of discernment that we may distinguish between what is true and what is untrue. Give us the courage and wisdom in the guidance of your Spirit to reject every deceiver in your holy church.
QUESTION:
- Why did Paul warn the Galatians from deceivers?