Galatians Series Part 1
Warning Signs of a “Different Gospel”
- Trying to please people
- Following human traditions
- Walking the comfortable path.
Galatians 1:1 Paul, an apostle (not from
men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him
from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of
Galatia: 3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus
Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this
present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be
glory forever and ever. Amen.
On May 17, 1987 an Iraqi F-1 Mirage
fighter launched two missiles at the Navy frigate USS Stark, which was
on patrol in the Persian Gulf. The Stark was equipped with two early
detection devises for just such an attack. The first was an audible alarm that
sounded and the second was a visual alert that would appear on the radar
screen. On top of this all, these systems were continually monitored by an
electronic warfare operator. In the event of such an attack it was his
responsibility to warn the rest of the crew and enact the appropriate defensive
measures. Despite this sure-sounding process, the two missiles tore into the
side of the Stark, ripping a ten-foot hole in her hull and instantly
killing 37 American soldiers.
How could such a tragedy strike without
warning? What happened to the early detection process? Those were the questions
that a House Armed Services Committee was tasked with answering. Their
conclusion revealed the problem. The operator in charge of those defense
systems had turned off the audible alarm because there were too many false
alarms. Because of this, he was not alerted in time and he missed the attack on
the radar screen. Such a simple thing in theory, yet profound in its
consequences. Although warning signs are usually irritating interruptions,
we turn them off at our own peril. The same lesson could be said about
removing the battery from the chirping smoke detector, ignoring our computer’s
security software updates, or refusing to fasten the safety belt because it’s
just such a chore. Simple things, devastating consequences.
God has a warning system in His Word for
us too, and although it often seems mundane and annoying from day to day, it
protects the most treasured and important Gospel truth, the very power of God
to salvation. We read the rest of our text from Galatians chapter 1, picking up
at verse 6:
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. 11 But I make known to you,
brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12
For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through
the revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former conduct
in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to
destroy it. 14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries
in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my
fathers. 15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb
and called me through His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might
preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and
blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me;
but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. 18 Then after three years
I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But
I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord's brother. 20 (Now
concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)
21 Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was unknown
by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. 23 But they were hearing
only, "He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once
tried to destroy." 24 And they glorified God in me.
The letter to the Galatians is one of the
foremost sections of Scriptures that hits home with present day Christians. Not
only is it addressed to those already in the faith, who have at least a working
knowledge of the Bible. But it also addresses a modern-day problem. Paul’s
words are not prophetical, his initial audience needed this letter just as much
as we do. But, it’s quite astonishing how these thoughts reflect what we
continue to experience here as Christians.
Speaking of astonishment, that’s exactly
where Paul begins. He “marvels” that the Galatians would so quickly turn away
from the Gospel. Paul had a hand in establishing the churches in the area of
Galatia, which would be the central area of modern day Turkey. He and Barnabas
traveled through these provinces on their first missionary trip and started
many churches. Paul’s method was simple as seen in the book of Acts. He would
go wherever people typically gathered and preach the direct Law and Gospel.
Jesus Christ crucified and risen for fallen sinners.
It didn’t take long for the power of this
Word to fade in the peoples’ hearts. But, it wasn’t the Law they forsook, it
was the Gospel. They had plenty of laws, even though not all came from God.
Paul describes their plight by saying that they had turned to a “different
Gospel.” The word Gospel simply means good news. The Bible’s Gospel is all
about the good news of sins forgiven in Jesus but every person has their own
opinion about what constitutes good news. The Galatians had slipped into
following a false good news, a different Gospel. It’s no coincidence that the
Greek word for different is where we get the word “heterodox,” meaning
different teaching. There is one, divinely inspired truth of God’s Word and all
other beliefs are different. And so, immediately, Paul sounds a warning for
their lives. Don’t turn from the true Gospel to a different one, no matter who
preaches it! Think of it was very much the same as that initial audible warning
on the USS Stark. We see in this first chapter, three points Paul
stresses about what made this new gospel different, and for our lives they
apply just as much.
Part 1: Trying to
please people
We may think that trying to please people
is a noble thing. Aren’t we called to this as Christians when we’re told to
“love of our neighbors as ourselves?” Don’t we want to be “all things to all
people” as Paul wrote elsewhere? What about being kind and caring to others?
Those things are all true, but that’s not the kind of service Paul is speaking
about. He tells us that trying to please people puts us at direct odds with
God. You can’t please men and honor God.
The kind of service we offer our neighbor
is to flow from the service God has offered us. In other words, “we love
because God first loved us.” Paul’s rebuke of the Galatians’ heterodoxy could
have easily been taken as an unloving thing. The same charge is often leveled
against Christians today. People say we hate others for calling for repentance.
Opponents say we think we’re better than others for trying to live according to
God’s commandments. Even sincere Christians pick away at the Bible in a vain
attempt to fit in better with the world. Paul brings the matter to light, do
we care more about pleasing God or pleasing others? We should think
carefully about the answer because the wrong choice may put us at enmity with
God. Paul calls it a direct attack on the Gospel and the first step toward
hastening after a different Gospel.
True love for one another is hidden in
Christ and revealed by the Holy Spirit. Truly pleasing our neighbor will never
be at odds with God’s revealed truth. In fact, anything opposed to the Word
that claims to be love is a most dangerous lie.
Part 2: Following
human traditions
Each warning gets more personal for Paul.
He now shifts in verse 11 to talking about how he received the
Gospel. It wasn’t a human invention. It was a direct revelation from Jesus
Christ. Anyone who claims to speak for God will always have to give their
reasons why people should listen to them. Paul appeals to the absolute truth
that God had called him for this purpose. He’s talking about his conversion,
the details of which are listed in three separate sections of Acts. You can
tell that Paul cared deeply about his validity as a minister. He was
well-educated. He was knowledgeable of the Bible. All indications point to his
ability to speak. But, he never listed any of those qualities as a reason for
people to listen to him.
In fact, to the Corinthians, Paul said
this: And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you
the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to
know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 5 so that your
faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1
Corinthians 2:1-2, 5)
The direct human tradition that the
endangered the Galatians will be expanded upon as our series continues. We have
our own pitfalls in our culture and in our churches, too, but they all come
back to one thing – putting man’s word above God’s. Modern day Christians,
included us, often like to point these examples out in the Bible, especially as
they pertain to the Pharisees. After all, Jesus said to them, 7 Hypocrites!
Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said: 8 These people honor Me
with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. 9 They worship Me in vain, teaching
as doctrines the commands of men." (Matthew 15:8-9)
Paul was a student of this school and
didn’t hesitate to admit it saying, And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of
my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the
traditions of my fathers. It’s easy to point out these glaring
inconsistencies with the true Gospel; it’s often harder to see how the
Pharisaical hypocrisy affects our hearts. Have you ever thought, “I don’t need
to go to church because it doesn’t hold my attention enough; I never get
anything out of it anyway? Have you ever seethed with anger in your heart
because your brother or sister rebukes your sin of pride, or gossip, or greed;
and they just don’t understand how complicated things are? Have you ever
worried about what will become of our church in an ever-changing society and
after years of seemingly no interest from our community? If you have then you
have fallen prey to the same problem Paul had – trusting human words over
God’s.
For such sins we daily confess our
repentance and ask for the Lord’s mercy to renew us. Confidence in only the
true Gospel gives pardon and peace, for it reminds us that no matter how we fail,
Christ restores us freely by His grace. This is how little problems that have
no direct relation to the Gospel actually prove to be quite important. This is
why Paul doesn’t back down from his warning call. Anything that leads you to
trust something over God is a direct assault on the Gospel because it minimizes
not only the Word of God but the need for Jesus Christ as Savior. Simply put,
the Gospel changes you, you don’t change the Gospel.
Part 3: Walking the
comfortable path
Paul’s final warning is his most personal
one. Once God called him to faith it’s not as if things simplified in his life.
Actually, his walk of faith was a complicated one, and often Paul didn’t
understand the purpose. But, regardless, he trusted God. He was led to Arabia
before Jerusalem. How it was three years before he saw Peter. How many of the
Christians didn’t know who he was. He had a need for personal training in his
own heart before God used him as the super-apostle he would become. We think of
Paul as the great missionary but it took a lot of behind the scenes work before
he got there.
The same thing happens with all
Christians. God has a distinct plan for each of you. If you feel nervous or
uncertain about that plan; if things seem out of your control, don’t panic. That’s
completely normal when the true Gospel is at work. There’s always a steady
uneasiness with the true Gospel. It should make us feel on edge a bit because
we are still sinners. If we don’t feel this edginess, we are probably changing
the true Gospel. By nature, we don’t want to hear the Gospel message, even
though it is a wonderful message. We are corrupted. We are rebels of God.
There’s always a tension with the Gospel inwardly even though it is an
absolutely liberating thing.
The person who is always in control is
not walking by faith alone in the Son of God. Faith is trust, and that often
involves the unknown. The Gospel of Jesus is the energy behind that walk of
faith. Those who must have control at all costs, even if it’s
only in their minds and not in reality, are following something different.
How much more unlikely a story could
there be than that God sent His own Son to suffer a divine punishment even
though no human deserved it. How unknown a message it is that the Father would
touch His perfect, holy Son with the eternal wrath of the righteous judge?
Would any human think such a thing could be possible unless the Bible had
indeed revealed it? Never. And yet, that’s the precious Gospel, so simple, so
spot on, so true to this life, that even a tiny child can get it. If the
trade-off to not knowing everything or how God always leads you is eternal life
in heaven, is it not worth it? Beware of this final warning call, the Christian
life is not always straightforward and comfortable. Don’t change the truth just
to make it easier. This is a different path than God’s.
Although warning signs are usually
irritating interruptions, we turn them off at our own peril. Beware of shortchanging God’s warnings in
His Word and falling into a different Gospel. Paul took this so seriously that
he would condemn anyone who changed it, saying whether man or angel, let them
be cursed. This was not an overreaction, for one’s stance on the Gospel of
Christ is the very dividing line between heaven and hell. With all that Christ
has won for us and the joy that is ours through it, there is just as much that
can now be lost. God grant us the strength by faith to persevere in this life
and to receive the next. In His Son’s name, Amen.
The peace of God which surpasses all
understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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