Don't Desert the Gospel!

No Other Gospel

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—7 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 them be under God’s curse! 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 them be under God’s curse! 10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

We will spend the next six days in Paul's letter to the Galatians.  Galatia was located in the province of Asia Minor, or modern day Turkey.  Most agree that Paul founded the church on his first missionary journey. As a side note,  "The great reformer Martin Luther especially loved this letter; he called Galatians his “Catherine von Bora” after his wife; because, he said, “I am married to it." 

The focus of the letter shows Paul's deep concern for the Galatians that having started with the gospel, they are deserting it for the law.  Having started with freedom, they are returning to slavery.  And once again this threat is coming from those who have slipped into the church and perverted the true gospel.  

This is a big deal for Paul. After all, Paul was as legalistic as anyone, so he knew what slavish obedience to the Law looked like.  He knew it could never save anyone.  He knew the more one knew the Law the more they realize how for short they came to actually obeying the true intent of the Law.  Most importantly when Jesus personally shared the gospel with him on the road to Damascus, he was completely transformed into a new man.  He was called to preach this same gospel to the Gentiles.  When people heard the gospel and believed they were "born again" like he was and this led to the church's growth all over the world.  

But when Paul left Galatia, others tried to dilute the gospel by adding back works into the equation.  We will learn more in the next days what this specifically entailed, but suffice it to say Paul has a huge problem with it.  He says, "If anyone preaches a gospel other than the one we preached let them be cursed!"

The gospel is the same message today as it was 2,000 years ago.  It is counter cultural because most religions preach that knowing God is based on what we do not a free gift.  The Christian gospel preaches what God has done for us in Christ.  It is a free gift to all who would receive it.  The gospel makes Christianity different from every religion.  In the gospel God steps out of heaven and becomes one of us.  He is born like us.  He grows up like us.  He experiences basic needs like us.  He cries like us. He dies like us.  But unlike any other human who had ever lived after he died, he rose from the dead proving that he was no ordinary human.  He was God in the flesh.  

Friends we have been given the same gospel Paul was given. Let's guard it as closely as Paul did. People have died for the gospel. Let's live for it!