Deserting the grace of Christ for a different gospel...

Galatians 1 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of 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 our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.

Perversion of the Gospel

⁶ I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; ⁷ which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! ⁹ As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!

¹⁰ For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

¹¹ For I would have you know, 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 I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

¹³ For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; ¹⁴ and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. ¹⁵ But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased ¹⁶ to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, ¹⁷ nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.

¹⁸ Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ (Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.) ²¹ Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²² I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ; ²³ but only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴ And they were glorifying God because of me.

Paul says: “ I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel” I guess then we should not be amazed that there is so much turning to a different Gospel today. In truth, it is man’s tendency to change the word of God, either adding to it or subtracting from it that caused the original fall of Adam and Eve in the garden. Genesis 3:1-5  says:

 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” ² The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; ³ but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” ⁴ The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! ⁵ For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Eve added to God’s commandment, “or touch it”.  The serpent then got her to question the actual word of God.  Once we begin to either add to or take away from the word of God, we too begin to follow another gospel. Keep in mind this letter, like all of Paul’s letters in the Bible is written to the church, to believers. It is not surprising that unbelievers will misinterpret or change the word of God, they have not received the revelation of Christ. To believers, followers of Christ, Jesus Himself says:

"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18"For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19"Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.…(Matthew 5:17-19)      In Revelation 21:18-20 it says: I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; 19and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. 20He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.…

Paul says: “ For I would have you know, 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 I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” As believers it is important that we too seek the revelation of Christ, not through men but as Jesus Himself said we would receive it.

“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. ²⁴ He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. ²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. ²⁶ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. (John 14:23-26)

There are many good teachers of the gospel, both past and present. But it is critical for every believer to also rely on the witness of the Holy Spirit. Particularly in our sound bite culture and society, where we tend to interpret and understand the meaning of things through a few, often out of context words, it is important that we take the time to accurately understand what the word of God says.  2 Timothy 3:16 is an important reminder to us about the word of God.

 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

The word all is critical to our understanding. It is not only is every scripture verse that we should apply to our lives, but it is the entirety of scripture. An important test of any teaching, whether we receive it from men or through a dream or vision, is that no revelation from God will contradict the rest of His word. In Matthew 16:13-19, we can read of the foundational revelation of scripture.

 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

Anything that is not built on the foundation of the revelation that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Lord and Savior, is another gospel. Jesus final words to His disciples, recorded in Matthew 28:18-20 are;     “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

We are to love and we are to serve, but we are also to teach everything He commanded. The law has not been abolished. It has been fulfilled in Christ. Each person will either be judged according to his or her own fulfillment of the law, the smallest letter or stroke, or they will be judged according to the fulfillment of the law in Christ Jesus.

Thank You Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit, for Your word, the revelation of Your will and that through the cross of Christ we are judged not by our own actions but in His righteousness. Amen