Galatians 1:6-7 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— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.
Since the Gospel writers began to chronicle the events of
the mission of Christ Jesus here on earth, some have gone against the Gospel's
truth. In this day of broadmindedness and forbearance, some tend to modify the
Gospel to the modern cultural trend. In this innovative world, if someone
claims that they teach the true Gospel, the world sees them as a bigot and
accuses them of being narrow-minded. It seems that the world tries to adapt the
truth of the Gospel to current and popular societal views. The Gospel is as
simple as the multiplication table; three times two equals six, and there can
be no exceptions. As bad as some people would like to turn the truth of the
Gospel upside down and inside out, it remains the same as the time of Jesus'
earthly ministry.
It is unfathomable and
perplexing that there are so many evangelists, pastors, and teachers today who
are teaching a work salvation, grossly distorting the Gospel as Jesus taught
during His short time here on earth. In this message to the Christians in
Galatia, the Apostle Paul veers away from the proper etiquette of writing
letters in his time by omitting the characteristic gracious opening words. A
properly accepted form of letter writing dictates that we say something
positive about our recipients. But Paul leaps from the greeting immediately to
chewing out his readers. He does not waste time with formalities because too
many people he loves are gambling with their eternal life. Paul most likely
believed that there would be millions of people reading this letter outside of
His intended audience at Galatia.
Notwithstanding the truth that
God has created us, His children, to live in freedom, sadly, many prefer
imprisonment. These were the people who were most vulnerable to the deceptions
of the ones Paul referred to as the Judaizers. These sincere but wrong people
did not view themselves as deceivers or distorters of the Gospel. They wrongly
thought they were protecting the world they had known for generations from
outsiders attempting to destroy their way of life.
However, Paul responds to
their challenges with a more complete response. He told them he had preached
the truth that Jesus revealed to him and went on to inform them that there was
only one truth of the gospel of freedom. Paul told them with uncertainty that
the false teaching they were adding to the gospel did nothing to enhance; he
told them in no uncertain terms their false teaching distorted the true gospel.
Paul went on to inform them that when they turned their backs on the true
gospel favoring legalisms and confusion, they had already escaped from, they
were abandoning God’s amazing grace; for all people today as well, there is
only one true gospel of grace. When a person believes that some works will gain
them access to heaven, there will be a rude awaking when we stand before Christ.
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