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6I am astonished that you are
so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are
turning to a different gospel-- 7which is really no gospel at
all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying
to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel
from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you,
let him be eternally condemned! 9As we have already said, so
now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what
you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
Suppose someone tried to put a few drops of cyanide in your milk or in your aspirin bottle. Or suppose someone offered to pour a gallon of water into your car’s gas tank or oil reservoir. How much of each substance would you be willing to tolerate? No doubt your response to that question is quick and sure: “None!” No man would drink poisoned milk or take cyanide-laced aspirin. And even a little water in your car’s gas tank or engine oil would put your car out of commission, at least temporarily. In such a situation, you’d diligently protect your health and your car. In this book Paul urges believers to show the same diligence in guarding the gospel against corruption and perversion. After all, a perverted gospel can do more damage than killing a body or ruining a car’s engine. It can destroy a person spiritually and prevent him or her from finding the One who offers eternal life. Paul provides us with an excellent example of someone who guarded the purity of the gospel. A group of “agitators” in the Galatian church distorted the gospel message and tried to lead the members into legalistic religious practices. They talked about Jesus, but added numerous elements of Jewish law to the message of salvation. Paul set the record straight with some pointed insights. First, there is only one true gospel. (v6-7). While the false teachers said they proclaimed the true gospel, their message wasn’t good news at all. Instead of stressing God’s free gift of salvation, they urged men and women to believe in Jesus Christ plus perform good deeds to win God’s favor. Any message that adds anything to faith in Christ isn’t the true gospel. Paul’s hard-line attitude about the gospel should cause us to lit up and take notice. The gospel is simple: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9). As you seek to determine if a person’s gospel message is truly Biblical, ask that person what he or she believes one must do to be saved. Listen carefully to t he answer. It will tell you if he or she is adding cyanide to the pure milk of the gospel. Second, don’t be impressed with appearances; look for truth. Most of us would be awed if an “angel of light” suddenly appeared before us. We’d marvel if that dazzling personage told us how we could know God. But Paul cuts no corners. In essences, he tells us not to be impressed with a person’s superficial appearance, but rather to find out where that person stands on the gospel. Paul saw through appearances. He saw those false teachers standing by the gas tank, gallon of water in hand, waiting to disable the engine of the Galatian church. Don’t allow someone’s religious pedigree or position get in the way of the truth. It doesn’t matter who he or she is; what matters is what he or she teaches. To make his point, Paul said even his message should be rejected if it added anything to the gospel message (v.8). Paul’s message is clear, and so should yours be as you bring the gospel to others: Salvation comes by faith alone.
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