Christ Alone: The Only Gospel
Galatians 1:6-10
Introduction:
In the Fall of 1996, an interesting recipe book was published. The title is In Memory’s Kitchen. What is interesting about this book is that many of the recipes are incorrect. It is very probable that if you follow one of the recipes in this book that you will find the food unpalatable. The incorrect recipes are not a mistake by the publisher. They purposely published the incorrect recipes. You might ask yourselves why would anyone want to publish a recipe book with wrong recipes and why would anyone purchase such a book? The incorrect recipes are really what the book is all about.
The book is a compellation of recipes compiled by Jewish women who were put in the concentration camp by the Nazis. The camp was Terezin located in Czechoslovakia. Camp Terezin was a camp used to deceive the world. This camp had more freedoms than the other death camps. In spite of the freedoms, many still died, mostly of starvation.
One of the ways that the Jewish women dealt with their starvation was by remembering the recipes they used to cook when they were free. They wrote the recipes down and preserved them. All the recipes were written from memory and that is why many are incorrect. One of the ladies who was in the camp called the recipe compilation, “platonic cooking.”
The incorrect ingredients of the recipes In Memory’s Kitchen are a part of the story behind the recipes. This is one instance where being wrong is a good thing.
When it comes to the gospel of Jesus Christ, there is not room for being wrong. The ingredients that make up the gospel are essential, and any added ingredient or left out ingredients can have terrible consequences. The apostle Paul reveals this in Galatians 1:6-10.
Galatians is unlike the other letters that Paul wrote to churches in that it is void of an opening thanksgiving section. One of the characteristics of Paul’s letters is that he opened them with commendation before he went into correction. This is not the case with Galatians. Paul doesn’t waist any time getting to the problem because the problem was so serious. The problem was false teachers coming in and giving different ingredients for salvation, ingredients that were opposite of the grace of God.
What Paul is concerned about is the nature of the good news of Jesus Christ . We call it the gospel. In verses six through nine the Greek word “ euangellion,” which we translate gospel is used no less than four times. The ingredients to the gospel are serious business. What is at stake is not unpalatable food, but the glory of Christ and a Christless eternity for souls . That is why Paul writes with such intensity and urgency. In verses six Paul addresses first the desertion of the gospel on the part of the Galatians.
I. The Desertion of the Gospel: It’s Criminal
Paul says in verse six, “I am amazed…” Paul begins by expressing his dismay of the conduct of the Galatians.
a. The Surprise of the Apostle
The Greek word is “ Thaumadzo.” Paul surprise is most likely united with criticism over the conduct of the believers who are receiving this letter. Paul expects a better conduct and behavior from those who have accepted the good news of Jesus Christ. He expects better behavior from them. The reason that he is surprised is found in the Galatians demise.
b. The Demise of the Galatians
What is Paul amazed about? “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel.”
Paul knows first hand when the Galatian believers responded to the gospel because it was he and Barnabas who took the gospel to the Galatians on their first missionary journey recorded in Acts chapters thirteen and fourteen. It wasn’t soon after that responded to Jesus by faith that they were deserting the gospel for a different gospel. The tense of the verb “deserting” is a present tense, which means that Paul is catching them in the act. That is why Paul is so urgent and direct with his confrontation. He realizes that there is still time to keep them from going down the wrong path.
The Greek word for “deserting” means to “transpose to things, to put one in the place of the other.” It was often used of soldiers who would desert their post or revolt against their commanders. The word was also used to describe a politician switching political philosophies or parties. It has the meaning of transferring one’s allegiance to another.
Many have probably heard the name Norma McCorvey. She was the lady who played apart in Roe vs. Wade back in the early 70’s that legalized abortion. She was passionate about a woman’s right to an abortion until 1995. That is when she gave her life to Christ. She transferred her allegiance from the murder industry to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The opposite is happening to the Galatians when Paul wrote this letter. They were not transferring the allegiance to Jesus Christ, but from Jesus Christ. How were they doing this? Paul says, by deserting Jesus for another gospel.
It’s not that they were just deserting one gospel for another. Paul says, “deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ.” When you desert the gospel of grace you desert the God of grace. This wasn’t an intellectual issue that Paul was addressing; he was addressing a hearty loyalty issue. They were transferring their allegiance from God to a different gospel. This is why Paul is surprised. This is why he is astonished. This is why he is critical of their move.
In the original language, the word that is translated “different” as the idea of a second gospel. They have transferred their allegiance to a second gospel. In verse seven Paul uses another Greek word that means an opposite gospel. Paul’s point is that there is no second gospel. There is no opposite gospel. There is only one gospel, and for them to transfer their allegiance to another when there is not other, is not only foolish, but is criminal.
Joseph Parker in his sermon on this passage said that what we have here in the behavior of the Galatians is a “cancer of the heart.” How could they desert the gospel so quickly for a gospel that was not a gospel? We are told that their behavior was a response to a distortion of the gospel in verses seven through nine.
II. The Distortion of the Gospel: It’s Condemnable
Paul continues in verse seven, “Which is really not another ; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.”
The word for “distort” can mean “change” or “pervert.” The false teachers were perverting the message of the gospel. This is what was disturbing the Galatian believers, a perversion of the truth of the gospel.
The Greek word for “disturbing” is also used in Acts 15:24. In the letter that the Jerusalem Council wrote to Gentile believers is where we see the word for “disturbing" used. In Acts 15:24 it says, “Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls.” What exactly where the words that were disturbing them? In Acts 15:1 it says, “Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” This is what the teachers were teaching, and what they were teaching was distorting the fundamental truth of the gospel.
The reason that this teaching is distorting the gospel is because it declares that Jesus is not enough to save. It says you need more than Jesus to be saved, you have to add your works with it. Anything that adds or takes away from the reality that Jesus saves alone is a distortion of the gospel. Anything that adds or takes away from the gospel is really not a gospel.
This distortion still takes place today. Large denominations teach that Jesus is not enough, that you have to combine Christ with your good works, with being members of their church, with doing good deeds. Some say that you can’t be saved without being baptized. That Christ is not enough that you must be baptized also to be saved. This is a distortion of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
These false teachers were distorting the gospel, and they were now convincing the Galatians to desert the gospel of Christ for another gospel, a false gospel. Paul doesn’t hold back from letting the distorters of the gospel know where they stand with God.
Listen to what Paul says in verse eight, “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.” Those are some very harsh words on the part of the apostle. Some say that it is an outburst on the part of Paul, not an actual reality. But is it?
The Greek word “anathema” is the word we translate “accursed.” It is used in the Greek Old Testament of things that God has as devoted to destruction. A person who doesn’t love God is devoted to destruction. A person who distorts the gospel is devoted to destruction.
The fact that Paul includes himself and angels in the curse shows that it is more that just an outburst. Furthermore, the fact that he repeats it again in verse nine, “As we 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,” is evidence that this is not an outburst.
Paul is eagerly following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ when he gives warnings. Jesus said, and I paraphrase what he said, “If anyone causes another to stumble it would be better to have a milestone tied around his neck and cast out into the sea, than to cause someone to stumble.” Those are serious words. Moreover, what Jesus said is what Paul is saying. If you distort the gospel you can incite people to live in a Christless eternity.
That is why Paul is so serious about the distortion of the gospel. When you add or subtract to the gospel you take away from the glory of Christ and people stumble into a Christless eternity. It is condemnable behavior to distort the gospel for those two reasons. That is why we must understand that the distinctness of the gospel is so crucial.
III. The Distinctiveness of the Gospel: It’s crucial
I’m reminded of the story of two preachers. One preacher spent most of his time preaching against error, the other spent his time preaching the distinctness of the gospel. The latter preacher was asked why he didn’t preach about error. He said, “If you want to see if something is crooked, you place that which is straight next to it.” If you want to see if someone is preaching a distorted gospel, you place it aside the true gospel. You put it aside the true ingredients of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In verses 6-9 we discover the distinct ingredients of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In verse six you will notice Paul say, “the grace of Christ.” In verse seven he says the “gospel of Christ.” In verse nine he says, If any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received.” I want you to note three words, “grace,” “Christ,” and “received.” Those three words reveal the ingredients of the gospel. First, the gospel is Christ alone.
a. Christ Alone
Paul says it is the gospel of Christ. This means that salvation is found in Christ alone. It’s not found in the church, nor is it found in baptism, nor is it found in our works of righteousness. Salvation is found in Christ alone, not in Christ plus your works, but Christ alone. Salvation apart from Christ alone is not salvation.
In the stage production of Peter Pan, there is a scene where Hook poisons Peter Pan’s medicine. The medicine was good, but one drop of poison made it bad. When you distort the gospel and make it more than Christ alone, you turn the good news into bad news.
Go back to verse four and you will see that salvation is found in Christ alone, “who gave himself for our sins.” Christ voluntarily died for our sins. The only way that we can be saved from our sins is in Christ’s death alone. The gospel is Christ alone. We can’t do anything to save ourselves. Christ did it all on Calvary. The gospel is also grace alone.
b. Grace Alone
Paul says in verse six, “grace of Christ.” Grace means unmerited and undeserved favor and privilege. We deserve destruction, but God offers the grace of Christ to us as a gift. Grace means that it is ours, not by our own merits or works, but by God’s free gift. It is by grace so that no one can boast. The gospel is Christ alone. It is grace alone. Finally, it is faith alone.
c. Faith Alone
In verse nine Paul speaks about the gospel that they received. To experience salvation through Christ alone and grace alone we must come by faith alone. We must receive the free gift of eternal life in Christ by faith. We must trust in the saving work of Christ on the cross alone to save us. When we accept Christ by faith we accept his righteousness, and when we receive his righteousness we are then accepted by God. We are not accepted apart from Christ alone.
One of my mentors in preaching was Dr. Stephen Olford. Before Dr. Olford came to the states to pastor in New York City, he pastured a couple of churches in England and Scotland. It was while he was there that he had the occasion to meet the young Billy Graham.
When Billy Graham was preaching in Scotland years ago, some reporters were making fun of “Preacher Graham.” One of the older reporters replied, “He’s saying we are all sinners. It’s not hard to believe that. Furthermore, he says that Christ died for us.” And as he said that statement his heart was pricked, and he realized that he needed Christ, and he accepted him.
Is your faith in Christ alone? Are you trusting something other that Christ for eternal life? Salvation is found through faith in Christ alone. Will you receive Christ today? To those of us who are truly saved, me must understand how crucial the distinctiveness of the gospel and stand up for it for both the glory of God and the good of souls.
Christ Alone: The Only Gospel
Galatians 1:6-10
I. The desertion of the gospel: it’s criminal (6)
II. The distortion of the gospel: it’s condemnable (7)
III. The distinctiveness of the gospel: it’s crucial (8-10)
a. Christ alone
b. Grace alone
c. Faith alone
