“ Firm Foundation” Galatians 1:6-9
Before we read to day’s text let me lay a little groundwork for this message,
Most of us have heard of Martin Luther, Born in 1483 in Eisleben Germany,
He became fully immersed in the traditional Catholic faith. His great intellectual bent enabled him to master Greek and Hebrew and to commit to memory most of the New Testament.
Ordained as a priest in 1507, he began his career as a university professor at Wittenberg and Erfurt, and he acquired his doctorate in 1512.
Luther became distressed at the selling of indulgences by the pope, so in 1517 he nailed his “Ninety-five Theses” to the door of the Wittenberg church.
The conflicts that resulted eventually led Luther to see the Bible, not the pope, as the sole authority over man.
Luther was challenging the theology of the religious leader’s of his day, he had read from the WORD of God & now believed that people are saved by faith, not by human effort.
From the perspective of the Catholic Church leadership of Martin Luther’s day, Luther was undermining their authority and As a result, Luther was “churched” by the Pope.
He had become a true Christian, and from there his relationship with the Catholic Church became so strained that he was excommunicated.
Luther believed there were more important matters than Church tradition, and that was Holy Scripture.
Where tradition strays from Scripture’s teaching then tradition must give way and change.
Martin Luther was not the first to take his stand in such matters as these. Over 1400 years before Luther came on the scene there was the Apostle Paul who took his stand.
Gal.1: 6I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
Paul was amazed that those who had heard the Gospel were now straying from the truth and believing in dame able doctrine.
He was amazed because he was the one who had planted the church there in Galacia, he had sat and taught them the Scriptures, and they had responded in faith to the good news of what God had done through Jesus the Messiah.
How could they now be deserting the God who had called them from darkness to the light of His glory?
How could they allow themselves to be fooled by men who sow seeds of self-salvation and shake the foundations of God’s work?
Lets notice, it wasn’t folks outside the church who had led them astray, but teachers within the church who denied the message of salvation by grace through faith.
The most destructive dangers to the church have never been atheism, or pagan religions, or cults that openly deny Scripture, but it’s the so called Christian movements that accept so much biblical truth that their unscriptural doctrines seem relatively insignificant and harmless.
Paul said in Gal.5: 7Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? 8This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. 9A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
A single false idea that in any way undercuts God’s grace poisons the whole system of belief.
Can a single false idea do such harm? Just one? It certainly can! The Apostle Paul is dogmatic when it comes to the fact that there is only one way to salvation and it is through the grace of Almighty God exhibited on Calvary’s cross.
The false teachers of Galatia had come in after Paul had left and began to try and discredit Paul and his teaching. By undermining Paul’s authority they could then attack his theology.
What were the false teachers teaching the Galatians in place of the truth, the good news of salvation by grace?
Gal. 3: 1O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 2This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
Back in our text gal.1: 6-76I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
Paul says that he is “astonished.” “Astonished” means, “to marvel,
In Mark 6, Jesus had returned to His hometown and was teaching in the synagogue one day. The people were amazed at His teaching.
In Mark 6:we find that they were amazed at Jesus’ teaching, they also began to remember everything they knew about Him. Mark 6:5And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. 6And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.
Paul was astonished, but he was amazed that the Galatians, who had received the message of salvation through faith in Jesus with such open arms, were now in the process of walking away.
Time hasn’t changed much if anything about human nature. This is the same predicament the folks in Galatia were facing.
The Judaizers were fertilizer on the field of works righteousness. Paul wanted the people of Galatia to know that it was God’s grace and His grace alone that made them right with God. He wanted them to know that they were listening to a lie. What was being sold to them, as good news was really a lie.
Our salvation is the work of God. Paul makes this clear in verse 6 where he writes, 6I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
There is placed in this verse one of the greatest foundational truths in all of Scripture –“ God calls.” Have you ever someone say,” I found the Lord”? Well no ones finds the Lord. He called you and me, and He has saved all of those who have responded to His call. 6I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
This idea of God “calling” is not a new thing to Paul.
2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 13But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God chose to save us. God called and we answered.
God chose us to be saved. He sent His Son to pay the price! He sent His Son to bridge the gulf! God initiated our salvation! He is the completer and sustainer of salvation for those who will believe.
Col.2: 10And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
In 1 Peter we see that it is God who has called us from the darkness of despair into His glorious light.
1 Peter 2:9. 9But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
In 2nd Peter 3According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
Today, there are many like the Judaizers of the first century who don’t deny Scripture, the life of Jesus, or many other truths of the faith. They are not trying to disprove Scripture; to hear them explain it, they are trying to improve on it.
They would say that Jesus’ death on a cross was God’s provision for our sins, but in response to that we need to work, we must do good things, or we must be tolerant, accepting of other ideas about God.
They might say that we need to be sensitive to our modern-day culture.
The road to salvation is such a precious way that we would never compromise it in any way.
We would never tell people to try and build a tollbooth of good works on the free way of grace.
We must never try and negotiate the price that was paid for us who believe that God has acted on our behalf.
We trust God’s Word; we believe God’s Word, and only God’s Word.
This is the judge that ends all arguments; this is the book that has no error.
The Word of God is perfect truth, the only truth. No matter how outdated society says the Bible is, we will cling to it as our only hope for understanding the truths of God.
If we fail to do this then we must prepare to be duped, hoodwinked, and bamboozled by every slick, charismatic teacher that comes along and says he or she has come to enlighten us.
There are sincere people who are tied up in all kinds of religion, but their sincerely wrong.
Their faith are good examples of Martin Luther and Paul’s concern that we not undermine the foundational pillars of our faith or the very foundation of our faith will be shaken.
There are all kinds of ideas that you will find in society regarding how to get to God, but all of them are dead end roads.
We can’t get to God, but He has come to us!
