LESSON TWO
TITLE: A Different Gospel?
TEXT: Galatians 1:6-10
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 though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him 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.
INTRODUCTION
A counterfeiter made a mistake in printing up some funny money. Instead of printing fifty-dollar bills, he mistakenly printed up thirty-dollar bills. Not wanting to let his paper and ink go to waste he decided to pass them off on "those dumb cajans in south Louisiana". His first stop was at Mr. Dufrene’s grocery store in Bayou Gauche. The counterfeiter explained he he wanted to purchase some bait at the bait stand next door, but that the proprietor didn’t have enough change to break the large bill he was making the purchase with. Mr. Dufrene said, "No problem boo, I can give you some change for your cash. Whatcha need?" The counterfeiter responded, "Well all I got is this $30 bill, can you give me change for it?" "Ah yeah," replied Mr. Dufrene, "dat ain’t no problem. How you want dat? You want ten $3 bills or two $15 bills."
A facsimile of a one-hundred dollar bill is a counterfeit. It may look like the real thing, but when examined by an expert it will prove to be worthless. Likewise, any gospel other than the Gospel that Paul preached is worthless and powerless.
In our text, Paul informs his readers that they are trading the genuine gospel for a different gospel. In doing this he focuses on three things: 1) The Problem, 2) The Prescription and 3) The Preacher.
I. THE PROBLEM.
"I am amazed [astonished, stunned] that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you, and want to distort the gospel of Christ" (1:6-7).
The problem is understood only when we comprehend the distinct nature of the Gospel.
A. DISTINCTION. The Gospel Paul preached was unique in at least two ways.
1. Distinct in its origin. It comes from the God of grace. (See Gal. 1:11-12.)
2. Distinct in its offer. It offers God’s unmerited favor to those who believe its message. Instead of offering laborers a wage it offers faithers a gift. Neither Islam, Buddism nor any other religion make this offer to sinful men. God offers faithers life for death, forgiveness for indebtedness and peace for guilt.
B. DESERTION. The Galatians were deserting the gospel of grace and the God of grace. It is impossible to desert one without deserting the other. They were abandoning liberty for legalism and life for law.
Paul was amazed at how quickly this had taken place. The enemy wastes no time in coming to steal the good seed from the heart of the new convert.
C. DISTORTION. What they viewed as a "different gospel" was actually a "distorted gospel." The term "distort" translates a Greek term that means to transform into something of an opposite character. The message preached by the Judaizers reversed Paul’s gospel. It made salvation something to be attained by works—keeping the Law and being circumcised, plus faith in Christ. To believe this "distorted" version of the gospel required the adherent to abandon Christ.
II. THE PRESCRIPTION.
"But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed" (1:8-9).
In the previous two verses Paul focused primarily on the Galatians, but in verses eight and nine he trains his sites on the Judaizers.
A. THE COUNSEL. Paul counsels his readers to judge other messages by what he had preached to them. What was Paul’s message?
In First Corinthians 15:3-8, Paul summarizes the content of his gospel:
1. Christ died for our sins.
2. Christ was buried.
3. Christ was raised from the dead.
4. Christ appeared to witnesses.
When asked by the Jailer, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Paul responded, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household" (Acts 16:30, 31).
In Ephesians 2:4-9, Paul declared:
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus,
7 in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Paul’s gospel was faith in Christ’s finished work plus nothing saves! In Romans 10:9, Paul states his simple message, "…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved." Works are not a means to salvation, but the evidence that one is saved.
All Paul asked men to do was believe God’s message concerning His grace provision in Christ (Romans 10:9-11; Gal 2:16; Eph. 2:8). Any message that contradicts or differs from this is to be rejected as False and therefore impotent—unable to save.
Please note that our criteria for judging the messenger is the content of his message, not his style of delivery, his personality nor his status in the community.
In his letter to the Philippians, Paul revealed that "Some" were "preaching Christ even from envy and strife" (1:15). These preachers were motivated by "selfish ambition" and they hoped to cause Paul "distress." Paul’s view concerning these wrongly motivated evangelists was, "…in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice" (1:17, 18).
B. THE CURSE. If any angel or man preaches a gospel that differs from the gospel given to Paul by God and preached by Paul at the first, "…let him be accursed." The Greek term for accursed is anathema and means devoted to destruction. Simply stated, "let them be accursed--exposed for what they are, bound, and their work come to nothing."
III. THE PREACHER.
"For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please me? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ" (1:10).
A. THE ACCUSATION. The Judaizers accused Paul of preaching an incomplete gospel, so that he might gain the favor of the Gentiles. If Paul’s motive was the favor of man, then why had he written things that could turn them against him? Wouldn’t it have been to his advantage to write what they wanted to hear, instead of what they needed to hear?
B. THE RESPONSE. Paul was not a man pleaser, but a bondservant of Christ. His message had not changed and would not change to accommodate men. As the servant of Christ, he preached the truth revealed to him by Christ. His objective in life was to do the will of Another, to live his life in service to his King. This prohibited him from changing his message or adapting it to suit others.
CONCLUSION
1. There is only one true Gospel, so anything that deviates from this Gospel is a counterfeit.
2. Men who pervert that gospel are under a curse. They and their disciples are destined for destruction.
3. As the servants of Christ, we should be committed to preaching the Gospel not matter the cost.
4. If Paul’s gospel is the only gospel, then it should be the gospel we believe and preach.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote, "…I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto deliverance to everyone who believes…" (1:16).
If we lose THE GOSPEL OF GRACE, then we lose the only message that has the power to change lives when believed.
The demoniac of Gadara experienced many horrors at the hands of the inhabitants of Gadara in their attempts to deliver him from the hundreds of demons that indwelt and controlled him. In spite of all of their attempts to cure him, he was no better. Multiple attempts at deliverance and control failed, but one encounter with Jesus brought him deliverance and sanity.
Luke 8 35 – "…and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind…".
There were not chains. He wasn’t screaming and cutting himself. He wasn’t merely sedated. He was "sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind".
This is what we lose if we lose the Gospel. The best that legalism can do is attempt to bind men, to control them via rules and laws. Jesus comes to deliver, clothe, restore sanity and bring rest to mankind.
If it doesn’t proclaim faith in Christ’s finished work plus nothing, then it isn’t good news.
This GOSPEL is what we have believed and what we are proclaiming to the world.
