NO OTHER GOSPEL
TEXT:
Galatians 1:6-10 (NIV)
6 I 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—
7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But 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!
9 As 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!
10 Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
INTRODUCTION:
A. PAUL’S PERPLEXITY WITH FALSE TEACHERS
1. After a brief salutation in vs. 1-5 Paul gives his reason for writing.
2. He is concerned about false teachers undercutting the gospel.
3. He had carefully preached the truth in Galatia.
4. Now he was grieved that the truth was being corrupted.
5. There were those who had come preaching a different gospel.
6. They were teaching a salvation by works.
7. They were teaching that a Gentile had to become a ceremonial Jew.
8. They were teaching that Christians had to obey the Jewish traditions.
9. They claimed that this was the only way to be saved.
B. WE FIND THREE FEATURES OF PAUL’S OPPOSITION
1. His wonder regarding the desertion
2. His wisdom regarding the deception
3. His warning regarding the destruction
I. PAUL’S WONDER REGARDING THE DESERTION (v. 6)
1:6 “I 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”
A. “I am astonished that YOU ARE so quickly DESERTING…”
1. The Greek word is thaumazou - to be astounded or bewildered.
2. His astonishment was not at the false teachers, but at the church.
3. He was not surprised that there were false teachers.
4. He was surprised that the church was FOLLOWING them.
5. He had expected false teachers.
6. In Acts, he warned the Ephesian elders that false teachers would come.
7. He expected false teachers, but he didn’t expect the church to follow them.
8. The Galatians had been taught by the greatest teacher the church has
ever known apart from the Lord Himself; yet they readily
rejected what they had learned from him.
9. Today, there is still an urgent need for preaching and teaching the
central truths of the gospel.
10. Even men and women who have been in the faith for years can
have their faith subverted by those who come teaching new ideas
that purportedly improve on the pure and plain teachings of
Scripture.
11. The Judaizers claimed to be Christians.
12. Much of their doctrine was orthodox.
13. Evidently, they recognized Jesus as the Messiah or they would
never have gotten a hearing in the church.
14. They claimed to believe the same but they had more to add.
15. They did not deny the gospel.
16. They only wanted to improve the gospel by adding new
requirements, new ceremonies, and new standards.
17. But anything added to grace destroys it.
18. When law-even God’s own law-is added to His grace, His grace ceases to be grace.
B. “…that you are so QUICKLY DESERTING…”
1. Paul was surprised that the defection had come so quickly.
2. Gk. - tacheos - quickly - also means easily and readily
3. The church apparently offered little resistance to the false teachers.
4. They were fickle in their allegiance to Paul and his teaching.
5. They quickly and easily came under the influence of heretical
doctrines.
C. “…that you are so quickly DESERTING THE ONE who called you…”
1. He couldn’t understand why they were deserting the truth.
2. In deserting the truth, they were also deserting “the one who called”
3. The “one who called” them “by the grace of Christ” is God.
4. They were not only deserting the truth, they were deserting God.
5. The Galatian Christians were not only being confused but were
actually deserting.
6. Gk. Metatithami - deserting - military desertion punishable by death.
7. The Greek verb is reflexive, indicating that the act is voluntary.
8. The believers were not passively being removed, as the King James
suggests, but were actively removing themselves from the sphere
of grace.
II. PAUL’S WISDOM REGARDING THE DECEPTION (v. 7)
1:7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are
throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel
of Christ.
A. A DIFFERENT GOSPEL
1. The teachings of the Judaizers was purported to be a form of the gospel
2. But Paul calls it a “different gospel” (v. 6)
3. There is only one message of good news, the gospel of salvation by
God’s grace through man’s faith.
4. Any message that is more or less than that is not the gospel.
5. It is not good news in any sense.
B. THE DANGER OF THIS DECEPTION
1. Because of their deception, false teachers such as the Judaizers are
even more dangerous than those who openly deny “that Jesus is
the Christ”.
2. False systems labeled as Christianity always distort the nature and
work of Jesus Christ.
3. Those who deny Christ altogether are easily seen.
4. But those who claim to teach and follow Christ while undermining
the gospel are more dangerous-because they give the appearance
of leading people to Christ while they are actually erecting
barriers to salvation by grace.
C. THROWING YOU INTO CONFUSION
1. Gk. Tarassou - to shake back and forth - to agitate and stir up.
2. Figuratively, it connotes deep emotional disturbance and refers to an
unsettled mind.
3. It is the word spoken of Herod when he heard about the birth of the
King of the Jews (Matt. 2:3).
4. It is the word spoken of the disciples when they saw Jesus walking
on the water (14:26)
5. It’s the word used by Jesus when he commands,
“Let not your heart be troubled” (John 14:1).
III. PAUL’S WARNING REGARDING THE DESTRUCTION (v. 8-9)
8 But 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!
9 As 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!
A. EVEN IF WE OR AN ANGEL FROM HEAVEN
1. Paul does not say that he or a messenger from heaven was likely to preach any other gospel.
2. He merely uses a hypothetical possibility for illustration purposes.
3. This passage directly speaks against such claims as that of the Mormons.
4. The Book of Mormon claims it was delivered by the Angel Moroni.
B. ETERNALLY CONDEMNED
1. Condemnation (anathema) was pronounced on anyone who proclaims a different gospel.
2. If it is contrary to what Paul preached, then it’s contrary to God.
3. If it’s contrary to what Paul preached, then the preacher is condemned.
4. Those are pretty harsh words.
5. Do you get the picture that God does not want His Word twisted?
6. Do you get the idea that it’s better not to preach unless you can preach it right?
7. God will put an awful curse on all who preach a different gospel.
