The Sanctity of the Gospel

In his letter to the Galatian Christians, Paul addressed an urgent issue that had come up. Judaizing teachers had come to them and led them away from the truth. Paul’s opening statements in his letter reveal much about the sanctity of the gospel of Jesus.

A different gospel? “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you have received, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:6-9). 

 

The Galatians were losing their faith in the gospel. Paul could scarcely believe it—what could possibly be sufficient to pull them away from Jesus? He first calls it a “different gospel” but clearly there is no such thing. The people who brought them this other teaching were nothing but trouble. This false gospel was a distorted version of the truth, yet it held none of the original value of the gospel. There was no partial credit given!

 

The gospel of Christ supersedes the messenger who brings it. Paul didn’t want them to be loyal to him—if he taught them something contradictory to the gospel, then he is deserving of a curse. Even if an angel from heaven preached a contrary message, that angel would be deserving of a curse and should be rejected. This can only be true because the message is more important than the messenger. Hold to the truth of the word of God!

 

Seeking approval. “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10). 

 

When Paul initially came and preached to them, he made zero effort to tell them what they wanted to hear. That wasn’t his job or his purpose. As a servant of God, his only duty is to please God. This is important to establish because it doesn’t really matter if the false teachers are more appealing to the Galatians. It also doesn’t matter what they have claimed about Paul, even though it appears the false teachers may have been challenging the legitimacy of Paul’s apostleship[1] (cf. 1:13-2:14). 

 

Paul’s goal wasn’t to make friends, though the Christian bond that connected them certainly gave reason to care for them and love them. His singular goal was to give glory to God, and part of that was done by presenting the gospel to them. If they would obey the gospel and hold fast to it, they would be saved. 

 

The revelation of Jesus Christ. “For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Gal. 1:11-12). 

 

The Galatians were used to itinerant philosophers coming into town with some new way to understand life. If they would simply follow their teachings (and financially support them), their lives would be enriched. Paul didn’t give them life tips from his esteemed perspective. There was no desire to make Pauline disciples. The gospel he preached was not his own creation but came from God. It needed to be respected as such. 

 

Conclusion. We must be aware of the danger of false gospels. Many people will teach a distorted version of the truth and will present it with the framing of liberty, knowledge, and righteousness. There is no value in a false gospel, no matter what similarities it may have to the truth. If it is not the whole truth of God’s word, it must be rejected as dangerous heresy.

 

Whether we are the teachers or the hearers, we must have enough respect for the gospel to avoid any selfish motives as we handle it. I don’t need anyone to join the church of Danny, nor do I need someone that always tells me what I want to hear. What we need is the gospel. The gospel has power to save like nothing else. There is power in these words that exceeds any messenger, so the gospel deserves our careful consideration and obedience. 


[1] Paul’s apostleship was frequently questioned by his opponents and he was forced to defend himself on numerous occasions. This has continued to the present day—it is popular in certain circles to accuse Paul of being a rogue “apostle” who was trying to create an offshoot of Christianity for himself. This is typically done with the intent of invalidating the Pauline letters, which of course make up a sizable chunk of the New Testament. 

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