Friday, October 9, 2009

ONE WAY

Sorry that it has been awhile since I've posted anything. If you've seen how "Busy" I've been, maybe you'd understand...oh well, let's delve into the text here: Galatians 1:6-9:"6 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— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 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. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. 10 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."
This is the first point we see:

I. Paul's Amazement
v. 6-7.
Paul is astonished that the Galatians are deserting God and the Gospel, and they are turning to a "False" Gospel. I say "False" because; as Paul clearly points out that there is no other Gospel. But we see that to desert God is leaving the Gospel, and if you leave the Gospel, you're leaving God. So, you can't have God without the Gospel, or the Gospel without God. If Jesus is not the only part of the Gospel, or the only way to heaven, He is not even a way. There are not many ways to heaven, but only one: Through Jesus. So, when it comes to the Gospel:
1. No room for error or distortion of the Gospel.
2. All "Other ways" lead to Hell, and not Heaven.
Really, the Gospel is the foundation of True Christianity. Therefore, if you get the Gospel wrong, EVERYTHING is wrong. The Galatians were running to other Gospels because they let people come in and change the Gospel. So, Galatians, the book ITSELF is a warning against Distortion of The Gospel, and against False teachers. There is ONLY ONE GOSPEL: THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, which leads us into our next point:

II. Paul's Anathema
v. 7-9
We almost see another thing immediately: Paul is ANGRY. He points out that when you teach something different then the Gospel (Note: Christ could still be in it, but when you change it too much, just like sin; it will grow and become its total opposite.) you are causing others to fall. He says that 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." He goes on and says almost the same thing in V. 9:As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed." He also says something VERY interesting in V. 10: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."
Don't pass that lightly. You can probably tell, but he is REALLY saying this in a poetic way: "If you are trying to please men; it's not possible for you to be a servant of Christ, but if you are trying to please Christ, (And not men, JUST LEAVE THEM COMPLETELY OUT OF THE PICTURE!) you will be doing right, and he will be pleased with and put his delight in you. Sorry, that's all i have time for.


B.L.S