Another Gospel
What parent would be happy with someone of influence coming to their child and saying they did not legitimately belong to the parents?
Do you know a parent who would enjoy someone attempting to sow into their child’s mind and heart the idea that they were unloved and unappreciated by their parents?
Can you grasp the profound sense of betrayal a parent feels when someone attempts to turn their child against them? This is often done by promising better care and casting doubt on the parent’s intentions.
These are all examples of someone declaring a report other than the one the original parent declared to attract a child to themselves and away from the legitimate parent.
This is what was happening to the church in Galatia. Paul, as an apostle, had proclaimed the gospel to these believers regarding the work of Christ and what it meant for their lives, but men devoted to the law and the Jewish ways had come to them and began to call into question the good things Paul had taught them. It was no small matter to Paul, nor was it a nonissue to the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 1:6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
Getting the gospel right is not a small matter with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is always faithful to Christ’s reputation and the truth that makes Jesus known for who He truly is. The Holy Spirit is committed to accurate communication regarding Jesus’s work. That is why the Holy Spirit moved Paul to write this to the church at Galatia and have this same communication shared with the churches in that region.
Paul reveals here that someone has come sharing news of a different sort than what he first shared with these Galatians. The things these imposters are teaching them are contrary to what Paul taught them concerning Jesus. These men are shifting their faith and confidence from Jesus’ finished work to looking to themselves and what they can do in the sense of devotion to merit a relationship and favor with God. These men were devoted to the law, and it led to another gospel being preached than the one Paul had originally preached to these Gentile people. Paul said it was perverting the gospel!
A mixture of law and grace is a perversion of the gospel. It spawns confusion and a lack of confidence. It creates another gospel that really is no gospel at all. Such preaching appeals to the flesh and seems to have a high level of devotion to it. It is another gospel! Do not be taken by such a gospel as were these Galatians. Paul’s warning still stands firm today. His bold rebuke is still just as powerful, too. This matter of getting the gospel right is so important to Paul that he decrees a curse against any who would preach another gospel other than the one he had preached to these Galatians. You get the sense that righteous indignation arose in Paul, the same as a loving parent’s anger would be aroused if someone were trying to deceive and lead away their child. I never want to be found preaching another gospel, and I seek to equip those whom God has committed to my care and influence with the gospel Paul preached. Getting the gospel right matters!
