No Other Gospel

Page 973

I read something recently where a person was attempting to make an argument undermining Christianity by stating that in the first century there were over 100 different versions of the “Jesus Cult”. I had no interest in fact checking this claim to see if there 100+ was true or not… but my immediate thought upon reading this was “yeah, that makes sense… The New Testament is full of letters correcting bad theology.” Look at Paul’s letters. Almost all of them can be described by correcting bad theology, or encouraging the audience to endure in sound doctrine. As we see in the book of Galatians it took a mere matter of months before they wandered into what Paul calls “a different gospel.”

This doesn’t undermine Christianity, in fact it provides further support for why almost all of Paul’s letters are correcting sound doctrine. It also demonstrates how quickly the good news spread - and how quickly heresy corrupts.

This morning’s text I am going to break up into 4 different sections…

Paul’s authority, Paul’s Astonishment, Paul’s Admonition/Anathemas and Paul’s Approval.

Paul's Authority

While there is a similar objective to Paul’s other letters - Galatians is a different kind of letter. The introduction to this letter is a little different than many of Paul’s other letters.

In Paul’s introduction he does something that is rather unique in his identification. He begins by establishing his credentials. But the manner in which he does this in this verse gives us an understanding into the rest of the letter. As we will find later - there are agitators that have come up into the churches in Galatia and have sown discord. They have undermined the gospel that Paul preached to them when he planted the church during his first missionary journey in between Acts 13-14, but in addition to that they have undermined Paul’s authority - so Paul begins by establishing his authority. So Paul writes that he is an apostle - not from men nor through man - so Paul wasn’t voted on becoming an apostle by a 3/4ths majority at a church business meeting - but rather it is Jesus Christ and God the Father who made him an apostle. Which cannot be said by Paul’s opponents in Galatia. He additionally also appeals to the resurrection of Christ - which is a key to Paul’s calling as it was the resurrected Christ who appeared to Paul in Acts 9. But there is another thing here that is important. Paul can accurately claim that his authority is directly coming from God - these agitators in the Galatian churches cannot claim the same.

These agitators have undermined Paul’s authority, but they have also undermined something else. Paul’s message, the gospel. They did this by convincing the churches in Galatia that faith in Jesus was not enough - they need to do something else. They had convinced these gentile converts in these churches that they had to become Jewish first - namely that the men had to be circumcised before they could truly become believers - and this created a works righteousness in Galatia - this will become a lot more clear as we work through the book. But in the remainder of Paul’s introduction he will defend his message.

While this letter is a little atypical, Paul still includes his normal greeting in verse 3: Grace and Peace - as he does in every other letter that he writes. Yet what is unusual is this letter has no blessing or thanksgiving in the introduction. With the exception of the Pastoral Epistles (1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus) and Galatians Paul begins every other letter with a blessing or thanksgiving Think to Ephesians or Colossians where Paul writes “I always thank God for you in my prayers.” So it’s a bit shocking that Paul doesn’t begin with a word like that… and that’s because this is a rather angry letter from Paul.

Imagine that Paul is typing this letter in all capital letters. I say that because of his tone - but also a little tongue in cheek because of this verse at the end of the book.

Galatians 6:11 ESV

11 See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.

In the other part of verse 3, Paul finishes out his greeting of Grace to you and peace “from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ.” So Paul is clearly closely associating the Father and the Lord Jesus - as he also did in verse 1. And then his further displays the gospel stating Jesus who gave himself for our sins…

This reminder of the gospel here emphasizes what he is about to say in verse 6. He reminds them of the gospel, and then speaks of his astonishment that they have abandoned this truth.

Paul's Astonishment

Paul is beside himself that they have so quickly abandoned the gospel that he has preached to them. In terms of timeline it is probably a matter of months, maybe as long as a a year or two after Paul planted this church that he is writing to correct them of their theology. We don’t know the exact timeline. Paul probably wrote this letter in the late 40s, after his 1MJ which was from 44-46AD but before the Jerusalem council in 48 or 49AD. Which really sets in what he means by “so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ” him of course being God.

From this we should realize it doesn’t take much to drift away from sound doctrine. In the context of Galatians, it took them a few bad teachers over the course of a maybe a few years. This is why Paul spends so much of his ministry encouraging sound teachers to teach sound doctrine, and rebuke false teachers teaching heresy.

Yet part of Paul’s admonition here is that they have wandered from sound doctrine off into another gospel. Yet Paul clarifies to say that there is no other gospel.

A different gospel, aside from what Paul has preached, and what Paul lays out in this letter, and what is found in the New Testament is no gospel at all.

The only gospel is “Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. who raised Jesus from the dead”

Any other gospel isn’t good news - rather it’s an invitation to hell.

Jesus cannot coexist with another theology. It’s Jesus or nothing.

Do not trust anyone who comes to you saying “but wait there’s more…” It’s a wonderful sales pitch, but a terrible theology. We have no need of another testament. The Scriptures as we have them are sufficient. This is why Paul tells the Corinthian Church that he was determined to know nothing among them except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

The only work that saves us is the finished work of Jesus on the Cross.

And it is in Paul’s next statement that he tells the churches in Galatia, as well as us, what to do when someone comes preaching another gospel.

He tells them that they are anathema.

Paul's Anathemas

While anathema isn’t a word we use as much today - it has made its way into English. Anathema is the word that is translated “let him be accursed” here in verses 8-9.

Anyone with a Catholic background might be a little more familiar with it. One major historical example of this is that the Catholic Church pronounced anathemas upon protestants following the Council of Trent in the 1500s following the protestant reformation. Specifically, they stated that anyone subscribing to salvation by faith alone would be anathema. So given his experience lets look to Luther for his definition of Anathema.

Luther’s Commentary on Galatians Chapter One

The Greek word anathema, in Hebrew herem, signifieth a thing accursed, execrable, and detestable, which hath nothing to do, no participation or communion with God

Paul uses the same word in Romans 9:3

Romans 9:3 ESV

3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.

Paul is saying that he would rather be cut off from Christ and some of his brothers saved instead. Yet Paul uses it in as an warning here in Galatians.

Paul is saying that if anyone comes to them preaching a foreign gospel kick them out of town, and may they be separated from God.

But I want to look at the two specific anathemas that Paul has…

Galatians 1:8 ESV

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.

Well this part of the verse is quite familiar. As it is a verse that we often go to when we consider the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints - I will say clearly and firmly that anyone telling you that Christians and Mormons believe in the same Jesus are lying to you. [Mormons believe that Jesus is created. They might tell you that they don’t - but they believe that God, Heavenly Father was once a man who became and lives on a star called Kolob - and Jesus is the Spirit Child of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother… Thus he’s created]… and interestingly in the origin of mormonism Joseph Smith claims that the angel Moroni came to him and brought him golden tablets with the content of the book of mormon.

Let me repeat verse 8…

But what does Paul tells us about angels preaching a contrary gospel, let them be accursed.

Paul even goes so far as to say that if he, or one of his ministry associates were to return and preach to them a contrary gospel they are to be accused.

I’m going to be blunt…

One of two things happened:

Either Smith was visited by an “angel” or he made it up.

If Joseph Smith was actually visited by an “angel” (demon) and he was interested in pleasing Christ rather than pleasing man (including himself) he would have told the “angel” (demon) Moroni to “go to hell.”

Or

If Smith made all this up then those he reported this message to should have told him to leave and repent, and warn him of the fiery wrath that awaits one who would lead other astray.

You might think saying let someone accursed isn’t nice.

It's not nice. But the Bible doesn’t call us to be nice. We are calling to be loving, and to be kind. But loving someone means being willing to tell them to take their false gospel and leave. But also it means not allowing them to distort the scripture toward those around you.

On Thursday evening, two mormon missionaries came to my door. Emmela was asleep, we were getting Haddon ready for bed. I didn’t slam the door on them and tell them they are anathema - but I did correct them. I did not invite them in. I cannot allow two young men who are preaching a false gospel, a non-gospel, to come in and spew heresy among my family. Even if they are the nicest most polite young men I have ever met.

We live in a world where we try to be nice and allow everyone to have their opinion. We try to be tolerant to differing opinions. However, tolerance isn’t a biblical virtue - especially not tolerance of ideas that reject or distort the truth of the gospel. However, in order to be able to do this you have to know your bible. You need to be reading it, and studying it, cherishing it, loving it.

And in the same sense, as the pastor here I cannot and will not allow someone to come in here and spew a false gospel. It doesn’t have to be LDS theology. Bob Edmondson mentioned prosperity theology last week - the health, wealth and prosperity Gospel. There are all sorts of false gospels in our world that promise salvation, or happiness apart from Christ, or in addition to Christ.

CBC - Sketch from when I was in High School or early college…

While the intent of the sketch was not to deceive the intent was unclear from the beginning. I remember sitting and listening to this sketch thinking “I believe that, I don’t believe that. I don’t think I believe that, do I?” And the things that were being repeated were ideologies from Mormonism, Islam, JWs, and New Age ideas mixed with Christianity. This went on for maybe 5 minutes, but it felt like 45 minutes… eventually another man stood up and said “What is this? This is nonsense! Why are we doing this?” The actor responded and attempted to continue. But the man in the audience eventually asked “How much longer is this going to go on?” I remember because the man in the audience was my next door neighbor, who had only be attending this church for a short period of time.

Generally, I don’t advocate for interrupting a service but in this case we all in that church should have been the man who stood up to stop the sketch.

15-16+ years later - I don’t remember how the sketch tied into the sermon, or how the sermon corrected it. But I do remember some of the claims in the sketch, and I remember that the best thing that was done was interrupting this sketch to make a scene to say “This is absurd.”

It is far more offensive to Paul that someone might believe false theology that damns them to an eternal hell than it is to possibly hurt someone’s feelings. The gospel is offensive - but don’t be so overly worried about offending people that you never open your mouth to correct bad theology. As we will see in verse 10 - the goal should always be to please God, not man.

Galatians 1:9 ESV

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.

This carries the weight of your mom saying “Do I have to repeat myself?!”

Or your boss writing “AS I SAID IN MY PREVIOUS EMAIL.”

But Paul here is emphatic not to allow anyone to preach them a false gospel, and they are to be accursed.

This morning we look at this text - and see anyone adding works, or additional books or prophecies, or removing faith, or confessing any different gospel other than Jesus Christ crucified for the salvation of sinners.

Yet Paul’s correction is rooted in something very specific. Who is he seeking to please…

Paul's Approval

Paul has already hinted at this in verse 5. In verse 5 Paul concludes that introduction with “To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” Yet the root of all of Paul’s writing and his words here is rooted in seeking God’s approval, not man’s approval.

And this makes sense - He’s Paul the apostle, not the Paulitician.

But it’s a lesson for us all - who are we focused on pleasing? If you’re focused on pleasing man then you will never be able to say anything of correction to another. Paul would not be able to say let him be accursed if he was a people pleaser. Paul’s language in this letter is at times tough - it’s not a nice letter - but it is a necessary letter.

Applications:

You don’t have to entertain false teaching - in fact you shouldn’t. Paul does not giving opposing worldviews a chance to explain themselves. Do not believe any gospel that is inconsistent with Scripture. Do not allow those seeking to preach another gospel to do so. Protect the church from false gospels. And of course, this is mine and Jim’s responsibility first. But it is the responsibility of every believer to care for others.

Whose glory, whose approval are you seeking? If you are seeking to please God then it will be impossible to be a people pleaser. If you are people pleaser then it will be impossible to be a faithful servant of the Lord.

This two things go hand in hand. Be focused on pleasing God and it will be much easier to uphold sound doctrine in your home, in your life, in our church. But if we are all focused on pleasing men it will be for our ruin…