Untitled Sermon

Galatians 1:6-10 - Hold Fast to the Gospel

When I enrolling in high school and was picking my freshman year classes, I was given the option of taking 2 levels of english.

Freshman english and Honors english classes.

Honors english was an “advanced” level english course. I was a good reader with a healthy ego - so naturally I opted into honors english. It wasn’t until after I had signed on the dotted line that I was told there was summer reading.

Lots of summer reading. I hadn’t factored that into my decision. But I like reading so I got started. One of the books that we were assigned to read was called The Odyssey

Apart from being the name of a minivan that dominates consumer reports ratings, it’s also the name a piece of classic greek literature about a man named Odysseus who was making an epic voyage home after serving in a war. He meets many foes, but the encounter with the Sirens stuck in my mind.

In the story Sirens are half woman half bird monsters that sing an incredibly beautiful song that lures sailors off course and ultimately to their demise. According to the story - ships would often sail through the sirens’ territory in order to avoid other dangerous foes.

While their threat was not as obvious as the ship swallowing whirlpool, or the giant man-eating lizard, the Sirens were no less deadly.

Their malice was more subtle. Sailors who had been mesmerized by their song would crash their ships and drown. So Odysseus instructed his men to plug their ears with beeswax so they couldn’t hear the song.

He however was intent on hearing their song, but knew that he wasn’t strong enough to withstand its allure.

So he took cautionary measures. To prevent himself from steering the ship off course - he had his crew fasten him to the mast of the ship.

He was tied down good and tight - incapable of following the song of the sirens. Predictably as they sailed through the Sirens’ territory they began their song and Odysseus, held fast to the ship was unable to act on what he was hearing. While not scripture - I do think this offers a lesson to believers about dealing with false gospels.

I think false gospels are similar to the siren’s song. The only difference between us and Odysseus is that we don’t get to make the choice about whether or not we hear the siren song.

We’re being sung to all the time. We’re being sung to by the culture We’re being sing to by our unbelieving friends or family And at times we’re being sung to by the proclivities of our own flesh. How are you going to withstand the sirens’ song? The title for this sermon is ‘Hold Fast to the Gospel’.

And I think we can learn from Odysseus - but more importantly from scripture how we can do that.

Paul’s letter to the Galatians is going to help us hold fast to the gospel. Let’s jump in tonight in verse 6

Galatians 1:6 (ESV)

6I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—

Okay, so Paul here is describing the behavior of the believers in this church that he’s helped to plant

He says they’re “quickly deserting him who called” them “in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel”.

So they’re leaving someone behind and they’re plotting a new course towards a different gospel.

They’re seeking to hang their hopes on something besides that which was preached to them at first. And there’s something about the way that they’re doing this that is astonishing to Paul. I would argue that it’s because of the hope that he had for their perseverance.

I think a lot of times we have high hopes for people that we have a lot of affection for.

Think about a character in a book that you come to love who makes a sharp left turn.

Even though it’s fictional you still feel a shadow of astonishment and grief. How many of you have children?

I have 2 little girls.

They’re 2 and 4ish months old.

I definitely don’t expect much of them right now. Because they’re so little. But I have dreams of the women they might become.

I pray that they would be strong followers of Christ unimpressed by the teachings of the world. I pray that they would develop honorable and Godly character and they would make an impact for the kingdom. I think most of us here have hopes like that for someone in our lives. And I think that’s where Paul finds himself as he surveys the gospel ghostown left behind by his cherished Galatians. He’s feeling astonished. Maybe he’s personally hurt.

Similar to how a parent might feel when a child makes a choice that totally contradicts their upbringing. Later in this book you’ll see a lot more of Paul’s emotion and affection come out - especially in chapter 4 But however he’s feeling - we need to know what the Galatians did. He says they deserted Him who called them, and are turning to a different gospel. So we should naturally have two questions in our heads now.

Who are they leaving behind? What is this new gospel that they running to? And in the process of answering these two questions you’re also going to learn what it was that the church in Galatia was called to at their beginning.

We’re going to shake this text a little bit and hopefully sift out some ancient gold that these believers in Galatia had dropped in order to grab a new shiny trinket. So to the first question - Who are they deserting?

It would be natural to assume that this “him” might be referring to Paul.

But it wouldn’t make sense for Paul to be referring to himself in the third person here. Just two verses later Paul refers to himself in the first person So he’s definitely talking about someone else. Somebody that calls people to the grace of Christ.

And the grace of Christ here is a euphemism for the gospel In Titus 2 in the NT Paul writes

Titus 2:11 (ESV)

11For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,

And in Romans 3 he says

Romans 3:24 (ESV)

24and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

So we’re dealing here with the Gospel.

And the “him” that Paul is referring to is the one who calls people to the gospel. Obviously many people call others to the gospel, but only in natural terms.

And nobody gets saved in natural terms.

A SUPER natural change needs to take place in the heart during salvation.

Not merely a natural one. A supernatural change cannot be accomplished by purely natural means.

Especially in the case of salvation - just hearing the gospel spoken is not enough to save.

If it was we could just run through Times Square calling people to Christ and be met with thousands of conversions. If it was that easy there would be no fear around evangelism

We would have sure success if all that was necessary for salvation was to just hear to gospel.

God didn’t set it up like that.

And that’s why its scary. God made evangelism such that we speak, and He does the work.

We have to trust Him.

We can’t save people with our words. But God uses our words as He does His work. He uses us as a tool in our hands while He does His work. And just like the chisel that Michelangelo used to create the statue David

When we submit ourselves to the creator in His work - we bask in the glory of His workmanship, satisfied in knowing that we got to take part in what He was doing. That was a bit of a rabbit trail, but I think it actually functions as a good answer to our question of who is being left behind. God the Father is the one who calls people to the gospel.

That’s who Paul always talks about calling people to the gospel Here’s one famous example

Romans 8:29–30 (ESV)

29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

30And those whom he(still talking about God the Father here) predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

God the Father is the one who called the Galatians in the grace of Christ

He called them to salvation, and reconciliation with Himself. He called them to receive complete, and continuing forgiveness for their sins. God the Father called them to trust that He sent His Son Jesus to die in their place, to pay for their sins, to make a way for them to live with God forever. And God is calling you to believe that too. This is our first point tonight - Believe THE Gospel God is calling you to believe the Gospel.

Are you responding to that call? Do you believe that you need a savior? God is asking you to believe the gospel. I’m pleading with you to believe the gospel. And the gospel is this, friend:

We are all sinful, and like a stain that can’t be scrubbed or bleached away, we can’t get away from it.

It’s like our shadow - following us everywhere. That sin deserves punishment from God.

And there’s nothing we can do to tip the scales in our favor.

God requires perfection - and none of us can meet that standard. God is perfectly just - and because of that He will punish sin, including the stain of sin on us.

But God is also exceedingly merciful.

He sent His Son, Jesus, to take on the punishment that we deserved so that we could escape what was in store for us. Jesus was falsely accused, He was killed without committing a single sin.

Living a perfect life and dying for sins that He didn’t commit. He took on the punishment of death that we deserved. Through God’s power He was then raised from the dead three days later

Death could not hold Him down.

And just as He shared His righteousness with us, which allows us to escape this punishment for our sinfulness, He also shares His victory with us, promising that when our earthly bodies die, we will come back to life - just like Him. When you believe this you can know that when you exhale your last breath you’ll meet God and be welcomed into His presence with rejoicing. Do you have that peace right now?

If you don’t know that peace, if you don’t have that assurance, don’t leave here without it. That’s what the Galatians were leaving behind.

They’re turning to something else to give them hope. What are they turning to? Let’s read verse six and seven again to see

Galatians 1:6–7 (ESV)

6I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—

7not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

So Paul starts by saying that they’re turning to a different gospel, but then He jumps in front of any notion that there is more than one gospel and says

Galatians 1:7 (ESV)

7not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

So just in case there’s any confusion - there’s only one gospel.

And that’s why I put in our first point - believe in THE gospel. It’s the only true gospel, and here in Galatia it’s under attack. As Tony mentioned last week, Paul is fighting against a group of Jews that are slyly attempting to lure away Christians, back into a law-based, performance-driven gospel. These guys are teaching a works based gospel - you’ll hear later in this series more details about what they were teaching.

Just to briefly cover it here - these people were teaching the circumcision was required for salvation.

And circumcision here is really just shorthand for obeying the Mosaic Law. They were promising a way that the believers in Galatia could earn their salvation. But what they failed to realize is what Paul preaches in 1 Corinthians 3:11

1 Corinthians 3:11 (ESV)

11For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

So Paul is calling what they are preaching FAKE NEWS.

Or I guess FAKE good news. He’s identifying the fake gospel and telling the Galatians to filter it out. That’s our second point tonight FILTER THE FAKES

Look at what Paul tells them

Galatians 1:8–9 (ESV)

8But 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.

9As 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.

These false teachers are to be accursed!

Sometimes I’ll hear people say something like

“Oh when I listen to them I just eat the meat and spit out the bones” Paul is in no way advising that here. There are no “live and let live vibes here”

He’s not saying “maybe there’s another gospel, we haven’t come to a decision yet”

We’re withholding judgement until more testing is done Paul is condemning these false teachers. And he’s putting himself on the chopping block too!

See there in verse 8 he says “even if we”

Paul is including himself here.

Nobody - not even the apostle Paul has license to distort the gospel of Jesus Christ. And if they do - they’re to be accursed! It might bring to mind how God pronounces a curse on the serpent.

I’m not sure that’s an accident either. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 2:14 says

2 Corinthians 11:14 (ESV)

14And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

Ahh now we’re starting to see a clearer picture here.

False gospels are the work of the enemy. And Paul is very wisely getting out in front of any tricks that the enemy might try to pull by telling the Galatians

“Even if someone with supernatural powers comes and preaches something other than the gospel you received, let him be accursed.” Let him be anathema! We need to be ready to withstand false teachers. We need to be ready to filter the fakes.

We need to be ready to spot the disortions That’s the word Paul uses for these false teachings He calls them a distortion.

The word used here is META-STREPH-O

And the root word here means to turn.

Twist, forced rotation, a distortion of the original form of this gospel. On October 17th 2017 a distortion occurred in Cleveland, Ohio.

In the stadium that is the home of the Cleveland Caveliers, after playing just 5 minutes - Gordon Hayward jumped to catch an alley-oop pass and came down awkwardly, turning his ankle.

It was more than a simple sprain.

He dislocated his ankle and fractured his tibia. It was honestly one of the worst sports injuries I had ever seen.

The TV crew did their best to not show the injury, but his foot was pointed in a direction it wasn’t supposed to go.

And it happened too fast to divert the cameras. His ankle was turned, his leg was distorted. It’s like that car wreck that you drove past that you’ll always remember

Maybe even years ago - but you’ll never forget how the car was twisted and distorted. I hope I have your attention now. Why bring up such a gruesome example? Because we need to grasp the seriousness of what happens to those who abandon grace.

What happens to those who embrace a distortion of the gospel. Please turn with me to Galatians 3:10 I want you to actually turn there of you have a Bible because I want you to see this for yourself.

Look at verse 10 For those who rely on Works of the law are under a curse. You cannot trust in your works and trust in Christ.

It’s Christ ALONE who justifies, not works of the Law.

If you’re trusting in the fact that you’re a “good person”, Paul is telling you - you will not be saved.

Salvation is by grace through faith. Nobody has ever been justified by the law - you’re not going to be the first. So to speak of broken bones and twisted joints is actually not strong enough language to express what these men are doing.

They’re twisting and turning the gospel of Christ inflicting damage and pain on those who accept what they’re saying. Paul is livid about this and like Pastor Tony alluded to he’s got some choice words for these guys later in the book. Because they’re enslaving believers to the law!

They’re bringing the law back again, telling the Galatians that they must follow the Mosaic law in order to be saved.

We see this kind of thing in Acts 15:1 which Tony mentioned last week.

Acts 15:1 (ESV)

1But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

These men from Judea came to preach a false gospel to those in Antioch.

They came from Judea

The heart of this new movement of Jesus followers. They came with their credentials and false ideas. Ready to enslave new believers with the law. They came from Judea!

What can we learn from this? Like cancer, false gospels attack from inside the church.

John Stott says it this way

”Indeed the church’s greatest troublemakers (now as then) are not those outside who oppose, ridicule and persecute it, but those inside who try to change the gospel.” It sounds counterintuitive as first but if you think about it - it makes sense.

If you consider yourself a Christian, you’re not going to follow the path to enlightenment taught by Buddhist monk. You’re not going to incorporate baptisms for the dead, if a mormon tells you its necessary.

And if you’re like me - you’re certainly not going to give up coffee because a Mormon said you should. You may listen politely, but you’re not going add pages from a false religion’s holy book to your bible. Even if you like them or admire their life.

You’ll immediately write off their “gospel” as a false religion and not give it a second thought. But what if a friend that you respect begins telling you about a new idea concerning “justification”? Or maybe I hear a podcast sermon from a pastor with a good reputation who is making a convincing argument that God doesn’t send anyone to hell. That sounds so nice.

And he’s a Christian. And he has a degree from a seminary!

And lots of people agree with him. And if what he says is true people we love aren’t suffering eternally right now. I really want to believe this.

It’s so attractive.

It’s the siren song. It makes me feel good. I want this to be true. But the whole time, like a malignant growth this distortion of the true gospel is sapping away your faith in God. Over time I no longer believe that hell is a reality for those who reject God.

My fear of the Lord has wilted like an unwatered plant, and I begin to give in to sin. Maybe even celebrate it. Why not after all? If there’s no hell there’s no penalty for sin.

Why do I need forgiveness anyways? I’m just trying to be happy. And the gospel of Jesus Christ is being twisted and twisted and twisted until it’s no longer good news. This gospel has decayed from good news into a guarantee of damnation. There’s a book called Silence about two priests who went to Japan in order to bolster the underground Christian church.

It’s set in the 1600’s during a time when Christianity faced fierce persecution from the Japanese state. There’s a lot of danger and they’re constantly in fear of capture. They’re preaching, teaching, and encouraging the few believers they find there.

It’s hard ministry. These two priests eventually feel that they’ll increase their odds of survival if they split up. The main character is captured, tortured, and made to watch believers choose between apostasy or execution.

Really gruesome stuff. Eventually his captors put him in front of a priest who had been captured and made to apostatize years earlier. This apostate priest tells him some crushing news.

The gospel in Japan has changed. In the mind of the believers in Japan, God, Jesus was just a very good man.

Not God - just an idealized man. Not the savior - just an example. False ideas had spread like cancer in immature and isolated Christians. These people believed that there was no omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God.

The gospel believed was no longer the gospel that was preached long ago. Those believers who were executed for their faith didn’t die for Christ.

They died for an idea of an idealized man. That is a fictional story based on history - but elements of it sound modern and eerily familiar.

Doesn’t it? You may even know somebody who has fallen prey to a distorted gospel.

And if you’ve had a conversation with them about their distorted views on the gospel you will probably find yourself feeling astonished. Just like Paul. So how can we be ready?

The danger is real!

The enemy is trying to trick you or lure you in.

Again - the siren song is calling to you and we can’t plug our ears. How can you keep yourself safe? Well I think there’s really two things that make people susceptible to being tricked or pressured into believing another gospel.

Immaturity and isolation One or both of these infirmities in a believers life puts their grasp on the gospel at risk So if you’re immature you need to get mature.

How do you do that? Let me illustrate it this way. We have this cutesy phrase for newer believers.

We call them baby believers. Jesus himself refers to new believers as little children.

It’s cute, right?

Babies are cute. Like I said earlier I’ve got two daughters

It’s such a privilege to watch my oldest daughter learn about the world. But it was unsettling to realize that the sense she relied on the most was taste. She put EVERYTHING in her mouth.

Dirt, bugs, shoes, cat litter pellets, acorns, rocks, and sometimes food. It was gross, but it’s a great illustration of what babies do!

They put everything in their mouths. And baby believers aren’t always that different. They innocently lack spiritual discernment

Gotta work to be saved? Okay makes sense Jesus wasn’t really God? Cool Mary is also a God? Seems fine God doesn’t punish us for sin? Very cool I’m not trying to shame these new believers, we all need to grow in discernment

I’m just making the point that without a consistent diet of scripture, aided by a strong community it’ll be a distasteful and painful road to figuring out what the meat of the gospel is. So how do we avoid this?

How do we mature ourselves? I think the common spiritual disciplines are great.

Read the word Pray Fellowship with believers. And if you’re looking to grow with the help of a more mature brother or sister in Christ go get discipled!

Both our men’s and women’s ministries have strong discipleship programs that will match you with a more mature believer who will walk alongside you as you grow and mature. Here’s another example of gospel maturity I have a friend in my small group who I admire for lots of reasons.

One of the reasons I admire him is that he spent a year memorizing scriptures that communicated the gospel. Verses like Matthew 5:17-30 where Jesus says that works don’t save.

He wanted to be really clear on the gospel. So he put in the work, he spent the time, he knows the gospel. It’s hidden in his heart. You think he’s going to be tricked by someone peddling a works-based gospel? You think he’s going to be swayed by claims that all roads lead to heaven?

Not a chance. He’s got a rock solid grasp on the gospel. Nobody is going to deceive him. He’s following the example of David who writes in Psalm 119

Psalm 119:11 (ESV)

11I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

So put in the work - get to know the God you serve, get clear on the gospel, and mature in your faith. Now lets talk about isolation

Isolation has a relatively simple solution.

Get community! If you don’t go to church right now - start by going to church so you can meet other believers. If you do go to church get there a little early so you can meet people.

Stick your hand out and say “I don’t think I’ve met you before, my name is” and then you say your name.

Chances are pretty good that they’ll tell you their name and you’ll start talking. Here’s another way to get community.

Join a small group.

Adam - one of the members of the preachers guild just started a new group. Go join it if you’re not in a small group yet! Ask to meet with someone regularly to pray and read scripture together. If you’re thinking “I don’t have time to do any of those”.

Then I would ask you if you have time to obey scripture. The writer of Hebrews directs us to not neglect to meet together. And you might be familiar the list of one another’s in Romans 12.

All those one anothers are things you need to do WITH other people.

You can’t one another nobody. And since we’ve been taking a break from Proverbs on Sundays I figured you welcome some of Solomon’s wisdom on this topic

Proverbs 18:1 (ESV)

1Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.

That’s pretty clear isn't it?

Getting around God’s people tends to enrich your sanctification and help you to see how sin is blinding you. And these people will be like Odysseus’s sailors.

Fastening you to the ship so you don’t fall prey to a beautiful lie.

So you don’t turn to a false gospel. Now we’ve addressed the tendency to isolate FROM people.

But it’s also true that we can isolate ourselves WITH people.

We can schedule ourselves so tightly that we don’t have time for meaningful relationships with believers.

And don’t get me wrong - being busy is fun.

But lets go back to Solomon and hear what he says.

This is the last verse from Proverbs 18 - it’s the bookend, the helpful foil to verse 1. Listen to this from verse 24

Proverbs 18:24 (ESV)

24A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Find those people who won’t desert you when the going gets tough.

Get around people who are going to push you toward Christ.

Get around people who are going to get into your life and ask you uncomfortable questions. The people that are going to help you walk in the light. You might be thinking “I think I’m mature enough to where i wouldn’t abandon the gospel, I’m good.”

I think Peter thought something similar.

He probably thought that after he denied Christ and was welcomed back in he would never stray from the gospel again. But he was wrong.

You’ll hear more about Peter’s struggle to hold fast to the gospel later in this sermon. But the cliff notes is that he succumbed to fear.

Specifically fear of man. And I believe that’s why Paul writes this in verse 10

Galatians 1:10 (ESV)

10For 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.

That leads us to our third point for this evening. FEAR GOD, NOT MAN

You’ll hear about how Peter struggled with fear of man in Galatians chapter 2. Fear of Man is something that without a doubt we have all struggled with.

It has different names - peer pressure, codependency, people pleasing. Odds are good that if you have a pulse you made it past adolescence then you have probably felt this.

You might still be struggling with it. Ed Welch defines fear of man this way

“We replace God with people. Instead of a biblically guided fear of the Lord, we fear others.” We’re guided by the approval of others.

When we say or do something they like we do more of that thing. Let me give you a simple modern example - you go out to lunch with some family members who you’ve known to be believers.

The conversation moves towards spiritual things and someone says “I’ve been listening to some teachers talk about the Holy Spirit and I learned that you’re not truly saved if you don’t speak in tongues.”

In that moment you have a decision to make. Are you going to just let it fly?

Are you going to let them continue to be deceived? Will you let your family member in some sense teach, a false gospel? I can tell you that a desire to keep familial peace will be strong. It’s much easier for us to let a false gospel propagate.

Or let ourselves blend in with the world - diluting our witness. But I would encourage us to all to look to Paul as an example

Look at what he just said

EVERYONE WHO TEACHES A GOSPEL CONTRARY TO THE TRUE GOSPEL SHOULD BE ACCURSED

That is very direct. When word of what Paul has written here gets out people aren’t going to like it.

And Paul is looking right into the camera - and saying “I don’t care.” “I don’t seek the approval of man, I seek the approval of God.” It’s interesting to note some of the background to Paul’s letter to the Galatians

These false teachers were accusing Paul of loosening the requirements of the faith in order to make the gospel more appealing to gentiles. And so he decides it’s best to address their criticism

To call a spade a spade

He says - you think I’m making the funnel wider by relaxing restrictions? Let me shrink the funnel “If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” Paul isn’t concerned about being respectable He understands that there’s a chasm of difference between being thought well of by outsiders and supporting heresy. He says “If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” It’s interesting - Pastor Tony mentioned last week that Galatians is Paul’s first book, and on Sundays we’ve been going through 2 Timothy - Paul’s last book.

We actually just covered these verses on Sunday. Here’s Paul’s guidance for dealing with false gospels at the end of his ministry

2 Timothy 2:24–26 (ESV)

24And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,

25correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,

26and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

In these verses Paul is instructing Timothy on how to correct some purveyors of false doctrine. He doesn’t tell Timothy to let it slide.

Or strategically support them so that you can win them to your side. He says oppose them - with gentleness. Be winsome! I that’s something we all need to hear.

Provide firm and gentle correction

They may come to their senses! So Paul is offering one approach here in Galatians.

Very direct, very forceful, laden with Holy blows for the enemy And in 2 Timothy he gives us another tactic

Correct in gentleness, be winsome, you might even be evangelizing without knowing it. Neither approach is correct all the time - but both require one thing

A lack of fear of man.

You won’t fight against heresy if you’re concerned about your image. You won’t calmly speak truth in love when you need affirmation from the one in error. Fear God, Not man. Paul writes in Romans 1:16

Romans 1:16 (ESV)

16For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

I want to live like that. We all need more fear of God, and less fear of man. It’s the only way that we’ll stay the course, and cling to the gospel. In review someone who is truly holding fast to the gospel will:

And they’ll believe in THE gospel. They’ll filter the fakes by leveraging biblical community and growing in maturity. Speak against distortions of the gospel, seeking only the approval of God. I want to end tonight with a word on what’s essential.

It’s possible that you’re listening to all this and you’re feeling overwhelmed.

Like theres a false gospel around every corner. Maybe it sounds like so much work

You feel like you’ve got to start taking seminary classes in order to defend yourself from gospel distortions. I want to offer you some encouragement.

The gospel is all you need. We are inextricably sinful - Christ came to die in our place for our sins - because of that we can live again with Him.

No works No special prayer No rituals we need to complete in order to seal our salvation. Salvation is by grace through faith. Just hold fast to the gospel. Let’s pray together.