Only One Gospel (2)

Galatians 1

Galatia was located in Asia minor, it is today Turkey. Galatia had cities which are written about some in Scripture.....Iconium, Lystra, and Antioch........which of these places that this is written to, but some say that it would of passed around to all, more than likely.

Some say this was written in 57 AD in the winter, this would of been the same year Paul wrote 1 & 2 Corinthians.

Paul’s journey through Galatia is written about in Acts 13-14.....Acts 13:4 “So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.”

Paul wrote to the Galatians to counter judaizing false teachers, who undermining the doctrine of justification by faith.

There was a meeting in Jerusalem with the apostles and church leaders....Acts 15:28–29 “For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.” ....This was a decree sent out by these leaders of the Christian faith.

However, there were some going behind Paul and others, attempting to pervert the Gospel of Jesus Christ by telling that them that they are not truly saved if the do not follow the law.

That is the reason for the decree and also this letter.......Paul was passionate about these churches because he had spent time with them and their churches were birthed by the Gospel that Paul preached to them.

Verse 1-5.........This is a greeting, with a preemptive narrative for what is coming.

Verse 1, Paul states that he is an apostle, but not by man or an agency of man.........

He makes for sure that they know that Paul did not receive the apostleship by man or any agency of man, only Jesus Christ and the Father God. More on that later.

God the Father Who raised Jesus from the dead!

Grace and Peace is what we all need, it only comes from the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, to deliver/rescues us from the present evil!

Of course, as Jesus told in John 6 and other places that He only does what the Father wills!

The word “evil world” this is referring to a system, a world system ruled by satan.

Glory forever, only belongs to God the Father and God the Son!

Verse 6-10.........Only One Gospel.......

“I marvel”....... “I am amazed”...........

The you are so soon “removed”...... “you are so quickly deserting” ......God Who summoned you by the Grace of Christ, for another gospel..........

Paul hated referring to the false message as “gospel”, so he adds in verse 7 that it is really not another gospel......

But there are some that are perverting the True Gospel, causing a disruption in their faith in the True Gospel!

The Judaizers added requirements, ceremonies, and standards of the OT....

Circumcision being one, feast days.....they were teaching that if you do not observe these, then you are not really saved.

In other words, it was Jesus plus something that makes you right with God!

That is a perversion of the True Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Paul adds that if an angel from Heaven preaches another gospel, let them be accursed.

That is hyperbole, that will not happen, but Paul uses the most extreme example of what happens to anyone, regardless what office they hold, perverts the Gospel of Jesus, then let them be devoted to destruction......

Joshua 6:17–18 “And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.” ....Jericho!

So, then Paul brings this down to the men perverting the gospel.....let them by devoted to destruction!

This is the worst thing you can ever do!

.....So we really need to go back in our thinking to what Jesus taught: “What is the way of salvation? Is it by grace alone through faith, or are there some necessary works? Is there some necessary moral behavior or religious behavior to qualify you to receive salvation? Or can you come as a bare naked sinner, having accomplished absolutely nothing that gains favor with God and be saved in that stark kind of desperate condition?”

......Legalistic Judaism, however, would not settle for the development of the church and the growth of the gospel, they began to early fight against it. Not only did they fight against it outside the church, but they began to fight against it inside the church. In an amazing set of circumstances, Satan began to pull into the church Jewish “converts” who believed that Jesus was the Messiah, who believed that He died and rose again, who believed that He was the Savior, and to acknowledge their belief in all of that. But they also declared that that is not enough for salvation. You must adhere to the Old Testament covenantal Mosaic and traditional law, which means you must be circumcised, and you must conform to the traditions. The only way Gentiles could come to salvation was to come through Judaism, through circumcision, and through the traditions of Judaism.