No Other Gospel

Dominant Thought: There is only one Gospel, and tampering with it brings a curse, not a blessing.

Aim: I want my listeners to reject any message that adds to or subtracts from the grace of Christ.

Propositional Statement: Because the Gospel of Christ is the only message that saves, we must guard it fiercely and reject every distortion.

Sermon Thesis: In this passage, Paul demonstrates that the Gospel is too precious to be altered and too powerful to be improved, and anyone who tries stands condemned.

Galatians 1:6–10 ESV

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.

Introduction

If you've ever received bad news, you know it doesn't take long for the shock to set in. A phone call in the middle of the night. A letter from the doctor's office. A text message that makes your heart drop. Bad news has a way of stopping us in our tracks.

The Apostle Paul had just received some bad news about the churches in Galatia—churches he had planted, believers he had personally discipled, communities he had poured his life into. And when he sat down to write to them, he couldn't hide his shock.

Now, if you're familiar with Paul's letters, you know he usually starts with thanksgiving. He tells the Philippians he thanks God every time he remembers them. He tells the Thessalonians he constantly mentions them in his prayers. Even when writing to the troubled church at Corinth, he finds something to commend before addressing their issues.

But not here. Not in Galatians.

There's no warm greeting, no "I thank my God for you," no commendation. Paul skips the pleasantries and goes straight to the problem. And the first word out of his mouth reveals everything: "I am astonished."

The word is thaumazō—it means to marvel, to be amazed, to be stunned. It's the same word used when people were astonished at Jesus' teaching. But here, Paul isn't astonished in a good way. He's shocked, bewildered, almost speechless that something so serious could happen so quickly.

The Galatian churches were abandoning the Gospel.

Not abandoning the faith entirely—at least not yet. They still believed in Jesus. They still gathered for worship. They still called themselves Christians. But they were being influenced by false teachers who were adding requirements to the Gospel. "Yes, believe in Jesus," these teachers said, "but you also need to be circumcised. Yes, trust in Christ, but you also need to keep the law of Moses."

It sounded religious. It sounded spiritual. It even sounded biblical. But Paul recognized it for what it was: a distortion of the Gospel that would ultimately destroy it.

And so he writes with urgency, with passion, with holy anger. Because when the Gospel is at stake, there's no room for politeness. When souls hang in the balance, there's no time for diplomacy.

In this passage, Paul demonstrates that the Gospel is too precious to be altered and too powerful to be improved, and anyone who tries stands condemned.

Look with me at verse 6, where Paul shows us just how serious this situation had become. What they were doing was not a small mistake—it was a spiritual emergency. Paul gives us his first warning:

Don’t Desert The Gospel (vv.6-7a)

Galatians 1:6–7 ESV

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,

Paul begins with astonishment: "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."

Notice the word Paul uses: "deserting." The Greek word is metatithēmi, and it carries military overtones. It was used to describe a soldier who abandons his post, a traitor who switches sides, a defector who joins the enemy. Paul isn't describing a minor doctrinal adjustment. He's describing an act of spiritual treason.

And notice what they were deserting. Paul doesn't say they were deserting a doctrine or a teaching—he says they were deserting "him who called you." This is personal. When you abandon the Gospel, you're not just leaving behind a set of beliefs. You're leaving behind a Person. You're walking away from the God who called you by His grace.

This is what makes false teaching so dangerous. It doesn't just corrupt your theology—it corrupts your relationship with God. It doesn't just fill your head with wrong ideas—it leads your heart away from Christ.

Paul also points out how fast this was happening: "so quickly." The word suggests alarming speed. These believers hadn't been Christians for decades and slowly drifted away. They were new converts who were already being pulled in a different direction. The ink on their spiritual birth certificates was barely dry, and already they were switching allegiances.

This ought to be a warning to us. Spiritual drift doesn't take years—it can happen in weeks or months. You can be on fire for the Lord one season and chasing after something else the next. The Galatians didn't wake up one morning and decide to abandon the Gospel. It happened gradually, subtly, as they listened to persuasive teachers who sounded religious but were leading them away from grace.

Paul then clarifies what they were turning to: "a different gospel—not that there is another one." Here Paul uses two different words for "different" and "another." When he says "a different gospel," he uses the word heteros, which means different in kind—something qualitatively distinct. But when he says "not that there is another one," he uses the word allos, which means another of the same kind.

What's he saying? The Galatians were turning to something that claimed to be a gospel, but it wasn't really a gospel at all. It was in a completely different category. There is only one genuine Gospel—there is no allos, no other Gospel of the same kind. What the false teachers offered was a heteros—something fundamentally different masquerading as the same thing.

Church, there are not multiple versions of the Gospel to choose from based on your preferences. There are not different gospels for different people. There is one Gospel—the Gospel of Jesus Christ crucified, buried, and risen. And everything else, no matter how spiritual it sounds, is a counterfeit.

But what exactly were these false teachers doing that made their message so dangerous? How were they pulling believers away from Christ? Paul answers that question directly in the second half of verse 7 by exposing the heart of their error.

Don’t Distort the Gospel (v.7b)

Galatians 1:7 ESV

7 but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

Here Paul identifies the source of the problem: "there are some who trouble you." This word "trouble" means to shake, to agitate, to throw into confusion. It's the word you would use for stirring up water or disturbing a settled situation. These false teachers weren't bringing peace—they were bringing chaos. They weren't building up the church—they were destabilizing it.

And what were they doing? They wanted "to distort the gospel of Christ." The word "distort" is metastrephō, which means to turn something into its opposite, to transform it into something completely different from what it was. The false teachers weren't just making minor adjustments—they were fundamentally perverting the Gospel, turning it inside out.

Now, here's what we need to understand about these false teachers, commonly called the Judaizers. They weren't denying Jesus. They weren't saying Christ didn't matter. On the surface, they would have affirmed many of the same things Paul affirmed. They believed Jesus was the Messiah. They believed He died and rose again. They probably would have passed a basic doctrinal exam.

But here's where they went wrong: they added to the Gospel. "Yes, believe in Jesus," they said, "but you also need circumcision. Yes, trust in Christ, but you also need to keep the ceremonial law. Faith is necessary, but it's not sufficient. You need faith plus works."

And Paul says this kind of addition is actually a distortion. When you add anything to the Gospel, you don't enhance it—you destroy it. When you say "Jesus plus anything," you've turned grace into law, freedom into bondage, good news into bad news. Let me illustrate it this way:

Illustration: Imagine someone offers you a glass of pure, clean water on a hot day. Refreshing, life-giving water. But then they say, "Let me just add a little something to improve it," and they drop in a few drops of poison. Would you drink it? Of course not. It doesn't matter that it's mostly water—the poison has contaminated the whole glass.

That's what happens when you add human works to the Gospel of grace. It doesn't matter that you still have most of the Gospel—the addition has corrupted everything. The Gospel is not "Christ plus." The Gospel is "Christ alone."

This is why we must be discerning, beloved. The most dangerous false teaching doesn't come dressed in obviously heretical clothing. It comes wrapped in religious language, using familiar terms, quoting Scripture. The Judaizers could cite Genesis and Exodus and Leviticus. They had Bible verses to back up their position.

But having a Bible verse doesn't make something true. The question is whether the whole counsel of God supports your interpretation. And the whole counsel of God declares that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Anything else, no matter how religious it sounds, is a distortion of the Gospel.

If changing the gospel turns salvation into deception, then heaven itself must respond. What is God’s verdict on those who preach a different message? Paul answers with terrifying clarity in verses 8 and 9.

Don’t Dismiss the Gospel’s Warning (vv. 8-9)

Galatians 1:8–9 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. 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.

Now Paul reaches the climax of his argument, and his words are staggering in their severity: "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. 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."

Paul pronounces an anathema—a curse of divine judgment. The word "accursed" is the Greek word anathema, which means devoted to destruction, handed over to the wrath of God, eternally condemned. This is the strongest language Paul could possibly use.

And he says it twice. This is not Paul losing his temper. This is not an emotional outburst that he might regret later. He says, "As we have said before"—indicating he had already warned them about this—"so now I say again." This is deliberate, emphatic, apostolic authority pronouncing judgment on anyone who corrupts the Gospel.

But notice who falls under this curse. Paul doesn't just condemn unknown false teachers. He says, "even if we"—including himself and his apostolic team—"or an angel from heaven." No one is exempt. The most credentialed preacher, the most impressive miracle-worker, even a supernatural being from heaven itself—if they preach a different gospel, they stand condemned.

This tells us something crucial: the authority is in the message, not the messenger. It doesn't matter how famous the preacher is. It doesn't matter how many followers they have on social media. It doesn't matter how many books they've written or how large their church is. If the message is wrong, the messenger is under a curse.

We live in a time when people follow teachers more than teaching. They're loyal to personalities rather than to truth. But Paul says we must measure every message—including his own—against the Gospel that was originally delivered. The standard is not the preacher's reputation but the message's fidelity to Scripture.

And notice the standard Paul uses: "contrary to the one we preached to you" and "contrary to the one you received." The Gospel is not something that evolves or develops or improves over time. The Gospel was delivered once for all. It was preached. It was received. And that original deposit is the measuring rod for all subsequent teaching.

This is why we must know the Scriptures. This is why we must be rooted in sound doctrine. Because if you don't know what the true Gospel is, you won't recognize a counterfeit when you hear one. And there are many counterfeits being preached in our day—gospels of prosperity, gospels of self-esteem, gospels of political ideology, gospels of moralism. They use Christian vocabulary, but they are not the Gospel of Christ.

And Paul says anyone who preaches them stands under divine judgment. That's how serious this is. The Gospel is not a matter of personal preference or cultural adaptation. The Gospel is a matter of eternal life and eternal death.

If the gospel is worth defending and distortion is worthy of judgment, then one question remains: Whose approval are we really living for? Paul brings it home in verse 10.

Live for God’s Approval Alone (v. 10)

Galatians 1:10 ESV

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.

Paul concludes this section with a revealing question: "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."

The word translated "seeking the approval" means to persuade or win over. Paul is asking: Who am I trying to win over—people or God? Whose favor am I seeking?

This verse gives us insight into the accusations that may have been leveled against Paul. The Judaizers were likely saying, "Paul makes the Gospel easy for Gentiles. He tells them they don't need circumcision because he wants to be popular. He's a people-pleaser."

But Paul flips the accusation on its head. If he were trying to please people, would he be pronouncing curses on false teachers? If he wanted to be popular, would he be writing such harsh words? The very severity of this letter proves Paul is not interested in winning a popularity contest.

And then Paul states a principle that applies to every believer: "If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." The word "servant" is doulos—a bondservant, a slave. A slave has one master. A slave doesn't get to serve two different owners with competing demands. You either serve Christ or you serve public opinion. You can't do both.

This is the heart posture that enables faithful Gospel proclamation. When you're devoted to God's approval alone, you can speak the truth even when it's unpopular. When your eyes are fixed on the Master, you don't get swayed by the crowd. When your security is in Christ's acceptance, you don't need the world's applause.

Church, there is always pressure to soften the Gospel, to make it more palatable, to round off its sharp edges. The world wants a Gospel that doesn't call sin what it is. The world wants a Jesus who accepts everyone as they are without calling them to repentance. The world wants grace without truth, love without holiness, salvation without Lordship.

But the servant of Christ doesn't adjust the message to fit the audience. The servant of Christ delivers the message as received, knowing that the Gospel itself is the power of God for salvation. We don't need to improve it. We need to proclaim it.

And that brings us to the heart of everything—the Gospel itself. Why is Paul so fierce in this passage? Why does he use words like "accursed" and "distort" and "deserting"?

Conclusion

Because Paul understands what's at stake. This isn't a debate about secondary issues. This isn't a disagreement about worship styles or church polity. This is about the only message that can save a lost soul from eternal judgment. And when that message is corrupted, people don't just lose an argument—they lose everything.

So let me close by reminding you of the Gospel Paul is protecting with such passion.

We were lost. Not merely confused, not slightly off track—dead in our trespasses and sins. The Bible says we were children of wrath, enemies of God, without hope and without God in the world. And there was nothing we could do about it. Dead people don't contribute to their own resurrection. Spiritually bankrupt people can't earn their way back into God's favor.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, made a way.

He sent His Son. Jesus Christ, the eternal Word made flesh, stepped out of heaven's glory and into our broken world. He was born of a virgin, lived among us, walked our dusty roads, and faced our every temptation—yet without sin.

He lived the life we could not live. Every command we've broken, He kept. Every standard we've failed to meet, He fulfilled. Perfect obedience from the cradle to the grave. He earned a righteousness we could never achieve.

And then He went to the cross. He stretched out His arms on that Roman instrument of torture, and there He absorbed the wrath that should have fallen on us. Every sin you've ever committed—past, present, and future—was placed on Him. He became the curse for us. Paul will write later in this very letter, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us."

They buried Him in a borrowed tomb. They sealed it with a stone and posted guards. His enemies thought they had won. His disciples scattered in despair. It looked like the end of everything.

But early on the third day, that grave could not hold Him. He rose from the dead! The stone was rolled away not to let Jesus out but to let the witnesses in. He appeared to His disciples, to more than five hundred at one time. He conquered sin, He defeated death, and He disarmed the powers of hell.

And now He offers salvation as a free gift to everyone who believes. Not to those who earn it—it can't be earned. Not to those who deserve it—no one deserves it. To those who receive it by faith, trusting that what Christ did is enough.

That's the Gospel. It doesn't need your additions. It can't be improved by your effort. It's complete. It's finished. When Jesus said "It is finished" from the cross, He meant it. There's nothing left for you to do but believe.

So when someone comes to you with "Jesus plus"—Jesus plus your good works, Jesus plus your religious rituals, Jesus plus your political affiliations, Jesus plus anything—remember what Paul says: there is no other Gospel. What they're offering is not another version of the truth; it's a counterfeit that leads to condemnation.

Stand firm in the grace of Christ. Guard the Gospel that was delivered to you. And trust that the One who called you in grace will keep you by grace until the day of Christ Jesus.

For there is no other Gospel. And to the One who gave it, to the Christ who embodies it, to the God who designed it from before the foundation of the world—to Him be all the glory, forever and ever.

Amen.