A Different Gospel

Introduction of what it would have been like to read this letter...

Review of Epistles

Review:

What’s most revealing is what’s missing!

“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.”

“Quickly deserting”: “It signifies ‘to transfer one’s allegiance’. It is used of soldiers in the army who revolt or desert, and of men who change sides in politics or philosophy.” NICAC

Deserting God by turning to a different gospel.

Not ‘another’ gospel, but a ‘different’ gospel.

Teaching heresy (anathema)

Defining Heresy

Gospel Supplements vs. Other Religions

Gospel Supplements

Comparing religions is like comparing apples and oranges.

Importance of Theological Education

Comparing True Gospel with Heresy is like comparing an apple with rotten apple.

Confessions

AT&T Commercials: I’m ok

“Heresies are transformations of the real thing.” NICAC

“The devil disturbs the church as much by error as by evil. When he cannot entice Christian people into sin, he deceives them with false doctrine.” Stott

What made it heretical?

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

Who are the ‘some’ who are causing trouble?

Story After 1st Missionary Journey in

Some came from Judea to preach to Antioch preaching: : “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

You can imagine how confusing that would have been for Paul’s converts. Paul didn’t say anything about that. Can’t we negotiate a little? Like, would a tattoo suffice? Nose ring? Anything other then the thing you’re telling me to do?

Debate in Antioch

Between Judaizers and Paul

Debate brought to Jerusalem (Acts 15)

Some came from Judea to preach:

James backed up Peter: 16“ ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name

16 “ ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name

and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;

I will rebuild its ruins,

and I will restore it,

17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord,

and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,

Judaizers continued to preach this different gospel, which is not a Gospel at all. Gospel means good news, and this is bad news!

Didn’t deny the fundamentals.

“They subtracted nothing from Paul’s message. They only added to it.” G. Walter Hansen

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

Distort: ‘pervert’ ‘to reverse’

Precious Gospel message is like a diamond. Cut, clarify, colour, carrot

Like throwing

Cut, clarify, colour, carrot

Black magic marker

Putting the diamond within a case

Liberal’s LOVE WINS Mentality

Saved by works and faith

Example of Heresy: Story of Prodigal Son Story (Luke 10)

Priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan

After the Samaritan Showed Mercy:

36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”

37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

“Kids, do you know the original question?”

“Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

He tied the knot between ‘go and do likewise’ with ‘what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’

“The devil disturbs the church as much by error as by evil. When he cannot entice Christian people into sin, he deceives them with false doctrine.” Stott

Supplemental Gospel

Political Alignment

Evangelical SURRENDER Mentality: See Keller’s Article

Saved by grace through faith or because of faith

Saved by grace through faith

By grace

Means: through faith

Saved by faith

Rather than Grace through faith vs. faith then grace.

Need for total surrender will get you saved. Sincere devotion. Like, a full orbed hands in the air with eyes closed total eclipse surrender to God: That’s what’s going to get you saved.

What’s going to get you saved is your faith? Your faith didn’t save you. Why? Because you’re faith wouldn’t have faith in the Gospel of Christ. Your faith would believe in anything other than God.

Just as grace is a gift, so is faith in God. God implants faith within us.

Example of Heresy: Story of Prodigal Son Story

Saved by works and faith

Politics: Have you fuzed political values with Christian value as if they’re one and the same?

You need to be Christian and Republican

Apathy: Saved by grace through faith, so works don’t mean much

Your behaviors matter, your generosity matters, your hospitality matters, your love matters!

Scot McKnight: “What happens when we emphasize, for instance, that salvation is solely by grace? Do people develop a complacency? Do Christians begin to sense that Christian holiness is an option? Then we need to ask if this is consistent with the gospel of grace. Of course, it is not.

Great Questions: “What happens when we emphasize, for instance, that salvation is solely by grace? Do people develop a complacency? Do Christians begin to sense that Christian holiness is an option? Then we need to ask if this is consistent with the gospel of grace. Of course, it is not.

Dis-integrated faith

What is the gospel? Being a good person

Application:

The devil disturbs the church as much by error as by evil. When he cannot entice Christian people into sin, he deceives them with false doctrine.” Stott

How quickly it is to add to the Gospel!

Importance of Theological Education

AT&T Commercials:

Costumer: Are you guys good with breaks?

Mechanic: We’re okay

Costumer: Just okay?

Mechanic: We’ve got a saying here, if the breaks don’t stop it, something will.

The Credentials are for the sake of the content!

vv. 8-9: 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.

Double Condemnation

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.

They could be flashing their angel credentials.

Cursed= lit. anathema

They could be flashing their angel credentials.

Credentials Over Content:

They could be flashing their angel credentials.

Doesn’t matter who’s preaching it?

The Holy Spirit Supplement

Application #2: Pleasing God or Pleasing Men

What happens when we emphasize the demand of the gospel? Do Christians begin to develop a lack of confidence in the sufficiency of Christ? Do they begin to sense that the gospel is a burden? What happens when we emphasize the disciplines of the Christian life? Do Christians, especially young Christians, begin to neglect the dynamic the Spirit brings into our life?” NIVAC

The NIV Application Commentary: Galatians Bridging Contexts

What happens when we emphasize, for instance, that salvation is solely by grace? Do people develop a complacency? Do Christians begin to sense that Christian holiness is an option? Then we need to ask if this is consistent with the gospel of grace. Of course, it is not. In other words, we must explore where our gospel is giving off such an impression and to alter our original statements. What happens when we emphasize the demand of the gospel? Do Christians begin to develop a lack of confidence in the sufficiency of Christ? Do they begin to sense that the gospel is a burden? What happens when we emphasize the disciplines of the Christian life? Do Christians, especially young Christians, begin to neglect the dynamic the Spirit brings into our life?

Supplemental Gospel

Political Alignment

The NIV Application Commentary: Galatians Bridging Contexts

Heresies are transformations of the real thing. In

Evangelical Churches:

Saved by grace through faith or by faith

Liberal/Mainline:

Saved by works and faith

Application #2: Pleasing God or Pleasing Men

Who are the ‘some’ who are causing trouble?

Trouble you and distort the gospel of Christ

Preaching anything contrary to the content

Issue #2: Pleasing God or Pleasing Men

Cursed= lit. anathema

Credentials Over Content:

They could be flashing their angel credentials.

Doesn’t matter who’s preaching it?

Martin Luther, “Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me.”

Martin Luther did, “Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me.”

Primacy of Preservation of Content

Takes Guts

No wiggle room

The Holy Spirit Supplement

AT&T Commercials: I’m ok

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.

Issue #2: Pleasing God or Pleasing Men

Movement of the Book: From life in the Law to the Life of the Spirit!

You have the Spirit, why would you need to add anything!?

A Different Gospel

A Different Gospel

What are we Dealing with Here?

The Different Gospel

How does supplementing the Good News make it bad?

Examples:

How may you be supplementing the Gospel?

Application: