The Danger of Gospel Drift

SCRIPTURE ANNOUNCEMENT: (Pew Bible: pg. 1003)

[OPENING] This was a huge week in the world of politics. Each and every year, our president gives a State of the Union address. This year, it wasn’t so much what was said that took over all the news reels, but what wasn’t done. Several things were noticed that were a breach in protocol. For one, the president rejected an offer of a handshake from the Speaker of the House. Secondly, and probably most famously, the Speaker ripped up the printed copies of his speech once it was done.

But one thing that was largely overlooked is the breach of decorum that began the speech. In previous years, the Speaker has introduced the president by saying,

"Members of Congresss, I have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the president of the United States."

Instead, she simply said,

Members of Congress, the President of the United States.

Of course, we could debate all day long with whether or not the pettiness on display is something that is good of our country. But the Speaker obviously felt that the seriousness of the day and issues facing the nation were serious enough to break with tradition and skip formal pleasantries.

[TRANSITION:] In the passage before us, we find that Paul has done something very similar! You see, back during this day, when someone wrote a letter, they would begin by introducing themselves and introducing the readers. But then, they would offer a thanksgiving for the readers. In Paul’s other letters, he even follows that practice. You can immediately find it in Romans, Corinthians, and the others. The one in 1 Thessalonians practically takes up the entire first chapter, if not more!

But in Galatians, we don’t find it. He skips it. He breaks with the tradition and immediately rebukes them for the issue going on at the church. He felt the situation was serious enough to break with tradition and skip the formal pleasantry.

Why does he do that?

Galatians 1:6 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—

Galatians 1:6 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—

Because the Galatians had astonished him! The term “astonished” in vs. 6 is a strong term. He simply cannot fathom that they had turned away from Christ! He was completely stunned at their their desertion. First of all, because it was so quick. It seems like Paul had no sooner returned from his first missionary journey before he heard that these legalists - these false teachers - were luring the Galatians away from their faith.

But also, it was such a betrayal. Notice how Paul words this verse. They were deserting “him who called you in the grace of Christ…” It’s not just that they were changing sides on a matter of honest Christian differences. It’s not even that they were turning from a key doctrine. They were abandoning “him who called you...” They were betraying God Himself!

Why would we do that? Why would a person - or an entire church, for that matter - turn away from the wonderful gospel of Christ? Because of the danger of Gospel drift. We talked last week about how we must contend for the Gospel in our culture, in our church, and in our own hearts. If we don’t, gospel drift will set in. Our natural inclination in the flesh is to drift away from the Gospel! This is why warning after warning in Scripture is given to stand fast in the Lord. What one generation assumes will be forsaken by the next!

Paul acknowledges that this will continue to be a problem for the church throughout the age.

1 Timothy 4:1–2 ESV

1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,

He says that there will always be deceitful spirits and “doctrines of demons” that are trying to infiltrate the church. You can imagine that Satan’s first and primary target the doctrine of salvation. If you are confused about that, then you have no other way of being reconciled with God.

[Prop] Therefore, We Must Guard Our Hearts against Gospel Drift.

How?

Paul tells us that we must guard our hearts against 3 temptations.

The Temptation to Deny the Gospel’s Distinction.

Why do we need to avoid this temptation?

1) Because it is a Denial of the Gospel.

Galatians 1:7 ESV

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

Paul says that they are defecting to another gospel - but he immediately emphasizes, “… not that there is another one...”

Paul says in vs 6 that they are defecting to another gospel. We don’t have any direct quotes from the Judaizers in the Book of Galatians, but we have a general sense of what they are teaching in - That they were saying that “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” That fits with a passage where Paul mentions the same thing in , “…I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole Law...” Ironically, the ones who were teaching likely wouldn’t have said they were teaching a different gospel. Instead, they would have thought their teaching was “complete,” or “full.” The grace and faith that Paul preached might have been enough to get started, but now you need to progress to a “more mature” or “fuller understanding.”

But Paul doesn’t mince words. It’s not a fuller gospel. It’s not a more complete gospel. It’s an anti-gospel. It’s not just a different understanding of the Gospel. It’s a different gospel entirely!

Romans 11:6 ESV

6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

Paul says that they are defecting to another gospel - but he immediately emphasizes, “… not that there is another one...” It’s not a matter

Romans 11:

[TRANSITION] And when we drift away from the Gospel, we will inevitably Disrupt the church.

2) Because it is a Disruption to the Church.

Paul says they they defecting to another gospel - but then he immediately emphasizes, “…not that there is another one...” There is no other gospel, but instead, “…but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ...” Paul calls those who have come into the church agitators - or trouble makers. He says again in , that they are unsettling them! They are upending the very foundation that the church is built upon.

John R. Stott said it best. “The two go together. To tamper with the gospel is always to trouble the church.” The church is founded upon the gospel. It is built upon the gospel. If you remove the foundation of the church, the entire building collapses. The biggest threat to the church has never been those on the outside, but those who creep in on the inside and want to change the gospel and thus tear the church down.

It is false doctrine that divides, not the truth of Christ. If you think about it, it makes sense. If we remove our focus on the gospel - the very thing that unites us in identity, purpose, and mission - then all that is left to focus on is what divides us! That’s exactly what is going to happen!

Paul acknowledges that this will continue to be a problem for the church throughout the age.

1 Timothy 4:1–2 ESV

1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,

He says that there will always be deceitful spirits and “doctrines of demons” that are trying to infiltrate the church. Satan brings in false teaching concerning church government, Christian ethics, and a host of other things. You can imagine that Satan’s first and primary target the doctrine of salvation. If you are confused about that, then you have no other way of being reconciled with God.

And really, if you think about it, it makes sense.

Galatians 3:28–29 ESV

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Gal 3:

If you remove our focus on the Gospel - the very thing that unites us in identity, purpose, and mission - then the only thing that is left to focus on are the things that divide us! No wonder demon-energized teachers have always sought to creep into the church and pervert the message of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone! There is no social gospel, no liberation gospel, no therapeutic gospel, there is no moral gospel. There is only the “…the gospel of Christ.”

There is only one gospel! It is the Gospel of Christ or an anti-gospel. When it comes to many things in life, when we come to a disagreement, there can be dialogue between us. But when it comes to the gospel, disagreement is not dialogue - it is heresy! And it must be called for what it is.

[TRANSITION] That is the first temptation to guard against. But Paul demonstrates 2 others in this text. We move on next to see that We must guard our hearts against…

The Temptation to Avoid Biblical Discernment.

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.

Practice Discernment Regardless of their credentials.

Practice Discernment Regardless of their credentials.

Practice Discernment Regardless of their credentials.

In the letter that James sent from Jerusalem to the Galatian churches recorded in , he mentions…

Acts 15:24 ESV

24 Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions,

The ones who came into the churches must have seemed pretty impressive. After all, they had come from Jerusalem, the very birth city of the church. They carried all the right names with them! They were teaching from the same Old Testament that Paul was likely teaching from, and their understanding of it likely seemed equal to Paul’s. No doubt they were very impressive!

None of that mattered! It doesn’t matter where they came from, or who they were! Paul says, “Even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you....” Paul even includes himself in this! Even if we ourselves come back to you and preach a gospel to you that is different than the one that we preached when we arrived -

It doesn’t even matter if it’s an angel from heaven itself! This is ironic, because do you realize how many false religions in America have begun because they supposedly “heard from an angel.” I can’t tell you what they actually heard - I doubt it - but it doesn’t matter. Because Paul says regardless of their credentials, if they preach a gospel other than the gospel you heard from us at the beginning - even if we change our mind....

We must practice proper discernment!

We Must Practice Discernment Regarding their Condemnation.

He says this twice! Anyone! Whether they are an angel of heaven - or even if it’s Paul himself who changes his mind - Anyone who brings another gospel to you is to be ANATHEMA! - Accursed! Devoted to destruction! That’s what that term means! This term is a term that is familiar to anyone who have read the Old Testament in Greek! It is used in the Law to refer to the Canaanites who were to be expelled by Israel. In fact the most famous example is Jericho.

Joshua 6:18 ESV

18 But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it.

You remember what happened? Achan took several things and hid them in his tent - the things that were anathema! You remember what happened. Not only did Israelites die as a result of his treachery, but he was found out and he was devoted to destruction - him and his entire family! He took what was anathema into his home, and thus became anathema!

This is what Paul says must be considered of those who bring a different gospel to the church. They must be considered as devoted to destruction! Of course, that doesn’t mean we kill them as in the Old Testament. They are already dead in trespasses and sin because of their false gospel. But just like Aachan and his family, we do not take into our possession as a church those who bring in a different gospel that what the apostles teach and proclaim in the Scriptures. To do so is to invite destruction into our church! If we bring in what is anathema, we will become anathema!

The term anathema is a VERY strong term! It would be equivalent to how we would say that someone is “going to hell.” It is invoking the judicial wrath of God! It’s really not used every often in the New Testament - in fact, only about 5 times. And as far as using it of others, Paul only uses it of 2 kinds of people.

1 Corinthians 16:22 ESV

22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!

Someone who does not love the Lord are those who are accursed. And here - those who teach a false gospel. In fact, given that this term is only used 5x in the New Testament, and it is used 2x here should tell you how serious this is! Those who would lead others away in a false gospel are doubly accursed! Doubly devoted to destruction! That’s how serious this is!

The Temptation to Avoid Others’ Displeasure.

Understand, we are not talking about people who are hostile to Christianity! At least, not on the surface. These teachers came from the Jerusalem church. They claimed to be teaching a more complete Christian faith. But the church simply cannot tolerate those who would preach a different message than salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone! That is the gospel. Any ritualism, ceremonies, moralism, legalism, or anything else - anything that is placed upon the gospel to add to the work that Christ has done on our behalf, that is required for us to be righteous before God - is not a gospel at all! It is an anti-gospel! It is a gospel that will leave us devoted to destruction. It is a gospel that will disrupt the church. And will cause us to drift from the Gospel!

Of course, we’ve been talking about this at the church level, but let’s bring it down to our own hearts for a minute. Paul’s shock was not that there are false teachers. That should come as no shock to anyone. What shocked Paul was how quickly the Galatians were going after them! This is the danger - not that there are false teachers, but that we would go after them - and so quickly! That means that there is something in our hearts that convinces us that we need something more than the Gospel to fulfill us.

T

Of course, we’ve been talking about this at the church level, but let’s bring this down into our hearts for a minute. In what ways do we deny the sufficiency of the Gospel in our hearts? Have you ever tried to prove your own righteousness above someone else’s? Have you ever thought, “I am more holy than person x because I do _______?” Or maybe you’ve fallen for the moralism or the legalism’s of our day. Or maybe there is something that our hearts are longing for that we don’t feel that the Gospel provides for us? And we begin to pursue it instead of Christ because we feel we must add it to the gospel for our joy or happiness?

All of these things are another gospel - they

Gospel drift doesn’t just happen in the church - it happens in our hearts. We reason we are attracted to false teachers is because they offer something we want! We have “itching ears” and they are willing to scratch them!

The Temptation to Avoid Others’ Displeasure.

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.

Of course, we’ve been talking about this at the church level, but let’s bring this down into our hearts for a minute. In what ways do we deny the sufficiency of the Gospel in our hearts?

Of course, we’ve been talking about this at the church level, but let’s bring this down into our hearts for a minute. In what ways do we deny the sufficiency of the Gospel in our hearts? There are really two desires of our flesh that this speaks to.

We Must Not Aim for Personal Achievement.

Of course, by this we do not mean working mightily as unto the Lord, and enjoying and using the fruits of your labors for the glory of God. This is good and biblical. However, much of what our culture refers to as “achievement” is really seeking the approval of others.

I like how the NASB translates this - “Am I trying to seek the favor of men..” In other words, putting on airs to seek the righteous declaration of men. Wanting to appear holy before men.

This is what Paul used to do… notice the wording… “if I were still trying to please men...” This is referring back to his days in Judaism. You can see what all he did in . He pursued a Gospel of personal achievement by earning the approval of others.

This is what the Pharisees did.

Matthew 6:1 ESV

1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 6:1

They practiced their righteousness in front of everyone else - but not so that God would be glorified (), but so that they would be! They wanted to be seen by men so that those around them would marvel at their practices and think how “spiritual” they were! Jesus goes on to talk about that whether it was that they were giving to the poor, praying, or fasting - whatever it was - they were doing it to be seen by others - and it worked! They got their approval from men! That’s it. That was their reward. But before God, it was wicked! It was hypocritical!

The other temptation is like unto it...

The other temptation is like unto it...

We Must Not Aim for Other’s Appeasement.

Not Serving Man, but God.

Not only do we seek to practice our righteousness to be seen by others, but our primary concern is not to please others either. Whether it be for respectability or wanting applause, when it comes to loyalty to the God’s kingdom and the furtherance of the gospel, there can be no compromise. Our first and foremost priority is to please God and not men. This is undoubtedly what the false teachers were trying to accuse Paul. They were saying that he was just out to flatter them to bring them over to his side and make himself great.

There was only one problem with that… Would Paul be going through severe persecution if he were setting out to please people? Even in Galatia, they had stoned him and nearly killed him for the sake of the gospel! Would a people-pleaser do this? The desire to escape ridicule is a hallmark of a people pleaser. People pleasers will never be martyrs! They will never suffer ridicule or shame in order to stand up for truth.

Not only do we want others to be pleased with us, our primary concern is not to please others. The world actually has a word for this today - i

I got asked who I was for for the Super Bowl - I said, “Whoever wins.” That’s what a people pleaser does. They always go with the majority! They always agree with whoever they’re talking to. They long to escape conflict and trouble. They just want to make sure everyone is flattered and satisfied.

It is natural to want the appreciation and praise of people. Who among us has not been tempted by worldly success or applause. But when we must achieve this success by sacrificing the Gospel or our testimony to the Gospel so that we may please others - When we must sacrifice a central tenet of the faith - whenever we must water down the gospel to inflate our numbers so that people will be pleased… Paul has strong words to say…

It is natural to want the appreciation and praise of people. Who among us has not been tempted by worldly success or applause. But when we must achieve this success by sacrificing the Gospel or our testimony to the Gospel so that we may please others - When we must sacrifice a central tenet of the faith - whenever we must water down the gospel to inflate our numbers so that people will be pleased… Paul has strong words to say…

But Paul makes no bones about it!

“…We are not a servant of Christ.”

“…if I were still seeking to please men, then I would not be a servant of Christ.” Whoever we are out to please the most is whom we are serving! If our church is about making us happy, then we are not servants of Christ. If we are in the business of people appeasing, then we are not servants of Christ. The church does not run for approval ratings. It runs for the truth of Jesus Christ, slain for sinners, risen, and coming again! Those who would be saved must be saved by Grace Alone through Faith Alone in Christ Alone! There is no other way of salvation!