Galatians: True Gospel

Text: Galatians 1:1-10

Theme: Believers must faithfully hold to the only true gospel message—Jesus crucified and resurrected.

Date: 06/21/2020 File Name: Galatians_01.wpd ID Number:

I once heard Paul Washer, a former Southern Baptist missionary and now pastor at

Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA., I heard him say that the most terrifying truth about God is this: “God is good.” Why would that be a terrifying truth? It’s terrifying to know that God is good, since we are not. What does God do with people like us? Sinners. We’ve sinned against God, we’ve sinned against one another, we’ve sinned against nature. All of creation calls for our condemnation. If God is truly just then what does He do with us? If a just God simply pardons the wicked, He’s no longer just. If a holy God calls the wicked into fellowship with Himself without them changing, He’s no longer holy. The great question of Scripture is How does a just God pardon wicked men, and still be just? How does a holy God call wicked men into fellowship with Himself, and still be holy? The answer is found in the cross of Jesus Christ.

In the cross all our sins our born by a Savior ... God’s perfect spotless sacrificial Lamb.

In the cross, all the wrath of God was poured out on the Son instead of us.

In the cross Jesus paid in full the penalty for my sin and your sin, and when he was done, he looked up into heaven and said, “It is finished.”

They took his body down from that cross, and laid it in a tomb. Three days later he rose again, eternally triumphant over all his enemies, and now he sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven making intercession for us so that there is now no condemnation for those who believe on him, confess him as Lord, and have received everlasting life and joy.

This is the gospel. This is what Paul’s letter to the Galatians is all about. This morning we open our study of the book by looking at the True Gospel.

I. APPOINTED BY GOD

“Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers with me, To the churches in Galatia:” (Galatians 1:1–2, NIV84)

A. PAUL

1. Paul begins his letter with the customary letter-writing format of his day

a. he identifies himself in the very first line of his letter—this is Paul, and with this letter comes all the authority of an Apostle

ILLUS. The name Paul on an epistle is like the name Mozart on a musical score, or the name Rembrandt on a painting, or the name Bill Gates on a check. It’s a signature that indicates worth.

b. this is the Paul who, before his conversion, was a Pharisee’s Pharisee

1) who opposed the name of Jesus of Nazareth

2) who locked up Christians in prison

3) who cast his vote to condemn and execute believers

4) who persecuted the Church with a raging fury

5) until, that is, he met the resurrected Savior on the road to Damascus

c. this is the Paul who, after his conversion, became a believer’s believer

1) who had one of the most dynamic encounters with Jesus recorded in the New Testament

2) who surrendered to the Lordship of Christ the moment he was converted

3) who surrendered to the Gospel-call and immediately began preaching Christ crucified and resurrected

4) who became the missionary to the Gentiles

5) who gave us half of our New Testament books

d. that’s the Paul who writes to the Churches of Galatia

2. Paul had been the one who brought the gospel the gospel to the Galatians

a. and now it will be Paul who writes to refute a false gospel that has come to the Churches of Galatia

B. PAUL AN APOSTLE

1. throughout his ministry Paul had some antagonists who opposed him and the Gospel—the True Gospel—of Christ, that Jesus, himself, had called the Apostle to preach

a. they were call Judaizers, and they were the bane of the Apostle’s life

b. in a nutshell, Judaizers were Jewish Christians who taught it was necessary to adopt Jewish customs and practices, especially those found in the Law of Moses, to be saved

1) essentially, they believed you had to convert to Judaism, be circumcised, follow the Jewish law—especially the dietary laws—and then you could become a Christian

2) the Judaizers constantly followed behind wherever Paul went and did two things ... 1st they preached a gospel of Law and Grace whereas Paul preached a gospel of Grace Alone, and 2nd they cast aspersions on Paul every chance they got

a) the greatest defamation was that Paul was not a true apostle

ILLUS. The Apostles, the Judaizers said, were men like Peter, and James and John; men who had walked with Jesus in the days of his flesh. They had heard his teachings firsthand. They had seen the miracles with their own eyes. They observed him; studied his character; witnessed his death, burial, and resurrection; and were appointed and commissioned by Jesus to be his special messengers. Paul, they said, certainly was not an Apostle, but a Johnny-come-lately who never experienced any of what the Twelve did.

But it was Paul’s message they took most exception to. Yes, Jesus was God’s Anointed One whom Israel had hoped for. Yes, Jesus perfectly obeyed the Law we couldn’t. Yes, Jesus had died a substitutionary atonement for the sins of men, BUT he was Israel’s Messiah, and to come to him meant first becoming one of God’s chosen people, i.e. Jewish! The Judaizers demanded that Gentiles must first Judaize before they could Christianize.

The Judaizers claimed that it was actually Paul who was preaching a false gospel, not them. It was Paul who neglected the traditions of the elders. It was Paul who had betrayed his own birthright, background, and beliefs. Paul was preaching a Lawless Gospel, a half Gospel.

c. no wonder Paul opened his epistle with a pen dipped in flames of fire

2. to these agitations Paul said absolutely not, absolutely untrue!

a. Paul asserts that he is indeed an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead

b. Paul reminds the Galatians that his Apostleship was commissioned by Jesus just as the Twelve had been commissioned by Jesus

II. THROUGH HIS GRACE

1. you would think that adding the Jewish legal requirements to the faith would have made Christianity a much less appealing religious choice for the gentiles

a. however, the evidence afforded in Paul’s letter to the Galatians reveals that a significant number of the Galatian gentile converts appear readily disposed to adopt these requirements

b. Paul strenuously labors throughout the letter to dissuade them from doing so

2. Paul saw these teachers as being both dangerous to the spread of Christianity, and propagators of grievous doctrinal error

ILLUS. In 1 Corinthians we even see Paul publicly condemn the Apostle Peter for his seemingly ambivalent reaction to the Judaizers, embracing them publicly in places where their concepts were popular, while holding the private opinion that their teachings were erroneous.

3. in vs. 3-4 we see Paul’s Solicitation, his Savior, and his soteriology —they all have something to teach us about the true gospel

A. PAUL’S SOLICITATIONS

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” (Galatians 1:3, NIV84)

1. the words grace and peace are more than a mere greeting

a. Paul is reminding the Galatian believers that God’s grace, expressed in the redemptive word of the Son, was the source and means of their salvation

1) the result of that grace is a peace that passes all understanding

2. most believers are familiar with the standard definition of the term grace

a. grace is God’s unmerited favor toward sinners —emphasis on the word unmerited

b. the word captures a basic truth beyond dispute: none of us deserves God’s goodwill, but He generously gives it

ILLUS. In 1776 Augustus Toplady published a hymn with the title, “A Living and Dying Prayer for the Holiest Believer in the World.” Well that’s a mouthful for a worship leader to announce to a congregation, Please take your Psalter and turn with me to hymn “A Living and Dying Prayer for the Holiest Believer in the World.” Thankfully we know it more simply as Rock of Ages. Toplady’s original second and third stanzas are a reminder that we bring nothing into our relationship with God, but our sin which rightly condemns us to a Devil’s hell. Listen to the words of those stanzas and see if you can feel the desperation of the soul that has come to understand that grace alone saves.

Not the labor of my hands

Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;

Could my zeal no respite know,

Could my tears forever flow,

All could never sin erase,

Thou must save, and save by grace.Nothing in my hands I bring,

Simply to Thy cross I cling;

Naked, come to Thee for dress,

Helpless, look to Thee for grace:

Foul, I to the fountain fly,

Wash me, Savior, or I die.

3. a deeper appreciation of God’s grace comes when we understand it as His goodness in action

a. it’s the Father’s redemptive action on our behalf through the sacrifice of the Son that allows grace to flow into our lives

b. we do not deserve His gracious gift of salvation, and we cannot earn it

c. but because God delights in extending mercy God has acted in Christ’s sacrificial death to provide redemption

4. because of this grace we also have peace with God

a. the word peace in vs. 3 is similar to the Hebrew word shalom

b. it’s a word that implies more than just an absence of strife or violence, but refers to experiencing wholeness, well-being, and security, and prosperity

c. when we talk about the peace that passes all understanding we’re talking about a peace that ends the enmity between sinner and God that results in a relationship so secure that our confession becomes it is well with my soul

B. PAUL’S SAVIOR

1. this grace comes from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ

a. “God the Father” ... what a wonderful name for the God we worship

2. the Judaizers knew God of course, but in their legalism their view of God was stern, and foreboding, and distant

a. He was Jehovah—God of the Covenant

b. He was Elohim—God of Creation

c. He was Adonai—God who is sovereign

d. He was the God of the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

1) Yahweh is certainly all those things, but He is so much more

e. Paul had introduced the Galatians to a God who is Father

3. this grace comes from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

a. our Lord Jesus Christ is coeternal and coequal with the Father

b. our Lord Jesus Christ is the uncreated, self-existing Son of the living God, who created heaven and earth and sustains the harmony of the universe merely by his existence

c. our Lord Jesus Christ stepped out of eternity into time to become a man, born of a virgin, who lived a sinless life, who died as the perfect spotless Lamb of God to atone for our sin, and who rose bodily on the third day

d. our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us, and is coming again to establish the Father’s eternal Kingdom on earth

4. what a Savior! he is the Lord Jesus Christ

a. he is Lord—meaning he is deity; God in the flesh, very God of very God

b. he is Jesus—his name means Yahweh saves, which is why he came ... to save sinners

c. he is Christ—that is, he is Messiah, God’s promised Anointed One who would deliver God’s Elect, both Jew and Gentile

C. PAUL’S SOTERIOLOGY

“who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Galatians 1:4–5, ESV)

1. OK ... I know that’s a word you’re probably unfamiliar with

a. it’s a word that simply means the doctrine of salvation

1) how are sinners saved? ... what is the means of God’s grace?

b. Jesus, who is God’s Christ, gave himself, as a sacrifice for our sins that we might be delivered from this present evil age

2. here is the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement of Jesus

a. it is the view that ...

Christ died on the cross as a substitute for sinners

God imputed the guilt of our sins to Christ, and he, in our place, bore the punishment that we deserve

this was a full payment for sins, which satisfied both the wrath and the righteousness of God, so that He could forgive sinners without compromising His own holy standard

b. it is a doctrine that is a stumbling block to both ancient men and modern men

1) the Apostle Peter wrote 2000 years ago that the cross is stone of stumbling and a rock of offence

a) people look at the cross and say, “A good God; a loving God wouldn’t do that”

b) but you don’t understand, it’s the only thing a loving God could do if sinners are going to enter His presence

“even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,” (Ephesians 1:4–5, ESV)

c) men’s revulsion by the cross has not changed

ILLUS. Steve Chalke, a British Baptist minister, has attacked penal substitutionary atonement as cosmic child abuse and argues that the doctrine portrays God as vengeful and unable to have a loving relationship with his son Jesus.

c. outside of the convicting work of the Holy Spirit lost men are incapable of wrapping their mind around the atoning death of Christ

1) it essentially comes down to a pride issue ... if the penal substitutionary atonement is correct, that means there is nothing a man can do to save himself

a) it’s a doctrine that denies good works, personal righteousness, and participation in the right religious rituals as a means of garnering God’s good graces

b) either God, and God alone, saves or it doesn’t happen

3. because of sin we have missed the mark and fallen short of God righteous expectations for our life

a. through sins of commission, and sins of omission we fall short of God’s revealed standards for living

b. we’ve all deviated from the right path

c. Paul included himself in this spiritual predicament

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” (1 Timothy 1:15, ESV)

III. DISTORTED BY SOME

“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.” (Galatians 1:6–10, ESV)

1. after his letter’s brief introduction, Paul moved quickly to deal with the serious problem that prompted him to write

a. the situation among the Galatian congregations constituted a grave crisis

b. at stake was the authentic gospel—the true Gospel—delivered to Paul by Christ himself ... salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ

2. Paul first expresses disappointment that these believers are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ

a. Paul accuses them of deserting literally transferring allegiance from him who called you which is a reference to the Heavenly Father

b. they’ve not fully turned to this other gospel of the Judaizers, but their on the cusp ... their flirting with it and Paul wants to call them back to the true gospel before it’s too late

c. Paul is not distraught that just a few believers have abandoned the faith, but of the Galatians wholesale abandonment of the truth

ILLUS. We should never be surprised when some professing believers adopt a false gospel, but we should be astonished when entire Churches—even denominations—transfer allegiance to a different gospel that, as Paul writes, is not a gospel.

3. the Judaizers are preaching a false, deadly message of salvation through faith in Christ plus good works

a. it’s a message opposite the good news

b. the gospel of the Judaizers is not just a different interpretation of Christ’s redemptive work, but a dangerous denial

1) it’s a bogus, deadly message

ILLUS. There are many bogus gospels in the world today

The Jehovah’s Witnesses have a Christ and a gospel, but he is not God the Son, nor did he rise from the dead. This is not our Lord Jesus nor his gospel.

The Mormons have a Christ and a gospel. but their Christ was a polygamist who secretly married Martha and Mary at the wedding of Cana. This is not our Lord Jesus nor his gospel.

The Seventh-day-Adventists have a Christ and a gospel, but he did not bear our sins in his own body on the tree. According to them, Satan was the scapegoat, and our sins were put on him. This is not our Lord Jesus nor his gospel.

The Catholics have a Christ and a gospel, but according to them Christ’s death is not sufficient, and so his death must be reenacted at every Mass with salvific grace coming through the wafer. This is not our Lord Jesus nor his gospel.

The liberals have a Christ and a gospel, but their Christ is not virgin born, was not sinless, and his death was just an unfortunate martydom. This is not our Lord Jesus nor his gospel.

4. Paul is so distraught that he, not once but twice, calls down God’s curse on all those who would preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you

a. the Apostle even includes the angels and himself in this curse

1) if he ever comes back to the Galatians (and he did) and if his message has changed, may God curse him!

2) if one of God’s holy angels should appear, gleaming white with glory, and if his message differs from Paul’s original gospel, may God curse him!

b. the word for curse in this passage comes over into English as anathema

1) it calls for the utter destruction and eternal separation from God of whatever or whoever has been cursed

2) the Apostle offers no quarter to those who would pervert the true gospel

3) neither should we

5. Paul closes the door to any compromise with the false gospel of the Judaizers

ILLUS. As a sidebar, I’ve always loved vs. 10 in this chapter. Paul asks, Or am I striving to please people? Well, not with this letter you’re not!

For three decades I’ve been telling you that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to the Scriptures alone, to the glory of God alone. That’s the gospel, and if I should ever change that gospel in the waning years of my life may I find myself under God’s curse!

There is only one gospel. The word gospel means good news. And every preacher of the gospel is a newsboy ... not an editor. It’s his responsibility, and it is his joy to put the newspaper on the front poach, not in the trees or the bushes, or the roof. The Gospel is good news and the headline story is “Jesus Saves!”