The Authority of the Gospel

Intro Info

Who wrote it?

Paul, an Apostle

a special teacher of God.

Who was it written to

Churches in a region called Galatia

Map

A group of Jews and Gentiles

Why was it written?

The churches in Galatians were having a problem. “Judaizers, or people who wanted Christians to become Jews first, started to influence the church

Essentially, these people went against the Gospel that claims that you can only be saved through faith in Christ alone and said that you must do things in order to be saved

Therefore, we could say that the Book of Galatians is about 3 main things

The truth of the Gospel

The problem of false doctrine/beliefs

The new life we have in Christ

The Authority of the Gospel (1-7)

Paul begins with an introduction of his authority as an Apostle (or a special teacher of God)

Then, he defines the Gospel in 3-5

This is the most important thing we could believe.

Paul talks about a Gospel that rescues people, that pulls people out of misery only because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross

Paul then moves on to rebuke the Galatians for rejecting the Gospel

He says that, because people are trying to change the Gospel, they are actually deserting the Gospel

Not only are they deserting the Gospel, but they are deserting the God of the Gospel Himself!

This “change” to the Gospel doesn’t actually change the Gospel, it distorts it into oblivion. If the Gospel is changed, it is no longer the Gospel, and you are no longer following the God of the Gospel.

The Danger of Bad Beliefs (8-10)

Paul is very clear about what happens to those who present a different Gospel than the one true Gospel

Anyone who preaches a Gospel that isn’t the Gospel of the Bible will be condemned

It doesn’t matter if it is an angel from heaven, a false teacher, or a bad youth pastor. If the Gospel is distorted, that teacher is condemned.

Therefore, for all of us, we have to be careful about who we’re trying to please

You could spend your time giving yourself to making other people happy, or you could give yourself to making God happy. You can’t do both

The Gospel is offensive, and it can feel sometimes like we could change to make it more accessible

But the Gospel is the most important thing we could believe, and we can’t alter that

“Martin Luther was once quoted when a member of his congregation came in and said, "Pastor, why is it week after week you preach to us the Gospel? We've read your books, we know you to be a brilliant man. Why do we never move on? When do we get past this, on to something else?" And he said, "Beloved, because week after week, you forget it. You will never be without your need for the Gospel, so I will never cease to preach it to you."”

Questions

Read vs. 8-10 again. Why is Paul so stern on anyone who changes the Gospel?

What is the difference between a Gospel of faith and a Gospel of works?

Why is it impossible to please both God and people? Which do you value more?