Galatians 1:6-17

Series - Galatians – Freedom in Christ

Text – Galatians 1:6-17

Title – The One True Gospel

Date – 08/21/22

Introduction |

§ Paul is writing to the Galatians to address an issue of primary concern. This was not an issue that could be overlooked, avoided, or determined to be a matter of preference–this was a gospel issue.

§ Paul has given the source of his authority and the content of the gospel message as a reminder to the church in Galatia. This was not some man-made idea or agenda. This was a matter of worship unto God.

There are a couple of things I think we need to see here…

1. There is only one true gospel (vv.6-10)

v.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—"

A. Constant attention is needed to maintain the truth of the gospel (v.6).

a. Paul couldn’t believe how quickly some of the Galatians had turned from the gospel he had just shared with them. It is possible that it was less than a year since their conversion under the ministry of Paul. That’s fast.

b. Paul was concerned for these who had “fallen from grace” (5:4). Of course he doesn’t mean saving grace, but the blessing of the grace and peace that comes from knowing the depths of salvation by grace alone through faith alone.

c. There was a theological problem in the church, and it had to be dealt with.

i. There is a reason we go to the dentist every six months…it’s to maintain the health of our teeth and gums.

ii. How much more must we give constant attention to our theology.

1. Theology –is simply defined as “what we believe about God.”

iii. In fact, Paul sees theology as such an important issue that those who were teaching this false gospel were to be “accursed,” cut off. Anyone who was teaching or following this false gospel was in danger of abandoning any true identity with the church of God all together.

iv. Remember that was the question, “how can someone be a church member?” The Judaizers were teaching that the OT law must be observed. But identity in the church flows directly from the graciousness of Christ. To add anything to that is to turn back to the covenant of works.

1. Gen. 2 - You see the garden Adam was under a covenant of works. An agreement that required him to obey God in order to experience the blessing of the garden. But Adam broke the covenant when he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thus worshipping himself rather than God.

a. When a person adds human effort to the gospel, they are adopting a man-centered theology. This is a different gospel than Paul had preached.

b. If you are basing your relationship with God on your giving and your faith, your religious heritage and your faith, your membership, and your faith–you have a “different gospel (v.6).”

c. What Paul is saying here is that the gospel must be maintained. It must be guarded, and he is calling the Galatians back to a God-centered grace-filled gospel.

Paul is modeling for us something that is missing in the church today.

B. Anything that adds to or takes away from the gospel must be addressed. (vv.7-10)

vv.7-10 – “not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 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.”

a. Paul declares here, anything that adds to or takes away from God’s word is trouble for his people, and should be troubling to his people.

i. Gen 3. This is the age old tactic of Satan. He came and deceived Eve by taking away from God’s word and leading Eve to add to it.

ii. God wasted no time, he would not have his word distorted or his people troubled, so he addressed Serpent along with Adam and Eve.

1. Gen 3:14-15 - The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

b. In v.8 Paul follows God’s example by pronouncing a curse upon those who teach a “different gospel.” Regardless of who is teaching a false gospel, angles, kings, queens, or even Paul himself let them be accursed!

i. “accursed” = anathema. This stems from a word in the OT that described something that was devoted to destruction.

1. Joshua 6 – the destruction of Jericho the city and all that was w/in it was to be “devoted to the Lord for destruction (Josh 6:17).”

c. Paul is showing the severity of adding to or taking away from the gospel should be dealt with.

i. You see, behind every false teacher is the great false teacher, and anyone who follows such deception will, apart from the grace of God, experience a similar curse–eternal judgement rather than eternal grace and peace through Jesus Christ.

ii. There are many today who do this very thing. They add to and take away from the gospel.

1. Spurgeon - In these times, when errorists of all kinds are anxious to mislead us—some from the side of credulity, and others from the side of skepticism—we have need to pray every day, “Do not take your Holy Spirit from me” (Psa 51:11). One says, “Look here!” Another, with equal vehemence, cries, “Look there!” We have not only “another gospel,” but we have fifty other gospels now preached. Though there is but one foundation and one salvation; yet there are those among us who proclaim with earnestness this and that and the other doctrine as fundamental, though their teaching is of the flesh, and not of God[1]

d. Church, there is only one true gospel, its origin is from God, and constant attention must be given to maintain it­– any intrusion upon it must be dealt with expeditiously.

i. BUT – everything is not a gospel issue!

vv. 10-12 - 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. For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

- These transitional verses move Paul’s argument from the false teachers to himself and his calling. His focus was not the approval of men, he had lived that life, but his new life gave him a new focus – the focus of God!

2. Just as there is only one true gospel, there is only one true calling.

vv.13-17 - For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

a. By pointing out that his calling did not originate with man, Paul is contending for the glory of God in Christ and for the holiness of his bride.

i. Remember, Paul is Christ’s slave (v.10), blessed by Christ’s salvation (v.16), with Christ’s gospel (v.12&16).

ii. V.13-14 -Paul’s salvation and his teaching had everything to do with God, not his religious heritage or any adherence the OT law.

B. V.15–16a – The true calling of God originates with God.

a. Vv.15-16 - “But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his son to me…”

i. Friends we must see as clearly as Paul points out here that our salvation is not about us, its about God and his plan and purposes of which we get to be a part.

1. Lawson – “Paul knew that before he could ever have preached Christ, God must first show him Christ.”

ii. Yes, your conversion story, like Paul’s may be dramatic, but we are not the point the sovereign grace of God is.

1. Paul states it another way in Rom. 8:28-30 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

2. The fact that our salvation originates with God makes some nervous, but it should be a source of great security.

a. In fact, Paul found great comfort in knowing that God predestined him, called him, and “set him apart” with a purpose.

i. Derek Thomas – “Paul is tracing the signature of God’s handwriting all the way from eternity to the point where his soul concurred with the invitation to believe in Jesus Christ. It was all the Lord’s doing.”

b. The true calling of God originates with God not with man.And you were called with a purpose.

b. The true calling of God always sends out the one called.

i. V.16 – God did all that we discussed in the previous point “in order that [Paul] might preach the gospel to the Gentiles.”

1. This is true of you too. Just as Paul was given a task within the kingdom of God, you have too.

a. Throughout Paul’s address to the Galatians, he has been dealing with a gospel issue, but it is also a worship issue.

i. The church in Galatia were turning from worshipping God through the gospel of Christ to worshipping themselves through the gospel of man.

b. But, God brings his people to a place of seeing and worshiping Christ with their whole lives.

i. If you take on a false gospel and don’t see Jesus for who he truly is in scripture, you will not worship him with your whole life rightly.

ii. But when you see and savor the gracious son of God who died for your sins you will want to worship him by knowing, defending, and sharing his gospel above all else.

1. Matthew 28 – In the great commission Jesus tells us how to worship him with our whole lives.

2. Paul gave his life for the church, that she would know, defend, and share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

3. That is why God saved you! You were “set apart in order that you might share the gospel of Christ among your neighborhood, networks, and to the nations.”

Conclusion |

The one true gospel is worth knowing, defending, and giving your life to share.

[1] Charles Spurgeon, Galatians, ed. Elliot Ritzema, Spurgeon Commentary Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013), Ga 1:6.