Galatians 1:6-10
Scripture: Galatians 1:6-10
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— 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. [1]
Commentary:
Paul begins this epistle, not with a
thanksgiving, which would be his usual opening. Paul here begins to skip right
to the problem in the churches in Galatia as he sees it. He uses graphic Greek
words here to express his bewilderment that the churches are accepting another
teaching as the gospel. As Paul repeats there is no other gospel than the one,
he delivered to the churches. “Here
at the beginning of the letter he wanted them to realize that the God who
called them out of pagan idolatry to salvation and new life in Jesus Christ did
so on no other basis than his own good pleasure and gratuitous favor. To forget
this is worse than betraying an army or a country; it is to betray the true and
living God.[2]”
In verses 7 and 8,
Paul continues deliver his condemnation of those who are trying to change the
Gospel. They are changing it from grace + faith = salvation. To grace + faith +
works (specifically circumcision) = salvation. Paul calls down curses from
heaven on those who distort the gospel in this way. He states that even if an angel
from heaven should preach a different gospel they would be accursed. “it is
important to see that, hypothetically at least, Paul brought himself under his
own curse. “But even if we … should preach a gospel other than.” Here Paul
showed once and for all that the issue at stake in Galatia was not the
messenger but the message.[3]”
Paul then goes on to
a topic he will cover in more detail in the coming chapters. His credentials as
an Apostle were being attacked personally by his opponents. So, he clearly
states that he is not trying to please humans but he is trying to please God by
preach the undistorted and true gospel. Paul was not asking the Galatian
believers to be loyal to him, but rather to be true to the gospel message that
he preached. It is always a source of error when people try to follow a
particular pastor instead of the gospel they are hopefully preaching. Always
beware the preacher who uses his life as the measure of holiness and sanctification.
[1] The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016),
Ga 1:6–10.
Comments
Post a Comment