Only One Gospel - Galatians 1:6-10

Sermon Notes & References

Only One Gospel

Galatians 1:6-10

January 17, 2021

1. Introduction

a. Scripture Reading

b. External Differences of Situation

c. Essential Items of First Importance 1

2. Paul’s Concern (vv 6-7)

a. At Their Readiness to Leave

b. At What They Are Leaving 2

c. At What They Are Accepting

3. Paul Gives Warnings (vv 8-9)

a. To True Believers

b. To False Brethren

4. Paul Has Been There! (v 10)

a. As a Man-Pleaser 3

b. As a God-Pleaser 4

5. Conclusion

1 Galatians 1:6-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Only One Gospel

1. Introduction

a. Scripture Reading

i. Galatians 1:6-10 (NKJV) – ⁶ I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, ⁷ which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. ⁹ As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. ¹⁰ For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

b. External Differences of Situation

i. as you go from church to church, or between denominations, you will discover many differences among this people called Christian

ii. some may appear to us to be unimportant, frivolous

(1) yet they can be held very fiercely by their people, with Scripture to back them up

(2) on the architecture some have held that the baptistry, pulpit and communion table must be in a straight line down the centre of the building because the ordinances and preaching of God’s word are central

iii. respecting music there are perhaps the widest shades of diversity

(1) from hymns being sung without instruments

(2) to simple accompaniment with a guitar or keyboard

(3) to the having of a full choir, dancers and orchestra

iv. the way the service is conducted

(1) the number of hymn, readings of Scriptures

(2) coming to the front for communion or remaining in one’s seat

v. and many differences arising from history, from culture, or simply from the fact that people are different

vi. in the long run, however, no matter how fondly these are adhered to by the congregation, they will result in no difference in the kingdom of God, other than as each may influence a particular person to listen to the gospel and to accept Jesus Christ as Saviour

c. Essential Items of First Importance

i. these are the inviolable things upon which we stake our souls

ii. in the much divided church at Corinth, after dealing with all sorts of issues and problems, Paul sets out such things in the fifteenth chapter: beginning, “³ For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

iii. Jesus and the apostles showed much diversity in the methods and means by which they published the gospel; but the essence of the gospel never changed

iv. as Paul summarised to his son in the faith, “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.” (1 Timothy 1:15)

v. that is the subject that Paul begins to deal with in today’s passage

2. Paul’s Concern (vv 6-7)

a. the concern is expressed in these verses, “⁶ I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; ⁷ which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you, and want to distort the gospel of Christ.”

b. At Their Readiness to Leave

i. the first thing that stands out in Paul’s concern, marvelling is given by that one word, “quickly”, also translated “so soon” or “readily”

(1) that they are not only open to deserting the gospel

(2) but they are also prepared to do this without a second thought

(3) and that is amazing whether quickly means after their conversion or after these false teachers arrived in their midst

ii. this gospel is the promise and basis of eternal salvation

(1) it is the most important thing in the world; in their world

(2) how can they thus treat it so lightly; so casually

(3) listening to the first charlatan that comes along?

c. At What They Are Leaving

i. this turning aside, this desertion, this change of allegiance is not from a philosophy, nor from an ideology, nor from their fellow believers

(1) but it is from a Person

(2) it is from “Him who called you”

(3) it is turning your back on God Himself who provided salvation

ii. and in a rebellious fashion so as to rejoin sinful mankind

(1) for at great cost to Himself, but totally free to us

(2) God provided salvation by the grace of Jesus Christ

(3) “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9)

(4) his concern was that in effect they were saying to God

(a) I don’t want salvation Your way; I want to earn if for myself

(b) I don’t want to feel so unworthy but deserving of salvation

iii. they quickly had forgotten that salvation is all of grace because it is all of Christ; it is of none but Christ; it is of only Christ

d. At What They Are Accepting

i. the AV translates, literally, “…to another gospel, which is not another …”

(1) which hides the fact that two different Greek words are used

(a) the first “another” means of a different nature or character;

(b) the second “another” means of the same nature or character

(2) the gospel they were following was an alien gospel, an imposter

ii. they are caught in the act of abandoning the real for the counterfeit

iii. Paul is concerned not just in the fact of this spiritual treachery, but on its effect as well

(1) for this new non-gospel is disturbing them; what else can it do?

(2) for as Paul’s opening prayer implies, the true gospel of grace is one that brings assurance and peace for it depends on God, not on self

iv. finally, this non-gospel is a distorted or perverted gospel

(1) it is possible to divide all false teaching into these categories

(a) the religion without Christ

(b) the religion of Christ plus; plus works, plus science, etc.

(2) the Judaizers twisted the gospel up with the Law of Moses

(a) the law was not intended to bring righteousness to mankind

(b) that was to come, whether to Abraham, or to the true remnant in Israel, or to the NT saint, through faith in God

3. Paul Gives Warnings (vv 8-9)

a. “⁸ But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. ⁹ As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.”

b. To True Believers

i. train your ear to distinguish that which is false

(1) first by learning well that which is true

(a) nowadays, banks have equipment to process all money coming in for deposit to detect stolen or counterfeit money

(b) but at one time, bank tellers were trained by having them spend time with real money getting to know its texture, its feel and its colour so that anything false was readily detected

(2) then by seeking the spiritual gift of discernment

(3) finally by avoiding places that prosper in the false

(a) there have always been things that intrigue the minds of men and lure them away from the truth

(b) for “men love darkness rather than light for their deeds are evil”

ii. to make his point, Paul says that if from himself or from an angel

(1) they should hear any teaching that the gospel of salvation is of anything but grace, it is a lie

(2) as he warns elsewhere, Satan disguises himself as an angel of light

(3) and false teachers do the same

(a) clothing their words and ideas in the words of the Bible

(b) to catch unawares men to follow after themselves

c. To False Brethren

i. while to the backsliding Galatians, Paul’s words are relatively mild

(1) and certainly compassionate and caring

(2) there is no such reserve against false teachers

(3) be those that troubled the Galatians, unsettling their faith

(4) or of the 1001 sects that do so today

ii. let them be “anathema” – a Greek word used early in the translation of the OT in the history of Joshua and the entrance into Canaan

(1) Jericho was “anathema”, a place devoted to destruction

(2) so Paul likewise pronounces “anathema” upon such false teachers

(a) those who would undermine his teaching and the gospel

(b) that they would be subject

(i) not to his own personal discipline

(ii) but subject to God’s unerring judgement

iii. and, lest anyone should think that this was simply an outburst of his emotion, the statement is reworded and repeated

(1) so let those who lure to themselves people with itching ears

(2) to make them their followers for the teacher’s glory

(3) take dire warning for what they are doing

4. Paul Has Been There! (v 10)

a. “For am I now seeking the favour of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”

i. Paul concludes this section of the letter with these words as he also introduces the next section to describe his own conversion

(1) the contrast is between his old life in self and new life in Christ

(2) in this matter of the Judaising teachers, Paul knows whereof he speaks; he has been there and done that and now knows better

ii. the verse contrasts Paul’s unsaved attitude with his saved one

b. As a Man-Pleaser

i. as a young man, Paul left his hometown of Tarsus

(1) in a province neighbouring Galatia to come to Jerusalem college

(a) to Gamaliel, the grandson of the great rabbi Hillel

(b) under whose teaching he had advanced early in life beyond his contemporaries

(2) all this he did to please and to gain the favour of men

ii. as to that prior life, this verse is but a short summary of what he writes in Philippians 3:4-6, “⁴ although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: ⁵ circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.”

c. As a God-Pleaser

i. “But,” Paul continues in verse 7, “whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.”

ii. “All these things that these teachers are telling you to do,” says Paul, “I have done, and much more … and what is it worth? Nothing”

(1) “Am I now (still) seeking the favour of man; no!”

(2) “Is my whole effort still now bent upon that object; no!”

iii. where’s the proof that this is the case? ... in this:

(1) Paul is not only apostle, but the bond-slave of Jesus Christ

(2) He is utterly given, body and soul, to the service of Jesus Christ

(3) and that leaves no room for those things that he once considered to be gain

(4) for now for Paul, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

5. Conclusion

a. Two lessons for us to carry away

i. one: the greatest assurance we have of our salvation is the realisation that it is by the grace of God, not of our own merit or efforts

ii. two: one of the greatest incentives to us to serve our Lord in any and every possible way we can, is His grace shown in our salvation.

Outline Notes

Document Notes