Review

What an astonishing passage!  The first few verses of Galatians contain a brief greeting, yet within it we sense some sensitivity on the part of Paul, as if he is not all that happy with the people to whom he writes.  Now, after reading these verses, we can understand why Paul begins his letter as he does.  He has a clear concern that the Gospel he preached to the churches in Galatia when he first established the churches there have been changed or corrupted in some way (1:6,7f.).  He therefore responds with amazement tinged with a hint of anger, and curses any who change the Gospel of Christ (1:8)!

Of course, Paul must challenge a church that has ‘so quickly’ changed its course (1:6).  This passage of Scripture is a salutary warning to all God’s people that there is but one Gospel, consistent with God’s saving work throughout history (1:8,9,11).  This comes from God (1:11,12) and is not something anyone can add to or change.

The ‘problem’

Although it is not mentioned here, the rest of Galatians is vey clear about the problem faced by Paul, and it was a key problem of the early church.  Jewish converts found it hard to abandon their historic attachment to the rituals of Jewish faith, so much so that some insisted that Gentile Christians accept upon conversion the rituals of Judaism, by being circumcised and living in subjection to the “Law’.  Remember that by ‘the Law’, they meant the accumulated teachings  of law, called Midrash and Halakha, not the Old Testament as such.

In order to understand better Paul’s anguish within Galatians over related issues (see especially chapter 3:1f.), it can be helpful to read through Acts 13,14 and 15.  In these chapters tempestuous scenes surround Paul’s preaching of the Gospel, created by Jews who insist that believers must be circumcised, saying ‘unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ (Acts 15:1).

The problem had been settled!

This opposition to Paul is so strong that he decided to go to Jerusalem and report this to the other Apostles.   A council was then held at which both Paul and his opponents put their case, and the future of the whole church lay in the balance.  Was it to insist on Judaism’s strict requirements or not?  It was one of the most tense moments in the New Testament outside of the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection!

The result of the famous ‘Council of Jerusalem’ was that Paul and Barnabas were empowered to say to all the Gentile churches they founded, that circumcision was not necessary for salvation and the Gospel had ‘no further burden’ (Acts 15:28).  This liberated Paul to evangelise and set the early church on a path of growth, free from the restraints of Pharisaic Judaism.

The problem was that In the mean time some Judean preachers were travelling around Galatia saying that a baptised believer should be circumcised and God’s ‘Law’ be obeyed as the route to salvation.  You can see why Paul not only objected fundamentally to this teaching, he entitled to reject it because the matter had been settled at Jerusalem with the other apostles.  It was a denial of the true faith.

Dealing with heresy

Paul’s arguments here are important for despite being wrapped up in a defence of his own work and call, everything he says is essential in the fight against heresy.  Heresy is deviation from the Gospel message of salvation through Christ alone, as received in Scripture (Old and New Testaments), as preached by the apostles and promoted by the church (from the first council of Jerusalem until now).

Heresy is nearly always recognisable because it over-emphasises one or two essential truths of the Gospel, but rejects other parts of it.  A classic heresy might be preaching that accepts New Testament scripture but rejects the Old, or promotes a message which speaks of new life in Christ, but rejects Christ’s incarnation, that is, the virgin birth and Jesus’ bodily resurrection.  Heresy must be fought and not tolerated; remember that the council of Jerusalem did not stop Judaisers preaching heresy, Paul put a stop to much of it by opposing it, as he does here.

There is only one Gospel

It is easy for Paul or for us us to say there is only one Gospel (1:7-9), but what is it?  Paul does not say state it here in any condensed form.  He does however set some clear guidelines about how we recognise it, and thus prevent heresy.  First, the Gospel itself does not change.  God has one message for humanity by which people may be saved from sin and its consequences by His grace and through faith in Jesus.  This cannot be changed (1:7).  Paul also says that the Gospel can be recognised as true through its connection with the disciples and the apostles, and today, we find this through the Gospels, God’s Word.  Scriptures are the sole measure and standard of the Gospel preached.

In saying that the Gospel does not change, Paul confirms that it is not up for grabs and we cannot alter its essential features.  We might have different emphases in order to preach it effectively in various circumstances, but the message does not change.  Also, clever people have no advantage, as if by their intellect they can fathom it better or quicker than others, and so gain a spiritual advantage.  Great preachers do not offer a new message, they offer the same message of God, re-presented in a manner that can perhaps be better understood.

We cannot ignore the fact that Paul feels so strongly about this he utters a curse against those who try to change the Gospel (1:8).  A curse is the exact opposite of a blessing, and this is one of those places in Scripture where real emotion is shared.  The idea of altering the Gospel is hideous to Paul

Paul’s defence

In dealing with all this, Paul writes to defend himself (1:10-12).  This is very understandable; he has given his life for the Gospel, and an attack on it is for him like a personal attack.  But what are the complaints made against him?  We can answer this by looking carefully at the second half of this passage.

First, people accused Paul of being a ‘people pleaser’; ‘am I now trying to please people?’ (1:10).  Of course, an accusation like this is easily made against someone who is successful in ministry, as was Paul.  The second accusation is the same one Paul faced throughout his ministry, that he claimed to be an apostle but was not a witness to the resurrection.  His message is therefore regarded as compromised. To fight this he argues the plain truth of the Gospel and its divine origins (1:11,12), and as the letter continues we will find that Paul says much more about how he came to be a believer and know the Gospel.

If Paul had not made his case as strongly as this, however, preachers today would find it hard to escape a similar accusation.  We have not seen the resurrection, so like Paul, we preach the resurrection and the Gospel message from the basis of its plain spiritual logic and the divine power of the Word.  As Paul says, the truth of the Gospel is witnesses to by the Spirit in the heart of the believer, binding people of faith together.  Without this, the church is always in danger of being rent asunder.

6 I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from the one who called you in the grace of Christ, towards another gospel; 7 not that there is another, but there are some who are confusing you and want to change the Gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel should preach a gospel to you which is different to what we preached to you, let that one be cursed! 9 As we have said before, so I now say again; if anyone preaches to you a gospel different from what you have received, let him be cursed!

10 Am I now seeking the approval of people or of God? Am I now trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. 11 I want you to know, brothers, that the Gospel preached by me is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any other person, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.