Galatians "Break FREE - Our ONLY standard for the Gospel Message" Galatians 1:8-9

Today's text:

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. - Galatians 1:8-9

My heart goal as we study Galatians is to help you see what was going on in Galatia and also compare their problem to our own.

As we read, ask:

A. Is my church taking away or adding to (going beyond) the Bible?

B. Am I a modern day Judaizer (salvation obtained by works, law, etc.), and not by Grace Alone?

C. Do any of these warnings relate to me?

1. We must utilize God’s standard for judging error – v. 8

8 But even if we [no matter who it is], or an angel from heaven [supposed].

Yeah, like what person is going to say, "I just had a demonic hellbound angelic visit" None! Deceivers always claim it came by "an angel from heaven." Like saying that gives this angelic visit any merit!!!

Examples of this can be seen in the Mormons - Moroni (angel), Todd Bentley's - Emma (angel), and others who have said they conversed with angels.

See warning in 2 Corinthians 11:14 & Col 2:18

preach [evangelize] any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you,

In their case, it was the Judaizers. In our case "any other" would mean anyone taking from or adding to the Bible, specifically, anything that makes salvation to include works or laws as a necessity for salvation.

let him be accursed.

Accursed (Greek = anathema) means to be eternally condemned, under God’s wrath/judgment.

If someone teaches another gospel (i.e., false gospel) that affects who Christ is or how one relates to him, or distorts grace by subtracting or adding any work, it becomes another Gospel. Such a person is worthy of only one thing, a curse from God (let him be accursed).

2. We must realize the serious consequences of corrupting the gospel – v. 9

9 As we have said before [likely points to an earlier visit to Galatia] , so now I say again , if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. (eternally condemned, under God’s wrath/judgment – STRONGEST POSSIBLE WORDS).

We won't overly expound this verse, but to point out that Paul again emphasizes the curse coming to those teaching a False Gospel.

We conclude this week’s lesson on Galatians.

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Galatians "Break FREE - No Other Gospel" Galatians 1:6-7

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ." Galatians 1:6, 7

REMINDER: This letter was written because the Galatians were Gentiles (no background in Judaism), who were saved after Paul had shared the Gospel with them. But now after Paul’s departure, Judaizers (Judaizer defined as those who were seeking to impose many of the ceremonial practices of the Old Testament, especially circumcision on the Gentile converts to Christianity) came and told them additional requirements to be a Christian, i.e., they must believe in Christ, be circumcised and hold to the ceremonies of the Jewish (Mosaic) law. This erroneous teaching, Grace PLUS Work earns Salvation, is dealt with in this epistle.

As we go through Galatians, I will often refer to the Greek as that was the language the New Testament was originally written in, as there are things in the original language that we miss in plain English language.

PAUL’S SHOCK REGARDING THE DESERTION

V. 6 - I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him

who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel.

Let's break down this verse:

Lesson One: We must recognize our own vulnerability to error.

It amazes me how many of us start out believing in Salvation through CHRIST ALONE BY GRACE ALONE, but then in time we get caught up in all these works to EARN or KEEP our salvation. I've been there! Have you?

v.6 I marvel (astonished, amazed, shocked) that you are turning away (deserting) so soon (quickly) from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different (heteros) gospel,

A. “I marvel (Gk. thaumazou) that YOU ARE turning away (Gk. metatithami) so soon (Gk. tacheos) …”


1. The Greek word for MARVEL is thaumazou - to be astounded or bewildered.

2. The Greek for TURNING AWAY is Metatithami - deserting - transfering allegiance.
The verb tense implies they were not there yet, but they were getting close.

3. The Greek word for SO SOON is tacheos - quickly - also means easily and readily.


Here, we see Paul is in shock. He's letting the Galatians know they are becoming spiritual deserters of Christ because when they turned away from the true gospel (to a works salvation), it was and always is a turning away from the Person of Jesus Christ.


B. "from Him who called you in (into) the grace of Christ, to a different (heteros) gospel"


God Himself had called them (Galatian believers) into what? The Grace of Christ.

In this situation the believers of Galatia were turning away from Christ and grace to a DIFFERENT (Gk. Heteros = Another of a different sort) Gospel (by Judaizers).

When God called me and you, it was by His GRACE (not of WORKS - See Eph. 2:8,9). He did that not for you and me to NOW be led away to a different gospel which is really NO Gospel at all.

Paul is like, what is wrong with you guys, look what God did for you by calling you into the grace of Christ, and now you're going to be swayed to a false gospel of works salvation. What's wrong with you?


REMEMBER: You take the Grace of Christ out of the message of the Gospel and you are no longer following THE GOSPEL (Good News).

PAUL’S WISDOM REGARDING THE DECEPTION

Verse 7 - "which is not another (Gk. Allos - Of the same sort);

but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ."

Lesson Two: We must protect ourselves from erroneous teachers.

This message of the Judiazers (a Salvation obtained through works) was not an alternative Gospel (which means Good News). It was totally not a Christian message AT ALL!

We have many "alternative churches" out there today that take away from the message of the cross. Their message has no understanding of GRACE, either erring to, you can do anything (license to sin) because you're saved, to the other extreme, you must do all these things (works) to be saved (legalism). These "alternative churches" preaching an alternative message are NOT CHURCHES AT ALL.

Three facts about this different gospel brought to the Galatians.

1. It is a false message and not even an alternative message.
Different/another (v.6) in Gk. heteros = another of a different sort, but this was no gospel at ALL! Another (here in verse 7 in Gk. Allos - Another of the same sort.

2. It will cause you to be troubled.
Trouble in Gk. Tarassou = to disturb mentally - to agitate and stir up. Figuratively, it connotes deep emotional disturbance and refers to an unsettled mind.


3. It is a perversion of the gospel of Christ.
Pervert in Gk. Metastrepho = to reverse, to change to the opposite of what is truth.


As we battle today with an alternative false gospel, so did they in the churches of Galatia. We're being troubled by this false gospel. Note: The flesh may like it, but in your heart you have an uneasiness - You are troubled.


Last point here is their goal (false teachers) is to share this perverted gospel and get you following that error instead of the TRUTH!

Obvious modern day examples of false teaching: Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons!

But what about those not so obvious groups?


You need to make sure they are preaching a message that fits these 5 areas:
1. Scripture Alone
2. Christ Alone
3. Grace Alone
4. Faith Alone
5.The Glory of God Alone


If they are altering from any of these 5 things (basis for Christianity), I would caution you to make sure you are not getting "another" (Gk. heteros - another of a different sort) gospel which is really no gospel at all.


To be honest, when I was saved (and many years after), I got into some of the "alternative gospel" beliefs, and THEN years later learned true Christianity is ALWAYS based on: Scripture Alone, Christ Alone, Grace Alone, Faith Alone, and to the Glory of God Alone. I initially could not handle the fact that I had believed wrongly in so many ways that it troubled me, but NOT to the unsettling of my mind, but to want to believe unaltered truth. PTL!

If you are not familiar with the message of Christ as taught here in Galatians (and throughout the Bible), I ask you to listen and humbly learn. Once you understand the Gospel message, it will truly set you free and your walk with Christ will never be the same (so much better).

I would like to close with this quote:

"Note the resourcefulness of the devil. Heretics do not advertise their errors. Murderers, adulterers, and thieves disguise themselves. So the devil masquerades all his devices and activities. He puts on white to make himself look like an angel of light.”

We conclude this week’s lesson on Galatians.

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A Study in Galatians “BREAK FREE” (Gal. 1:3-5)

3Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,

4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world (age), according to the will [purpose and plan] of God and our Father:

5 To whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Galatians 1:3-5

This week we will finish Paul’s formal greeting, then he jumps into the problem at hand.

If by any chance you have found these foundational lessons boring…

…Hold on, this is like a roller coaster ride when it starts and pulls you to the top, yeah you were cool until the ride started down and around - so this is the final accent :-)

REMINDER:
This letter was written because the Galatians were Gentiles (no background in Judaism), who were saved after Paul had shared the Gospel with them. But now after Paul’s departure, Judaizers (Judaizer defined as those who were seeking to impose many of the ceremonial practices of the Old Testament, especially circumcision on the Gentile converts to Christianity) came and told them additional requirements to be a Christian, i.e., they must believe in Christ and, be circumcised and hold to the ceremonies of the Jewish (Mosaic) law.

So let’s look at verses 3-5:
3Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace and peace have been called "the Siamese twins of the NT."

It is believed that one reason for beginning with this greeting was because grace was a traditional Greek greeting, whereas, peace was a traditional Jewish greeting.

Paul may have done this to break down the wall between Jew and Gentile, thus giving a greeting commonly used by both.

Some other thoughts on Grace and Peace.

The SOURCE of Salvation is grace & The NATURE of Salvation is Peace. (Nothing we can do to EARN IT – Nothing we can do to ADD to it!!!)

Another thought on this is that grace always comes first resulting in peace.
Without grace there is and can be no peace, but when grace is ours, peace
must of necessity follow.” If you are in a graceless Christianity expect a peaceless existence.

This peace comes from God the Father and OUR Lord Jesus Christ.

Real peace doesn’t come from just believing in “a god” but in our heavenly Father AND, don’t miss that AND!!! “… AND our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We cannot get to God but through Jesus Christ. There are NOT many paths (religions) all leading to the same God or place. Distinctly, the ONLY WAY to the Father is BY JESUS CHRIST (See John 14:6).

Next Verse 4:
4Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver [Gk. rescued] us from this present evil world (age), according to the will [and purpose and plan] of God and our Father:

This is the gospel message that Jesus GAVE HIMSELF for OUR sins.

It leaves no room for boasting, but once we recognize the significance that Jesus GAVE HIMSELF for OUR SINS, it is then that, convicting truth becomes a reality to us, and we repent and receive the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Then, Paul goes on and says we (believers) are DELIVERED [Greek = rescued us] from this PRESENT EVIL WORLD.

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness
of sins. Col 1:13,14

We are no longer of this world, we have been delivered from all that is of this world (age).

I’m FREE!!!

This deliverance just expounded is according to the WILL of God. It was God’s plan and purpose that upon becoming believers, we are delivered from this world (that includes a works mentality, in this case from Judaizers).

Verse 5:

5To whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

That is a crucial point. Because any teaching that adds to or subtracts from the work of Christ – doesn’t glorify God but glorifies man.

You see if Salvation can be earned – PRAISE BE TO ME!
We hear people say, “I changed my life / I cleaned up my act – I followed the plan – I made it / I did it!!!!” ME ME ME - Praise be to me! WRONG!!!

But when I understand that I was hopelessly lost – Doomed/damned not a chance in the world of changing my status before a holy God, then ALL GLORY goes to God alone.

This is what it is all about! Giving God GLORY forever and ever.

It’s not about me (you) it’s about HIM!

AMEN!

So we conclude this week’s lesson on Galatians.

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A Study in Galatians “BREAK FREE” (Gal. 1:1, 2)

1Paul, an apostle, (not of [from] men, neither by [through] man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
2And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches (plural) of Galatia:

As I start, I ask you to remember this: Christian freedom is the liberty to become all that you can in Jesus Christ; it is not the license to do whatever you please.

This letter was written because the Galatians were Gentiles (no background in Judaism) who were saved after Paul had shared the Gospel with them. But now after Paul’s departure, Judaizers (Judaizer defined as those who were seeking to impose many of the ceremonial practices of the Old Testament, especially circumcision on the Gentile converts to Christianity) came and told them additional requirements to be a Christian, i.e., they must believe in Christ and be circumcised and hold to the ceremonies of the Jewish (Mosaic) law.
This is a salvation by grace plus Jewish customs/beliefs to be a Christian when, in truth, salvation is by grace and faith plus nothing!

Important Note: Let us dig in (6 chapters to go) before you worry about a loose salvation in which you say a simple prayer and then you can live any ole way you want. That is NOT the message of Galatians.

These Judaizers came in and were discrediting what Paul had just told the churches of Galatia as to what was required of salvation. Like many new believers, they were eager to do right to prove their faithfulness. So, when they were taught these things by the “traveling teachers” (Judaizers)…“Well, ok then, if that’s what we need to do, then we’ll do it.”

First question: Why do so many EVEN today want to serve a God with a bunch of rules and get offended at a salvation of true Grace and true Faith plus NOTHING? Could it be we want to EARN our salvation!!!

Thus, we finally come to verse 1: Paul, an apostle, (not of [from] men, neither by [through] man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)

Paul right off from the start lets them know he is an “APOSTLE.”

Paul always began his epistles in one of two ways:

1) To the Romans and the Philippians, to Titus and Philemon, he introduced himself as a servant, or prisoner of Christ.

2) To the Corinthians and the Ephesians, to the Colossians and the Galatians, he presented himself as an apostle.

Why? Because to those who embraced and welcomed his ministry, he was a SERVANT, but to those who challenged his authority he was an Apostle.

The basic meaning of the word Apostle means one who is sent out on a mission.

A) Jesus Chose 12 Apostles - Mission to Change the World !
B) The first 12 apostles who were sent out by Jesus seemed to have a unique place in the history of the church! God's plan!
C) They were used by the Lord in the birthing of His Church and in the putting together of God's Word! ( Inspired!)

Then, he clarifies his calling is NOT of MAN or NOT by MAN.

Paul was later added to this unique group of original apostles – but as he mentions here in
v.1 – He was added not by men – but by the Lord.
Paul was not commissioned by a church, or a denomination, or a theological institution… but by the risen Lord Himself.

And ends this verse with “by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead”. This makes it clear what “Jesus” we are talking about. It’s the one who came from the Heavenly Father and was RAISED FROM THE DEAD.

There is nothing wrong with institutions per se, but if you are called because of any man-made reason, you are deceived. First and foremost your call has to come from God (then, it is often confirmed by spiritual leaders).

Verse 2: And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches (plural) of Galatia.

“all the brethren which are with me” Paul didn’t come alone to deal with this problem. He was not alone on this doctrinal issue.

"unto the churches (plural) of Galatia". As we said in our introduction last week, this letter was to more than one church. The churches of Galatia were made up of likely 4 churches (Acts 13 & 14) - Iconium, Antioch, Lystra, Derbe.

Let’s close today with a story:

Sitting on top of the United States capitol building is a 20-foot statue known as the “Freedom Lady.” She was sculpted by Italian artists in the city of Rome and shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to her perch in Washington, D.C.

During the delivery, the ship carrying the statue encountered a fierce storm.
Howling winds and huge waves threatened to capsize the ship. Its skipper ordered the cargo thrown overboard.

But when the men went to toss the Freedom Lady overboard, the captain shouted, “No, never! We’ll flounder before we throw “Freedom” away.” This is the message of Galatians… Never throw away your freedom.

For more history on Freedom Lady go to: http://ladyfreedom.net/history.html quite interesting!

So we conclude this week’s lesson on Galatians.

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Galatians Study - FREEDOM in Christ - Introduction

We are in 2011 and as promised we start our study of Galatians.

Also, we ask that everyone be kind and loving to each others comments. I personally will not allow bashing or arguing. If you find at anytimeyou don't agree or like the group you can always leave. We do want productive hungry Christians sharing their insights on the passages. Thanks!

We will not be rushing through it. We will likely do a lesson a week.

You may read and comment throughout the week. Comments on Facebook group will be the main place to converse.

My facebook is: http://www.facebook.com/jim.mazzulla

Group there is: Galatians Study - FREEDOM in Christ

Let's get started with our Introduction to Galatians.
This Galatians study is titled, "Break Free."

The letter begins with a greeting (Galatians 1:1-5), which notably lacks Paul's usual thanksgiving for the letter’s recipients. No beating around the bush, Paul was upset and concerned, he wanted to get directly to the problem at hand.

AUTHOR: Paul the apostle is clearly stated as the author in the very first verse of the letter (1:1; 5:2).

WRITTEN TO: The churches of the Roman Providence - Galatia. Believed to be addressed to 4 churches (Acts 13 & 14) Iconium, Antioch, Lystra, Derbe.

NOTE: Paul had started this young church in Asia Minor (Modern day Turkey). Thus, Paul communicates in no uncertain terms that Christianity, with its emphasis on faith and grace in Christ, is opposed to religion which approaches God based on good works. Paul argues strongly in this letter that there is nothing that can be added to Jesus' sacrifice for our sin, not circumcision or any other external religious forms. The gospel, according to Paul, means faith in Jesus Christ plus nothing.

DATE WRITTEN: Galatians was written in 48-49 AD just before the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) at the time of this crisis, one of (if not) the earliest writing in the New Testament.

PURPOSE: To deal with the problem of churches departing from the Gospel of GRACE (they start well), embracing a FALSE gospel, and accepting a counterfeit gospel of Works and Ceremony and Law.

THEME OF FREEDOM & GRACE: We named this Galatians study, "Break Free" as the theme is FREEDOM. Paul uses the word FREEDOM 28 times in the Pauline Epistles 10 times in this Epistle to the Galatians. Paul uses the word grace 100 times in his writings. Among all the other writers of the New Testament, it is only used 55 times. Paul was truly the apostle of grace. They had started well and then got away from the foundational truth of Faith and God's Grace as the only way to salvation and started to add works to it. We'll get into that in much more detail in the coming weeks.

OCCASION: Word had reached Paul that the Galatian Christians were falling away from the true Gospel of grace which he had preached, and were turning to a legalistic system of merit salvation (1:6-9). He wrote to correct this error which was introduced by false teachers.

The great reformer Martin Luther especially loved this letter; he called Galatians his “Catherine ” because, he said, “I am married to it.”

As we close our introduction to Galatians, have you started out right (Faith alone, Grace alone) and are now trying to perfect yourself by doing works? If so, this study will set you free. If not, I still believe you will learn a lot from this series.

Do invite people to join us at: http://www.biblefood.blogspot.com/
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Next we will start with Galatians 1:1... (invite other to join us). :-)