Lesson
#3 June 2, 2002
The indictment of the Galatians, their desertion
1:6-9
1. Its Nature 1:6-7 Read
a. First the impact on Paul himself. 1:6
I am amazed
that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you
b. How It
Affected the Defectors
1:6b-7 It
Moved Them Away from Christ
- notice who that Paul is saying that they're turning from! Not himself, but Jesus Christ, the one who
called them through the Gospel
- what is it they are turning to from Grace?
What Paul is saying here at
this point is that look, what these Judaizers are teaching is a different
gospel, its heteros, its different in character than the Gospel of grace that
he had clearly taught.
only there are some who are disturbing you,
Their intent.
- and want to distort the Gospel of Christ
Summary 1:6-7:
1. There is only one Gospel, the Gospel of Grace which Paul had
communicated to them and which they had believed.
Acts 4:12 John 14:6 Acts 16:31
2. Jesus Christ himself clearly spelled out the issue in the Gospel,
believe in Me!
John 1:12-13;
3:15-16, 18, 36; 5:24 plus many; summarized in 20:31
3. Salvation by works of any kind is not the Gospel that Paul
taught, it is completely opposite of
the Gospel of grace, that is salvation
by faith alone in Christ alone.
4. As Paul writes this epistle these false teachers, (Judaizers)
were at work causing the Galatians to be unsettled, confused, and
bewildered.
5. By responding to the false teachers it moved them away from
Grace.
6. The
Galatians were deserting Him who
called them, and they were deserting grace.
7.
Principle: Beware of anyone who challenges salvation by grace, by any
means.
1:8-9 The Gravity of a false Gospel
a. As Illustrated by a Hypothetical Case 1:8
When
Paul speaks of an angel from heaven, from our perspective today we would
probably conclude that he was using
hyperbole (exaggerating to make a point) in referring to the angel. But is he?
should preach to you a gospel
contrary to that which we
preached
Strong conclusion:
Let him be accursed
b. As Demonstrated in an Actual Case 1:9
read
if any man (tij ) is
preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received,
let him be accursed.
Summary 1:8-9
1.
The point Paul makes with vs:8
is that absolutely no one, not one with
apostolic authority or an angel, is at liberty to change or alter the Gospel of
Grace.
2. Those
who do Paul makes clear are under a curse, that is judgement from God.
3.
God often leaves false teachers
on the scene as a test for believers in their life after salvation. Deut. 13:1-5
4. We must
remember that the divine discipline indicated by the anathema, being accursed
is in God's hand, and according to His timing.