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We're going to take a bit of 
a break from Deuteronomy this evening. We're going to look 
at Galatians chapter 1. On Sunday night I preached on 
the importance of preaching. God uses preaching. He uses other 
means to be sure, but he has definitely blessed preaching 
to the salvation of souls. Tonight I want to look at Galatians 
1, 6 to 9 to see just how important getting the gospel right really 
is. It's an important theme this 
time of the year, especially next Wednesday. We'll remember, 
or hopefully we'll remember, Reformation Day, that day when 
Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses on the castle wall. The Reformation 
obviously was about this particular question with reference to the 
gospel, getting the gospel right, and that's what the book of Galatians 
is all about. So I'll just read the chapter, 
then as I said, we'll hone in on verses 6 to 9. Paul, an apostle, 
not from man nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and 
God the Father, who raised him from the dead. And all the brethren 
who are with me, to the churches of Galatia, grace to you and 
peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave 
himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present 
evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom 
be glory forever and ever. Amen. 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. 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. 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. 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. 
But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached 
by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from 
man nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation 
of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former 
conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure 
and tried to destroy it. And I advanced in Judaism beyond 
many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly 
zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased 
God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through 
his grace to reveal his son in me, that I might preach him among 
the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, 
nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before 
me, but I went to Arabia and returned again to Damascus. Then 
after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter and remained 
with him 15 days. But I saw none of the other apostles 
except James, the Lord's brother. Now concerning the things which 
I write to you, indeed before God I do not lie. Afterward, 
I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, and I was unknown 
by face to the churches of Judea, which were in Christ. But they 
were hearing only, he who formerly persecuted us now preaches the 
faith which he once tried to destroy. And they glorified God 
in me. Amen. Well, I believe it was 
J. Gressom Machen who referred to 
this letter as a fighting epistle. The Apostle Paul comes right 
out of the gate to present his case to his readers. This letter 
differs from many of Paul's other letters. For instance, in Romans, 
1 and 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 
2 Thessalonians, and 2 Timothy, Paul, after giving a greeting, 
then spends a bit of time thanking God for his grace and his mercy 
as it's been displayed to the particular audience that he's 
writing to. here, he gives a simple greeting 
in verses 3 to 5, and then he gets right to the specific issue 
at stake. Even in 1 Corinthians, I mean, 
you're familiar with Corinthians, you're familiar with all of the 
issues and all of the difficulties and the the sin that was in Corinth. And yet, Paul spends an extended 
amount of time thanking God for the church in Corinth. Now, I 
don't think that means he's not thankful for the Galatians. I 
simply think that it means because of the nature of their departure, 
the apostle wants to get right to business. And that's what 
he does in verses 6 to 9 in chapter 1. The gospel is at stake. Specifically, the doctrine of 
justification by faith alone. The Bible is clear. The apostle 
is clear. We're not saved by a mingling 
together of our faith and our works, but rather we are saved 
solely and alone by the grace of God through faith in Jesus 
Christ. From first to last, it is Jesus 
alone who saves us to the uttermost. When we introduce works, When 
we try to add a component, when we try to do something to complete 
the work of Jesus Christ, we are actually denying the work 
of Jesus Christ, as this epistle and as the epistle to the Romans 
makes very clear. There's only one of two ways 
to find acceptance with God. It is through perfect law-keeping 
in and of our own strength, or it is by grace alone, through 
faith alone, in Christ Jesus alone. When we mingle the two, 
we end up with neither. And that is the emphasis of the 
Apostle in this particular epistle. I mentioned many of his other 
letters in 1 Timothy also. He gets right to business because 
he's telling Timothy that he is going to be in Ephesus where 
he needs to fight and defend the gospel of Jesus Christ. So 
what we can see, just by way of introduction, is that doctrinal 
fidelity, specifically with reference to the Gospel message, was everything 
to the Apostle Paul. Again, in Corinth, there was 
gross sin. He doesn't minimize it, he doesn't 
hide it, he doesn't buried under the rug, but he deals with them 
even differently than what he deals with these churches in 
Southern Galatia. He comes out of the chute and 
he says, I marvel that you are turning away so soon from him 
who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel. This is his astonishment. This is his perplexity. This 
is his amazement at the defection of the people in Galatia and 
the churches in Galatia. Notice, you are turning away 
You don't embrace Christ and then add works to that. Again, 
we're not talking about, I believe the gospel, I'm justified freely 
by His grace, and now I'm living the life of sanctification. No, 
the epistle is clear. What they have in mind is this 
adding works to faith is in order to gain acceptance with God Most 
High. That's what compromises, that's 
what is to be termed as turning away. you turned away so soon 
from him who called you in the grace of Christ." Notice, they 
did so, so soon. Probably this epistle is one 
of the first letters that the Apostle Paul wrote. There are 
two different theories as to the epistle to the Galatians. 
Some say it's based on the Northern Galatian theory, which would 
place the dating of it a bit later, in about the mid-'50s. 
Others take the Southern Galatia view, which is the one I adopt. That puts the epistle probably 
at around AD 48 or 49. These are the churches that the 
apostle visited on his first missionary journey, Pisidian 
Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, those churches you read of there 
in Acts chapter 13 and 14. Remember Paul and Barnabas are 
separated while they're in Antioch, Antioch in Syria. They are then 
dispatched on to that first missionary journey. They go to Pisidian 
Antioch there they preach, from there they go to Iconium, they 
go to Lystra, where the apostle is stoned and left for dead, 
and then he travels into Derbe. And then they return through 
those particular churches, strengthening the disciples, appointing elders 
in each of the churches, they return to the church in Antioch, 
and there they give a report. So Acts 13 and 14. So it did 
not take long, even after apostolic preaching, emphasizing the grace 
of God, the faith alone in Jesus Christ, Paul says, I marvel that 
you are turning away so soon from Him. I think we can learn 
from this, there's something in the heart of man that really 
struggles with the grace of God. I know that seems odd, but there 
is something in us. Free grace, the reality that 
God saves us, not because of good that we do, but because 
of the good that Jesus has done, is offensive to people. It is 
an affront to people. Sometimes you'll meet people 
in other religions, or people that are atheists, and they'll 
say, why are you going to go to heaven? And if you say, I'm 
going to go to heaven because of the life, the death, and the 
resurrection of Jesus, and it's solely and alone based on what 
He's accomplished, that makes them offended. What do you mean? 
You don't have to be a good person? You don't have to do good things? 
You don't have to give a lot of money in order to get to heaven? No, it's by grace alone through 
faith alone. There is something offensive 
about that message to others. And there is something about 
even believers that at times grow perplexed and begin to think 
that the finished work of Christ really isn't finished. And I 
need to add my prayers, or I need to add my scripture reading, 
or I need to add my church attendance, or I need to add my whatever 
it is that we think is absolutely crucial in order to gain acceptance 
with God. We need to understand the only 
way of acceptance is through Jesus Christ. So Paul says, I 
marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you 
in the grace of Christ to a different gospel. So they are in the process, 
they are turning away. Now I don't know that this means 
that every single believer was affected by this particular heresy, 
which we'll call the Judaizing heresy. Not every particular 
person. He's writing to churches. He's 
writing generically. He's writing generally to the 
churches of Christ. But the idea is, is that false 
teaching has grabbed on to the church. And people, unfortunately, 
are giving ear to it. People, unfortunately, are giving 
attention to these Judaizers. We know it's Judaizers because 
later on in the Epistle, the Apostle Paul deals with the ceremonies 
of Moses, vis-a-vis specifically circumcision. If you get circumcised, 
you are a debtor to keep the entirety of the whole law. If 
you think adding circumcision to faith is the way of salvation, 
know this, that when you opt for circumcision, you have neglected 
faith, you have rejected grace, and now you are called upon as 
a debtor to keep the entire law. It's either grace or it's law. Which one will you choose? Well, 
the Southern Galatian churches had adopted the gospel as Paul 
preached, and now Judaizers had come in, and they were starting 
to turn from it. To add works to faith is to deny 
the very gospel we are supposed to be promoting. And it's subtle. It's very subtle. We need to 
be careful that we don't fall prey to this. We might say, well, 
you know, everybody in our church does this particular thing. Now, 
we don't think that this brings salvation. But to an outsider 
coming in, they may see it a little bit differently. We need to make 
sure that what we say, in terms of grace alone, through faith 
alone, and Christ alone, is upheld by our conduct and our activity. 
We mustn't ever elevate a preference. We mustn't ever elevate something 
that we think is absolutely crucial to be on par with the gospel. 
And you say, well, that just doesn't happen. It does happen. It most certainly does happen 
where the people of God albeit perhaps with good intention, 
think that this particular shibboleth is so important and so absolutely 
crucial, they subtly attach it to the cross, so that if you 
don't adopt the cross and this particular view, then somehow 
you're not really saved, or you're just not as saved as the rest 
of us. Well, here in Galatia, the issue 
was, you need to believe on the Lord Jesus. They weren't denying 
this. And remember, with Roman Catholicism, 
they are not denying faith in Christ. They speak a lot about 
grace. They speak a lot about faith. 
It's not as if Rome says, look, the way to heaven is just by 
doing what we say. No, they say the way to heaven 
is through Christ. It's through grace. It's through 
faith. And it's through these particular means that the Roman 
church has instituted. So it's not a denial of Christ, 
but rather it is an addition to Christ. That's where the subtlety 
comes. That's where it is in the Judaizers 
as well. Yes, believe on the Lord Jesus, 
but also you need to become good Jews. You also need to become 
those who subscribe to the ceremonies of Moses. Machen put it this 
way, and I think he's spot on. In fact, if you want, get his 
little book on Galatians. They were a series of articles 
written for Christianity Today. It's absolutely amazing to me 
that at one time in the history of this world, Christianity Today 
had exegetically based articles by J. Gress of Machen. how things 
have changed, right? Anyways, in the early 20s or 
30s, I forget the exact dating, he got to about Galatians 3.17, 
I guess, in his expositions printed in Christianity Today. Well, 
Solid Ground Christian Books has published that, and it's 
a great read. I highly recommend it. He says, 
certainly the point of difference between Paul and the Judaizers 
was no trifling difference, no matter how trifling it may seem 
to the modern church. We might read this and say, I 
mean, hopefully we won't, but some in the modern church might 
read this and say, what's he getting, you know, all worked 
up about? What's the big deal, Paul? They're 
believing on the Lord Jesus, so they throw some circumcision 
into the mix. They're believing in the Lord 
Jesus, so they throw some sacraments into the mix. They're believing 
on the Lord Jesus, so they throw these other shibboleths into 
the mix. What's the big deal? What's the issue? He says, certainly 
the point of difference between Paul and the Judaizers was no 
trifling difference, no matter how trifling it may seem to the 
modern church. He said it was the difference 
between a religion of merit and a religion of grace. The Judaizers' 
teaching required a man to earn at least a part of his salvation 
by his own keeping of God's law. Paul saw clearly that to follow 
such teaching was to do despite to the cross of Christ. If we have to fill up even the 
slightest gap by our own works, then we are still lost in sin. So we need to get this. We need 
to understand this. I am growing more and more concerned 
about Christians and this pursuit of holiness, which we must do, 
the Bible tells us, but realizing that our pursuit of holiness 
Our grasp upon holiness, our accomplishment of holiness, is 
not what ultimately ends us in heaven. It is the holiness of 
Christ. It is the work of Christ. It is the accomplishment of Christ. It is that which gains us favor 
with God. It's not as if Jesus did 99.9% 
and the rest of that .9% is up to us to fill in. Machen sees 
this, Machen understands this, Machen knows this is what Paul 
is dealing with. He says, if we have to fill up 
even the slightest gap of our own works, then we are still 
lost in sin. He says, for the awakened conscience 
sees clearly that our own works are insufficient to bridge even 
the smallest gap. We must trust Christ for nothing 
or for all. To trust him only for part, he 
says, is the essence of unbelief. It is a denial of the cross. 
Paul says this in chapter 2, 21. I do not set aside the grace 
of Christ. For if righteousness comes through 
the law, then Christ died in vain. Even if it's that big of 
a righteousness. He says, to trust him only for 
part is the essence of unbelief. There are two ways of being saved, 
according to the apostle Paul. One way is to keep the law perfectly. Can we do that? Absolutely not. Can we do that in the life of 
sanctification? No, we do not keep the law perfectly. Do you ever have a moment where 
you keep the law perfectly as a Christian? Like every second 
of every day, you love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and 
strength, and you always love your neighbor as yourself. That 
means you never get irritated when you're driving around Chilliwack. 
That means you never get upset when you're at the grocery store. 
That means you never speak an ill word to your wife, husband, 
or child. Brethren, we need Jesus from 
first to last. We are not a righteous people. This is why Jesus died and rose 
again. As Christians living a life of 
sanctification, again, what we must do, I'm not denying that, 
But that life of sanctification is not the basis upon which we 
are accepted with God. We are accepted based on Christ 
and Him alone. He says one way is to keep the 
law perfectly, that way is closed because of sin. He says, the 
other way is to accept the gift of salvation which Christ offers 
us freely by his cross. The two ways cannot both be followed. That is the burden of the epistle 
to the Galatians. A man must choose as the way 
of salvation, either the law or grace. In bidding men choose 
grace, the apostle was contending for the very heart of the Christian 
religion. Amen. A hundredfold. He understood 
Galatians. What is very disconcerting is 
that a lot of guys called Reformed do not get Galatians. They say 
that Galatians was read through the lens of Luther and Calvin 
and therefore we believe it is soteriological in nature. But 
what we now know is that it's not soteriology that Paul is 
dealing with, but rather it's sociology. How do Jews and Gentiles 
get along? It's the new perspective on Paul. 
Machen offers us the old perspective on Paul. That is the correct 
perspective on Paul. Paul is going to go on to pronounce 
an anathema on those who pervert the gospel of Jesus Christ. That 
is a heavy pronouncement of sin on how Jews and Gentiles get 
along or don't get along. He is talking about acceptance 
with God. Either it is through our law-keeping 
or it is through the cross. There is no alternative. There 
is no third position. And it is certainly not a mixture 
of the two. To mix the two, you end up with 
neither. When you mix law and grace, you 
end up with neither. You mix cross and works, you 
end up with neither. It is either you and your performance, 
or it is Christ and him alone. That's why the apostle is calling 
upon them to repent to listen and not to get sucked in to this 
distortion, to what he calls here a different gospel. It is different. It is wrong. It is incorrect. There is one 
gospel. There is one message that focuses 
upon the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. To have a 
saving interest in that means the exclusion of all works, the 
exclusion of all merit, the exclusion of all good deeds. It is Christ 
and Him alone. That is the burden of the Apostle. Now notice, secondly, the defection 
of the Galatians. The defection. We've seen the 
astonishment of the Apostle. Notice, secondly, the defection 
of the Galatians. Let's identify this heresy. He says to a different gospel, 
which is not another. There's not a few gospels out 
there. There's not a few sets of good news. You know, today 
we hear what's called pluralism. Today we hear that as long as 
somebody is sincere in what they believe, let's just leave them 
alone. Well, that may be a Canadian 
ideal. or that may be an American ideal, but that's never a biblical 
ideal. The Bible doesn't say whatever 
you believe, as long as it's sincere, good on you. That is 
simply not a biblical concept. The Bible traffics in one gospel. The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, 
sets forth one gospel. That one gospel is about Jesus. It centers upon Him, it reveals 
Him, it's about His work, it's about His life, His death, and 
His resurrection. There's not a few gospels, there's 
not some that you can pick from, there's not a few that you can 
tailor to fit your particular needs. Anything that deviates 
from grace alone, through faith alone, and Christ alone, is a 
different gospel. Paul says, which is not another. See, the Judaizers might be coming 
along saying, be circumcised and you complete the gospel. 
Be circumcised and you enjoy the full gospel. Sometimes you'll 
see that title on a charismatic church. It'll be called the full 
gospel church. What's the implication there? 
The implication is that believing in Jesus and speaking in tongues 
is the full gospel. The rest of you slobs that just 
believe in Jesus really don't have the full gospel. Now I'm 
not sure they're going to anathematize us or say we're in hell, but 
there is a statement there that is absolutely prejudicial. The full gospel. I could hear 
the Judaizers saying that as well. It's good that you've heard 
Paul. It's good that you've believed on Jesus. But do you want to 
be complete? Do you want to be whole? Do you 
want to go to that next level? There's one level. It's acceptance 
with God through the blood of the cross. That's the level. 
There's no full gospel. If you've got the gospel, you've 
got every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ 
Jesus. The gospel, by definition, is 
full. It's wonderful. It's beautiful. Paul says a deviation from the 
truth that he has preached is not a gospel. It is not the truth. The specifics in this Judaizing 
heresy comes out in chapter 3. You can turn there. Chapter 3, 
verse 1. O foolish Galatians, who has 
bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose 
eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from 
you. Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by 
the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun 
in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have 
you suffered so many things in vain, if indeed it was in vain?" 
Turn over to chapter 4 at verse 21, where he gives this blessed 
allegory between the two mountains, where he speaks of Sinai. and 
he speaks of the new covenant. Notice in Galatians 4.21, tell 
me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the 
law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondwoman, 
the other by a free woman. But he who was of the bondwoman 
was born according to the flesh, and he of the free woman through 
promise, which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants, 
the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which 
is Hagar. For this Hagar is Mount Sinai 
in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem, which now is, and 
is in bondage with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, 
which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, O 
barren, you who do not bear. Break forth and shout, you who 
are not in labor. For the desolate has many more 
children than she who has a husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, 
are children of promise. Look at how he develops this 
here. He says, but as he who was born according to the flesh 
then persecuted him who was born according to the spirit, even 
so it is now. You see what Paul is saying? 
He says, we're like Isaac. the children of the free woman, 
believers in Jesus Christ. We're like Isaac. These Judaizers 
are like Ishmael. They persecute Isaac. They bind 
Isaac. They threaten Isaac. It's an 
amazing analogy that he draws out here. He says, nevertheless, 
what does the scripture say? Cast out the bondwoman. and her 
son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son 
of the free woman. So then, brethren, we are not 
children of the bondwoman, but of the free." I think by implication, 
or by this citation, he's saying, cast out these Judaizers. Don't 
listen to these sons of Ishmael. Don't bring yourself back under 
bondage. You've believed on the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Do not turn away from Him who called you. to this other 
gospel which is not the gospel. Notice in chapter 5, verse 2, 
Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ 
will profit you nothing. Now again, it is absolutely crucial 
that we understand here that Paul is not dealing with circumcision 
for cosmetic reasons. Not that I think that's why people 
get circumcised. He's not dealing with circumcision 
for hygienic reasons. He's not dealing with circumcision 
for cultural reasons. How do we know that? Because 
Paul, when he had Timothy with him, had Timothy circumcised 
so he wouldn't offend Jews when they were on their missionary 
journey. So for Paul, circumcision practiced culturally wasn't a 
life-threatening situation. Maybe Timothy might have thought 
that, but Paul certainly didn't think that. Here he's talking 
about circumcision as a religious obligation, as a religious accomplishment, 
as something done in order to garner favor with God. That's the point in verses 2 
and 3. Indeed, I, Paul, say to you that 
if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. Again, he's not saying that you 
live in a culture, you live in a society where you get circumcised 
for hygiene reasons. He is talking about circumcision 
as a means, alongside with faith, to gain favor with God. Notice 
what happens when we adopt the circumcision as religious merit 
mentality. Verse 3, and I testify again 
to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the 
whole law. So when Timothy was circumcised, 
Paul didn't say, hey, too bad on you now, Timothy. You've got 
to keep every jot and diddle of the law. No, for Timothy, 
it was cultural. For Timothy, it was so that the 
Jews would not be offended. For Timothy, it was not in the 
sense whereby He was teaching Timothy he needed to be circumcised 
in order to gain favor with God. Remember that those who are debtors 
to keep the whole law, as our confession says, it must be personal, 
entire, exact, and perpetual. God does not take half-hearted 
obedience to the law as keeping the whole law. Notice what he 
says in verse 4. You have become estranged from 
Christ. You who attempt to be justified 
by law, you have fallen from grace. A couple of things we 
need to recognize there in verse 4. You have become estranged 
from Christ, you who, and here it is, attempt to be justified 
by law. That's the crux. That's the issue. It's not circumcision for cultural 
relevance. It is circumcision in order to 
be justified by the law. When he says you have fallen 
from grace, there I do not believe Paul has become an Arminian. 
He's not teaching that somebody called, somebody regenerated, 
somebody justified, somebody who will ultimately be glorified 
can actually lose his or her salvation. I don't believe that 
at all. I believe that what Paul means 
here, you have fallen from grace. It's either a law approach or 
a grace approach. When you take on circumcision, 
you have fallen from grace. You have rejected the grace approach. You have denied it. You have 
turned your back upon it. He is not saying a genuine believer 
who is genuinely regenerate, who is genuinely in Christ, is 
going to fall from grace. This is not an Arminian proof 
text. He is dealing in large categories, 
the law approach or the grace approach. To seek justification 
by law is to fall from grace. Even if you think it's just a 
little bit. I'm just going to be circumcised. It is to fall from grace. You 
either go with law or you go with grace. That is the heresy 
that Paul is combating. That is the different gospel 
that he is dealing with in this passage. John Brown says, every 
plan which, like that of the Judaizing teachers, leads men 
to depend on their own obedience to any law, to any extent, in 
any degree, either as the ground of their justification or the 
means of their justification, is another gospel. It is a most hazardous thing 
to tamper with the gospel of Christ It must neither be abridged 
nor enlarged. Do not try to fix the gospel. Do not try to enhance it. Do 
not try to make it better. Do not try to give it any additions. Do not subtract from it. The 
gospel must be left alone. It is not ours to twist, to manipulate, 
to distort, or to turn to our own ends. It is ours, by the 
grace of God, to believe in. It is Christ who saves. So the 
identification of the heresy is in verse 7. And then notice 
the intention of the heretics. The intention of the heretics 
in verse 7. But there are some who trouble 
you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. It's an interesting 
statement there. He's not just saying these are 
ignorant guys that really should find a different job. These are 
cold calloused men who want who trouble you and want to pervert 
the gospel of Christ. They know what it says. They've 
heard the apostolic preaching. They've heard that it's grace 
alone through faith alone and Christ alone. But for them, that's 
offensive. For them, that's not acceptable. 
For them, they've got to throw circumcision into the mix in 
order for this transaction to take place once and for all." 
Notice, it is a bad thing, it is a terrible thing, it is a 
horrible thing to trouble men and to pervert the gospel of 
Jesus Christ. John Stott says, to tamper with 
the gospel is to trouble the church. Indeed, the church's 
greatest troublemakers, now as then, are not those outside who 
oppose, ridicule, and persecute it. Is it? The atheists aren't 
the biggest trouble in the church. I mean, I've been at this for 
15 years. I don't think I've ever had a 
problem with an atheist. Not to say they're wonderful, 
glorious people, but listen to what Stott says. The church's 
greatest troublemakers, now as then, are not those outside who 
oppose, ridicule, and persecute it, but those inside who try 
to change the gospel. Conversely, the only way to be 
a good churchman is to be a good gospelman. The best way to serve 
the church is to believe and to preach the gospel. Why don't 
we get that? What's the best service a pastor 
can give to his people? Believe and preach the gospel. 
No, he's got to go do this, and he's got to be this, and he's 
got to that. No, he's got to believe and preach the gospel. 
That's what you want. That's what it's about. What's 
that? Yeah, the white sheet guy. Luther 
said this, that work which is built up of long labor may be 
overthrown in a night. A man may labor half a score 
of years to build up some little church to be rightly ordered, 
and when it is so ordered, there creeps in some malbrain, yea, 
a very unlearned idiot, and he in one moment overthrows all. 
Oh, Luther didn't play games at all. No, or Calvin. You read those men, they didn't 
play around. Well, Paul doesn't. I mean, they don't even touch 
the surface with what Paul does here. I mean, as we go on to 
see the curse upon the heretics, the Apostle Paul is not mincing 
words, okay? They want to pervert the gospel. The issue may indeed seem small 
to us. What's the big deal? The introduction 
of works means an attack upon the cross. If righteousness comes 
through the law, then Christ died in vain. It is a huge offense. We cannot introduce the smallest 
amount of merit to our acceptance with God. So we've seen the astonishment 
of the apostle, the defection of the Galatians. Thirdly, the 
curse upon heretics. Notice its extent. 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." There is no apostolic immunity. You've heard of that, diplomatic 
immunity. If you're a diplomat in a particular country and you 
get pulled over and you flash your credentials, well, you've 
got diplomatic immunity. You're probably not going to 
get a ticket or you're probably not going to get in trouble. They say that policemen 
have this diplomatic immunity. If I'm an RCMP, well I don't 
know about RCMP, I think at least LAPD I've heard this before. 
If you get pulled over and while the police officer asks you for 
your ID you happen to flash your badge and he sees the LAPD shield, 
probably not just LAPD, I'm going to get bad feedback, not that 
I think anybody in LAPD is tuning in, but if they are, I'm sure 
that's just one among many. If you show your badge, oh, I 
didn't realize you're one of us. Just drive more carefully. 
You don't get a ticket like the rest of us. We'll get $250 fine 
and points against our record because we don't have that little 
shield, right? There's no apostolic immunity. 
Notice this. Even if we Paul comes back around 
to these churches in South Galatia, and he says, you know, the first 
time around, I really hammered on faith in Christ. This time 
around, I want to talk to you about circumcision. No, reject 
that. Do not listen to that. It is 
grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, even if a so-called 
apostle comes back through and wants to add something to it. 
That's why the Bible is so important. That's why us knowing the scripture 
is so important. That's why we don't just say, 
wow, Pastor so-and-so said this, therefore. Or a theologian, whoever 
wrote this, and therefore. Or this guy with all these degrees, 
and all of this learning, and all of these books, and all of 
these conferences. He has said this, so therefore. No, we need to know our Bibles. 
We need to be like those Bereans. They were more noble-minded than 
those in Thessalonica. Why? Because they searched the 
scriptures daily. They examined them daily to see 
if what Paul was teaching was true. There's no whiff whatsoever 
of Paul saying, well, just take my word for it. You don't need 
to search those scriptures. You don't need to search those 
Bibles. No. You search it. You verify it. 
You're hanging your everlasting soul and body and life upon this 
doctrine. You better make sure it's true. Don't take the words of a man. 
If an apostle twists the message, there's no apostolic immunity. 
Paul says there's no angelic immunity. If an angel out of 
heaven, if it could be the case that a seraphim or a cherubim 
fell down into your pulpit and said, believe on the Lord Jesus 
and be circumcised, don't listen to him. Isn't this great? We don't have to keep up with 
all the latest scholarship. We just got to know the old tried 
and proven gospel. We just got to know that old, 
old story. We just got to know 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses 
1 to 4. We just got to know Galatians. 
We got to know Romans. We got to know Matthew. We got to know 
John. We got to know that body of doctrine which is once for 
all delivered to the saints. We don't have to keep up with 
the latest and greatest theologian. No, we survey and we examine 
the latest and greatest theologian based on what is written. So 
Paul says there's no apostolic immunity, there's no angelic 
immunity, there is no immunity, period. Even if we or an angel 
from heaven preach any other gospel to you than what we have 
preached to you. The gospel embodies a core, a 
fixed tradition, which is normative, so that no preaching deviating 
from it can be called gospel. It's a great thing. One of the 
things about learning Greek, for instance. Learning Greek, 
you learn those 27 books. There's not a bunch of new stuff. It's a body that's finished. It's a done deal in a real sense. There's a lot there in those 
27 books, to be sure. But it's not like you've got 
to keep up with all the latest and new developments. I understand computer programming 
is a difficult job, because you've got to keep up on all the new 
programs. It's not as if it's a stagnant, 
non-fluid environment. There is constant change. constant 
upgrades, constant improvements. The iPad is now the smaller iPad. The iPods get bigger and the 
iPads get smaller. Somebody out there programming 
has to keep up with all of this. Not so with the gospel. You learn 
it. That's it. It's the standard 
by which you judge apostles. It's the standard by which you 
judge angels. It's the standard by which you 
judge preachers. If they fall short, they are 
to be rejected. That is as simple as it gets. Ronald Fung says, the authority 
of the gospel resides primarily in the message itself and only 
secondarily in the messenger. It's about the truth of God's 
holy word. Notice the gravity of the curse 
that the Apostle pronounces. It's a concept that we have discussed 
a bit in our studies in the Old Testament. Notice he says, even 
if we are an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you 
than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. Does anybody know the Hebrew 
word that this translates or this is an equivalent to? That's the Greek word, anathema. 
Special bonus points for those who know the Hebrew. We've covered 
the word. Just say it. Go ahead. It's a principle that we've spoken 
of. It's in Leviticus 27 and it's 
what happened in Joshua 6 at Jericho. It is something specified 
with those revolutionary cities. Remember those urban revolutionaries 
that take up a city? What were they supposed to do 
when they invaded that city? They were to kill the inhabitants 
and they were to burn The product or the the stuff they were to 
devote it to destruction Remember the Hebrew word is Karen you 
probably heard that word not a harem like you know lots of 
lovely ladies Dancing around that's a harem This is kind of 
a sound in Hebrew. It means devote to destruction. It means something under the 
ban. When you go into those Canaanite 
cities, those ones that are under the ban, you are not to take 
their silver and gold. You are not to take their stuff. 
You were to devote it to destruction. Remember, Achan took things that 
were devoted to destruction. As a result, he then became devoted 
to destruction. The anathema here is that same 
principle. It is that same idea. It is used 
positively in Luke 21.5 as donations. Something donated. Something 
given over. Well, in this context, it's not 
positive in terms of a donation that is good. Rather, it is that 
harem principle, it is that devotion to destruction, it is that which 
is under the ban. So those who distort the gospel 
message, those who twist the gospel, those who preach a false 
gospel, Paul says, let him be accursed. It is not a stretch 
to translate this as eternally condemned. I think the NIV has 
it that way. What's the ESV have? Accursed. Good. Good. Or we might say, let him be damned 
to hell. You say, well, that's imposing 
a lot. No, it isn't. The devotion to destruction that 
Paul is speaking about here is not an excommunication inflicted 
by the church. Now, a heretical preacher ought 
to be excommunicated from his church. That's not what Paul's 
talking about. He's not talking about excommunication. He is talking about devotion 
to destruction. The Apostle Paul uses this word 
in Romans 9.3, where he himself says that he would be accursed 
He would be anathema for the sake of his kinsmen, his brethren, 
according to the flesh. If it would avail that he himself 
could go to hell to save the Israelite nation, then he would 
do that. I mean, it shows something of 
his great love. He uses it in 1 Corinthians 12.3. 
He says that by the Spirit, no one says Jesus is accursed. No 
one says Jesus is anathema. You don't do that by the Spirit. 
He uses the term in 1 Corinthians 16, 22. If anyone does not love 
the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema. Let him be devoted 
to destruction. Let him be damned to hell. This 
is why I often say when people have a problem with the imprecatory 
Psalms, where David says, smash the teeth of my enemies, Paul 
makes David look like a boy scout. Paul says, if you do not love 
the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be damned to hell. That's the 
Apostle Paul. So that's what he's saying here. 
A famous dictionary, a new international dictionary of New Testament theology 
says, he who preaches a false gospel is delivered to destruction 
by God. Again, it is not a matter of 
an act of church discipline in the sense of excommunication. 
The curse exposes the culprits to the judicial wrath of God. John Eady, the Scottish Presbyterian 
commentator, said, the preacher of another gospel exposes himself 
to the divine indignation, and the awful penalty incurred by 
him is not inflicted by man. He falls into the hands of the 
living God. So Paul says, if a man twists 
the gospel, if a man distorts the gospel, let him be damned 
to hell by God himself. This is not something man imposes. 
I can't bring the anathema to bear on anybody. This is the 
judicial punishment of God Almighty for those who would twist, those 
who would distort, those who would tamper with, those who 
would try and supplement, or those who would try and add to 
the gospel. It's pretty serious stuff, isn't 
it? You can't escape the conclusion here that Paul puts a premium 
on accuracy when it comes to the gospel of Jesus Christ. He repeats, verse 9, the one 
preached is changed to what you receive. The improbability is 
lessened. We or an angel from heaven has 
become anyone, and the future possibility has become a present 
supposition. 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." This is a grave 
offense. God does not take this lightly 
and He will in fact bring judgment and punishment to bear upon those 
who twist the gospel. I think that when we understand 
Galatians 1, 6 to 9, it does shed some light on James's word 
in James 3, 1. My brethren, let not many become 
teachers. Why? Because we shall incur a 
stricter judgment. I mean, it's one thing to believe 
error. It's one thing to teach error. You know, when a man stands up 
and teaches a thousand people that you should believe on the 
Lord Jesus and be circumcised, that is a terrible offense against 
the living and the true God. It is a denial of the cross. 
It is a denial of grace. It is a denial of the very gospel 
of Jesus Christ itself. So we see in this passage the 
intolerance of the Apostle Paul. The intolerance of the Apostle 
Paul. Machen again says, to the men 
that dominate the life of the modern church. Remember, Machen 
lived in the early part of the 20th century. He lived in like 
1920, 1930. His modern church looked a little 
different than our modern church. Lots of liberalism and all that 
sort of thing. But liberalism then is probably 
more like conservatism now. So when he says, to the men that 
dominate the life of the modern church, we need to realize that 
he was dealing with an even more probably orthodox time than what 
we are. To the men that dominate the 
life of the modern church, it would seem to be a subtle, hair-splitting 
distinction at the most. Surely, they would say, Paul 
ought to have made common cause with those Judaizers who had 
such a zeal for righteousness, and furthermore, exalted the 
Lord Jesus Christ so high. He says, as a matter of fact, 
the Apostle did nothing of the kind. What he actually said with 
respect to the Judaizers was, let them be anathema. He seemed 
to have none of the modern virtue of tolerance at this point. Amen. Paul was intolerant of 
heresy. Paul was intolerant of gospel 
perversion. Jump back to 1 Corinthians and 
see the sin that they were engaged in. I'm not suggesting he was 
tolerant of it. He dealt with it. He prescribed 
remedies for them. He called them to repentance. 
But there is an intolerance that Mark's Galatians 1 six to nine that you don't find 
as blatantly displayed when it comes to practice in the churches 
of Christ. We need to realize, with reference 
to the gospel, we need to beware of doctrinal indifference. That's 
probably one of the most crippling things that we have to deal with, 
indifference. Peasants don't care. I mean, 
it's like the political realm. People just don't care. They 
don't have a clue. In the theological realm, people 
just don't care. There is an apathy. There's a 
lethargy. There's an indifference. Why 
would I go to Bible study when I can watch Honey Boo Boo? Why 
would I go to Bible study when I can, you know, watch the giants? Why would I go to Bible study 
when I could, you know, do a million other things? I'm not condemning 
everybody that's not here. You could probably interpret 
it that way. I'm just saying there is this indifference to 
doctrine. Why would you preach an hour 
long? Why would you preach doctrine? Why would you preach expositorily? Isn't it about just loving Jesus? 
We need to be aware of doctrinal imprecision. We need to be precise 
here. Paul doesn't take a margin of 
error when it comes to the gospel. You don't get it half right. 
That's like being a little pregnant. You're not a little pregnant. 
You're either pregnant or you're not. You're either right or you're 
not when it comes to the gospel. You're not a little right. It's 
either Christ or it isn't. There's not a lot of difference 
in those two approaches. We need to be aware of doctrinal 
departures, radical departure from the truth, vis-a-vis Roman 
Catholicism, vis-a-vis New Perspectivism, vis-a-vis Covenantal Nomism, 
vis-a-vis Federal Vision. There's all manner of doctrinal 
departure. We need to be aware of doctrinal 
novelties. You know, if someone hasn't figured 
out, you know, if somebody comes to you with something new with 
reference to the gospel, just be very careful. Hear Luther 
on this. He says, Wherefore let us learn 
that this is a special point of the devil's cunning, that 
if he cannot hurt by persecuting and destroying, He does it under 
a color of correcting and building up. So he stirs up wicked spirits 
and ungodly teachers, which at first allow our doctrine to be 
holy and heavenly, and teach the same with a common consent 
together with us. But afterwards they say that 
further mysteries of the scriptures are revealed to them from above, 
and they are called for this purpose to open them to the world. Beware of the guy that has found 
something that no one else ever has. You know, when Mark Jones 
said, it's always a difficult thing to say, I got this idea. I haven't read it. Not to say 
you're wrong, but be very careful. And any twisting or tampering, 
I mean, an interesting take on revival and the resurrection, 
you don't go to hell for messing up on that. And I'm not suggesting 
that he did it either way or not. But you don't get this wrong 
and end up well. You just can't. So we need to 
make sure that we don't twist, we're not indifferent, and we're 
not imprecise, but we are true to the truth of God's holy word. Well, let us pray. Father, we 
thank you for your word. We thank you for your gospel. 
We thank you for this epistle to the Galatians and for what 
it instructs us. And I pray that you would just 
help us to be precise, help us to think your thoughts after 
you, help us to know the scripture, to know specifically those things 
connected with the cross. And I just pray that you would 
go with us now, watch over us. We pray for Pastor Cavan and 
his wife, that they would have a blessed weekend here, that 
they would be encouraged by the saints in our local church, that 
you would use him to be a means of edification to our church, 
and that you would be glorified in the life of this church. And 
we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.