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.

Astonishment of the Apostle

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.

Introduction: A Fighting Epistle

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.

The Gospel 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

The Offensiveness of Free Grace

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.

Defection of the Galatians

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.

Identifying the 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 Heresy Detailed in Galatians 3–5

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.

Circumcision and the Debt to the Whole Law

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.

Intention of the Heretics

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.

The Curse Upon Heretics

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.

Anathema: Devoted to Destruction

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.

The Curse Repeated and Intensified

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.

Application: Guarding the Gospel

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.

Closing Prayer

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.

Scripture References

• Leviticus 27
• Joshua 6
• Luke 21:5
• Acts 13-14
• Romans 9:3
• 1 Corinthians 12:3; 15:1-4; 16:22
• Galatians 1:3-5; 1:6-9; 2:21; 3:1; 4:21; 5:2-4
• James 3:1