Yesterday I explained what Paul said regarding anyone who alters the gospel in any way—how they should be “Anathema”: “accursed”, pledged to destruction, a divine curse/ban, or an “oath-curse”—and he did so emphatically in Galatians 1:8-10. And though I jumped directly to verse 8 to discuss the strong language used by Paul to the church in Galatia, actually, you can grasp the importance and conviction felt by Paul in the opening verses.
1 Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead),
In a verse, Paul packs in the message of the entire book of Galatians: he, Paul, was not sent from man by man, “but”—“alla”: a marker of more emphatic contrast—he described his true source (and ours) of life; Jesus Christ. Also from the start, Paul gives the terra firma, back bone, the bed rock of the gospel and of all Christianity: Jesus Christ, our Lord, was resurrected.
2 and all the brethren who are with me,
To the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
4 who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
5 to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.
If you read and compare Paul’s other letters—Romans 1:8-15; 1 Corinthians 1:4-9; Philippians 1:3-11; and 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3—to the church in Galatia, you can tell, the salutation given here in the opening verses—or lack thereof—is quite obvious. Paul did not include the traditional prayer of thanksgiving; instead, in its spot—1:6—Paul expresses concern with the Galatians apostasy: [that is, “In classical Gk. “apostasia” is a technical term for political revolt or defection. In LXX it always relates to rebellion against God (Jos. 22:22; 2 Ch. 29:19), originally instigated by Satan, the apostate dragon of Jb. 26:13.]
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;
Paul, in verse one, gives the victory of Christianity, in the resurrection of Jesus Christ; in 1:4, Paul gives the Galatian church a view of the cross and its meaning.
“He might rescue”: “exaireō”, which literally means to take out, to deliver, pluck, pull out, to rescue or set someone free from danger; strong, clear, and decisive language used here by Paul to the Galatians, so they, not only, would know clearly what was accomplished at Calvary, but, also, that they knew the gospel of Christ IS the rescue.
Jesus Christ, God incarnate, gave of Himself to die on a cross (2:19-21; 3:1, 13; 4:5; 5:11, 24; 6:12-14) as a propitiation of our sins, He paid the price to rescue sinners from bondage (2:4; 4:3, 9, 24-25; 5:1), He was buried, and resurrected on the third day; giving those who believe in him, by faith, justification and an eternal home with Him in Heaven.
I pray, now, you see why the gospel CANNOT be altered, changed, or modified: the Galatian church attempted to do so and they received a harsh rebuke—in love.
I pray you are never ashamed of the gospel. Paul writes in Romans 1:16-17:
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”
New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ro 1:16–17). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ga 1:6). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ga 1:1–5). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
Wood, D. R. W., & Marshall, I. H. (1996). New Bible dictionary (3rd ed.) (57). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.
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