Protecting the Pure Gospel
We are going to be looking at the letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the churches in the area of Galatia. This would be central Turkey in our times. Paul had invested himself into the Galatian churches and, like a father with his children, he is concerned by reports that he hears. These reports tell of teachers who are misleading these Christians into thinking that they need to keep the Law of Moses in order to be a follower of Jesus. Paul's concern arises from the fact that what seemed like a slight change that doesn't affect who Jesus is, completely changes the gospel. It in fact changes it so much that it ceases to be the gospel, it has become a lie that leads people into bondage. Throughout the letter Paul rebukes, reminds and teaches the Galatians what the gospel is and exactly why salvation is not a matter of Jesus plus the Law of Moses, but rather faith in Jesus alone. Let's look at the first two chapters.
The True Gospel
Of course Paul opens by making explicit who is authoring the letter and to whom it was written. It is here that we see the letter was initially intended for distribution among the churches of the Galatian region. Even in his greeting to the churches of Galatia we get a foreshadowing of his concerns for them. He reminds them that the Lord Jesus Christ who gave himself for their sins for the purpose of delivering them from the evil age in which they lived. This was God's will. Paul quickly moves to point out the problem that he wishes to address.
The Galatian christians are turning away from Christ in order to embrace a different gospel. Paul sees Jesus and the gospel as so integrally connected that to change the gospel is to leave Jesus. Paul's point is not necessarily about the finer fringe points of doctrine to which we may have different opinions. But rather those issues that are at the heart of the gospel and define what it means to be "saved." That is what is happening in this situation, which will become evident as the letter progresses. Suffice it to say that they were being led to believe that faith in Jesus alone was not enough to be saved. Rather, they also had to keep the Law of Moses. Paul says this is a different gospel. In fact it is no gospel at all because gospel means good news. Thus perversions of the gospel are pointed out by Paul as temptations to draw us away from Christ, even though they pretend to give us greater teaching in Christ.
Next he makes it clear that the gospel they received from him was the "True" gospel. Here the problem is not angels, nor apostles who have changed their minds. But Paul starts with the stronger argument that even if he and his companions were to come back and begin teaching a different "gospel" that the Galatians should reject them and let the be under the wrath of God. He also mentions angels. Even if an angel were to show up and teach a different gospel then they should reject it and leave that angel to its coming wrath. The fact that Paul says this twice demonstrates the forcefulness by which he intends to impress upon the Galatians that they already have the True Gospel. Of course throughout church history false apostles and angelic visitations have led to many perversions of Christianity, otherwise known as cults.
Paul then highlights part of the problem. He points out the twin issues of persuading and pleasing. Whom should Christian's persuade and whom should they please? We ought to persuade men and please God. But, too often we get this backwards. In trying to please men we adopt ideas and actions that "plead" with God to change his mind.
"Surely, you didn't mean what you said, Lord. You had to really mean this..... So I will just go along believing what I want to believe. You agree don't you Lord?"
We don't actually says these words, but our actions are presumptuous. The presume upon God to agree with us or back us up. Paul says, his job is not to try and persuade God to change the gospel in order to please teachers who want to add the Law of Moses to it. Rather, his job is to hear what God says and then to please Him, by pleading with men and persuading them to believe God.
It is important to notice the personal nature of this issue. Paul is the one who brought them the gospel. Now that gospel is being perverted. Thus Paul will spend more time than he is comfortable with talking about himself so that they will be confident that they already have the Pure Gospel.
The Source of the Pure Gospel
Though God used men, the revelation of the gospel came from God himself. Paul neither made it up nor received it from "wise men." Rather the Son of God, Jesus Christ himself gave Paul the gospel. The gospel is not some science experiment's hypothesis, open to further tweaking and refinement by wise men.
Paul reminds them of his history. He was very active in persecuting those who followed Christ and tried to destroy the church. But God powerfully and graciously confronted Paul with the truth of who Jesus was and why he died on the cross. Paul points out that he didn't confer with the other apostles and run down to Jerusalem to make sure he had heard Jesus correctly. He had received the gospel from Jesus himself, just like the apostles who were in Jerusalem. In fact it was three years before Paul went to Jerusalem and even then the only apostles he talked with was Peter and James. He then continued to preach the gospel throughout the area of Syria and Cilicia (the seacoast area around the Northeastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea). He did this for 14 years before he ever headed back to Jerusalem again. Paul's point is to show the confidence in which he held and gave the gospel. He knew quite clearly that Jesus had appeared to him (more than once) and confirmed the truth of who he was and what the gospel was. This leads us into chapter 2 of Galatians.
Paul Confronts the Apostles
Paul tells them of a trip he took, at least 17 years after his conversion to Jesus Christ, to Jerusalem after having a revelation from God. Though he doesn't go into the details of this revelation, it clearly has to do with the "false brethren" (Gal. 2:4) who were stirring up trouble in the areas where Paul preached. These men were coming from Jerusalem and appeared to have a connection with James, the converted brother of Jesus. Paul went to Jerusalem to make sure that the Apostles in Jerusalem were teaching the same gospel he was. He did not want to be risking his life to create converts that someone later would come along and persuade to believe another gospel.
Several things come of that meeting. First, Titus, a gentile believer, was not compelled to be circumcised at the time. The point being that if these perverters of the gospel were right then it would have come out then. The apostles of Jerusalem did not tell Paul that Gentiles had to be circumcised. Paul uses a term here that gives us a flavor of the gospel versus the law. Paul says that the false brethren came by stealth to spy out the freedom that Paul's churches had in Jesus. Thus the law is equated with bondage and the gospel of Jesus is equated with freedom. This will be further developed later.
Paul points out that the apostles didn't "add anything" to him. Thus Paul was not deficient in their minds. Instead they recognized that God had worked powerfully through Paul as an Apostle to the Gentiles like He was working powerfully through Peter as an Apostle to the Jews. The apostles instead of correcting Paul, gave him the right hand of fellowship. The one thing they encouraged Paul to do, remember the poor, was something he was already doing.
Paul then brings up a later story in which Peter comes to Antioch to see what is happening there. At first Peter would eat with the Gentile believers. But when "certain men" from James came to Antioch, Peter "withdrew and separated" himself from the Gentile believers. Why? He feared those of the "Circumcision." Whether this was a title that they used of themselves or Paul coins it, it becomes an apt description of what they believed and taught. Peter knew how they thought as well and he, in trying to please men, acted hypocritically. Notice Paul points out that though Peter knew the truth he was being manipulated into not acting in accordance with the truth. Paul publically confronted Peter about the hypocrisy of his action and its discordance with the truth of the gospel. The eloquent defense of Grace that follows (Gal. 2:14-21) is a powerful sermon in itself. Here we see why Paul is making a big deal of this perverse teaching. Even the Jews themselves knew they couldn't be justified by the law and that is why many of them followed Jesus. If it was possible for righteousness to come through the law then Jesus' death was for nothing or unnecessary. Of course, it was necessary and righteousness is not possible by the law. Thus, to try and please God through the fleshly requirements of the law, especially circumcision, would be to push aside the grace that God is offering in Jesus.
Today we see all kinds of threats to the Pure Gospel. In fact, many would throw up their hands and say how can I know that I have the Pure Gospel? There has been 2 thousand years of people perverting it and twisting it. This is where we remind ourselves of the Protestant cry of old- "Sola Scriptura," only Scripture. When we hear the gospel preached today, we do not receive it from a man like Paul or Peter. These apostles had received the gospel directly from Jesus and were uniquely empowered by his Holy Spirit to have the gospel written down for us. No matter how many perversions have arisen, the Bible we have today is essentially what the Apostles wrote. Thus the written word of God and the assistance of the Holy Spirit are the only witnesses that we need of what the pure gospel is. The false brethren have continued in every generation to try and manipulate God's people into embracing that which is not really a gospel and in so doing to turn them away from the Lord Jesus who died for them that they may know the grace of God. But their perversions are always obvious when viewed in the light of the Scriptures. Whether it is a focus on legalism today or a plunging into the pleasures of this world the real question is not what works have you done, but do you really trust Jesus? Those who trust Jesus will know that they can add nothing in themselves to be acceptable to God. And, those who trust Jesus will also pick up their cross and follow him. Let us do so today!