Galatians 1: 6-9
I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;
Paul is astounded and dismayed that these precious believers are already succumbing to other beliefs so contrary to the simple trust in Jesus, that it has drawn these Galatians completely away from our Lord Christ!
which is really not another;
This is really not good news, because it isn't good. It takes away the confidence they had in the Lord.
only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the Gospel of Christ.
There were Jews from Jerusalem who had come in and insisted that believing in what Christ has done for us wasn't enough, that we also have to do something to save ourselves, by following the Law of Moses.
This is very serious, because it denies that Jesus' death and resurrection is sufficient. It's so serious that it has actually pulled them away from Christ.
But even if we, or an Angel from Heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!
Paul is very strong here, declaring that even if he himself or even one of God's Angels is telling them anything different to dilute or pollute the original message he had originally preached to these people--the complete sufficiency of the Lamb of God's Sacrifice on our behalf, and his rising from the dead as proof that God the Father accepted His payment in full for our sins--then God's eternal curse is upon that person.
As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
Paul is so strongly convinced of this, he repeats it, he calls down the curse of God on anyone who would contradict God's Truth in this basic, fundamental fact. Without this foundation, of Christ Himself having done all the work of our Salvation, we don't have the Christian faith at all, but something else. And anyone who says that anything else is needed is leading people away from God, and is therefore under God's curse!
Generally, Church history tells us that the Dark Ages came when the Christian church leaders had declared that they were the only ones God could teach His Truth to, and they brought in other ideas, like having to work for your own salvation, and led the people away from Christ.
That's why the Reformation happened, when people who were true Christians and educated to be able to read the Scriptures, realized what the official Church had done, and some of them wanted to bring it back to the simplicity of the Gospel. But the leaders refused to debate the issues, and simply threw them out of the church.
When these Christians taught others God's Truth from Scripture, then the Protestant denominations arose, and education spread from just the aristocratic and noble of the people to the common population, the Enlightenment happened.
(All this history is just a generalized overlook of the whole historical period.)
Paul is writing to the churches in the Galatia area, and was amazed at how soon they left the simplicity of the Truth. This shows us how easily the World and our enemy and our own sinful hearts can lead us astray, if we are not vigilant in maintaining our trust in Christ alone for our Salvation.
The history of the church all through the centuries since Pentecost has shown that the official Christian Church has undergone various iterations; but we can rest assured that God's true children have persisted throughout all of this Church Age, whether inside or outside the "official" (according to the World's history) church.
Even today, we must consider God's Word as He has given it to us in the Scriptures must take precedence over any "church doctrine." As far as I can see, it looks like all the "high churches" of the denominations have lost their way to some greater or lesser degree, so we must be very careful who we listen to, what church we need to attach ourselves to, and who we consider our counselors and teachers of God's Word.
I do not even trust myself, in sharing my musings here, to always be absolutely right in everything I say, as I am still living in my flesh and therefore susceptible to error. If any of my readers ever find that they can dispute any pronouncement I have made, I ask that you would be bold to comment and let me know where I have gone to the right or to the left of God's pure Truth, so I can investigate further.
My purpose in sharing here in every one of my blog entries is to help you, my reader, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we all, as God's children, would be strengthened and prepared to stand our ground on the Solid Rock when the storms of life and current history will rage against us.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim the Lordship and Kingship of Christ Jesus the Son, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
