I fear for Christianity. Yes, God’s work will go forward. Yes, He will win in the end. Yes, Christians will be eternally saved. However, none of that has to do with what is called “Christian” today. “Christian” today is simply going to church. Being a “Christian” today is simply saying, “I’m a Christian”. Church members think they belong to Jesus because they believe in a historical figure called Jesus.
Pastors, church leaders and denominations are teaching because they think they serve Jesus. They think they are entitled to be a pastor or church leader because they know some Bible information or have received a degree. Nothing could be further from the truth.
True Christianity is a change of heart, habits, thoughts and actions. It has nothing to do with a “belief” and everything to do with work. Paul is very plain on this, even though the “Christians” of today refuse to listen. Paul says, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Philippians: 2:12, 13. The key is “His good pleasure”, not your church, pastor or denomination. If you are not working out your salvation for His good pleasure, you do not have God working within you. And what is God’s “good pleasure”? Jesus told us, “Be perfect”, “stop sinning” and “If you would enter life, keep the Commandments.” Matthew 5:48, John 5:14, Matthew 19:17.
The book of Galatians is a letter to Christians encouraging them in their obedience (works) to Jesus. To keep their minds on Jesus and His sacrifice and off of this “present evil world”. Good advice for Christians today. Christians today are very removed from Jesus and His gospel. It is all about the gospel of church, denomination and personal opinion.
Galatians 1:1 to Galatians 1:24
Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:
I understand Paul. Millions of people love the Lord and want to serve Him. Thousands decide to go to theological schools to become hirable to churches and denominations. Many start their own ministries because they have a desire to help others. Yet, in my case, like Paul, I was called directly to this work by the Lord Jesus Christ through His Spirit. It was, as it was with Paul, a most profound experience. Even today, as I look back upon it, it is something very difficult for me to understand or explain.
Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, . . .
Peace is only available from God the Father and Jesus. Why? Because when you believe in Jesus you recognize that you are putting your trust into someone who not only knows the future but has the power to protect you and provide for your needs. That is someone you can have peace and rest in. People putting their faith, hope and peace in a bank may wake up one morning with nothing. Therefore, they have no peace. People putting their faith in a church or denomination are finding there is no peace there either.
. . . Who gave himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
Did you catch that? God is our Father. He is a Father who loves us. Because of the Love of God for us poor creatures, it was His will that Jesus should give His life for our sins. It is His will to deliver us from evil. Evil hurts. Evil destroys. Evil leads to eternal death. Yet, just because it is His “will” doesn’t mean He “can”. It must also be our “will”. He can’t force one person to stop sinning. He can’t force one person to get out of this present evil world. He gave His life in order to open the door (Justification), but unless we abide by the rules of that deliverance (Sanctification) we will never make it to Heaven. We must walk through the door He has opened.
To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
He does deserve our praise. He does deserve glory. No praise or glory are ever to come to us. And yet, everything we do is bringing glory and praise to ourselves. Right? Why do you do what you do? How about your church? Do you bring glory to it instead of Jesus? Do you talk about your church? Do you bring people to your church? Why not bring glory to Jesus by talking about Him? Why not bring glory to Jesus by bringing people to Him?
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
Pastors, churches and denominations use this verse to keep members under their control. “See! You can’t believe anything other than what I have taught you.” How sad. They are the ones removing people from Jesus and taking them “unto another gospel”. Jesus never taught the gospel the churches and pastors of the world today are teaching.
Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
“The gospel of Christ”. There it is. It isn’t the gospel of your church, pastor or denomination. It is the gospel of Christ. What was the gospel of Christ?
“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom.” Matthew 9:35.
1) Stop sinning. John 8:11
2) Be perfect. Matthew 5:48
3) Keep the Ten Commandments to get your eternal life. Matthew 19:17
That is the gospel Paul is warning the Galatians not to depart from. Anything other than that gospel “is not another”. They “pervert the gospel of Christ” when they try to tell you that you are “saved by grace” and no longer “under the law”. They are perverting the gospel of Christ when they tell you that the law is done away with. Paul was faced with the same troubles that we are meeting today. The devil never gives up.
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
And they are! Deuteronomy lays down the curses and the blessing for those who either disobey the gospel or obey it. Nothing in the New Testament is any different from the Old Testament for our salvation. The devil tried hard to move the Israelites away from the gospel of Jesus. Finally he succeeded so well that God had to destroy the nation and send them into the Babylonian Captivity. When they came back to their homes they made a new covenant to live in obedience to the Law. However, by the time of Jesus they were not living in obedience to the Law. “Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law.” John 7:19. Therefore, they were being cursed.
I would like to bring to your attention a very important point. When the Old Testament talks about going back to, or finding, the “book of the law”, they are only referring to the book of Deuteronomy. The prophets are not talking about the first five books, the Pentateuch. As the Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land, Moses laid out the Ten Commandments and the curses and blessings that would come from either disobeying them or obeying them. We need to read Deuteronomy more often. It teaches the gospel!
As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
Paul is doing nothing more than what the Old Testament did. He emphasized over and over again the importance of not departing from the Ten Commandments. But the people just don’t want to hear it. The churches today are filled with “another gospel”. But it isn’t the one Jesus taught. The “gospel” Paul and the disciples taught was the gospel taught in the Old Testament. The gospel, “good news”, was what Jesus taught Adam, Cain and all the Old Testament people: “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4:7. “Love the Lord your God by walking in His ways and by observing His commands.” Deuteronomy 30:16.
For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
Pleasing men! Isn’t that what it is all about? I don’t know of any religion, denomination, church or pastor that isn’t out to “please men”. After all, if they don’t please men they don’t get paid. Interesting to hear Paul. “For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” Very plain! You can’t serve both God and man. It is either one or the other. Either you serve your church or you serve God. Can’t be both.
I like the part, “or God?”. How true. The churches, pastors and denominations are working very hard to persuade God that He needs to change His Law. That was the argument Lucifer gave. He got tired of keeping the Law and thought it needed to be changed. The churches, pastors and denominations are all falling in behind Lucifer and supporting his claim.
But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
The gospel of the Old Testament is not “after man”. It wasn’t to please man. God gave the “good news” in order to bring man back into oneness with God. That means man had to give up his sins, his earthly desires and live in obedience to the character of God: Ten Commandments.
For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
There are two things going on here, and we must be very careful. First, we must never just take one text and build a theology around it. We must look closely at all the other texts pertinent to the topic. In this case, Paul kept referring people back to the Old Testament for the truths they needed for their salvation. Therefore, what was Paul taught “by the revelation of Jesus Christ”? Well, Paul didn’t know Jesus in the flesh, so, Jesus revealed Himself to Paul personally. That was the “revelation”. Since Jesus is the “gospel” in the flesh, Paul received it and then realized that the whole Old Testament is a revelation of Jesus. Now he saw the Old Testament with new eyes and could teach it as the “revelation” of Jesus and the gospel.
The churches, pastors and denominations of the world today claim that Paul has a “new” gospel for us. The he was given a new revelation that overrides what Jesus taught in both the Old Testament and in the first four books of the New Testament. How insane! When Jesus left the earth to go back to His Father, listen carefully what He said. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, . . . teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19, 20. Why would He command them to teach the world what He had commanded them, if He was going to change it?
For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
Many today are as Paul was. They persecute and waste the “church of God”. I’m talking about pastors, teachers, church people, denominations and religions, who, as Paul was, are persecuting and wasting the “church of God” from their positions within their churches. The “church of God” Paul was talking about were those who live by the teachings of Jesus to stop sinning, be perfect and to keep the Ten Commandments to get eternal life. The religions, denominations and churches of today hate the “church of God”.
And profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.
Oh yes. If you hate the truth you will be “exceedingly zealous” for the traditions of your church and denomination. If you are not striving to live the perfect, sinless and Commandment keeping life, you have nothing in your life except the traditions, rites, ceremonies and services of your church and denomination. None of that will get you into Heaven. Paul was so good at keeping the traditions of the “fathers” that he was being promoted ahead of his peers.
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:
Why was he called to preach Jesus “among the heathen”? Because his church was trying to destroy all who believed in Jesus and His truth to stop sinning, be perfect and keep the Ten Commandments to get eternal life. And why was that? Because he, as you and I are, was called to “reveal His Son in me”. That is our only mission in this life.
Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
For most to become a pastor in churches today, they must first go before man and learn from man the wisdom of man and of the church and denomination. Paul would have none of that. He had the wisdom of man and church and it did him no good for eternal life. None of it taught him to live in obedience to the Ten Commandments.
Therefore, he left the church and went into Arabia to be alone with God. He was well educated in the Old Testament. As he studied the Old Testament the Spirit of God was able to bring to his attention what the church was trying to hide. Now he saw clearly what the gospel was.
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.
Why Peter? I’m sure Paul had heard of Peter’s denial and conversion. Paul needed some assurance that even he could be forgiven. Then again, there may not have been too many disciples left in Jerusalem for Paul to visit. Most were being hunted and had left for other lands.
But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother.
If I was Paul, I would want to talk to James, “the Lord’s brother”, to learn all I could about Jesus from childhood on up. What a revelation that must have been to Paul. How awesome to sit at the feet of James and let him share the beauty of the character of Jesus as He grew up. I am sure James wept often as he related the story, thinking how many times he brought grief to Jesus.
Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.
Keep in mind, the early Christians came out of their church. The church was not teaching the truth for eternal life. Therefore, Paul is wanting them to understand that he was not teaching the “church gospel”, but the gospel Jesus taught from the Old Testament. Could the Christians trust him?
Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia; and was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ:
No, they didn’t know him personally, “by face”, but they had heard of him.
But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. And they glorified God in me.
Can people glorify God in you? Are you persecuting those of us who teach the gospel as Jesus taught it: to stop sinning, be perfect and to keep the Ten Commandments to get eternal life? Let us all receive the same “revelation” Paul received and begin revealing the glory of God “in me”.