By Kyle Beshears
Associate Dean and Assistant Professor of Christian Studies, University of Mobile
True Gospel
c:1–10
Like ancient Galatia, our world is filled with different gospels. We are bombarded by empty promises of control, godhood or material wealth. The different gospel of works-righteousness lures us with the empty promise that we can somehow contribute to and control our destiny through active obedience. The different gospel of Mormonism, ostensibly heralded by an angel named Moroni, arouses a desire within us to ascend to the status of a god. The different gospel of the prosperity movement foolishly equates the level of our faith with material gain and earthly comfort.
The true gospel pleases God; a different gospel pleases people. Paul warned his beloved brothers and sisters in Christ to disregard any gospel contrary to the one preached by the apostles. What exactly was this different gospel that agitated Paul? We will learn this through the course of our study of Galatians.
Appointed by God (1–2)
The gospel is, in its most elegant form, a straightforward message: Christ died for our sins, was buried and raised on the third day, all according to Scripture (1 Cor. 15:3–4). Yet the more we consider this simple truth, the farther its boundaries of meaning and significance expand.
Through His Grace (3–5)
The gospel (meaning “good news”) is the message of God’s work of reconciliation through His Son by faith through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. It is the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4), a message with which God has entrusted believers so that it might be powerfully displayed, in word and deed, to push back the kingdom of darkness (John 12:46). Indeed, the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16).
Distorted by Some (6–10)
It is no surprise, then, that the enemy — whose greatest desire is self-worship through the distortion of truth and dominance of death — stops at nothing to persuade us to believe anything other than the true gospel of Jesus. If the enemy cannot convince us to reject the gospel outright, his next preference is to deceive us.
This deception is precisely what impaired the faith of believers throughout ancient Galatia. At first, the true gospel preached by the apostles took root in the people’s hearts, but through their inability to discern truth, their spiritual growth was choked by the introduction of a “different gospel.” The different gospel seemed like the real thing but was different in significant ways. It was counterfeit, having much the same feel but lacking the power and quality of the good news.
Different gospels are not dangerous because they are dissimilar from the true gospel; instead, they are dangerous precisely because they are similar to the real thing. No one is fooled by a dollar bill that is made of cardboard, shaped like an oval and colored pink. The most successful counterfeiters can reproduce a dollar bill with only one or two variations. They trick you into believing that in your hands rests valuable currency when in reality all you hold is a valueless, crafty lie.
How, then, can we discern the true gospel? Paul gives us a hint when he rhetorically asks, “Am I now trying to persuade people, or God?” (v. 10).
When presented with a gospel that does not seem right, ask yourself, “Who would be pleased by this message, people or God?” Are you drawn to the message for selfish reasons, or does the gospel demand that you crucify selfishness? Does the gospel glorify creation or Creator, people or God?
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