“3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. 10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant[b] of Christ.” Galatians 1:3-10
I want you to recall, for a moment, a time when someone was mad at you in your life. I don’t want you to recall a time when someone was just a little mad but really mad at you. I’m talking about fist-shaking, red-faced, foot-stomping, voice hoarse from screaming type of mad. Have the image, yet? Remember that moment? If you are having trouble, think of a time that you saw a person that mad at someone else.
With that image in mind, that is Paul the Apostle in the book of Galatians. He is mad. He is really mad. He is fist-shaking, foot-stomping, voice is hoarse kind of mad. What is Paul mad about? What has upset him so deeply? What is making him so passionate? The Galatians have left the one and only Gospel!
As Paul starts his letter, he can’t help but express his frustration, disappointment, and anger. He moves right from his blessing to rebuke. The Galatians’ error is serious, and potentially fatal. Paul’s love for them drives him to these strong words and stern warnings. If he didn’t love them so deeply, he wouldn’t be so upset. In the letter to the Galatians, Paul calls them back home. He calls them to return to the one and only Gospel.
Why? There is only one. Salvation is found in Jesus alone. Salvation comes not by works, but by Christ’s work: His perfect life and death for us. It is only in this Gospel, this good news (the word gospel means “good news”), that we receive life, salvation, and forgiveness. No wonder Paul is so upset with them for leaving this!
As we begin this summer, we start in the book of Galatians. We see how Paul preaches to us Jesus, and what this Gospel does in our lives, to our lives, and for our lives.
Christ’s blessings on the summer months!
Pastor Nick Kooi
(Originally published in Emmaus Footprints, Vol. XXIII, Number 11, June 2022)