Galatians1:6-9 is one of the most politically incorrect texts in the New Testament. Offends everyone, except (hopefully) Bible-believing Christians.
In it, Paul is clearly shook up. No warm greeting to the converts made and churches planted. No from-the-heart thanksgiving and prayer for them.. So stunned by events in the Galatian churches, he slams right into the subject.
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel–which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
I see two politically incorrect points in Paul’s words . . .
THERE IS ONE GOSPEL: “JUSTIFIED BY FAITH”.
Soon after Paul and Barnabas left their newly-planted churches in Psidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe (Acts 13:13-14:28). itinerant Jewish Christian preachers showed up. According to Paul, they were “throwing [the new converts] into confusion and trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” Consequently, many were “turning to a different gospel–which [was] really no gospel at all.”
Later in the letter, two texts make clear what this “different gospel” was . . .
We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified (Galatians 2:15,16).
Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all (Galatians 5:2).
There’s the difference. These itinerant preachers insisted justification (being declared righteous before God) required faith in Jesus plus circumcision and devotion to Jewish law. For Paul, not only was circumcision unnecessary; it made Christ valueless. They were deserting God who had called them “in the grace (unmerited favor, undeserved love) of Christ”. Attempting to be justified by faith plus law. they were losing the very justification they had by grace through faith.
The false preachers’ equation looked like this . . .
FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST + CIRCUMCISION + LAW-KEEPING = JUSTIFICATION
The gospel Paul preached—the one gospel—looks like this . . .
FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST + NOTHING = JUSTIFICATION
Or, to say it another way . . .
GOD’S GRACE IN CHRIST ALONE + (OUR) FAITH ALONE = JUSTIFICATION
The second politically incorrect point I see in this text is . . .
The Preacher of a Different Gospel: “Be Damned”.
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
Politically incorrect. Not only does Paul insist on one gospel; he damns the preachers of another. “Damned” is my synonym for “eternally condemned”, which is the NIV’s translation of the Greek anathema. Let him come under God’s curse! Let God pour out his wrath on him! Let him be eternally condemned!
Not a breath of tolerance! Paul is so agitated and this doctrine so foundational, he wishes its opponents condemned forever. But since this is Holy Spirit-inspired writing, it can’t be just Paul’s anger; it must be God’s too. His gospel must be uncorrupted. His adopted children must be protected. Therefore, gospel-corrupters and child-abusers must be condemned. It’s the height of political incorrectness.
Offensive Christians.
I’ve met a few obnoxious Christians over the years By their attitude, word choice and demeanor, they seem to delight in offending. I’m not talking about them here. By “offensive Christians” I mean Christians who offend because they believe and speak and practice the politically incorrect gospel.
To say there is one gospel of justification by faith offends because popular “gospels” claim many roads to God. And because our prideful sin-nature insists we can “work” at rituals or commandment-keeping or something (in addition to believing) to be right with God.
A gospel so narrow that it damns preachers of “a different gospel” offends the popular mantra that chants “God is love, God is love; he won’t send anybody to hell.” Surely we can be tolerant of other belief-systems! D. C. Carson (Reformed theologian, author and research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) titled one of his recent books, The Intolerance of Tolerance. In it he argues that the old tolerance (respect everyone’s right to hold their own beliefs) has been swallowed up by the new tolerance (everyone’s belief is true for them and debate with them is intolerant.) In other words, the new tolerance is actually intolerant toward all who reject their definition!
We may mock “political correctness”, but must take care that we don’t surrender to it. None of us wants to be branded or shunned. But let’s face it: the gospel of Jesus is politically incorrect. If we let ourselves be “corrected” by another “gospel”—a gospel that preaches faith in Christ plus any meritorious efforts on our part—we will have a different gospel, “which is really no gospel at all.”
Remember my swimming buddy Ernie who panicked in deep water and thrashed about on top of me? We would both soon drown. Ernie needed the lifeguard to save him. There was nothing he could do to save himself. And once the lifeguard came, there was nothing he needed to do.
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