Let them be anathema who preach any other gospel

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts. Morse Corner is a non-denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message. There is only one true gospel. Nothing can be added to it. Nothing can be taken away from it. So this morning as we look at Galatians chapter 1 verses 6 through 10, we are going to see the apostle Paul kind of getting down to the heart of the matter in his defense of the good news of Jesus Christ.

This is the only message that can save. So turn to Galatians chapter 1. Galatians chapter 1, and before we read, let me just start out by asking a few questions for you to consider. As we read, what's the context?

What's happening here? And then how is this relevant for us today? First, the apostle Paul, during his missionary journeys, he established churches throughout the Roman province of Galatia. The people received the message with gladness that salvation, this is the message of the gospel, salvation by grace through faith in Christ, Christ alone.

So they understood that Christ was the only name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. However, as soon as Paul departed from that region, false teachers started to creep into the church, teaching a variation of that message.

So the false teachers known as the Judaizers, they basically said that, yes, Jesus is the savior. That's true. But Christ, it's not enough. He's not enough. You need more. You need to keep the law of Moses to be saved.

Specifically, they were hung up on circumcision being necessary for salvation, which was a major problem with the Gentiles who were all uncircumcised. So believe it or not, this was a popular viewpoint back in these days.

It's hard for us to kind of wrap our mind around, but yes, circumcision is necessary for salvation. That's what they were teaching, which is why, because this was such a popular teaching, this is why Paul will say, he asked a rhetorical question, who am I seeking to please, men or God?

In other words, if Paul was seeking to please men, he'd be willing to compromise on this one thing. I mean, it's just one thing. We'll just add that to the gospel and make these people happy. But who is Paul seeking to please, men or God?

He was seeking to please God. So this is where we pick up Galatians chapter one, verses six through 10, because there can be no compromise when it comes to the gospel of Christ. Galatians chapter one, starting in verse six, Paul says, I marvel that you are turning away so soon from him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel.

Which is not another, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we are an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed.

As we have said before, so now I say again, anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men or God, or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

So Paul really isn't wasting much time in this letter, which is only six chapters. Now he's getting real serious, real quick. And we looked at this statement a couple of weeks ago, how he starts the letter with a word of grace, grace to you, grace and peace.

And then last week we looked at how Jesus died for our sins in order to do what? Deliver us from this present evil age. And one of the evils that they and we need deliverance from is the damning doctrine of false teachers.

The damning doctrine of false teachers. So they have the Judaizers back then, we don't really have. Well, I guess we do have some Judaizers today, but it's the same problem, it just takes different forms.

So we'll look at what happened here in the first century, and then we'll look at some modern day applications in a little while. But who were the Judaizers? Well, basically they were Jewish false teachers who were into legalism.

Now when you hear that word legalism, there's probably some things that come to mind. But I really believe that term legalism has been greatly abused and misused in the modern church. So what is legalism?

Legalism, you think of the word legal refers to law, and the law that we're talking about is the law of Moses. So legalism, biblically, is salvation by faith plus the works of the Mosaic Law. So you're saved by faith plus works, essentially.

So here's where people get mixed up. Jesus and the Apostles, they affirmed the Old Testament Scriptures. They affirmed the law of Moses, right? Okay, so Jesus affirmed the law, but remember, he also fulfilled the law.

So here's the key. Not everything in the law of Moses applies for New Testament Christians. Everything is true, but not everything applies. We are under what? The old covenant of the law? The churches of Galatia, they were under the old covenant of the law?

No, they were under the new covenant. We are under the new covenant. The problem with the Judaizers, they wanted to blend the two together. You can't blend the two. Now let's turn to Mark chapter 2. Here's the bigger point.

While Jesus and his Apostles affirmed the law of Moses, here's the thing. They never taught that that could save a person's soul. And Moses is the one who gave the law. Certainly Moses affirmed it. He's the one who gave it, or God gave it through Moses.

Moses was not a legalist, because Moses never taught that salvation came through the works of the law. So Jesus never taught it. His Apostles never taught it. Moses never taught it. And just in case there's somebody who's maybe not fully convinced that Jesus affirmed the law of Moses, do you remember what he said in Matthew 5, 17?

He said, Do not think that I came to destroy the law. I did not come to destroy, but to what? Fulfill. And then Paul in Romans 3, 31, he says, Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not.

On the contrary, we establish the law. So Paul was not looking to do away with the law of Moses. It's all still true. Just not all of it applies. We establish the law, Paul says. So, but again, affirming the law was true is not the same as teaching that the law can save.

Later on in Galatians, Paul will say that the law of Moses was like a teacher to lead people to faith in Christ. You're in Mark chapter two, right? Look at verse 21. Talking about the Judaizers wanting to blend old and new covenant together.

Jesus says, No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, or else the new piece pulls away from the old and the tear is made worse. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine bursts the wineskins and the wine is spilled.

And the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into what? New wine must be put into new wineskins. You say, Pastor, what does this have to do with clothing and new wine and wineskins? What does this have to do with anything?

You know, Jesus often spoke in such a way that not everybody would get what he's talking about unless you're spiritual. Unless you have discernment to see what Jesus is saying. So, one takeaway from this statement from Jesus is that you don't mix old with new.

Just as it would have disastrous results if you sewed together old and new fabric, or old wine into new wineskins, that would have disastrous results. Guess what? It has disastrous results if you try to mix old covenant with new covenant.

You don't do that. The new is new. Now, the old is still true, but again, doesn't all apply. The new covenant is exactly that. It is a new covenant. And unfortunately, the Judaizers did not recognize that.

They were teaching heresy. How many of you hear that word on a regular basis? Heresy. That guy, he's a heretic. Now, if you hang out with me, you might hear that word on a regular basis, but if not, you probably don't.

Let's turn back to Galatians chapter 1. As you're turning there, let's spend just a moment on this term heresy or heretic. A heretic is a person. And what makes them a heretic is that they teach heresy.

So, this idea that you're saved by faith plus works or faith in Jesus plus circumcision, that is heresy. Where does this term come from? You say, is this word even in the Bible? Well, in the Greek, it is.

Titus chapter 3 verse 10, Paul writes, Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition. So, you reject him after you try to correct him once, you know, try to correct him again. You know, three strikes and you're out.

He's a heretic. He's a divisive man. The Greek term translated divisive man is the Greek word heretic. So, it is a biblical term. So, what is a heretic? It's someone who creates division in the church by teaching false doctrine.

Something, usually we reserve this term for something very serious that would corrupt the nature of God or the person and work of Christ. And certainly this term applies to the Judaizers. Because Paul, writing under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he says that these false teachers, they're preaching what?

A false gospel. He says, let them be accursed. Let them be accursed. This is not someone who's just a little off on a few things. There's a lot of people that are a little off. I mean nobody has everything figured out 100%.

These people are way off on the most important issue. So, this is such a serious error. It can not only damn souls, it can destroy a church. And look at what Paul says in verse 6. Galatians 1 verse 6.

Paul can't believe it. He says, I marvel that you are turning away so soon from him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel. He's like, what's wrong with you guys? I can't believe it.

Now I want to bring this down on a practical level.

Okay.

What might this look like today? Well, there are plenty examples of heresy and other gospels that are taught, have been taught throughout history. Even to this day, many will add or take away from the gospel.

So, just imagine this. This is kind of a far out example, an unbelievable example, because I don't think this could ever happen. But imagine at this church. We're solid on the gospel.

Amen.

Are we solid on the gospel? Grace alone. Faith alone. Christ alone. Let's say somebody came in and whether it was from the pulpit or covertly from person to person. False teachers do that kind of thing too.

Let's say somebody crept into the church and they basically said, you know, you need to speak in tongues in order to be saved.

I mean, yeah.

Believing in Jesus. We all need to do that. But you're not really saved unless you speak in tongues. We'd have a problem on our hands, wouldn't we? If a lot of people in the church believed it. See, someone can be a little off on something and, you know, we might try to convince them.

But, hey, everyone has their own thoughts on some, you know, third tier issues maybe. And that's not that big of an issue. I wouldn't want to fight about those things. But if someone came in and they started teaching that and picking people off that they're trusting in all these works, who would fight that?

You would. You would.

I know.

You would.

That's what's happening in the church of Galatia. They're coming in and teaching a different message. That Christ really isn't enough. And Paul was saying, nope, not on my watch. And he wrote this letter where he is very direct.

Anyone preaches this? I don't care if it's an angel preaching this. Let them be accursed. Thanks for listening. I'm Pastor Michael Grant from Morris Cornick Church. If you'd like to listen to the complete message or if you'd like more information about the ministry, visit our website, MorrisCornickChurch .com.

And we'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett. Until next time, may the grace of God be with you.