What gospel do you believe?
Key verse:
Galatians 1:6
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
This theme will penetrate almost every message preached from this book. This verse is, by the way, the reason for this book. The Galatian church had been planted by Paul on his first missionary journey. You will remember that from Acts 13:49, where Paul & Barnabas were preaching to the Jews but it appeared that the Jews would not receive their word so they switched strategies and began preaching to the gentiles (non-Jews) and they were received and the word spread across the entire region.
That guy is just a problem looking for a place to happen. Maybe you know someone like that.
When God is moving you don’t want to be the one to try to stop Him.
God is at work.
God is moving.
God is faithful.
Just be part of what He is doing.
The author: Paul. We know that because he tells us that.
Paul’s credentials: A representative of Jesus and God who raised him
The recipients of the letter: The churches in Galatia.
The reminder: It’s all about God
Did you notice what is missing in the introduction?
When Paul wrote letter to the other churches he planted he would begin with a affirmation of something they were doing correctly.
That brings us back to our key verse. 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.
When we read this verse there is a key word that distinguishes the true gospel from every other gospel.
The word is GRACE.
Why do I say that? Because we live every day receiving what we need not what we deserve. That’s grace.
But we must protect that we do not corrupt the grace of God. I want to live in Grace but I do not want to sin with the expectation that God’s grace will protect me from the consequences of my sin. It can but it probably won’t.
In our text we see the Galatian believers literally turning their back on God’s grace and exchanging it for a different gospel.
