Scripture:
Galatians 1:9 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.
Observation:
Paul reiterates that no matter who is preaching it, if it is not salvation by grace though faith, it is no gospel at all.
Application:
It didn’t take long for false doctrine to creep into the church. A doctrine that taught circumcision and other religious practices were mandatory. A doctrine that made much of self-sanctification through morality. I can understand why. This was what they had believed before Christ. This is also what others were holding on to instead of the gospel. The past system colliding with resistant hearts began causing confusion on exactly what the gospel was and what it meant to people.
However as Paul clarifies, so must we today. There is but one gospel. The gospel of the sacrifice, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ! The gospel of grace through faith. The gospel that trusts the work of Christ instead of our own works. The gospel that trust the shed blood of Jesus instead of the blood, sweat and tears of religious striving.
A few things…
-My hope must be in the grace of Jesus.
-A faith that places weight on religious obligation and performance attempts to rob the cross of power and hand it to us.
-Confusion on what saves us and keeps us can cause wasted lives and ineffective witness for the world. We tend to tell stories of our faithfulness instead of the story of His faithfulness.
Prayer:
May I always have one story and one song. Give me the strength and resolve to never get over the gospel.