6 I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ.

8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse! 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 under a curse!

REFLECTIONS

Written by Paul Bogg

I remember many years ago as an early Christian, I went to a conference where the speaker said to those attending: “Look to the right of you, look to the left of you – one day, one of them will no longer be a Christian.” It really shook up what I thought about Christians generally – that once someone turned to Jesus, it would be crazy to turn away from following him. I know that in God’s hidden purposes, he has chosen those he will save. But from our perspective, there is a real danger of abandoning the gospel. In today’s passage, Paul begins his letter telling the Galatians that they are deserting Jesus – and not just deserting him, but doing so “quickly” (v6).

How does this happen? Paul gives us some hints: firstly, they are turning away from the true gospel by turning towards a false gospel (which as Paul says, “is not even a gospel”). Secondly, someone else has preached this false gospel and led the Galatians to believe it.

Today, you’ll be hearing from many different voices. Some may be telling you about the way to have everlasting meaning in your life, some may be telling you about the right way to experience God. How do what these voices say stack up against what the Bible says? Do they complement the words of the true gospel of Jesis Christ which the apostle Paul preached? Or do they distort or pervert the gospel, or contradict what the Bible says? Let’s be wise towards what voices we are letting into our daily lives and check what they say against the words of truth that the Bible brings. And if you aren’t sure, talk with a trusted brother or sister and together, like iron sharpens iron, let’s sharpen one another in the true gospel.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul is a member of our Bossley Park morning congregation.