“Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Galatians 1:1-5 ESV)
What is to be our resolve while we live and serve the Lord Jesus Christ in a postmodern culture that rejects objective truth for subjective feelings? How are we to navigate such turbulent waters of a fallen and rebellious sea of sinful humanity? Galatians 1:6-10 provides us with valuable and biblical insight.
Resolve: Believers in Christ must never desert the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:6 (ESV) says, “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—.”
The Apostle Paul was astonished (θαυμάζω; thaumazo). This means surprise, bewilderment and shock. Paul could not believe that the believers in Christ in the region of Galatia were quickly deserting (μετατίθημι; metatithemi), personally departing from the Gospel. This is apostasy (Jude 1-16).
Resolve: Believers in Christ must never distort the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:7 (ESV) says, “…not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.” To distort (μεταστρέφω; metastrepho) means to change, alter, or to make something different than what it was originally.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is applicable for everyone, because all are sinners (Rom. 3:21-26). This meta-narrative explains the world in which we live. Individuals are conceived and born sinners. People do not become sinners when they sin. Rather, they sin because they are by nature sinners. This objective truth must never be distorted.
Resolve: Believers in Christ must never deviate from the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:8–9 (ESV) – “8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 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.”
To be accursed (ἀνάθεμα; anathema) means to condemned, detest and damned. God will condemn anyone who deviates from the truth of the Gospel of grace alone, through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone. Those who detest, distort and deviate from the Gospel, God will detest.
Resolve: Believers in Christ must remain devoted to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:10 (ESV) says, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
The believer’s ultimate devotion must be for the Lord and His unaltered and objective truth. Anything less results in the individual’s condemnation.
“In a postmodern world, every expositor must decide whether he will cave in to the spirit of the age or uphold the standard of sound words. It he is to win the approbation of God, he must proclaim the exclusive message of God’s unmerited grace. Of those who corrupt this message of the sufficiency and the finality of the substitutionary death of Christ for sinners, he must say with Paul, ‘let them be accursed.’ May this never be said of us,” states Dr. Steven J. Lawson.
Soli deo Gloria!
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