Galatians 1:6-10, No Other Gospel

I’ve been trying out the new AI powered Bing search engine. I asked it what the true Coke (Coca Cola) was, and it responded, “Coca-Cola Classic is the original flavor formula for Coca-Cola and is one of the most tightly-guarded secrets in the universe. Dr. John Pemberton developed the unique combination — called Merchandise 7X by Coke — and the ingredients are only known by a few people. There is no such thing as “true coke” but there are different types of Coca-Cola available in different countries. For example, American Coke is made with high-fructose corn syrup, while Mexican Coke is made with cane sugar.” So it turns out there are many varieties of Coke. Wonder what it would answer if I asked it what the true gospel is?

6 I am amazed that you have so quickly deserted the one who called you by Christ’s grace for another gospel, 7 which is not really another, but some are troubling you and wanting to turn you from the gospel of Christ. 8 But if even we or an angel from heaven preach a gospel to you that is different from what we originally preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before and now say to you again, if anyone preaches a gospel different from what you received, let him be accursed. 10 For am I now finding confidence in men or in God? Or am I seeking to please men? If I were trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:6-10)

In every one of Paul’s other letters there is always a prayer-report at this point (“I pray for you” or “I thank God that you”), but not in this letter. Something terribly wrong has happened in the Galatian churches that Paul founded. Paul says it is an abandonment of God Himself. The Galatians have embraced “another” gospel. In the Greek language Paul is using there are two words for “other”: allos, meaning another of the same kind, and heteros, meaning another of a different kind. Paul says here that his friends have left God for a gospel of a different kind (heteros), which, he then says, is not another of the same kind (allos), which is to say, is not the gospel at all.

To move to another gospel is to deny the gospel altogether, and is, in kind, to deny God as well. God called the Galatians to Himself by the gospel of Christ’s grace. They were rescued from the present evil age (v.4) by the message that we are forgiven and accepted by God freely because of the sacrifice Christ made in our place. It is all of Christ’s grace, not our efforts or accomplishments, that we are redeemed.

The source of this false gospel is people, preachers, who wanted to disturb these churches and purposely turn them from Christ’s gospel. Paul suggests that one reason they did this was because they wanted to please men. They wanted to preach a message that did not bring persecution (see Galatians 6:12). But theirs was not the gospel that rescued the Galatians. That true gospel is what Paul preached to them originally.

So, if anyone preaches a different gospel than that, they are accursed by God, condemned forever. Even if Paul were to preach a different gospel to them, you know, changed his mind about what the message of salvation was, Paul should be accursed. If even an angel appeared and spoke another gospel than that one, the angel should be accursed. It was that gospel alone that was the true gospel, that had the saving effect it had on the Galatians. And Paul’s strong words about it being unacceptable made it clear that he was not guilty of trying to please men. Servants are only concerned about pleasing their masters, and Paul was Christ’s servant.

Paul is particularly disturbed that the Galatians have departed from the truth so “quickly.” He had told them before, and was now having to say it again, that any other gospel was heresy. They must not have recognized that what they were embracing was, in fact, a departure from what Paul taught. Such spiritual dullness is unacceptable, no matter how common.

Paul and other apostolic leaders were never quick to label someone a heretic or apostate unless they taught a false gospel or denied the deity of Christ. These are the crux issues, the core beliefs of Christianity, that cannot be denied without losing the right to be called Christian. To apply those labels to something less than a denial of the gospel or Christ’s deity is confused and irresponsible.