If the Apostle Paul were here this morning, would we listen to him?
Let’s say he is our guest speaker and his subject matter is the gospel, would we give him our full attention? Even more specifically, let’s say the great Apostle is here this morning, and he is very upset because several in our fellowship have turned to a different gospel which isn’t a gospel at all? Would we listen to him then?
That was exactly the occasion for his letter to the Galatians. How many we do not know, but there were enough people in the churches of Galatia that had embraced a false gospel that Paul felt the urgent need to confront them. They had turned away from the gospel that Paul had previously preached to them, the same gospel that they had received.
So if Paul were to visit us today, to preach to us in the context of the gospel versus false gospels, to teach us and rebuke us, would we listen?
The funny thing is, which really isn’t a funny thing, but a very powerful and compelling thought is that, yes, we can find out. We can know. We will find out this morning if we would listen to the Apostle Paul if he were here this morning because, in a sense, he is. We have his words. We have his clear, compelling account of the one true gospel—the gospel that Paul preached.
Sobering. And, no, I am not speaking theoretically. If I get it wrong, then I am accursed.
The gospel I mean. If I get the gospel wrong, then I am accursed. The same goes for you. Get it right or remain under the curse of God, crushed under the weight of his holy law. So we had better get it right then, hadn’t we?
And you may notice that I am speaking of the gospel. We don’t have to call it the true gospel to identify it, to have it stand out among the other gospels. It is true, and we could rightly say the “true gospel,” but we are on very solid ground when we simply say “the gospel” because there is only one.
In our text this morning the Apostle Paul speaks of a different gospel that is no gospel at all. So I repeat—there is one gospel.
Our Galatians study is all about making sure we get this right. Why? Why does it matter? Because if we do not get the gospel right, then we will not be rescued from this present evil age.
The message of Galatians is one of freedom, freedom from our sins, freedom from this present darkness. Escape. We need rescued. We need help; we need a Savior. The other gospels—the gospels that aren’t gospels at all—not only cannot rescue or deliver us from this present evil age, but they are part of the lie. You know the lie I am speaking of—the one where humans trade the truth of God for a lie.
And is there any greater lie, is there any greater deception, than a gospel that leads to the judgment of God? Please tell me if I am missing something, but where is the good news in a story that ends in a lake of fire.
John MacArthur shares this insight from his many years of ministry: One of the strange realities in my life that I never really anticipated is that I have spent so many years, preached so many messages, written so many books, trying, in a sense, to hang onto the gospel while it’s under attack from so called evangelicals. When I was in seminary, you know, we were kind of prepared to battle with liberalism, and we were prepared to defend the inerrancy of Scripture. We were prepared to be able to defend the true ministry of the Holy Spirit and get the right paradigm of sanctification, and deal with the sort of initial movement of what we now call the charismatic movement. We were learning how to address issues of liberalism and [to] counter Catholicism and deal[with] the cults. But the gospel seemed to be sort of a settled issue in the evangelical world.
Philip Ryken, speaking of MODERN GOSPELS, tells us that: More importantly, can you distinguish between the true gospel and all the false gospels in the contemporary church? We worship in a church of many gospels. There is the gospel of material prosperity, which teaches that Jesus is the way to financial gain. There is the gospel of family values, which teaches that Jesus is the way to a happy home. There is the gospel of the self, which teaches that Jesus is the way to personal fulfillment. There is the gospel of religious tradition, which teaches that Jesus is the way to respectability. There is the gospel of morality, which teaches that Jesus is the way to be a good person. [End quote.]
But there is only one gospel, one effective rescue from the evil of this world, and that is God’s gospel. One plan, one gospel. No other way or ways.
If I get it wrong, then I am accursed. The gospel I mean. If I get the gospel wrong, then I am accursed. The same goes for you. Get it right or remain under the curse of God, crushed under the weight of his holy law. So we had better get it right then, hadn’t we?
And you may notice that I am speaking of the gospel. We don’t have to call it the true gospel to identify it, to have it stand out among the other gospels. It is true, and we could rightly say the “true gospel,” but we are on very solid ground when we simply say “the gospel” because there is only one.
In our text this morning the Apostle Paul speaks of a different gospel that is no gospel at all. So I repeat—there is one gospel.
Our Galatians study is all about making sure we get this right. Why? Why does it matter? Because if we do not get the gospel right, then we will not be rescued from this present evil age.
The message of Galatians is one of freedom, freedom from our sins, freedom from this present darkness. Escape. We need rescued. We need a Savior. The other gospels—that aren’t gospels at all—not only cannot rescue or deliver us from this present evil age, but they are part of the lie. You know the lie I am speaking of—the one where humans trade the truth of God for a lie.
And is there any greater lie than a gospel that deceives and leads to the judgment of God? Please tell me if I am missing something, but where is the good news in a story that ends in a lake of fire.
John MacArthur shares this insight from his many years of ministry: One of the strange realities in my life that I never really anticipated is that I have spent so many years, preached so many messages, written so many books, trying, in a sense, to hang onto the gospel while it’s under attack from so called evangelicals. When I was in seminary, you know, we were kind of prepared to battle with liberalism, and we were prepared to defend the inerrancy of Scripture. We were prepared to be able to defend the true ministry of the Holy Spirit and get the right paradigm of sanctification, and deal with the sort of initial movement of what we now call the charismatic movement. We were learning how to address issues of liberalism and counter Catholicism and deal the cults. But the gospel seemed to be sort of a settled issue in the evangelical world.
Philip Ryken, speaking of MODERN GOSPELS, tells us that: More importantly, can you distinguish between the true gospel and all the false gospels in the contemporary church? We worship in a church of many gospels. There is the gospel of material prosperity, which teaches that Jesus is the way to financial gain. There is the gospel of family values, which teaches that Jesus is the way to a happy home. There is the gospel of the self, which teaches that Jesus is the way to personal fulfillment. There is the gospel of religious tradition, which teaches that Jesus is the way to respectability. There is the gospel of morality, which teaches that Jesus is the way to be a good person. [End quote.]
But there is only one gospel, one effective rescue from the evil of this world, and that is God’s gospel. One plan, one gospel. No other way or ways.
