A Unique Gospel
This sermon was preached on Oct. 3 2010 at Woodford Baptist and First Baptist Church Meaford.
A Unique Gospel
Galatians 1:6-9
Introduction
What would it take for you to want to curse someone? Perhaps for some people it would be as simple as getting stuck behind a slow driver when you are in a hurry. But for most people it would take something drastic, something that was close to our heart. Growing up, we had a neighbor who tried to place a curse on our house. He was the typical stereotype of the hippie. He was a draft dodger, English professor with long hair and a beard who smoked marijuana and meditated in his backyard. One of the things that was dear to his heart was the natural world, especially the trees. Well one of those dear trees decided to send its roots down to attack our sewer pipes, causing all kinds of problems in our basement. We contacted the city and got permission to take this big old tree down. You would think that we had just killed his first born son. He called his guru over and sprinkled “holy” water on our house and attempted to curse it. Most of us do not think in terms of curses, but it is not unknown in the Bible. In fact, in the passage we are looking at, Paul speaks of curses twice, using the word anathema. By cursing, Paul is not speaking about swearing at, nor is he talking about something occultic, such as our neighbour’s guru. What Paul is doing is calling down God’s judgment on the activity of certain people which was serious enough to deserve it. This was something that was close to Paul’s heart and that was the nature of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The basic problem was that Paul had preached the Gospel and these people had come to faith. Now others were coming and preaching a different gospel. Paul was upset, not because of pride or a desire to be looked up to, but because he knew that there was only one Gospel. As a result, in this letter we see some of the harshest language of Paul. We can look to Paul and admire his zeal for the Gospel, but what does that mean for us? Even before we get to the point of zeal, we have to ask ourselves if we would actually be able to differentiate the true from the false gospel. There was a time that most of the differences between religious groups were about how much water was used and when baptism took place or the structure of church leadership. Now we are confronted with whether there is one, many or no gods, whether Jesus was God, a prophet, teacher or heretic. These are not just obscure groups that are hidden in some dark place but ideas that are promoted by the media and have even influenced churches and Christian organizations. We need to be able to recognize the true Gospel if we are going to be able to keep away from false gospels. Let us take a look at some aspects of the Gospel.
1. Trinity
Although the word does not appear in the Bible, the Gospel of Christ is closely tied to the concept of the Trinity. In the first verses of this letter, Paul speaks much of the role of the Father and Christ. Later he will describe the Christian life not as following a bunch of rules but of walking with the Spirit. Everything about the Gospel is about the Trinity. The Father sends the Son. The Son dies for us and sends the Spirit. The Spirit comes into us at faith and reveals the Son to us and the Son reconciles us to the Father. We do not have to know all the details of the Trinity, of how one God can be three persons. But we need to know that the Gospel has its foundation in the Trinity. When we encounter other religious systems, even if they sound good and have many nice people, we must test them against the Trinity. What do they say about the Father? Is God personal or just a force? What do they say about the Son? Is he God incarnate or just a teacher? What do they say about the Spirit? Is he a person or just the power of God? In case you think this is too theological and not relevant, think of this statement: God is love. We value that statement about God. But the only reason that it makes sense that God is love is that he is Trinity. There was love between the Father and the Son and the Spirit long before humanity was created. This brings us to our next point.
2. Death and Resurrection
Central to Paul’s concept of the Gospel is the death and resurrection of Jesus. We sometimes take that for granted. We see crosses all over the place do not think twice about it. But for Paul, it was a challenge to proclaim a crucified Messiah. It just did not make sense. The cross was for the worst of the worst. It was humiliating and was a sign, if anything, of God’s disapproval. From a purely human perspective, the fact that Jesus was crucified pointed toward Jesus as a failure rather than a success. Why would anyone want to follow a Savior like that? He could not even save himself. What Paul knew, and we must know, is that Jesus‘ death was not just a cruel and terrible crime. It was actually part of God’s plan from the beginning. The problem with humanity was not just that they were not religious enough. The problem with humanity was that sin had created a barrier between us and God. There was only one way to fix that problem and that was for the one who was both God and man to bridge that gulf by paying the penalty for humanity’s sins. That God-man is Jesus Christ. But the death is not the end. Also essential to the plan was that Jesus would return to life on the third day. This is vital. Not only did sin have to be defeated, so did death. By breaking the chains of death, Jesus has provided a way for us to share in his resurrection and thus experience eternal life. This is so important as there are those, even some who declare themselves Christian, who deny both doctrines. They may believe Jesus died, but they see Jesus dying as an example either of human cruelty or as an example of selfless love. Both are true, but unless we include the atonement for sin, it is not the true Gospel. There are others who believe that Jesus died but that he was not resurrected, or that he was resurrected only in the hearts and memories of his friends. That is not good enough. If Jesus not physically rise from the dead we have no hope.
3. Grace
The Galatians likely agreed on all of these points. It is the third point where they struggled. The teachers who were coming in were not denying the deity of Christ or the importance of the cross. What they were denying was the role of grace. They wanted the Galatians to convert to Judaism and take on the Jewish law. This is what made Paul so angry. Paul was not anti-Jewish and he was Jewish himself. What was important to Paul was an emphasis on grace. It is natural for us to want to earn things ourselves. We respect people who have earned their fortune rather than receiving an inheritance or winning a lottery. We have all probably felt uncomfortable at some point receiving something free out of another person’s generosity. We want some way of saying that we earned what we have. However, this is not an option in the true Gospel. We receive forgiveness of sins, not because we are so righteous and obedient but because Jesus died for us. We receive eternal life, not because we are so good that heaven would not be the same without us, but because Jesus rose from the dead. When you encounter a religious teaching from any source, ask yourself how you are to receive those benefits. Is it from your own goodness and works or is it from the grace of God?
Conclusion
Many people are offering their own version of the good news. But all that glitters is not gold. How can you tell the true Gospel from false gospels? You need to ask three questions. 1) What are they saying about the Trinity? Do they accept the deity of the Father, Son and Spirit? 2) What are they saying about the death and resurrection of Jesus? Do they affirm that Jesus died to atone for our sins and that Jesus rose from the dead? 3) What are they saying about grace? Are you expected to earn your salvation or is it a free gift of God embraced only by faith? This is the measure of the true Gospel.
