1Paul, an apostle—not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2and all the brothers who are with me, to the assemblies of Galatia: 3Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father— 5to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
6I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different “good news”, 7but there isn’t another “good news.” Only there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the Good News of Christ. 8But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any “good news” other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed. 9As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any “good news” other than that which you received, let him be cursed.
10For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ.
11But I make known to you, brothers, concerning the Good News which was preached by me, that it is not according to man. 12For I didn’t receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ. 13For you have heard of my way of living in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the assembly of God and ravaged it. 14I advanced in the Jews’ religion beyond many of my own age among my countrymen, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through his grace, 16to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I didn’t immediately confer with flesh and blood, 17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia. Then I returned to Damascus.
18Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Peter, and stayed with him fifteen days. 19But of the other apostles I saw no one except James, the Lord’s brother. 20Now about the things which I write to you, behold, before God, I’m not lying. 21Then I came to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22I was still unknown by face to the assemblies of Judea which were in Christ, 23but they only heard, “He who once persecuted us now preaches the faith that he once tried to destroy.” 24So they glorified God in me.
6 I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different “good news”, 7 but there isn’t another “good news.” Only there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the Good News of Christ. 8 But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any “good news” other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed.
The people of Galatia had a problem of flirting with legalism. When you hear the word “legalism,” think “legal” and think of rules. They had joyfully received the gospel when Paul first visited them, and then they just kept picking up “add-ons.” Amazon offers “add-ons” to orders to minimize freight costs. Add-ons are NOT what the purchaser needed initially; they are extra stuff. The Galatians continued to add more and more to the gospel. Over time, the things that were add-ons were mistaken for the original thing —the gospel —that they had received. There will always be those among us who want to add something to the gospel you first heard. They preach a different “good news” than the real good news. Paul warns that there isn’t another gospel. When people do this, they are trouble to you and they should be cursed. What kinds of things am I talking about?
I remember asking my dad what legalism meant, and he said, “I don’t smoke and I don’t chew, and I don’t go with girls that do.” Be cautious about things that are preached that make you feel guilty. I'm not telling you to go with girls that chew, but realize that conviction of the Holy Spirit is much different than guilt and shame. For example, I have a friend who grew up in the Pentecostal Church of God out in West Texas. He lived in an area of Texas that was what we call “dry”. That means that nothing with alcohol could be bought in that county. He loved to bowl, so when he first asked a girl out on a date, he went to a bowling alley. A legalistic church leader learned that he had done this and took him aside to say that his actions were outside the permitted conduct of the church. When my friend asked why a bowling alley was prohibited, he was told that it was “because liquor is sold in those kind of places.” When he answered, “But no alcohol is sold there. This is a dry county.” He was told, “Well, it doesn’t matter, you can’t go there and be a Christian.” This was just one of many things that were on a published list of prohibitions. These types of prohibitions were an add-on. It was not biblical, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ and the freedom that goes with salvation by grace.
Beware of anyone who wants to pervert the gospel of Jesus Christ in your life. Paul adds that the one preaching it may even appear to be an angel. Don’t fall for it. They are a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Legalism has ONLY two children. If you keep all of the rules, your heart can be filled with pride (the deadliest of sins) at your great success in keeping the rules. If you can’t keep the rules, you will feel defeated. Legalism has just two children: pride or defeat. Remember that God is a liberator. Rule keeping and legalism are dominators. Just follow Jesus and Him alone, and listen to the Holy Spirit instructing your steps. That’s the way. Today, stick with Jesus and walk in liberty with Him. Rejoice that you are saved by grace to do good works (Ephesians 2:8,9,10), but works never save you. Rule-keeping to be "righteous" is wood, hay, and stubble.
Paul had sent a harsh word to the Corinthians, and afterwards, he wondered whether or not it was the right thing to do. His motive was to correct them lovingly. It wasn’t to make them grieve. They received his letter and they wept over their condition. Paul wrote it to bring them to repentance, and they received the news, making changes in their lives and in their church. When a believer is sorrowful about some sin in their life and they repent of it, it brings about life. It helps to draw them back into the will of God and into Christlike behavior. Because of his love for them and his prior visits, Paul had laid the foundation of a good relationship, and he had the standing to write such a letter.
When I was about forty years old, I moved to a new community. I had just suffered a terrible personal blow that resulted in the loss of a company which my wife and I had started and built. We were pushed out of the business by younger partners. It was a tremendous blow to both of us, but it had a particularly profound impact on me. Often, a man wrongfully looks to his work to find his value and worth, and his identity. It’s a long story and doesn’t need to be retold here, but it hurt my pride and affected my psyche. As I joined a small men’s group in my new community, I shared my wound, and frankly, it dominated my thoughts and much of my conversation. I was always talking about myself to try, I suppose, to convince myself and others that I had value and worth after letting some other guys get the best of me. One day, one of the brothers in the small group took me aside and said to me, “You just love talking about yourself.” OUCH! I grieved at those words. I didn’t consciously realize it, but my subconscious self knew it was true, and I was devastated. I had become one of those pitiful people who always have to have the better story or be at the center of the conversation. I needed correction, and this brother gently pointed out a wrong that needed to be corrected. He had listened to me for many hours, and he had earned the right to give me a harsh letter, wrapped up in some gentle words.
You may need a letter like this, or you may need to give one to someone. Make sure that if you do, you have spent the time with that person to lay a good foundation. Speak to them in gentle words that help them to see the error of their ways and give them a clear path to walk out of it. People often talk about themselves due to insecurity. They don’t think much of themselves, so they overcompensate by trying to build themselves up in the eyes of others. Old wounds affect us greatly. If you can’t get past them, they will affect what you think, do, and say. The enemy uses them to distort us and causes us to focus on ourselves. Be open to correction, and if you need to correct a brother or a sister, lay the foundation, and do so with the greatest of love. If you do, it can bring life back to them. Paul had done so with the Corinthians, and they received the news, changed their behavior, and rejoiced.
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