Paul is in the middle of less-than-gentle opening to his letter to the Galatians. He's just back from his first missionary journey where he planted a network of churches in what we know today as Turkey (Acts 13:13-14:23). These are in the cities of Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe.
False teachers rolled into the region just as he left town and twisted everything he had taught these new disciples. He's stunned that it happened so quickly and so easily (Gal 1:6). The apostle tells the Galatians that any change to the Good News is a counterfeit (Gal 1:7).
In verses 8-9, Paul restates a very important point that he taught when he was with them. Preach a different Gospel and you're headed for hell. He's said it before and he'll say it again.
Paul tells his recipients that whoever perverts the message of Jesus is damned to hell, and it doesn't matter if its an angel or even the apostle himself (v8). In these hypothetical examples, he says that the credentials of the messenger don't matter. What matters is the Message.
He staunchly stands by what he preached when he was with them just weeks ago. Luke records a lengthy excerpt of Paul's sermon in Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:16-41). His point: Jesus is only the long awaited Messiah who fulfills all of God's promises and provides forgiveness for sins not only for Jews but to the entire world!
The English translation of this letter to the Galatians doesn't give us the incredible emphasis Paul places on the Gospel. The original text uses the Greek word for Gospel as both a noun (Gr. ευαγγελιον/euangelion) and a verb (Gr. ευαγγελιζω/euangelizo). This verse is a great example.
Here he uses it as a verb twice. It could be rendered like this: "But even if we or an angel from heaven 'Gospels' contrary to how we 'Gospelled' to you, let him be condemned!"
This happens over and over in this epistle. Paul hammers the nail over and over again. To correct this counterfeit message, he gets back to the basic message of the Gospel time after time. And one way he does so is to use the term Gospel as often as possible.
Paul makes a power packed statement regarding anyone perverting the grace of Jesus. "Let him be accursed" (v8, 9). This is the Greek word αναθεμα/anathema. It only appears 5 times in the Bible and Paul uses it four of those times.
Interestingly, the only other appearance of the word is when Luke describes the pledge Jews made to kill Paul for teaching about Jesus (Acts 23:14). It simply means something or someone under God's curse without any hope of being redeemed, doomed to destruction. The term originally meant a sacrificial offering placed on an altar for all to see that took the full wrath of the gods.
In a Christian sense, an anathema is something or someone headed for hell. Paul says very plainly that to pervert Jesus and His Gospel of grace is a damnable offense. It doesn't matter who does it. Paul and his posse. An angel sent by God. A teacher claiming to have the real truth. If anyone distorts the Good News, they are in the express lane on the highway to hell.
The apostle writes, "As we have said before, so now I say again..." (v9). The form of the first verb ("have said") is in what is called the past perfect tense. It indicates something that was said before with ongoing implications. In other words, Paul is tells the Galatians that this is EXACTLY what he taught them when he was with them.
He's said it before and he'll said it again. If there's any doubt the eternal destiny of anyone perverting the Gospel, he's more than happy to repeat himself. Not only did he make such a statement when he was in Galatia, he makes it two more times in his letter!
Can the warning sign be any bigger? Can the warning lights shine any brighter? We must take GREAT care with Jesus' message of salvation. We must not add or subtract anything from the fabulous formula of "Jesus+Nothing=Everything." It's ALL about Jesus.
He lived the perfect life that we couldn't live. He died the perfect death that we should've died. There is NOTHING we can add to what He has done for us. As one theologian has said, "The only thing we bring to our salvation is the sin that makes it necessary."
We should all shake in our shoes at the consequences for distorting the Good News. That goes for you. And it goes for me. It's a warning for ANYONE proclaiming a different message. A prosperity gospel. A poverty gospel. A liberation gospel. A red letter gospel.
Could there be anything worse than to proclaim a message that doesn't lead someone to salvation? If we are teaching some perverted variant, the only answer is to humbly repent to Jesus.
Paul has said it before and he's saying it again. We had all better heed his warning. Every last one of us.
©2012
Jay Jennings
No comments:
Post a Comment