GALATIANS
THE ANCIENT PROMISES TO ABRAHAM HAVE BEEN FULFILLED
“Sanctity of the Gospel”
Galatians 1:6 – 2:21
JANUARY 5, 2021
Definition of “sanctity” — the state or quality of being holy, sacred, or saintly
Definition of “gospel” — “good story,” “good news,” or “good telling”
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4 NIV).
Defending the Gospel
Paul established the church of Galatia around AD 46. After he moved on from Galatia and started other churches on his first missionary journey, the Galatian church began to have an infiltration of false teaching on how people would become Christians. Instead of teaching salvation through grace alone, other things were added to the gospel message. It is easy to understand why this happened, because the Jews were taught from the law that was given to Moses some 1500 years earlier. The law was about works, not grace. Paul wrote the book of Galatians around 8 years after the church was established.
Paul wrote the book of Galatians to correct the pollution being included within the presentation of the gospel by the “Judaizers.” They were teaching that salvation was possible only for those who were circumcised and who practiced keeping various Old Testament laws, including ceremonial Jewish laws and customs. Their teaching included that in order to be a “real” Christian, you must keep such laws. In essence, the doctrine of salvation by faith and not by works, as taught by the apostle Paul, was being challenged.
Paul in Galatians 1:6 – 2:21, tells the people of the Galatian church that:
1. he is astonished that the true Gospel message in their church has been changed.
2. he has the authority to present the true Gospel because he received it by revelation from Jesus Christ, not by any human influence.
3. his history lesson proves how God prepared him for the assignment of taking the Gospel to the Gentiles. Peter was previously assigned to take the Gospel to the Jews.
4. we have to put our faith in Christ Jesus so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. Paul also mentions this in Ephesians 2:8, 9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves [works] it is a gift of God.”
In the mid 1960s, Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU) developed a simple approach to presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is called The Four Spiritual Laws.
1. God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life (John 3:16; 10:10).
2. Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God’s love and plan for his life (Romans 3:23; 6:23).
3. Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin. Through Him, you can know and experience God’s love and plan for your life (Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3 – 6; John 14:6).
4. We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our life (John 1:12; 3:1 – 8; Ephesians 2:8, 9; Revelation 3:20).
Protecting the sanctity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Only one Gospel message was revealed to mankind through the Revelation of Jesus Christ. It is salvation through Christ Jesus by grace through faith and FAITH ALONE.
It is our Christian responsibility to protect this message from being polluted today.
Blessings from Carlton Ringer