Living Amongst the Weeds, Part 3 - Galatians 1:1-10

I sometimes hear people bemoan the existence of denominations in Christianity.  There is an attitude of disgust because of the many different churches instead of everyone attending the same church, and there being only one denomination named Christian.  Theoretically, that’s the way it should be.  There is only one Bible so we should all believe the same thing and we should all be able to band together with some semblance of unity under the banner of Christ and stop all the bickering over insignificant doctrinal issues.  Why do we have this multitude of supposedly “Christian” denominations?

There was a time when I felt much like that.  When I was 18 years old, I became a deacon in a Presbyterian church.  But when I went to Bible college, it was that kind of anti-denomination thinking that eventually led me out of the Presbyterian Church of America to a non-denominational Evangelical church.  What I saw happening among the Presbyterians at that time not only saddened me, but I became intolerant toward this and that and the other denomination which seemed unable, or at least unwilling to agree on much of anything.  There seemed to be something noble about being non-denominational.

But there is a real difference between the existence of denominations, and the practice of denominational-ism.  A denominational label is often helpful because it provides a quick shortcut for understanding which beliefs a certain group of churches understands to be most important.

The year the Lord saved me was the same year in which the mainline liberal Presbyterian Church USA split and the Presbyterian Church in America was formed.  The primary issue those two groups parted company over was the inerrancy and infallibility and inspiration of the Scriptures.  Not a trivial matter.  I am thankful for the courage of those who stood against the tide and were willing to leave the churches their families had been a part of for, in some cases, hundreds of years, in order to defend the reliability and authority of the word of God.  That was a legitimate church split and I for one am grateful for it.

Denominational-ism is another issue.  It afflicts many Christians.  A denomination is a group of churches that hold to a particular set of doctrines and a distinctive interpretation of the Scriptures.  Denominational-ism is loyalty to, and faith in the denomination for its own sake, regardless of what may preached or taught.  The survival of the denomination becomes more important than biblical truth.  It is an unbreakable devotion to the history and heritage of the denomination’s founders and its founding principles and creeds, or to a peculiar doctrine rather than to the Scriptures.

Denominationalism is arrogant, unbiblical, idolatrous, and indefensible.  It is sinful.  But denominations are not sinful or evil.  They are actually quite helpful to those who take the time to find out what the differences are between Presbyterians and Baptists and Methodists and on and on.  Is there a good reason why you attend a Baptist church and not a Seventh-Day Adventist church?  Do you know what that reason is?  Do you have biblical reasons for not attending a Methodist church?  Beloved, not all churches are the same.  The existence of all these denominations is proof that someone somewhere is taking the Bible seriously.  It is evidence of many conscientious attempts to discern biblical truth from error.  The existence of denominations is not the problem.  Denominational-ism is a big problem.

But if you still think having multitudes of denominations that fracture the body of Christ into all these various parts is inherently evil, the opposite is also true, at least as long as we’re in this world.  If it is our desire to be one, then we must never speak against error.  That is precisely what this culture is all about.  It is what many within Christendom are pursuing.  Many professing Christians, in an attempt to unify the body of Christ, deny absolute truth.  Truth is relative.  All religions are the same.  All paths lead to God.  There is no right or wrong way, just different ways to the same end.  And this attitude is promoted in an attempt toward unity.  Ecumenicalism is the denial of doctrinal divisions and doctrinal distinctions for the sake of oneness.

But we must stand for what we know to be true, even to the neglect of unity.  There is only one way that leads to eternal life.  All other ways lead to Hell.  And those who preach and teach against the gospel of salvation by grace alone are doomed to the inevitable consequences of their own teachings.  That is what we have seen in Paul’s opening statements in Galatians 1.

But I want to take another look at these opening verses, particularly verses 1 through 10, before we move on to Paul’s defense of his apostleship in the rest of the chapter.  Let’s read this text again and meditate together on what all this means.

[1:1] Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—[2] and all the brothers who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

[3] Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, [4] who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, [5] to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

[6] I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—[7] not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. [8] But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. [9] As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

[10] For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:1-10 ESV)

First of all, I want to draw your attention to the mercy of God in verses 3 through 5.  Is it not absolutely astounding that God would even be willing to deliver us from the present evil age which is evil because of our sin against Him?  How is it that we live in an evil age?  We are the ones who have contributed to the evilness of the world in which we live.  This present evil age is evil because we’re evil.  But in spite of what and who we are, Christ gave Himself for us according to the will of God To deliver us from ourselves.

Not only is God willing to deliver us from His own wrath and judgment, and from ourselves, but from sin itself.  What does it mean that Jesus came to deliver us from the present evil age?  I take that to mean He will rescue us, eventually, not only from the penalty of sin, but even from the presence of sin.   That, beloved, is generous, magnanimous mercy.  Our salvation in Christ is a complete deliverance from the effects, from the condemnation, and from the presence of all things sinful.  That is huge mercy, and it is a reflection of the great love of God that He is willing to do this for us.

I must admit that I am not often like God in His merciful way of thinking.  Even though I have been the recipient of His great mercy in the midst of my own great sinfulness, I’m still a big fan of justice.  I typically feel that people who bring evil upon themselves should suffer the consequences of their own sin.  But I forget that I’m actually still among those people.  I’m one of those people.  Even as a believer, I still sin.  I have not yet been completely delivered from the sinful nature that still raises it’s putrid head and encourages these mini-rebellions against a holy God from time to time.

The raw justice that says, "You've made your bed, now you must sleep in it", is heartless and merciless toward the guilty.  When we studied Proverbs, we saw that foolish people often cannot be dissuaded from their self-destructive, sinful stupidity.  And often, I am of the persuasion that such wicked people should be left to their own stupid ways and bear the brunt of their own sin.

But to have no pity or compassion towards men and women who suffer greatly from the evils of this world and from their own sinfulness is to be unlike God.  Both the Father and the Son willed that Jesus would give Himself for our total deliverance from sin.  Rather than turn us over to the evils we have created while rejecting Him, God sent His Son into the midst of a wicked world in order that He Himself might suffer and die, taking upon Himself the eternal punishment that was our due, to deliver us from the present evil age.

Has there ever been a greater display of love and pity than this?  And secondly, does this kind of compassion characterize me as a follower of Jesus, my Savior?  If we are to be imitators of Christ, should we not imitate Him in His mercy toward sinners?  If I am honest, I must admit that often I do not.  I’m often more likely to say “hangin’s too good for ‘em” than to cry out to the Lord to save them.

Now notice this about the book of Galatians: Paul has traveled many dangerous miles across the Mediterranean, through the lands and cities of the Gentiles in Galatia in order that they might hear the saving message of Christ and be delivered by Him.  In those cities where he preached salvation by the grace of God, Paul was rejected, beaten, stoned and left for dead, and who knows how many other things he and Barnabas suffered there.  But the result of those labors was the salvation of multitudes of Gentiles and the establishment of churches.  Through great personal sacrifice and much pain and suffering, Paul and Barnabas took the Gospel where it had never been heard before, and God added many to the church through their preaching.

Now look for a moment at Acts 14:22.  After their ministry throughout Galatia, Paul and Barnabas began making their way back home, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

Paul and Barnabas established real churches and appointed elders to lead the people in every one.  After that,

. . . 26 they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. 27 And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. (Acts 14:22-23, 26-27 ESV)

So God opened a door of faith among the people of Galatia, churches were planted, elders were appointed, Paul and Barnabas fasted and prayed with their new brethren, and committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.  Now fast forward to Galatians 1:6.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—(Galatians 1:6 ESV)

Do you know what astonishes me?  I am astonished that Paul is writing this letter.  The thing that makes God’s grace and mercy toward the Galatians (and by extension to us) most astonishing is this: God sent His apostle with the Gospel, at great personal cost to Paul, to a people whom God already knew would quickly insult the very grace being extended to them and desert that gracious Gospel for a man-made, non-saving, works-dependent, false gospel.  And that Paul is sending this letter of rebuke to them to call them back to the true Gospel is astonishing.  The measure of God’s mercy is amazing.

But how often has this kind of thing happened throughout history?  Is this not precisely what happened among the children of Israel when they were delivered from Egypt?  Within days, they were ready to desert Moses and God and go back to Egypt.

22 Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. 24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” (Exodus 15:22-24 ESV).

Three days into their deliverance from the slavery of Egypt and they are grumbling against the man God sent to bring them that deliverance.  THREE DAYS.  If there is anything we consistently see in the human race throughout history, it is our slippery grasp of the truth.  It is very difficult for men to hold fast to the truth because of the condition of the heart.  That is why we believe in the doctrine of Total Fickleness.  At least, that’s what I call it.  Total Fickleness.  It is the biblical teaching that men constantly find the truth of the grace of God hard to believe, and they prefer to trust in themselves rather than God.  That will be our new doctrinal distinctive that separates us from all other Christians everywhere!  We believe in the doctrine of Total Fickleness.

Or maybe a better term would be Total Faithfulness.  God is faithful.  There should be no doubt that if we're eventually saved, it is because God has saved us and kept us for Himself, and not because of resoluteness of heart in us.  Look at Romans 3 for a moment.

1 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.” (Romans 3:1-4 ESV)

In other words, is God’s faithfulness towards His people dependent upon their faithfulness to Him?  Paul’s emphatic answer is NO WAY.  If every man, woman, and child in the world were a liar, God would remain true.  And this is what is so astounding about the book of Galatians.  In spite of the spiritual mutiny of the Galatians, in spite of their quick desertion from the Gospel, God sends Paul to them AGAIN via this letter to call His people back to the truth they are currently in the process of abandoning because of the Judaizing liars that have so easily led them astray.  They are totally fickle.  But God is totally faithful.

Look again at Exodus, chapter 32.  This is the account of God giving Moses the Ten Commandments.

7 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them.

Hmmm . . . Sounds here like God isn’t so faithful after all.  “Moses, go straighten out YOUR people who have turned aside quickly.”  Looks like the children of Israel and the believers of Galatia are both afflicted with the same disease: Total Fickleness.  Look now at verse 11.

11 But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people.

It seems neither God nor Moses wants to claim these people.  But Moses makes the point that these aren’t his people.  They are God’s people.  And the Galatians aren’t Paul’s converts, they’re God’s converts.  It is God who has saved them, it is God who is delivering them from the present evil age, it is God who first sent Paul and the Gospel to them, and God is the One in whom they had believed.

So now, in a similar fashion as when God sent Moses back to rebuke the children of Israel for their foolish idolatry, the Spirit of God moves Paul and all those with him to write and send this scathing letter of rebuke to the fickle Galatian believers for following after the false teachers who have turned their hearts away from grace.

Q: Does God become angry with those who claim to be His people when they turn aside from His mercy and grace to follow their own ideas concerning what salvation should look like?

A: Oh yeah.  This ecumenical idea that we can all be one, that we’re all brothers and sisters under God, to the neglect of salvation by grace because of the sacrifice of Christ, most certainly provokes the wrath of God.

Q: Does God ever abandon His own whom He actually saves?

A: Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6 ESV).

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39 ESV)

But what is true for individual believers is not true for entire congregations.  Men not unlike the Judaizers of Galatia creep in amongst us unawares, and over time they defile, they persuade, they influence and steer the thinking of entire denominations to the point of eventually abandoning the Gospel entirely.  They embrace secular doctrines and unbiblical ideologies that are entirely contrary to the teaching of the Scriptures, all the while continuing to use the Christian label.

This is one of the reasons why we made the decision to no longer participate in community worship services.  At least in some people’s eyes, we were undoubtedly seen as being in agreement with churches that don’t even believe in regeneration.  Over time, individual congregations, and eventually entire denominations desert the grace of God and the biblical Gospel in order to worship man instead.

Beloved, if you belong to the Lord Jesus, He will not let you go.  He did not die for you and purchase you for Himself at the expense of His own blood upon the cross, just to let you wander off after some smooth talking heretic all the way into Hell.  On the contrary, it is the Lord who is your shepherd.  You are His sheep.  He knows the difference between his sheep and the theological wolves who lurk among us dressed like sheep.  And Jesus said this:

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one [absolutely no one] is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. (John 10:27-29 ESV).