The Exclusivity Of Salvation Through Jesus Christ Alone PART 5
Galatians 1:8
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!”
These are harsh but sincere words are they not? Paul is saying here that If ANYONE is found to be teaching a different gospel other than the one taught by him and the apostles, that person is cursed by God. It just does not get any more blatant than that.
Consider the opening Paul makes in the first verse of this chapter. He outlines exactly what his commission was and who sent him. He was not sent from men or by a man, but rather he was sent by God the Father and Jesus Christ, the son. This is exactly why he was able to boldly say later that those who preach or teach a different gospel, even if that person is an angel in heaven, are cursed by God. Paul’s authority did not come from his own accord or knowledge, but rather it came from the one true God.
What did this one true God do? He gave his only begotten son as a sin offering. Paul puts it this way in verses 3-5: “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Do you see the claim of exclusivity here? We were not saved by our own works or deeds. Not by our own actions or thoughts. But rather, it was the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ himself at the will of God the Father that saves us. We cannot rescue ourselves from the wrath of God that will be justly poured out on all evil and wrongdoers. If we could save ourselves, then there would be no reason for Christ to have died. Our faith in Christ’s finished work would be null, void, and pointless.
Paul explains that for someone to preach a different gospel, it really is no gospel at all. It is a perversion of the truth which, by definition, makes it a lie. The prosperity gospel, health/wealth gospel, positive thinking gospel, etc., are all false gospels. We should all be, like Paul in verse 6, astonished at how readily those who love Christ and know the true gospel are quick to turn away from it and embrace something different. The perversion of the gospel is indeed attractive as it often appeals to human desires and ambitions. We all want to be healed. We all want to be wealthy. We all want to be approved of by our fellow man. But at what cost??? I’d much rather be pleasing to God than to man. And God does not promise us health, wealth, and approval from man. As a matter of fact, he promises us the opposite. To the name the name of Christ invites all types of suffering and persecution. If they hated Christ, how much more so will they hate us?
Paul hits the nail on the head in both verses 8 and 9. The fact that he repeats himself means that we really need to hear what is being said and take it to heart. In both verses, Paul tells us that if anyone preaches a false gospel, he is cursed by God. The exclusivity of salvation through Jesus Christ alone is displayed here yet again as Paul affirms that there is no other way by which we can be saved. Anyone who advocates for another way is being untruthful and is indeed calling upon themselves the judgement of God himself.
Thinking The Kingdom Thoughts View All →
What I want the most is for this to not be about me. But rather the focus be placed on Jesus Christ; the author and finisher of our faith. I am just a vessel willing to be used by him and for him.
