Galatians 1:11-12
For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
What gospel are you preaching? When you share things about Christianity, do you share the unadulterated truth from the pages of Scripture, or do you share your own opinion? In far too many bible studies and Sunday school classes, we talk about what a passage of Scripture “means to me” more than what the passage means in and of itself. The Christians in Galatia were being taught various versions of the gospel and Paul was explaining to them that he was not the source of the gospel he preached, but rather, it came directly from Jesus Christ.
The same problem exists today.
A good friend of mine used to front a very popular contemporary Christian band from the 1990’s and after they broke up, he served as one of the main worship leaders at an enormous “seeker sensitive” church in the Midwest. He left there after a few years because of what Paul is addressing in today’s passage. He told me, “It became increasingly clear that this church viewed the bible as A SOURCE rather than THE SOURCE.” They had moved from preaching the true gospel of Jesus Christ to one of their own making. Why do people do this?
“The gospel Paul preached was not human in origin or it would have been like all other human religion—permeated with works righteousness born of man’s pride and Satan’s deception. Man’s sinful pride is offended by the idea that only God’s mercy and grace can save him from sin, and he therefore insists on having a part in his own salvation. The very fact that Paul preached a message of salvation in which works play absolutely no part was itself evidence that his message was from God and not man” (MacArthur Study Bible notes on Galatians 1:11-12).
Man’s desire for acceptance, power, money, and fame will always corrupt the true gospel of Jesus Christ. There is much about the Christian worldview that is offensive to outsiders, but it can also be a hard pill to swallow for immature believers. This is why the Book of Galatians is so important. Now more than ever, the world does not need the good advice and wisdom of man…it needs a revelation from God. “There is a way that seems right to man, but it’s end is the way of death” (Pr 14:12). The power of the Gospel lies in the Gospel itself. It cannot—nor does it need to be—helped along by the oratory skills of a talented preacher or the stage lighting or the dress code or the nuancing of the more controversial teachings that agitate cultural norms.
God has gifted the Church with spirit-empowered teachers, and that is a blessing for all of us, but the gift can never overshadow the gospel…nor does it have the right to alter it in any way, shape, or form. We don’t either.
