Paul expressed AMAZEMENT, "I MARVEL" (Galatians 1:6)
- that the Galatian believers had been "SO SOON REMOVED FROM Him that called you into the GRACE of Christ
UNTO ANOTHER GOSPEL" (Galatians 1:6):
GONE - was their "BLESSEDNESS" (Galatians 4:15)
- of HAVING "RECEIVED" PAUL "EVEN AS CHRIST JESUS" (Galatians 4:14) - WHEN HE "PREACHED THE GOSPEL" to them "AT THE FIRST
(Galatians 4:13)
Having been "REMOVED ... UNTO ANOTHER GOSPEL"
(Galatians 1:6) - they LOST their JOY in the "BLESSEDNESS" of an IMPUTED
"RIGHTEOUSNESS WITHOUT WORKS" (Romans 4:6-8) through FAITH ALONE (Romans 4:3-5)
- as revealed in "the GOSPEL of the GRACE of God" (Acts 20:24)
It was through PAUL FIRST (I Timothy 1:15-16), i.e. "BUT NOW ... AT THIS TIME" (Romans 3:21,26)
- that "the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God WITHOUT the LAW is MANIFESTED ... through the REDEMPTION that is IN CHRIST
JESUS ... through FAITH IN HIS BLOOD ... HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS for the REMISSION OF SINS" (Romans 3:21,24-25 cf.Acts 13:38-39)
"ANOTHER" (Galatians 1:6) is the Greek word "HETEROS", i.e. "ANOTHER" of
a DIFFERENT kind
"ANOTHER" (Galatians 1:7) is the Greek word "ALLOS", i.e. "ANOTHER" of the
SAME kind
In other words, the Galatian believers were "SO SOON
REMOVED" to a DIFFERENT GOSPEL (Galatians 1:6) and, thus, were NO LONGER holding to the SAME GOSPEL (Galatians 1:7)
as that "PREACHED" BY PAUL to them "AT THE FIRST" (Galatians 4:13)
Paul declared "that there be SOME that WOULD TROUBLE
YOU, and WOULD PERVERT the GOSPEL of CHRIST" (Galatians 1:7):
PAUL'S "GOSPEL of the UNCIRCUMCISION" is NOT
THE SAME as PETER'S "GOSPEL of the CIRCUMCISION" (Galatians 2:7)
Therefore, PAUL "STRIVED TO PREACH" his gospel
"NOT WHERE CHRIST WAS NAMED, LEST I SHOULD BUILD UPON ANOTHER MAN'S FOUNDATION" (Romans 15:20)
Thus, he says, "I WOULD THEY WERE EVEN CUT OFF WHICH
TROUBLE YOU" (Galatians 5:12)
Paul issues a DOUBLE WARNING (Galatians 1:8-9) against those who would CAUSE TROUBLE by PERVERTING "the GOSPEL
of CHRIST" (Galatians 1:7):
Paul was "NOT ASHAMED of the GOSPEL of CHRIST: for
it is the POWER of God UNTO SALVATION ... for THEREIN is the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God REVEALED" (Romans 1:16-17)
The GOSPEL of CHRIST reveals "the RIGHTEOUSNESS of
God WITHOUT (APART FROM) the LAW" (Romans 3:21), which is "the RIGHTEOUSNESS of FAITH" (Romans 4:13)
- "FAITH in HIS BLOOD ... for the REMISSION of SINS" (Romans 3:25)
The Galatians believers were being SEDUCED BY "FALSE
BRETHREN" who "CAME IN PRIVILY to SPY OUT our LIBERTY which we have IN CHRIST JESUS" (Galatians 2:4)
These PERVERTERS OF PAUL'S GOSPEL (Galatians 1:7)
were FROM the JERUSALEM CHURCH who had NO AUTHORITY FROM the JERUSALEM LEADERSHIP TO TELL the GENTILE CHURCHES
- "YE MUST BE CIRCUMCISED, and KEEP THE LAW" (Acts 15:23-24)
Thus, the STERN DOUBLE WARNING FROM PAUL that WHETHER
PAUL HIMSELF ("WE") or an "ANGEL FROM HEAVEN" or "ANY MAN" should PREACH ANY GOSPEL
CONTRARY TO (Galatians 1:8-9) that which was ORIGINALLY PREACHED BY PAUL (Acts 13:38-39)
- "LET HIM BE ACCURSED" (Galatians 1:8-9)
The word "ACCURSED" (Greek, "ANATHEMA")
means to view as being UNCLEAN and, therefore, to be SEPARATED FROM (II Corinthians 6:14-18), e.g. the SIN of ACHAN (Joshua 7:18-21) which DEFILED ALL ISRAEL and NEEDED PURGING (Joshua 7:1,11-15)
via the STONING of ACHAN (Joshua 7:24-26)
Question concerningService in the
Gospel(Galatians 1:10)
Paul asks TWO RHETORICAL QUESTIONS - AM I "SEEKING"
to "PERSUADE" GOD of MY MESSAGE or AM I "SEEKING" to "PERSUADE" MEN of GOD'S MESSAGE(Galatians 1:10):
In other words, Paul says that IF I SERVE to PLEASE CHRIST
- THEN I CANNOT SERVE to PLEASE MEN (Galatians 1:10 cf.I Thessalonians 2:4)
Paul CERTIFIES that "the GOSPEL which was PREACHED
OF ME is NOT AFTER MAN" (Galatians 1:11):
The Greek word "KATA" translated (in CAPS) as
"AFTER man" (Galatians 1:11) is the SAME Greek word rendered (in CAPS) as "ACCORDING TO the
will of God" (Galatians 1:4)
In other words, the SOURCE of PAUL'S GOSPEL was NOT FROM
MAN (Galatians 1:12)
Thus, Paul says, "NEITHER WAS I TAUGHT IT ... BUT
BY THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST" (Galatians 1:12)
Therefore, it could NOT have been the SAME GOSPEL as that
PREACHED EARLIER BY "JAMES, CEPHAS, and JOHN" (Galatians 2:9) - note that Paul says THEY " IN CONFERENCE ADDED NOTHING TO ME"
(Galatians 2:6)
Finally, NOTE the THRICE REPEATED reference in his epistles
to what he terms as "MY GOSPEL" (Romans 2:16;Romans 16:25;II Timothy 2:8) - due to he being the FIRST ONE TO PREACH IT as in, "BUT NOW"
(Romans 3:21) and "AT THIS TIME" (Romans 3:26)
The HISTORICAL RECORD of the ACTS PERIOD confirms BOTH
CLAIMS to be TRUE:
Paul's DIVINE CALLING concerning HIS APOSTLESHIP (Acts 9:15-16)
Paul's DIVINE INSTRUCTION concerning HIS GOSPEL (Acts 26:15-16)
MOST IMPORTANT: PAUL could NOT have been SAVED ACCORDING TO (MUCH LESS PREACHED)
"THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM" (Matthew 4:23;Matthew 9:35)
- DUE TO the LORD'S WARNING concerning the BLASPHEMY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Matthew 12:31-32):