Galatians 1:6-10 – a verse by verse devotional commentary

Main Reading: Galatians 1:6-10

“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— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 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. 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. 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.”

As I’ve grown up and seen many of my peers become adults, I’ve learned that parents can spend 18 years “training a child in the way he or she should go” (Proverbs 22:6), but it only takes one good-looking guy or girl, with a different set of values, to come along and undo it all. In the same way, a pastor can spend decades teaching his congregation the true gospel, but one persuasive person with one crazy idea can flip the whole church upside down.

Jesus, in many places, referred to those who believe in Him by using plant-based metaphors. It’s fitting to speak of the church as a plant because, if a plant is left unattended, it will die. Just like a plant, “weeds” can choke out a church, or the “sun” can scorch it…Every church, just like a plant, must be watched carefully. Knowing that churches need constant reminders of the gospel, Paul visited Galatia two additional times (Acts 16:1-6, Acts 18:23) after his first visit (Acts 13:14–14:23).

The church’s tendency to drift had never been more obvious than it was in the Galatian situation. Paul had just visited these cities (Acts 13-14), but some false teachers were right on his tracks. So, Paul speaks loudly and harshly at times—he has to!—just like you would if your friend was wandering towards the edge of a cliff.

I’m sure if Paul had addressed this letter to the Americans rather than the Galatians, the language would still be strong—not because of the rampant sin & sexual immorality or the greed & gossip (although he’d touch on those too)—but his harshest language for us would be about how there’s a “church” on every corner of every street, and many of them aren’t preaching the gospel!

As we read & study Paul telling it like it is, let’s remember who he’s addressing. These churches weren’t filled with people who had fallen into sin or backslidden from the faith… Here, Paul is rebuking people who think they’re better Christians than they once were because of something they did and are requiring others to do. Let’s see what he says:

v. 6-7 — “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— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.”

With these kinds of accusations, it’s a wonder that this letter wasn’t torn up by the recipients on the spot, never to be seen again! These are no gentle words…Paul says he is “astonished!” Well, what is it that has Paul’s jaw on the floor?

He can’t believe that these people had abandoned the gospel—and that it happened so fast. Paul says: “I was barely out of the church parking lot and down the street before I heard about your sudden wrong way of thinking—it’s like you could hardly wait for me to get out the door!”

If a church drifts over decades and decades, it’s not much of a surprise. (Just compare what most of the major Christian denominations are like now to what they were a hundred years ago)…But this kind of quick departure from the truth is shocking! Paul is stunned that these people have so quickly abandoned, not just the gospel, but God Himself.

Did you notice that? Paul doesn’t accuse them of going away from the gospel first but from leaving the Lord! That’s because to deny the gospel is to deny God. Paul was like: “Listen, let me level with you. It’s not that your theology or your behavior is a little off…you’ve completely abandoned Christ!”

They tossed out grace and threw away their calling in order to turn to a completely different message. But it’s not like there is another message of Good News that can compete with Jesus. There is no other Gospel—there are only fake religious messages that fool people.

In this case, the Galatians had traded gold for brass by giving away a message of God’s grace in exchange for human effort. So, Paul’s mind is blown that some people would try to pay for something that’s free.

Imagine if your favorite musician, movie, or major league sports team came to a city near you announcing free shows, and you stood outside the door trying to pay to get in and convincing others to do the same! When it comes to the Gospel, there is no price for you to pay, and there is no other show in town.

Now, just to let you know, there are some people out there in the world that if they heard what I’m telling you, they would say: “that guy teaches cheap grace!” But that’s absurd! “Cheap grace” is way too expensive—God’s grace is free, because it was paid for by Jesus! And I’m not about to insult the Son of God by suggesting that he and I go halfsies on my salvation…

There are, however, many people out there who wish to change this up. They want to twist the message by adding to it… And when Paul says these people are “distorting the Gospel of Christ,” he doesn’t just mean the Good News about Jesus Christ but the Good News given by Jesus Christ as the author.

These people weren’t just tampering with a message or story about Jesus. They were screwing-up the story given, written, and lived-out by Jesus. So, we need to take Paul’s advice and “watch out” (Philippians 3:2) for these people. Look out for anyone who makes the Gospel about what you can do for God rather than what He’s already done for you. Watch out for those who tell you to be cut or circumcised for Jesus instead of declaring “Jesus bled for you!”

And it doesn’t matter who tells you a different gospel, either. Listen to this:

v. 8-9 — “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. 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.”

Paul says “even if we”—meaning himself, his fellow apostles & coworkers—“contradict the gospel, May we be cursed!” Notice how he puts himself under examination first. “If, a few months down the road, I come to you with a changed mind and a different message, don’t believe me!”

But he also says that a false gospel could come from a heavenly angel. Obviously, we know demons—fallen angels of darkness—are spreading falsehood. “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1). But, here, Paul says that an angel from Heaven could even be wrong. So, if you think that an angel has given you a message, but it contradicts the gospel, chances are, you’ve been tricked and it was a deceiver in disguise all along. “For even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).

There’s a good chance that Paul brings up angels because people were claiming to have heard their version of “Christianity” directly from an angel, attempting to give themselves weight & credibility. After all, what gets your attention better: “Hey, I just read this letter from Paul!” or “Listen, this morning, an angel stood in my bedroom and told me…”? Mormonism began when one, kooky guy claimed that an angel visited him, by the way…

If someone thinks they heard a different gospel from an angel, that’s no threat to true Christianity…Paul’s gospel came directly from Jesus Christ and God the Father (v. 11)! The point is, if anyone…your church…your beloved pastor…an apostle…your parents…your best friend…the pope…your therapist…your spouse…or your favorite influential Christian tells you a different gospel, quickly show them the door! Let them be accursed—ἀνάθεμα anathema—Paul says. If someone’s spreading a different gospel, Paul says “they can go to Hell.”

This moment of the letter is similar to Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves…You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?” (Matthew 23:15, 33). See, the God, who became a curse on the cross for you (3:13), will curse you if you twist that Good News.

And—just so we’re clear—what was the message that these Galatians heard? We know that in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul says the Gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose on the 3rd day. But what specifically did these people hear from Paul? “Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses…As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath” (Acts 13:38-39, 42). The people in Antioch of Pisidia—part of the Galatian region—heard about Jesus Christ, the One who could free them from everything the Law could not! (Just wait, “freedom” will be a huge theme in the Letter to the Galatians; 2:4, 5:1, 5:13).

In Acts 13, these people were amazed, and begged Paul to come back the next Sabbath and say these same words again! But since that time, many of these Galatians had embraced another “gospel.” A message that didn’t end with a period, but with a comma. It was no longer, “Jesus purchased your freedom!” but “if you’re gonna be free, here’s a checklist to complete.”

And that’s where the deadly issue comes into play…Because, yes, Christians can disagree about a lot. But as soon as someone tries to tack on requirements to the gospel, the gloves come off. The true Christian Church is not about laying burdens on people. I hope you aren’t here, reading this book, looking for a new routine of “righteousness.” I’m not setting out to add onto your plate. That’s what the Pharisees did with their fake religion. “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers” (Luke 11:46). Instead, as Paul will say towards the end of this letter, the goal of Christian fellowship is to help carry “one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2).

v. 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.”

Now, believe it or not, there were several people who did not appreciate Paul’s message of God’s liberating grace. They likely accused him of dialing down the less-marketable Old Covenant standards in order to recruit more people and accumulate a large following. I can hear them now, saying: “He wants to be popular, so he preached a more convenient way of salvation, rather than the strictness of the Law!” But Paul’s intention is not to seek attention. So, he fires back with this letter.

“Oh, you think I’m softening up the word?” Paul might’ve said: “How soft has my letter to you been so far?” It’s obvious that Paul doesn’t preach a message that people naturally like. But that’s okay. He didn’t sign up for the entertainment industry. He wrote on behalf of God, not man, so his ministry was aimed at pleasing God, not man. Paul could’ve easily compromised and said: “You know what, guys? I know people love to have something to do—some role to play—and circumcision is as good a work as any.” But Paul is not after the applause of the crowds. He’s a servant of Christ, and no longer obligated to please men.

Living to please man is foolish and a waste of time. But I want you to realize also that living to please God is impossible. Paul later says: “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them” (Galatians 3:10). But that’s where the true Gospel comes into play. Because, as a person in Christ by faith, you already have God’s approval!