I. Introduction: No Other Gospel (Galatians 1:1-10)

I. Introduction: No Other Gospel (1:1-10)

1:1-2 Paul wrote his letter to the churches of Galatia to counter a false gospel that was being preached to them. This was serious business. So he wanted to grab their attention right away. He immediately identifies himself as an apostle—not sent from men or by a man—but sent by Jesus Christ and God the Father. He was God’s messenger carrying God’s message. They couldn’t reject what he had to say without serious consequences.

1:3-5 The central message of the gospel that Paul proclaimed was that God the Father offers grace and peace to all through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (1:3). Jesus gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age for the glory of God (1:4-5). The substitutionary sacrifice of Christ on the cross is the centerpiece of the gospel. A holy God cannot overlook humanity’s sin and rebellion. He must punish it. But because of God’s great love, he sent his Son—fully God and fully man—to suffer and die in our place, bearing the wrath of God against sin. Everyone who trusts in the free gift of Christ’s sin-bearing sacrifice on his or her behalf will be saved. This rescue not only justifies sinners for heaven but also gives saints the ability to be delivered from the power of sin on earth (“this present evil age”).

1:6 After greeting churches in his letters, Paul would typically bless God or give thanks to him for the work of the gospel in the recipients’ lives (see Rom 1:8; 1 Cor 1:4; 2 Cor 1:3; Eph 1:3; Phil 1:3; Col 1:3; 1 Thess 1:2; 2 Thess 1:3). But we see none of that here. Instead, he immediately expressed how amazed he was—amazed not at God’s grace but by how quickly the Galatians were turning away from it! They were turning to a different gospel.

The Galatians had been visited by false teachers after Paul’s departure. These appear to be the same as the “Judaizers” mentioned in Acts who were telling Gentile Christians, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom prescribed by Moses, you cannot be saved” (justified or sanctified) (Acts 15:1). They told the Galatians that they were required to keep the law and be circumcised (see, e.g., Gal 3:2, 10-11; 4:21; 5:1-6; 6:12-13) in order to truly receive salvation from God. But salvation cannot be earned by law-keeping. It is a free gift from God through the grace of Christ.

Grace is unmerited favor. It is the inexhaustible goodness of God that is not deserved, cannot be earned, and which we would never be able to repay. Grace is always free and apart from works (Rom 11:6). The good news of justification—being granted a righteous legal standing before God through faith in Jesus Christ—was being undermined by these Judaizers with the result that the Galatian believers would either question the authenticity of their salvation or return to law as a means for sanctification (the process of spiritual growth).

1:7 Though Paul calls the Judaizers’ message “a different gospel” (1:6), he quickly clarifies that there is no such thing as another gospel. The word gospel means “good news.” And it is truly good news that sinners can be justified and forgiven through Christ. He is not merely a way to be saved; Jesus is the only way to be saved (see John 14:6). Therefore, any other message of salvation cannot be considered a gospel—good news. What was being urged upon the Galatians was an attempt to distort the gospel of Christ and to leave grace for the law, which equaled a loss in Christian liberty.

1:8-10 Since there is only one gospel Paul declares that if anyone—even an angel from heaven—preaches contrary to the true gospel they had heard, that person is under a divine curse (1:8). To make sure they didn’t miss what he said, Paul repeats himself. Those proclaiming a false gospel are cursed (1:9). He wanted the Galatians to stop listening to the false teachers and not to welcome them into their churches. Paul’s strong language made it clear that he was not striving to please people. A people-pleaser, after all, will say what people want to hear. But a servant of Christ speaks the truth no matter what people think and no matter the outcome (1:10).

The world we live in does not want to hear about a holy God who condemns sinners. But we must not soft-pedal the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Let us, like Paul, desire the approval of God more than the approval of others. We must always be “speaking the truth in love” (Eph 4:15) and let the chips fall where they will. Obey God and love lost people enough to share the gospel with them. It is powerful enough to save us for eternity and to transform our lives in history.