“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.”
(Galatians 1:8–9, ESV)
Redundant speech is often annoying. Who wants to hear people constantly repeat themselves. Yet there is a place for it. Especially when there is a point that one needs to drive home to the hearer. Such is the case in the Scriptures. When we see things that are repeated, words and especially phrases, we must take note. Here Paul made a statement twice. He wrote that if one preaches a gospel contrary to the truth, the hearer was to consider that preacher “accursed.”
In the writing, Paul indicated that he and the others with him had previously warned the churches regarding this serious issue and now the warning needed to be repeated.
In Paul’s day as well as today and all ages, false teachers have beat the trail and the airwaves with heretical teachings. The problem with this is that they lead people to destruction with their words.
The phrase, “let him be accursed” is a strong term. It is a command, a continuous command. The word “accursed,” anathema, used here and elsewhere in the New Testament refers to anything doomed to destruction. Those who would preach a gospel message that one’s hope is in anything other than Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross is a deadly heresy. To hold to such a false gospel is to have a false hope and the one who believes such a message is likewise destined to eternal punishment just as the one preaching such a message.
There are many variations of the gospel that have been preached throughout history and are being preached today. The list is long, but here are a couple. One such false teaching is that Jesus is not fully God. Another is that He was not fully human. Another is that doing good works can secure a place in heaven when they die. Some believe that one must combine good works with faith in Jesus to be justified before God, a hybrid system.
In this letter, Paul points out the specific heresies that plagued the churches in Galatia. Yet more importantly, Paul presents the theological truths essential to the gospel. Remember that it is the truth that will set people free. It is only possible to discern error if you know the truth.
Take a bank teller. One of the problems that have plagued societies throughout history is that of counterfeiting money. Tellers are trained to be able to identify certain characteristics of genuine bills in order to readily spot the counterfeit. Our government has gone to great lengths to print our bills with unique features on unique paper so that they can be verified as genuine. Tellers learn to identify the real things so they will be suspicious of anything that varies from the genuine.
As mentioned in the previous devotion, believers need to have an in depth understanding of the doctrines of the gospel including the biblical texts for these teachings. They must know the truth. Yet unfortunately, there are many are biblically illiterate believers and churches spend little time in equipping believers in these core doctrines. Yes, time is at a premium but is anything more important than equipping the flock like a bank teller to know the truth?
Being grounded in the core beliefs of the faith is valuable for more than just guarding against the false. It is profitable for many other areas. It will give a greater assurance of salvation. It will better equip and give confidence to the parishioner in personal evangelism. It will also work to develop believers so they may be able to better disciple others.
Renewing the Heart 