“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.” (Galatians 1:11–12, ESV)
When I was a young man, my dad got my brother and I into surf-fishing. We did not have a lot of money and he bought a surf-fishing rod and reel for each of us. We took to the surf and began fishing. Things went well on the first trip, but the second was a different story. On the second trip we could hardly turn the handle of the fishing reels to retrieve our rigs much less reel in a fish. When we got a fish one, the only way we could beach it was to back up with the rod to the dunes. The reels were cheap and the quality was poor.
We learned our lesson and my dad asked around for recommendations. He then purchased reels for us that were of better quality. In those days, as today, you could get products produced in certain countries that were inexpensive but were considered as junk. These products often did not work well or would break due to the poor quality of design, manufacture, or materials. Today we can use our computers and search for reviews before making a purchasing decision.
I say all of this to make a point. Quality is important and when you seek to get something that is critical, wise people look for the best quality. The best quality things are usually the costliest things made by the best manufacturer.
Paul makes a differentiation between two gospel messages. One is the best, superior in every way. It also was made available at great cost. It is made available by one of the highest standards.
The other is the worst, inferior in every way. It was made cheaply and it would not function as promised. It is made available by one who is flawed.
The superior gospel is made available to us by the Lord our God. The inferior gospel is man made. The superior gospel is made available by the work of Jesus Christ at the infinite cost of His shed blood. The inferior gospel is made available through the vein imaginations of man who would require the recipient to enter a fruitless and never-ending payment plan of human effort, works. The superior gospel is God’s plan and grants to the recipient eternal life by grace through faith in Christ alone. The inferior gospel breaks down and misses the mark completely, burdening the recipient, and leads the recipient to eternal punishment.
The gospel Paul preached was not man-made. It was from heaven above. It is perfect in every way, complete, and trust worthy because it comes to us from God who is infinitely perfect in every way. When it comes to eternity, why choose something that is inferior and will fail every time. Instead, let us point people to that which is God offers by His grace.
Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty of our sin and purchase a place in heaven for us that He offers as a free gift. It is free to us because He paid the price in His own shed blood.
Renewing the Heart 