(OPINION) “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ”. – Galatians 1:6-10
The Apostle warned the Churches in Galatia to be watchful of those that would rise up and preach a different gospel than what was being preached by the Apostles.
This Gospel would be so dangerous that it would be responsible for turning away many from the foundation of Christ and the true Gospel. This counterfeit gospel was described by the Apostle as a “perversion” of the true Gospel.
In another ward, it would have just enough truth to lure people but enough falsehood to imprison people. This is literally the epitome of false doctrines and even how cults get such a grip on people.
Paul gives us a major clue as to why this perverted gospel that is luring many astray is so enticing. He states in his letter “For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ”.
This reveals to us that this false gospel that was being preached was pleasing to men’s ears and was well-accepted by many in the Churches but wasn’t sound in doctrine. Let me make this more simple using what I am seeing in the Church today.
Many in the Body of Christ have gravitated toward a new gospel today and it’s not the one that the Apostles nor the early church fathers preached and taught.
This new gospel does not expose the sins of the heart, does not convict men of their transgressions, and has no substance to transform anyone but only pacify them and keep them comfortable in their current lifestyles.
Don’t believe me? I challenge you to find sermons on youtube from 20 to 30 years ago and listen to how they preached and taught then compared to the top ten most popular Christian evangelists and pastors on Christian television today who all have their best-selling books in Walmart and Amazon.
Most preachers today hardly even open up their Bible but instead tell stories behind the pulpits or in their studios. They have “talking points” rather than spirit-filled messages that bring conviction and challenge us to die to ourselves and live to Christ. They are self-help motivational sermonets to better yourself in society.
Why did Paul make this statement? Why did he ask “For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? This question needs to be asked of every minister and pastor of the Gospel today. Who are you trying to please? Man or God? Are you trying to advance HIS kingdom or build your own kingdom?
“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. – 2 Timothy 4:2-4
