As an Apostle Paul had the unenviable job of planting churches across the Gentile world and having to leave them to on and plant other churches. He would appoint elders and entrust them to the Lord and then just have to pray and hope that they followed in the way of the gospel. So you can imagine Paul’s distress when a report arrived that some of the churches he planted in the province of Galatia had abandoned the gospel and were following another line of teaching. His response is the letter to the Galatians we have in our Bibles; and it is an angry letter. What justifies Paul’s anger? What is it about the gospel that generates such a passionate response from Paul? As we begin our “Unlocking Freedom” series in Galatians we will find out why the gospel is worth fighting for!
Galatians 1:1-9
Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— and all the brothers who are with me,
To the churches of Galatia:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
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.