Scripture: Galatians 1:6-12

SERMON SUMMARY

Why is being clear on the Gospel so vitally important?

1. If you distort the Gospel in any way, you destroy it.
2. The true Gospel of God’s grace has come to us from Jesus Christ Himself.  

SERMON SCREENSHOTS & KEY POINTS

This week, we’re continuing to unpack the question: Why is being clear on the Gospel so critically important? In the first 12 verses of chapter 1, Paul has “draw a line in the sand.” He is adamant that there is only one Gospel. He insists that any change or modification to the Gospel destroys the Gospel. So, Paul confronts those who were trying to influence his friends in Galatians with a different “gospel” that was really no Gospel at all. These false teachers were basically saying that the real Gospel was: Jesus + obeying the law of Moses = salvation. And for Paul, adding anything to what Jesus has done for us through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension back into heaven brought out his strongest condemnation. For Paul, you cannot mix grace and law-keeping in any way, shape, or form.

This is not in the sermon, but a helpful way to pull together what Paul is saying in these first 12 verses to read Paul’s thoughts here backwards. So, instead of reading verses 1 to 12; read the verses 12 to 1.

1:10-12 Paul says, “The Gospel I preach came directly from Jesus Himself.”

1: 8-9 Some have come to you preaching a different gospel.

1:7 This different “gospel” distorts the true Gospel and disturbs the church.

1:6: This different “gospel” has led you away from the grace of God that has come to you in Christ.

1:5: God is worthy of all glory and praise...

1:4: Because by His will alone He rescued us through Jesus.

1:3: That we might experience true grace and peace.

1:1-2 My Apostleship (and my Gospel) did not from men or through man, but from Jesus Himself...

See it? Did you notice how the thought in verses 10-12 and in verse 1 bookend this passage? Again, in this case, reading backward can help us see his “big idea” a bit more clearly.

The question asked and answered in the sermon is this: Why is being clear on the Gospel so vitally important?

1. First, because if you distort the Gospel in any way—if you add to it or modify it even just a little bit—you destroy it.
2. Second, because the true Gospel of God’s grace has come to us from Jesus Christ Himself.  

This is very much the same theme as Jason’s message last week. But because this question and these two answers are so crucial to understanding how the Christian life is to be lived, we’re spending a second week digging deeper into it.

Onscreen points are as follows:

• The Gospel that saves you, is the Gospel that sustains you.
• The “Judaizers” taught that Jesus + obeying the Mosaic Law = salvation.
• Paul taught: Jesus + anything = nothing — Jesus + nothing = everything.
• Martin Luther said: “There is no middle ground between Christian righteousness and works-righteousness because there is no other alternative to Christian-righteousness but works-righteousness. If you do not build your confidence on the work of Christ, you must build your confidence on your own work.”
• The Gospel is “because of,” not “in order to.”
• Discussion of the parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22, specifically focusing on Matthew 22:10

*We are a church located in Greenville, South Carolina. Our vision is to see God transform us into a community of grace passionately pursuing life and mission with Jesus.