8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
Purity of the gospel message was inviolable in Paul’s teaching. e waHe was unbending, uncompromising—he would take no quarter. Here he uses the strongest possible words to denounce purveyors of such false teaching. Tampering with the gospel incurred his greatest censure.
Notice his invective would even fall on himself if he so much as altered his original message. That is how certain he was of the absolute centrality of the gospel message to everything he taught and propagated. The focus is the original gospel message he preached to the Galatians. There was no room for “development” that some modern interpreters would suggest is appropriate for the gospel message that ostensibly, in their minds, needs to be “adapted” to the culture and sensibilities of our day. The truth is that the gospel in its purest form is still as needed today as when Paul first preached it.
Paul uses the strongest possible condemnation, “he is to be accursed,” which in the Greek is “anathema.” This word refers to one who is condemned. Strong words! He even pronounces this anathema on angels should any of them distort the message. And then, not to be misunderstood, Paul repeats himself almost verbatim.
The gospel message, as Paul goes on to show in this letter to the Galatians, was the message of grace, a salvation freely given through faith akin to Abraham’s before the law came. Therefore, it was faith available to Gentiles and Jews alike, without any necessity for keeping the law or circumcision. It is a salvation that originates in God with the meritorious work of Christ on the cross. We humans are simply recipients through faith of this wonderful gift of forgiveness, reconciliation, regeneration and new life. Anything different is a false gospel, and undermines any possibility of living a life pleasing to God in conformity to His purpose for creating us. There can be no genuine Christ-like love, human grace or true benevolence apart from the genuine message that God has saved us apart from anything we have done—other than simple, Abrahamic -like faith, the faith of a child. This is the message Paul preached, this is the message he guarded, this is the message the distortion of which he condemned in no uncertain terms!
Lord, thank You for reminding me of the need to hold to the purity of the gospel of grace—for it is the foundation on which I live my life to please You.
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