Galatians 1:6-9 says,...

Today's verses are Galatians 1:6-9, which read,

v.6,7 - I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

Oh-no.  Something is happening within the churches of the Galatia.  Paul and Barnabas had been to these areas and given them the gospel of Jesus Christ based on the grace of God.  Now in their absence, the Christians are abandoning the message and doing it easily and quickly.  They were switching to another system other than the grace of God through Jesus Christ.  Paul can't even call what they are following now a "gospel."

There are people behind this move from the grace of God to something else.  Someone is "disturbing" them and "distorting" the message that they have heard and "called" by God to follow. 

v.8, 9 - 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!  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!

Paul says the same statement twice for affect and it is very strong.  The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is more important that anyone who delivers it.  If Paul was to come back and say something different than a message of grace then the people where to reject it, even though it was Paul who was delivering it.  Not only that but Paul uses a very strong word here, "accursed" which is the Greek word "anathema" which is reserved for those who will be condemned to eternal hell for heresy against God.
How precious is the gospel of Jesus Christ.  How we are to protect it from foreign teachings.  How we are to realize that we can be very quick to accept other messages that are less than total surrender to Jesus Christ.  Someone can come in and get our focus off of Jesus and onto something or someone else.  

Paul is calling these Christians back like the sheep who have gotten to far away from the protection of the shepherd.  The sheep know the shepherd's voice and to know is to follow intently.

"Lord, we have so many voices shouting at us each day.  Help me to guard the time I have with Your voice.  Guide me to speak Your words and give all glory to You for the message and act of salvation.  Amen."
Pastor Adam
A simple man serving a great God and the local pastor of Stillwater Community Chapel (stillwater-chapel.org). We are in our 38th year of full time ministry. God directed us to this local body of believers on the Western Range of the Rockies to grow with them in mission and mindedness of Christ.

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