A Gospel of Grace

A Gospel of Grace 2022 01 23

Galatians 1:6 – 10                            

The world is a very messed up place.  Few, who pay any attention at all to what is going on would disagree.  Many churches are heavily involved in working to solve the world’s problems, preaching tolerance and inclusion in the church, regardless of unrepentant sin, trying to bring peace and justice for all, and to end poverty, hunger, war, and suffering.  Much effort is being put into reaching out to hurting people in a non-confrontational, non-offensive, and non-judgmental way to bring relief.  Vast amounts of money have been poured into this social gospel by churches and organizations such as the World Council of Churches; yet all indicators are that the world is getting worse, and people continue to go to hell in droves.  Many who identify as Christians seem to be pursuing conspiracies and secret knowledge, rather than reading the Bible, which is nothing more than modern Gnosticism. Greater numbers of people are hearing about Christianity, yet fewer than ever want anything to do with it. The Bible is seen as irrelevant even by professing Christians, and nothing seems to be changing.  What is wrong with this picture?

Galatians 1:6 – 10

Paul was a man who traveled extensively for the day, mainly on foot or by sailing vessel.  He would have seen hunger and suffering, in some places worse than we can even imagine, yet he had very strong words to say to us about taking our focus off the main thing, the preaching the gospel as laid out plainly in the Bible.  Even then, false preachers were coming in and adding to the gospel, teaching that people needed to follow traditions and rituals to be saved.  That continues today, alongside such things as the prosperity gospel and the gospel of social justice, and “kingdom now” theology, the idea that we need to fix the world for Christ. Any of these things are a false gospel and a message of death.

 

I  He Marveled

  1. Paul wrote by the power of the Holy Ghost how he marveled that the church in Galatia so quickly moved from the true gospel they were taught and saved by to another gospel, which is no gospel at all.
    1. There are things that may sound good, but they are not the gospel.
    2. There are things people might do, rules people might follow, rituals people may carry out, but they are not the gospel.
    3. There are church traditions and ordinances and practices, but they are not the gospel.

 

II  What IS the Gospel?

  1. “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:  And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:  After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.”  1 Corinthians 15:1 – 6
  2. “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast.”  Ephesians 2:4 – 9
  3. The true gospel is a gospel of grace, not of works. Ordinances, traditions, practices, rules, rituals, good works, tolerance, kindness, mercy – NONE of these are the gospel.  NONE of these will save anyone.  NONE of these are what God says saves us.  Acts 4:10 – 12 tells us, “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.  This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
  4. The one true gospel of grace is God’s power for our salvation! Romans 1:16 tells you, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

 

III  Why do we Need the Gospel?

  1. The gospel is the only way by which we can be freed from our sins, which carry a death penalty that is conscious and eternal.
    1. Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
    2. Romans 5:12: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”
    3. Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
  2. We all need this gospel because we are all sinners living under the just penalty of death.
    1. What is a sinner? A sinner is someone who rebels against God our Creator.  A sinner is someone who believes that he or she can get by without God and without a Saviour.  A sinner is therefore anyone who has not put his or her faith in Jesus Christ.  No one can be saved apart from this gospel of grace.
  3. But no sinner needs to spend even one minute in Hell, because our Creator, Jesus Christ, paid the full price for the sins of the whole world. It is for everyone, everywhere, a gift that is free for all. “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”  1 John 2:2. Just accept the gift!

 

IV What are the Effects of the Gospel?

  1. The effects of the gospel are marvelous! Eternal life!  Freedom from the penalty of sin! We have the words of Jesus in John 3:16 – 18: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
  2. and in John 5:24 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
  3. When you believe this true gospel of grace for yourself, you have passed from death to life!

 

V  Let Him be Accursed

  1. Twice it is written in our passage, “Let him be accursed,” who preaches any gospel other than the true gospel which was preached by Jesus Christ and the apostles.
    1. Any other gospel, regardless of how good it might sound, is sending people to hell. That is total rebellion against God.
    2. The Bible says in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
  2. The so-called “social gospel” that is trumpeted so much in this miserable world is not a gospel of grace, but no gospel at all, an accursed doctrine, a doctrine of death. P. Yohannen is the founder of Gospel for Asia. He tells of the time he shared the gospel with a man dying of starvation who was marvelously saved when he preached the true gospel of grace to him: “It is better to die and go to heaven on an empty stomach than to go to hell in comfort and full.” There are no truer words than that!
  3. The true gospel is a gospel of grace, not of works. Ordinances, traditions, practices, rules, rituals, good works, tolerance, kindness, mercy:  NONE of these are the gospel.  NONE of these will save anyone.  NONE of these are what God says saves us.  The gospel is a gospel of grace, marvelous grace, amazing truth, that Christ died for our sins, as prophesied, was buried and rose from the dead, as prophesied.  When you turn by faith from your sins to God our Creator by Jesus Christ, you have everlasting life.  This is the gospel that saves.  This is the gospel that is the very power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.  Have you accepted His gift?  Have you really put your faith in Jesus Christ?