Galatians 1:10
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.
Devotion
In the name of + Jesus.
I’ve never been a church-planter, like Paul, who wrote the
words above to the Christians in the Church at Galatia—which he started. I’ve never stepped into a community which
didn’t have a Church—didn’t have or know the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I’ve never had the joy of seeing the
beginning of a Christian congregation born in faith through the preaching of
the Gospel.
But unfortunately, I have
shared in the astonishment Paul shares – an astonishment he has over those who
have heard and believed the wonderful message of the forgiveness of sins that freely
come from the cross of Christ.
I have friends from years ago who were zealous in the faith,
but who now enjoy mocking those of us who uphold the tenants of creedal Christianity. There are former classmates of mine who used
to join with me in worship of our Triune God, but who now seem to worship
anything but the true God. And I have
family members who once stood as role-models in the faith, who now make me
wonder, with great sorrow, “what happened to him/her?”
It’s astonishing, that one would have heard the Gospel, and
believed the Gospel, and then be led astray into the darkness and confusion of
unbelief. It’s astonishing, but it
happens all around us.
And it would happen within us, too, if we began to listen to
false teachers, or if we began to listen to false preachers, or if we began to
read the books of authors who have adopted a different gospel – which is no gospel. Just do a Google search for popular Christian
literature, and you’ll see that false teachers are not only all around us, but
they have a large audience. If not for the grace of God go I!
One of the marks of the one, holy, Christian (catholic—universal),
apostolic Church, is the true preaching/teaching of the Gospel: salvation in
Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, as reported in the Scriptures
alone. That is what Paul was reminding
the Galatians, and we do well to remember it as well.
Prayer
Dear heavenly Father, you promise not to lose one of your
children. And through the preaching and
teaching of the Gospel of Jesus, Your Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens and
sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth.
Keep us steadfast in that Word which is the power of salvation for all
who believe, and give us hearts of compassion for those who would otherwise be
led astray by false teachers, that we might not be afraid, but may respond in
love with the Word of a Savior who died for their sins, and our own; through
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
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