Title: Warning to Other Evangelists
6 I marvel that you are so quickly departing from him who called you by the grace of Christ to a different gospel. 7 There is no other gospel, except that some are disturbing you and trying to change the gospel of Christ. Let all angels be cursed if they preach any gospel other than the one we preached to you. 9 As we have said before, I say again now, if anyone preaches any other gospel than what you have received, let him be accursed. 10 Now I Do I seek the pleasure of men or of God? If I have been seeking the joy of men, then I am not a servant of Christ.
1. Words that begin
If you look at the history of the church, you can see that countless heresies have appeared and then disappeared. There were cults that had great power by deceiving so many people, and there were cults that seemed to have disappeared. Not long ago, the terrible mass suicide drama of the People's Temple in a foreign country was, of course, also the damage caused by heresy. Currently, hundreds of heretics in Korea alone believe that their doctrine is the true truth of salvation, and are spreading the word. However, the cults that are deceiving members with cultic doctrines similar to the truth of the gospel, though still minor, are a bigger problem than groups that have already formed a large force and have exposed heresy doctrines or ideologies, such as the Evangelical Kwan and Unification Church. The bigger problem than those heresies is the people who teach things that are not the gospel in the church and the people who follow the teachings and lead a wrong life of faith! There are church members.
2. Those who teach other gospels
The Apostle Paul said emphatically, "There is no other gospel, except that some are disturbing you and trying to change the gospel of Christ." False teachers were confusing the church members by claiming that even if they believe in Jesus Christ, they must obey the law to be saved. In other words, they were teaching the mixed doctrine of salvation by faith in the Lord and works of the law as the true gospel. Many church members were shaken or deceived by acknowledging their faith in the Lord as they are, but in reality, believing in the Lord means nothing if you follow the mixed doctrine. In other words, no matter how hard you believe in the Lord, if you do not keep all the laws, you will not be saved. In the end, it is the same whether you believe in the Lord or not.
So, the apostle Paul concludes that there is no other gospel. There is only one way, no other way of salvation than believing in the Lord Jesus, who came according to God's promise of salvation with the essence of eternal love.
This gospel of salvation is not just a doctrine or a precept. It is the word of power that has lived and has power to regenerate sinners, to live a life of righteousness and truth, love and freedom, and to enjoy eternal life. If you just share this gospel of salvation and accept this gospel of Christ, you will see epochal changes and you will receive the eternal inheritance of the kingdom of heaven.
In a church in Seoul, there is an ‘evangelism commando’ made up of over 50 deacons. The members formed a meeting in October of last year, thinking that they should save even the souls of the Supreme Beings, which are terrible to even think of, and they wrote letters all night long. Their steel hearts, which showed no sign of remorse when they were arrested or even in court, were melted by the persistent love of the missionaries and dozens of letters and tracts.
“Uncle, please pray for the children of So Yoon-oh, who died because of this sinful man. I want to apologise by dying right now.” (Kang OO) “My face heats up when I think of you watching my arrogant behavior in court. I didn't know how to bow my head at the thought that I should never show weakness. In a busy world like these days, I am busy living alone, but thank you for your interest in me. The devil's agent Kim OO Dream.
Here are some of the replies they wrote.
Kim OO, the leader of the supreme faction, said that he stopped attending church when he was 11 years old.
Everyone, I hope that you will boldly act according to the word of God at any time, any place, and under any circumstances, and live a life where you experience the wonderful wonders and miracles of God's word, victory and prosperity.
3. Curse for those who preach other gospels
The gospel preached by the Apostle Paul is that we can be saved if we believe in Jesus Christ, who was crucified and resurrected as our Savior through the Holy Spirit, who took upon Himself the sins of mankind in our place according to the will of God. The Apostle Paul declared again and again with great embarrassment that anyone who preaches another gospel, even an angel, would be cursed. Anyone who advocates any salvation doctrine or method other than faith in the Savior Jesus Christ, who came according to God's promise of salvation, will inevitably be cut off from God's saving grace. In Acts 4:12, we find the words that Peter, the chief disciple of Jesus Christ, confessed because he was filled with the Holy Spirit. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Of course, we are people who have heard the gospel of Christ and have been saved by believing it. But even in our daily life, we do not know well whether Jesus Christ is our Sovereign and our Lord. I hope that anyone who sees can find Jesus Christ in the way we live. If we truly are governed by Jesus Christ, the gospel of Christ will be magnified in our person and life. As believers, whatever field we work in, we must carry it out in a way that is worthy of the Gospel. Our life of trusting in the Lord must not become a revelation of another gospel.
4. Conclusion
Apostle Paul is conscious of the heretics who will be cursed, and he speaks of his missionary attitude completely different from them. “Now do I seek people’s pleasure or God’s or people’s joy? If I have been seeking human joy, then I am not a servant of Christ.” It was different from the heretics who taught in a tight fit. The apostle Paul was a servant of Christ who preached the gospel of Christ only to please God, not to please people or seek their joy.
The Apostle Paul preached only the gospel of Christ, which pleases God, and walked according to that gospel. In fact, please believe that the attitude of life that pleases God is the way for people in the true sense of the word.
(Pungseong Methodist Church. Book: Complete New Testament Commentary Series/ Interpretation of difficult scriptures/ Prosperous prayer/ Salvation Before Jesus Came/ Salvation Before Jesus Came/ Understanding Paul’s Humanity/ Sermonbook 18. 426-3051)