False Teachers, False Gospels, & Pleasing Man (Gal. 1:6-10)
A Verse-by-Verse Exposition on Galatians 1:6-10
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. 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! For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.
Deserting Christ
I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel (Galatians 1:6).
The Greek word translated “I am amazed” is thaumazó, which means to marvel or wonder.[1] Paul was not just upset at the Galatians for turning away from the doctrine he taught, he was dumbfounded that this had happened so quickly.
Paul had labored intensely in his ministry to the Galatians. He agonized over the thought that they had so promptly deserted the teaching he spent such great care administering to them.
Any parent can relate to the anguish Paul experienced. Many parents spend a great deal of time and energy to train their children to live righteously. Unfortunately, every child at some point goes against their parent’s instructions. Some children even depart from the very faith in which they were raised.
This result is devastating to any parent who has poured out their lives to lead their child into truth. If you or someone you know has experienced this pain, like Paul you can enter the battleground of intercession for “the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16).
In the case of the Galatians, it was not that they were merely abandoning Paul’s instructions. They were deserting God himself. The focus is on how God, not Paul, beckoned them by the grace found in Christ.
He belabors this point because the Galatians had been deceived into believing that being saved by grace through faith was not adequate for true salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). They were tricked into believing that more was needed to truly be accepted by God.
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Paul considers this new form of teaching to be so contrary to what he initially imparted that it was a different gospel altogether. In verse 7, he corrects himself by mentioning that it cannot even be classified as another gospel.
Paul needed the church to understand the significance of their error. The Galatians had accepted a belief that was directly opposed to the very core of the message he shared with them. This was not a minor fringe issue. This error threatened the heart of the gospel itself.
Gospel Distortion
which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ (Galatians 1:7).
The so-called “gospel” preached by the Judaizers was no gospel at all. Gospel translates euaggelion, which means good news. There is only one authentic gospel, and the message being delivered by the Judaizers was not good news. In future verses in Galatians, we see how these false teachers were compelling Gentile believers to adhere to aspects of the Mosaic Law.
For now, we can conclude that this other teaching was causing a significant disturbance in the churches of Galatia. The news being delivered by this group was a distortion of the true gospel of Christ. J. Vernon McGee explains it this way:
“The word pervert [or ‘distort’] is the Greek word metastrepho. It is a strong word, used by Dr. Luke in speaking of the sun turned to darkness (see Acts 2:20), and by James, speaking of laughter turned to mourning (see James 4:9). To attempt to change the gospel has the effect of making it the very opposite of what it really is. This is important to see.”[2]
The Penalty for False Teachers
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 (Galatians 1:8).
There was no doubt in Paul’s mind that the gospel he first delivered to the Galatians was 100% accurate. Any gospel contrary to that first message, even if it came from the lips of Paul, was to be ignored. No other gospel message, whether delivered by a human or angelic source, was to be trusted.
Paul leaves no wiggle room for any alteration to the gospel that he first shared with the churches. This matter is of the utmost importance to him. Those who preached a gospel contrary to what he originally spoke were to be accursed.
Accursed translates anathema, “referring to something being pledged (given up) to destruction.”[3] This was not a minor matter Paul was dealing with. The distortion of the gospel deserved the penalty of destruction, regardless of the messenger.
The apostle John delivers a similar warning regarding false teachers in 2 John 1:7-11:
For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.
Doubling Down on False Preachers
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 (Galatians 1:9)!
Why does Paul repeat his instruction from verse 8, almost verbatim? The gospel’s purity is so intrinsically valuable to the Christian faith that Paul does not hesitate to repeat the same thing. We also see him do this in his letter to the Philippian church:
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you (Philippians 3:1).
Paul does not mind repeating himself, and he does it as a form of protection for his readers. The word safeguard (asphalés) is derived from two Greek words: A “not” and sphallō, “totter, cast down”.[4]
This is where we get our English word asphalt, which connotes the idea of a strong and solid foundation. Paul wants these believers to understand the situation’s foundational gravity, leaving no room for people to second guess his position.
Pleasing God vs. Pleasing Man
For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ (Galatians 1:10).
It’s obvious Paul does not care about offending anyone regarding his remarks on this topic. He was not “tip-toeing” around the subject but was tackling it head-on. He recognized that what he was saying would offend some of the recipients and the false teachers leading them.
This was not primarily his intention, but Paul would not water down his message to be accepted by his audience. He desired God’s glory above the approval of man. Paul relates a similar point in 1 Thessalonians 2:3-6:
For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts. For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness— nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority.
Paul makes it plain that you will not always satisfy men’s expectations by fully devoting your life to God. It is impossible to be a bondservant of Christ and a pleaser of man simultaneously (John 5:44). Some men will be grateful for your words and actions, but others will undoubtedly be offended.
The Greek word for bondservant is doulos, which literally means a slave. HELPS Word Studies further defines the term to mean “someone who belongs to another; a bond-slave, without any ownership rights of their own.”[5]
How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God (John 5:44)?
When you give your life to the Lord, you must give Him everything (Matthew 16:24-25)! You are no longer the master of your own life (1 Corinthians 7:22-23). “You are not your own … you have been bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19). Our overall popularity and social status will be wounded by declaring the full truth in God’s word. Regardless of the outcome, our only option is to joyously proclaim “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).
[1] James Strong, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, Bible Hub, (1890), https://biblehub.com/greek
[2] J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee, (Pasadena, CA: Thru the Bible Radio, 1983), 153, quoted in Thomas L. Constable, “Notes on 1 Galatians,” Sonic Light, Plano Bible Chapel, (2020), 18, https://planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/pdf/galatians.pdf
[3] HELPS Word-Studies, Bible Hub, (Helps Ministries, Inc. 1987, 2011), https://biblehub.com/greek