A Study of Galatians
Concluding Comments
Paul’s letter to the Galatians is an amazing exposé of some doctrines of the Christian faith that have fallen into significant disrepute today. The New Evangelicalism pronounced in 1948 blazed a trail away from the narrow Gospel message of the Bible, and what Harold Ockenga proclaimed to be “new” is, unfortunately, no longer new but commonplace. Under the light of the teachings of the Spirit of God through this letter, the reality of Ockenga’s message takes on a much more significant and sinister hue for those who walk in its pathway.
The first noteworthy teaching that Paul hammers home is that the Gospel message is very narrowly defined. Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). When we are prepared to recognize that Jesus is the eternal Logos, the Word (Revelation 19:13), it requires that the Word of God must be central to all that we teach and hold with great perseverance. The significance of this hits when we realize that Paul’s instruction to the Galatians is that they are to reject everything that does not line up with the Scriptures. Today our world is filled with variations on the truth of God’s Word; every denomination and sect has its version of the truth, yet invariably their founding document is not the Bible, but something drafted by their founder(s) emphasizing certain truths over others. Governance, in such cases, does not follow Scripture, but their carefully drafted constitutions, creeds or statements of faith. We live in a time when even the Word of God comes in numerous flavors to fit the taste of almost any sinner, or carefully outfitted with the theological musings of one’s favorite “Christian” philosopher. Preachers and teachers today, for the most part, do not challenge their listeners to study the Scriptures to ensure that what they are hearing is, in fact, Biblically accurate. “Church” has become big business and that’s how it is run. In Galatians, we discover that ANY departure from what is recorded in God’s Word must be rejected completely – this runs contrary to the Ecumenical minds of today!
Paul leaves no doubt as to the significance of departing from the faith, which can be something as simple as accepting a doctrine that is contrary to the Word of God. The lure for the Galatians was not into worldliness or some aberrant sect; they were simply being tempted to add the Law of Moses to their Christian faith – something that God had given to the Jews! How could something from God be dangerous? However, it becomes very evident that if they accepted this teaching, it would then be as if they were returning to their original paganism – they would be falling from the grace of God.
We might well hear much about apostasy today, but how it has been defined has become skewed due to its Ecumenical context. Apostasy is not complex – it is simply falling away. However, even the great theological minds of today conclude that apostates are “falling away” from something that they never believed or truly embraced. If we read this letter carefully, we will come to understand that this is not the case – the many warnings in Scripture, to hold fast to the doctrine that we have received and to remain steadfast in the faith, are there for a reason. We are charged to be vigilant, and so we must be continually alert lest we fall victim to the lure of the enemy.
It is my prayer that this study will become as significant in your life as it has been in mine. We must simply permit the Spirit of God to work the truth of His Word into our hearts and minds – minds that are often filled with the standard Evangelical theologies that provide us with a latitude of life that Paul did not prescribe for the Galatians. God help us to be faithful!
Paul’s letter to the Galatians is an amazing exposé of some doctrines of the Christian faith that have fallen into significant disrepute today. The New Evangelicalism pronounced in 1948 blazed a trail away from the narrow Gospel message of the Bible, and what Harold Ockenga proclaimed to be “new” is, unfortunately, no longer new but commonplace. Under the light of the teachings of the Spirit of God through this letter, the reality of Ockenga’s message takes on a much more significant and sinister hue for those who walk in its pathway.
The first noteworthy teaching that Paul hammers home is that the Gospel message is very narrowly defined. Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). When we are prepared to recognize that Jesus is the eternal Logos, the Word (Revelation 19:13), it requires that the Word of God must be central to all that we teach and hold with great perseverance. The significance of this hits when we realize that Paul’s instruction to the Galatians is that they are to reject everything that does not line up with the Scriptures. Today our world is filled with variations on the truth of God’s Word; every denomination and sect has its version of the truth, yet invariably their founding document is not the Bible, but something drafted by their founder(s) emphasizing certain truths over others. Governance, in such cases, does not follow Scripture, but their carefully drafted constitutions, creeds or statements of faith. We live in a time when even the Word of God comes in numerous flavors to fit the taste of almost any sinner, or carefully outfitted with the theological musings of one’s favorite “Christian” philosopher. Preachers and teachers today, for the most part, do not challenge their listeners to study the Scriptures to ensure that what they are hearing is, in fact, Biblically accurate. “Church” has become big business and that’s how it is run. In Galatians, we discover that ANY departure from what is recorded in God’s Word must be rejected completely – this runs contrary to the Ecumenical minds of today!
Paul leaves no doubt as to the significance of departing from the faith, which can be something as simple as accepting a doctrine that is contrary to the Word of God. The lure for the Galatians was not into worldliness or some aberrant sect; they were simply being tempted to add the Law of Moses to their Christian faith – something that God had given to the Jews! How could something from God be dangerous? However, it becomes very evident that if they accepted this teaching, it would then be as if they were returning to their original paganism – they would be falling from the grace of God.
We might well hear much about apostasy today, but how it has been defined has become skewed due to its Ecumenical context. Apostasy is not complex – it is simply falling away. However, even the great theological minds of today conclude that apostates are “falling away” from something that they never believed or truly embraced. If we read this letter carefully, we will come to understand that this is not the case – the many warnings in Scripture, to hold fast to the doctrine that we have received and to remain steadfast in the faith, are there for a reason. We are charged to be vigilant, and so we must be continually alert lest we fall victim to the lure of the enemy.
It is my prayer that this study will become as significant in your life as it has been in mine. We must simply permit the Spirit of God to work the truth of His Word into our hearts and minds – minds that are often filled with the standard Evangelical theologies that provide us with a latitude of life that Paul did not prescribe for the Galatians. God help us to be faithful!