Paul doesn’t waste any time in dancing around the pressing issue here, does he? He comes right out and tells them he’s “shocked” at their behavior and how they have turned so quickly away from God. What does he mean they are following “a different way that pretends to be the Good News?”
Imagine the dynamic of what is happening here. You have Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles) all believing in Jesus. They have all heard the same gospel from Paul and were sold out, on fire for Christ. Then they were left on their own. Because of the traditional division between Jews and Gentiles, there were bound to be issues in the young Christian church. As I understand it, the Jews believed that Gentiles needed to follow Jewish traditions to be “true” Christ followers. After all, Jesus was a Jew.
That is not what Jesus instructed Paul to preach. The authority of the gospel, the true gospel, comes from Jesus himself. Jesus welcomes all, and there are no pre-requisites or hoops to jump through to become a follower of Christ. We simply need to keep the true gospel real and not try to distort it to fit our needs.
The harsh warning Paul gives in verse 8 should make it clear. “Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.” I don’t know about you, but that speaks to me. I want to keep the gospel message pure and focused on the truth. That is, on Jesus alone!
I love it when I come across verses in my Bible that I’ve underlined at some time previously. Today, that was verse 10. “Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” I have to admit I tend to be a people pleaser. I always have been. I can remember putting so much pressure on myself to get good grades so that my parents would be proud of me. I didn’t realize they would love me just the same if I had gotten B’s and C’s. I felt like I was letting them down if I didn’t do my best.
This has carried with me for much of my adult life as well. I am always trying to make everyone happy, sometimes at the expense of my own happiness or well-being. I realize that what Paul is saying here doesn’t really mean pleasing your parents with good grades, but more along the lines of “seek to please God rather than people.” God’s word and his truth are not open for modification.
We see attempts to modify the gospel a lot these days, too. People throw around the word “tolerance” and make those of us who stand on the truth of Scripture feel like the enemy. It is not up to us to judge others. That is God’s job. The gospel message makes it clear that Jesus died for all, and salvation is available to all who trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We do best to focus on loving God and one another just as the Bible says. Remember Paul’s warning and keep the Word of God pure.
Take some time today to reflect on who you are trying to please and ask God to help you modify your behavior to be more pleasing to Him.
Let’s pray … Lord, help me overcome my propensity to want to please others. I want to please only you. Help me to never adjust the meaning of your Word to exclude others. Your Word is clear, and I pray you will reveal the truth to me. That truth sets me free. That’s the message I want to share with others, even when it might be hard to hear. Take away my fear of approval so that I can be a true warrior for your truth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
