The Gospel that does not please

Galatians 1:8-10
8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

10For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

After pronouncing a curse upon any who would alter the one true Gospel Paul next asks a rhetorical question about who he is trying to please.

The changing of the Gospel will happen when people become more concerned that they give what makes people happy instead of seeking to do what makes God happy. They may not even be aware that that is what they are doing.

The frothy mouthed fundamentalist who screams that men pleasers are detestable will also give a Gospel of legalism that is very pleasing to the natural mind. Some Christians can be so concerned about alleviating suffering in the world and in their communities that they equate helping people like Jesus did, with the Gospel.

We naturally avoid the Gospel of grace. It is free, sovereign, electing grace that is the bane of humanity’s understanding of how to be right with God. We are by nature little factories of self righteousness who think that if we keep the rules, do the charitable things we will be accepted by God. Some will deny that the sin problem is any great matter anyway. At least not so great that God would punish His own Son to rescue the sinners.

The biblical Gospel does not please men. It humbles them, angers them, confuses them. But it does not please them, at least not until God the Holy Spirit comes and awakens them to its glories. The Judaizers in the Galatian churches were men pleasers in that they appealed to the natural desire to effect our own salvation through obedience to the Law. It is where the vast majority of the world lives theologically and it damns them. Let us give the Gospel of free and sovereign grace to the glory of God and see people truly converted form sin to righteousness.