God’s Word for You
Galatians 1:7b The twisting of the gospel
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Thursday, May 23, 2024
But there are some who are stirring you up and who want to twist the gospel of Christ.
Crowds of Jews did something like this when Paul was preaching in Berea, over in Greece. “They went there, too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up” (Acts 17:13). Although Mark uses a different word, he reports a similar action when Jesus was bound before Pilate: “The high priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead of Jesus” (Mark 15:11). And although scientific studies aren’t necessary to show it, there have been many that have shown that people alone can be quite reasonable, moral, and even compassionate, but that crowds seldom are. There is always a coward who will manipulate a crowd to do what he wants in such a way that he won’t get blamed.
This is the verse from which I have taken my term, “gospel-twisters.” The Greek word for “turn” or “change” is strepho (Revelation 11:6), but when it is intensified as meta-strepho it means “to twist, wrench, distort” (Sirach 11:31), “to turn round” (Jeremiah 21:4), “to flip” (Hosea 7:8) or even “to pervert.” Another sense is “completely change,” as in, “He turned the sea into dry land” (Psalm 66:6). The jealous Jews of Galatia were turning, twisting, perverting the gospel into something it is not, which is a law.
They were claiming that Paul didn’t know what he was talking about when he preached to them. His gospel was flawed; imperfect. They had something more to offer. Agitating and stirring people up was their method of preaching and teaching. Paul’s method was simply to quote the Scriptures and Jesus himself, knowing that the Holy Spirit would then carry on and make changes in people’s hearts. But the enemies of the gospel use fear, misinformation, disinformation, and lies to do their work.
Right at this time, when Paul was writing, Luke reports that “Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved’” (Acts 15:1). This is the twist itself; the claim that obeying the law of circumcision was necessary to be saved. Look closely at the last phrase: “You cannot be saved!” They were not offering this as a suggestion, or saying that circumcision was a good thing that might still have benefits to the health of the people. They were insisting and claiming in the name of God that salvation is impossible apart from circumcision.
A few years ago, there was a trend among certain political and social protest groups to vandalize works of art by throwing food or paint on them. The paintings were usually already encased in plastic or had some other protection, but many of us remember being shocked and outraged that someone would ruin centuries-old masterpieces that way. Paul is bringing this shock to us and to his readers. It wasn’t a work of art, a mere thing, a creation of man that could be ruined or obliterated by fire or war or moths, but the word of God itself that was being ruined and defaced by selfish fools.
Now, the word of God cannot be destroyed. It can be oppressed. It can be distorted. It can be squelched by false teachers who claim to their people that ordinary people can’t possibly understand the word of God and that they should therefore never read it. Such things have happened, even among some of the largest Christian denominations the world has ever known. But even when a generation, or several generations, are deceived into believing something other than the true gospel, the true gospel will be proclaimed. Someone will pick up a Bible, read the clear and simple words, take them at face value, and faith will be kindled in that heart. “The word of the Lord stands forever” (1 Peter 1:25).
Paul is being passionate, and for some, reading this letter can become tiring because Paul is stating his point so strongly. But he is passionate because souls are at stake, not only in Galatia but throughout the whole Christian church. Even my soul can be threatened by the twisting of the gospel. Even yours. Praise God that Paul and other watchmen stand on the walls, appointed by God (Jeremiah 6:17), and point out false teaching, warn about many dangers, and guide the people of God along the path of everlasting life.
“My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.” (Psalm 130:6)
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.