We would now ask the reader’s attention to the defense of the gospel of Christ in the Epistle of Paul to the Galatians. It would be difficult to name a subject of greater importance at the present time. It is well for us that God permitted the perverters of that gospel to seek to overthrow the doctrine of the grace of Christ at the very beginning, so that we might have the answer of the Spirit of God in the inspired letters of the apostles.
With the apostle that gospel, as revealed to him, was perfect, complete; whatever was added to it disfigured and spoiled it. Christ filled his soul, and all else that man sought to add to it was of Satan. This explains his Indignation. What would be the feelings of some master sculptor, who, having finished an exquisite bust or figure, finds others adding to his work an additional eye or hand, and thus forever spoiling his figure? Picture his indignation. Or a watch manufacturer has finished a most perfect chronometer, made on such principles that it will keep correct time to the decimal of a second in a year. He finds some man, who does not understand the delicacy of the movements, actually adding, say even only one additional wheel; and, behold, the chronometer is spoiled. What would be the feelings of the manufacturer? Far deeper the indignation of Paul, and for a very grave reason. Another beautiful marble bust might be executed; another chronometer might be made; but if the glad tidings of the Christ be perverted, there is no other way of salvation. A marble bust is for this world; a chronometer is for time: but salvation is for a never-ending eternity.
Now the absolute perfection of the gospel of Christ consists in this—that it is wholly of God, and that which is of God must be complete. This is the first point he proves. And in order to do so, he shows that he has not received his apostle-ship as God’s messenger, either from man, or through or by man. Neither had he received the message of the gospel from man. In this he stands in peculiar, but important contrast to many preachers. Many professedly take the place of being of men, and will tell you they have received their message and authority by apostolic succession from Peter, who they say was bishop of Rome. With Paul it was the reverse of all this. “Paul, an apostle (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead), and all the brethren which are with me.”
He had never been ordained by the apostles, nor had he derived anything from them. He was what men now call a layman, yet an apostle by Jesus Christ and God the Father. To him this was enough. We shall see the importance of these facts shortly. His salutation is very beautiful, and contains the foundation of his glad tidings. “Grace be to you, and peace, from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.” All flows to them, from God as Father, and Jesus as Lord. The free, unmerited favor of the Father, perfect, immutable peace must that be which was made by the blood of the cross, and thus flows to us—the very peace of God. It was from our Lord Jesus Christ also, “who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
It is most important to see these two parts in the atonement of Jesus our Lord, as the Substitute for our sins. Not only did He thus offer Himself, but this was according to the will of God the Father: as it is written in the volume of the book, “Lo, I come to do thy will, Ο God.” Expiation for our sins must be made; but God so loved as to give His beloved Son to be the holy victim. “He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Yes, He gave Himself for our sins. “And the Lord [Jehovah] hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” according to the will of God our Father. “Neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin”—Then did He cry as in the psalm, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” To deny the true atoning sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to the will of God, is to deny Christianity; and the crowds that are denying it sadly prove that they are not Christians. No doubt the false gospel, introduced by false brethren in the assemblies of Galatia, has led to this.
Let us, then, hold faster than ever this foundation-truth, that the Lord Jesus Christ offered Himself for our sins, according to the will of God and our Father. Is not this the eternal rock on which our souls rest?
The Jews, with all their boasting of the law, were still of the evil world, or age. But through the death of Jesus believers were delivered from it, just as Israel were a figure of this, when, after the killing of the paschal lamb, they were delivered from Egypt. What grace in Christ to become the Lamb! Well might the apostle say, with holy indignation: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel, which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.” To alter it was evidently to pervert it; and the least addition to it, or taking from it, was to alter it. Would not a son feel indignant if, after his parent’s death, he found some solicitor had been tampering with his father’s will? Could there be any addition made to it after the death of the testator? An estate in this world might be, and often would be, lost, if such tampering with wills were allowed after death. But what is this to the momentous issues of perverting the gospel of Christ—the righteousness of God established by the death of Jesus for our sins—the glory of God—the eternal happiness of man, his justification in the sight of God? The apostle, grasping the infinite consequences of such a perversion, says, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which ye have received, let him be accursed.” So deeply does he feel this that he again repeats it.
Mark, there could be no addition to that gospel which he had preached; it is complete. So much was involved, and such his love to men, that he, with holy indignation, says, Let the perverter who preaches another, which is not another, be accursed. There cannot be any other glad tidings. No doubt, if Paul preached any other, he would please men, as we see at this day; but he would not be the servant of Christ. In faithfulness, then, we must conclude that the vast numbers now who are preaching another gospel than that which Paul preached, are not the servants of Christ.
What gave the apostle this divine certainty?
Let him tell us. He says, “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” How men do delight to go to the Fathers for teaching and authority; and they say, the more ancient, the nearer the truth. But here is a man in direct contact with the Lord Himself after His ascension to glory. He received his gospel by direct revelation from the Lord, without the intervention of a single person. How is it that men do not desire to come, and hear, and believe his words? No doubt the answer is found in John 3: “And men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
What an immense privilege to have the very words of one taught by the revelation of Jesus Christ! The apostle enlarges on this. He appeals to his own history as a Jew. Beyond measure he had persecuted the church of God, and wasted it. He had been exceeding zealous of the traditions of his fathers. Never was there a more zealous ritualist. But it was the good pleasure of God, who separated him from his mother’s womb, and called him by His grace, he says, “To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen.” Did he need to go up to Jerusalem to receive apostolic ordination, or even apostolic instruction? Not for a moment did he dream of such a thing. He says, “Immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me.” Thus he carefully proves that he had nothing to do with apostolic authority, teaching, or succession. Well did the Spirit know all that would come in afterward through the pretensions of men. Thus went forth this servant and messenger of Christ into Arabia. Then it was three years before he went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. He says, “But other of the apostles saw I none, save James, the Lord’s brother.” So important does he feel the establishing of this matter, that he solemnly asserts, “Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.” Afterward he departed into Syria and Cilicia. In the next chapter we shall find it was fourteen years after this that he went up to Jerusalem again. Thus, for twenty-one years did he preach the gospel of the grace of Christ, just as he had received it by direct revelation from the Lord. What mighty signs and wonders God had wrought by him during those years! What numbers of souls had been “turned to God from dumb idols, to serve the living and true God; and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” Had he not witnessed the power of God through the foolishness of preaching the cross of Christ? And now had false brethren introduced something in addition to the gospel of Christ, the perfect, complete glad tidings he had preached? Yes, and they thus trouble these dear souls lie so tenderly loved, and evidently they perverted the gospel of Christ.
Let us inquire, then, most diligently what this was they sought to add to the glad tidings revealed to Paul by the Lord. One word before we proceed. Is the grace of Christ, in giving Himself for our sins, a matter of as deep interest to you as it was to Paul? Or are you neither cold nor hot about it, or Him who died, the Just for the unjust? We are deeply impressed with the solemn fact, that, with the crowd of professors, the atoning death of Christ is of so little or no moment. This is the most solemn and striking sign of the times. May the Lord use our meditations on this epistle for the stirring up of our souls to the importance of this great foundation-truth.
C. S.
“Until the power of evil is set aside, the effect of the energy of the Spirit is to make us groan and suffer in proportion to it. Our groaning as saints should ever be that of the Spirit, because of holiness of mind as amidst the evil, and not on account of our own evil. So was it with Jesus: He groaned because of holy affections, and not because of unholy.”