SEPTEMBER 22, 2014
Repeat
Warnings
Read: Galatians 1:6-10
I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called
you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel. —Galatians 1:6
“Caution,
the moving walkway is ending. Caution, the moving walkway is ending.” If you’ve
ever used an automated walkway at an airport, you’ve heard this kind of
announcement repeatedly.
Why
do airports repeat this announcement over and over? To ensure safety and to
protect them from liability if someone were to be injured.
Repeated
announcements can be annoying, but they do have value. As a matter of fact, the
apostle Paul thought repeating a warning was so vital that he did it in the
text of Galatians. But his statement had value far beyond the danger of
tripping at the airport. Paul warned them not to listen to, nor believe, him or
an angel from heaven if they preached “any other gospel” than what they had
already heard (1:8). In the next verse, Paul said it again. It was a warning
worth repeating. The Galatians had begun to believe that their salvation was
dependent on good works instead of the true gospel: faith in Christ’s work.
The
gospel of Jesus—His death, burial, and resurrection for the forgiveness of
sins—is the story that we have the privilege and responsibility to share. When
we present the gospel, let’s share that the risen Jesus is the only solution to
the problem of sin.
He is the way, the
truth, the life—
That One whose name is
Jesus;
There is no other name
on earth
That has the power to
save us. —Sper
Only one road leads to
heaven— Jesus Christ is the way.
Insight
Paul’s
letter to the church in Galatia addresses Christians who were being persuaded
to return to a lifestyle that sought to earn God’s favor through good deeds and
obedience to the law of Moses. Today’s passage is part of the introduction to
the letter. In these few verses, Paul introduces the topics that will be
covered in the rest of the letter, provides the reason this should be of
interest to the reader, and establishes his own authority to address the topic.
Paul will be writing about the true gospel of Christ (vv.6-9), and the reader
should pay attention to his words because he is the bondservant of Christ
(v.10). Anyone who preaches another message is “accursed” (vv.8-9).
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
