As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God's curse! – Galatians 1:9

Today's Scripture Reading (April 10, 2024):  Galatians 1

I remember one of the last conversations that I had with my grandfather. I seemed to have a talent for interrupting my grandfather when he was practicing his singing for some event or another. And usually, I would walk in and hear his rich baritone voice, a vocal styling that he had modeled after Bing Crosby. To this day, whenever I hear Bing sing, I hear my grandfather. When I entered the room, he would come over, hug me, and continue singing.

But on this day, there was a theological discussion in the waiting. Grandpa stopped practicing and began to talk. During this pause, he quoted a Bible verse from Jesus's Sermon on the Mount. "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it" (Matthew 7:13). I still remember his words that followed the scripture quotation: the gate is narrow, but it is wider than we think.

I wasn't sure I understood what he was getting at then. But I think I do now. Grandpa was echoing Paul's message to the Galatians. Cursed in anyone that makes receiving the gift of grace harder than it needs to be. I love the way that Dan Clendenin phrases it.

The "perverted gospel" that Paul condemns in Galatians is one that restricts, narrows, or limits the love of God to an exclusive few — in his time and place, those believers who wanted to force Gentiles to live like Jews.

The "true gospel" that Paul defends is one that expands the love of God in Christ to all people without exception and subverts our spiritual hierarchies.  In Galatians, Paul says that his gospel bursts our normal boundaries of exclusion, like race, religion, gender, and class — "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ" (Dan Clendenin, "No Other Gospel")

Paul's anger was on display because someone had come and narrowed the gate smaller than it needed to be.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ (Galatians 1:6-7).

There is only one gospel message, and it is a message that applies to everyone.

During Jesus's ministry, Jesus had some strong words of condemnation for the Pharisees. And I think that part of the problem was that they had narrowed the gate. They were so close to what Jesus expected, yet they couldn't quite get there.

I am convinced that the Pharisees and Judaizers are still with us. They sit in our worship services every week and proclaim a gospel that must be earned. Pharisees are even found in the pulpits of our churches. And there is only one solution. It is to ask ourselves continually, am I adding more to the requirements of God than is needed to receive his grace? Do I really believe, with Paul, that grace is a free gift with no strings attached?

Anything else is not the gospel. It is something else and something less.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Galatians 2