In Greek mythology there is portrayed a villainous son named Procrustes, of his father Poseidon, who would arbitrarily prescribe ruthless, torturous phenomenon for patrons of his hostel. He would force his travelers to fit into his "procrustean bed" by stretching his victims or severing off their limbs.
In much the same way, there have been men throughout the ages, many who also today, are passing abhorrent doctrine and skewed theology off as authentic Christianity, that have abandoned the truth of God's Word (1 Tim. 4:1), having laid it upon the "procrustean bed" of deceived, depraved minds (1 Tim. 6:5; Titus 1:15) stretching its truth or lopping it off to suit itching ears (2 Tim. 4:3), wayward hearts (2 Pt. 2:2), and perverted religious systems, creeds, rituals and ceremonies (Col. 2:6-18). This is spiritual treason at its core!
The Apostle Paul warns of such treason and pronounces sentence on those who promulgate this distortion of doctrine and desertion of Christ for a different gospel when he says:
"I AM AMAZED THAT YOU ARE SO QUICKLY DESERTING HIM
WHO CALLED YOU BY THE GRACE OF CHRIST,
FOR A DIFFERENT GOSPEL; WHICH IS REALLY NOT ANOTHER;
ONLY THERE ARE SOME WHO ARE DISTURBING YOU,
AND WANT TO DISTORT THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST.
BUT EVEN THOUGH WE, OR AN ANGEL FROM HEAVEN,
SHOULD PREACH TO YOU A GOSPEL CONTRARY
TO THAT WHICH WE HAVE PREACHED TO YOU, LET HIM BE ACCURSED.
AS WE HAVE SAID BEFORE, SO I SAY AGAIN NOW,
IF ANY MAN IS PREACHING TO YOU A GOSPEL CONTRARY
TO THAT WHICH YOU RECEIVED, LET HIM BE ACCURSED."
-GALATIANS 1:6-9
Spiritual Treason
Doctrines of demons abounded in the Apostles day (1 Tim. 4:1). Endless genealogies (Ibid 1:4), myths (Ibid), strange doctrines (Ibid 1:3), worldly fables (Ibid 4:7f), and hucksters peddling the Word of God for profit (2 Cor. 2:17) - but Paul was called for the defense of the gospel (Phil. 1:16) and he would not shrink from the duty of "declaring the whole council of God" (Acts 20:27). Though some were out to make retail of the truth and sell it for whatever worldly prominence, power or paragon they might obtain, truth was a non-negotiable to this great saint as it was to Polycarp, Ireneaus, Ignatius, Athanasius, Augustine, Basil, Ambrose, Tertullian, Chrysostom and other great church fathers. These men sacrificed their lives for the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel. They took there stand firmly on the Word of God without compromise and without regret.
Athanasius knew this cost when he said,
"The calumniating Greek ridicule us and set up a broad laugh at us, because we regard nothing so much as the cross of Christ."
IOW, they guarded the trust! (1 Tim. 6:20)
The church should not be the place where sin is entertained, scandals abound and disobedience is tolerated, but the church should be what Paul had declared that it is, "the pillar and support of the truth." (1 Tim. 3:15) This is the purpose of all theology, of all ecclesiology, of all music and of all history to preserve, promote, protect and preach the Word! But since Lucifer is a subtle and twisted foe, he will try to pervert all sound doctrine into damning apostasy. "[He, the devil] ...does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him" (John 8:44).
All false systems throughout church history will have an appearance of orthodoxy, but are in reality "white-washed" tombs of abhorrent prevarication. Whether it be the additional revelations of the Montanists; the dualistic and demiurgic mediatorial intellectualism of the Gnostics; the subordinationist Trinitarian theology of the Arians; the kenotic iconoclasm of the Ebionites and Socinians; or the debauched sacradotalism of the greatest of all "angel of lights" (2 Cor. 11:14) - the Roman Catholic Church;
the genuine gospel was always blended with the leaven of error to produce heresy. As Louis Berkhof notes when commenting on this syncretism, he so profoundly says,
"Gnosticism...is a stealing of some Christian rags to cover heathen nakedness!"
A Workman Unashamed
Paul declared,
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,[a] a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." This is the duty of every faithful pastor--to rightly divide God's Word--to cut it straight. If he does so, he will be a workman unashamed and approved unto God. This should produce godly fear in every under-shepherd of the flock of God. Wrongly dividing the Word will bring judgment upon you (James 3:1) and cause the body of Christ to suffer. Think of Paul's exhortation to young Timothy; warning the church of two men who failed in this task and their skewed sermons were nothing but cancerous to the body of Christ.
”But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. (2 Tim. 2:16-18a) When one is injured and gangrene sets in, the only hope to stop the gangrene from spreading further and protect the health of the rest of the body is to amputate the diseased limb. In the same way, when gangrenous teaching finds its way within the church that can damage and disease the entire body, the only remedy for this disorder of doctrine is the amputation of aberrancy so that its poison will not effect the rest of the body of Christ!
As Tertullian so insightfully says,
"truth is just as much opposed by an adulteration of its meaning as it is by a corruption of its text."
This, however, presupposes an authoritative "rule and standard" that could be "adulterated... and corrupted." Schaff writes penetratingly when saying,
"The heretical canon of the Gnostic Marcion, of the middle of the second century, consisting of a mutilated Gospel of Luke and ten of Paul's epistles, certainly implies the existence of an orthodox canon at that time, as heresy always presupposes truth, of which it is a caricature."
Heresy always has an element of truth to it and that is why the Councils and Synods, the development of the Creeds had to not only unmask the impostor of the genuine faith but also contend for and reaffirm the truth of authentic faith (Jude 3).
Contend for THE Faith
These were not casual intellectual ping pong matches these men engaged in as though they were the next target on "Firing Line" with William Buckley, Jr. The preservation of truth, the development of the canon, the stance for sound doctrine (uncorrupted and unadulterated) cost many of the early Fathers (from the time of the ascension of Christ to the time of Constantine- and in some cases beyond) their reputations, separation from their families, exile and banishment, torture, persecution and ultimately their lives. The pages of church history cannot be studied dispassionately when the very pages of that history are written with the blood of the saints that held fast the faithful word and did not recant! The Bible is the most sacred thing we will ever hold in our hands in this life. The early church leaders did not shrink from declaring the whole council of God (Acts 20:27) and rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15). May we not dishonor them nor our Lord by taking lightly the task of preserving orthodox historical biblical Christianity.
To develop a biblical perspective of history a few considerations are necessary: a proper view of God; a proper view of man; and a proper view of truth. History can be and is didactic, political, sociological, biographical, economic, geographic and synthetic. But most importantly history is first and foremost theological. Newman says,
"the Christian scholar rejoices in all that is Christlike and heroic, laments the corruptions and perversions of the past, and is most deeply concerned for the honor and purity of Christianity of the present and future.”
Our faith is not built upon the opinions of the early church fathers, their traditions or councils, letters or debates apart from the attestation of Scripture. Though we today owe “the fathers—the divines” a tremendous debt for the faithful warrant and witness preserved on biblical truth; but we must be careful to fathom that our faith is built solely upon the authority, sufficiency and exhaustiveness of Holy Scripture. Truth must always take precedence over tradition - and tradition must always be examined in light of truth! If not, then we are in danger of turning the wonderful recognized traditions of these divines into what I call,
"Protestant Popery!" God forbid!
No Creed but Christ
Samuel Davies, that tremendous 18th century divine said,
"I may indeed believe the same things which Luther or Calvin believed: but I do not believe them on the authority of Luther or Calvin, but upon the sole authority of Jesus Christ, and therefore I should not call myself by their name, as one of their disciples, but by the name of Christ, whom alone I acknowledge as the Author of my religion, and my only Master and Lord."
"Follow me as I follow Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1) is the echoing call of redemptive history.
As the early church fathers followed Christ, we follow them. As they affirmed the Scriptures we accept them and their teaching. As the councils affirmed and upheld biblical truth in the creeds, without addition and without deletion, we receive them. As the Puritan divines held fast the faith without compromise, we embrace them. But remove the standard and rule for all conduct of God’s Word and depart from the heavenly plumbline (Amos 7:8), which governs our souls' security and surety for eternity and insures our daily duty and ecclesiastical obligations to elders and laity, from the essence of their dogma; then we must jettison their teachings in obedience to Scripture.
Amen?
Read carefully the words of Luther that follow and heed the warning of the Apostle Paul to not defect to another gospel. Truth, foundationally, should always trump all other concerns in ministry. These are serious times, needing serious answers, by serious men, who remain uncompromised in the Word of God and in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
by Martin Luther
from his Galatians Commentary
"Galatians 1:6-9"
Galatians 1:6. "I marvel."
How patiently Paul deals with his seduced Galatians! He does not pounce on them but, like a father, he fairly excuses their error. With motherly affection he talks to them yet he does it in a way that at the same time he also reproves them. On the other hand, he is highly indignant at the seducers whom he blames for the apostasy of the Galatians. His anger bursts forth in elemental fury at the beginning of his epistle. "If any may," he cries, "preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." Later on, in the fifth chapter, he threatens the false apostles with damnation. "He that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be." He pronounces a curse upon them. "I would they were even cut off which trouble you."
He might have addressed the Galatians after this fashion: "I am ashamed of you. Your ingratitude grieves me. I am angry with you." But his purpose was to call them back to the Gospel. With this purpose in his mind he speaks very gently to them. He could not have chosen a milder expression than this, "I marvel." It indicates his sorrow and his displeasure.
Paul minds the rule which he himself lays down in a later chapter where he says: "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." Toward those who have been misled we are to show ourselves parentally affectionate, so that they may perceive that we seek not their destruction but their salvation. Over against the devil and his missionaries, the authors of false doctrines and sects, we ought to be like the Apostle, impatient, and rigorously condemnatory, as parents are with the dog that bites their little one, but the weeping child itself they soothe.
The right spirit in Paul supplies him with an extraordinary facility in handling the afflicted consciences of the fallen. The Pope and his bishops, inspired by the desire to lord it over men's souls, crack out thunders and curses upon miserable consciences. They have no care for the saving of men's souls. They are interested only in maintaining their position.
Galatians 1:6. "That ye are so soon."
Paul deplores the fact that it is difficult for the mind to retain a sound and steadfast faith. A man labors for a decade before he succeeds in training his little church into orderly religion, and then some ignorant and vicious poltroon comes along to overthrow in a minute the patient labor of years. By the grace of God we have effected here in Wittenberg the form of a Christian church. The Word of God is taught as it should be, the Sacraments are administered, and everything is prosperous. This happy condition, secured by many years of arduous labors, some lunatic might spoil in a moment. This happened in the churches of Galatia which Paul had brought into life in spiritual travail. Soon after his departure, however, these Galatian churches were thrown into confusion by the false apostles.
The church is a tender plant. It must be watched. People hear a couple of sermons, scan a few pages of Holy Writ, and think they know it all. They are bold because they have never gone through any trials of faith. Void of the Holy Spirit, they teach what they please as long as it sounds good to the common people who are ever ready to join something new.
We have to watch out for the devil lest he sow tares among the wheat while we sleep. No sooner had Paul turned his back on the churches of Galatia, than the false apostles went to work. Therefore, let us watch over ourselves and over the whole church.
Galatians 1:6. "I marvel that ye are so soon removed."
Again the Apostle puts in a gentle word. He does not berate the Galatians, "I marvel that ye are so unsteady, unfaithful." He says, "I marvel that ye are so soon removed." He does not address them as evildoers. He speaks to them as people who have suffered great loss. He condemns those who removed them rather than the Galatians. At the same time he gently reproves them for rather themselves to be removed. The criticism is implied that they should have been permitting a little more settled in their beliefs. If they had taken better hold of the Word they could not have been removed so easily.
Jerome thinks that Paul is playing upon the name Galatians, deriving it from the Hebrew word Galath, which means fallen or carried away, as though Paul wanted to say, "You are true Galatians, i.e., fallen away in name and in fact." Some believe that the Germans are descended from the Galatians. There may be something to that. For the Germans are not unlike the Galatians in their lack of constancy. At first we Germans are very enthusiastic, but presently our emotions cool and we become slack. When the light of the Gospel first came to us many were zealous, heard sermons greedily, and held the ministry of God's Word in high esteem. But now that religion has been reformed, many who formerly were such earnest disciples have discarded the Word of God, have become sow-bellies like the foolish and inconsistent Galatians.
Galatians 1:6. "From him that called you into the grace of Christ."
The reading is a little doubtful. The sentence may be construed to read: "From that Christ that called you into grace"; or it may be construed to read: "From God that called you into the grace of Christ." I prefer the former for it seems to me that Paul's purpose is to impress upon us the benefits of Christ. This reading also preserves the implied criticism that the Galatians withdrew themselves from that Christ who had called them not unto the law, but unto grace. With Paul we decry the blindness and perverseness of men in that they will not receive the message of grace and salvation, or having received it they quickly let go of it, in spite of the fact that the Gospel bestows all good things spiritual: forgiveness of sins, true righteousness, peace of conscience, everlasting life; and all good things temporal: good judgment, good government and peace.
Why does the world abhor the glad tidings of the Gospel and the blessings that go with it? Because the world is the devil's. Under his direction the world persecutes the Gospel and would if it could nail again Christ, the Son of God, to the Cross although He gave Himself into death for the sins of the world. The world dwells in darkness. The world is darkness.
Paul accentuates the point that the Galatians had been called by Christ unto grace. "I taught you the doctrine of grace and of liberty from the Law, from sin and wrath, that you should be free in Christ, and not slaves to the hard laws of Moses. Will you allow yourselves to be carried away so easily from the living fountain of grace and life?"
Galatians 1:6. "Unto another gospel."
Note the resourcefulness of the devil. Heretics do not advertise their errors. Murderers, adulterers, thieves disguise themselves. So the devil masquerades all his devices and activities. He puts on white to make himself look like an angel of light. He is astoundingly clever to sell his patent poison for the Gospel of Christ. Knowing Satan's guile, Paul sardonically calls the doctrine of the false apostles "another gospel," as if he would say, "You Galatians have now another gospel, while my Gospel is no longer esteemed by you."
We infer from this that the false apostles had depreciated the Gospel of Paul among the Galatians on the plea that it was incomplete. Their objection to Paul's Gospel is identical to that recorded in the fifteenth chapter of the Book of Acts to the effect that it was not enough for the Galatians to believe in Christ, or to be baptized, but that it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses, for "except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved." As though Christ were a workman who had begun a building and left it for Moses to finish.
Today the Anabaptists and others, finding it difficult to condemn us, accuse us Lutherans of timidity in professing the whole truth. They grant that we have laid the foundation in Christ, but claim that we have failed to go through with the building. In this way these perverse fanatics parade their cursed doctrine as the Word of God, and, flying the flag of God's name, they deceive many. The devil knows better than to appear ugly and black. He prefers to carry on his nefarious activities in the name of God. Hence the German proverb: "All mischief begins in the name of God."
When the devil sees that he cannot hurt the cause of the Gospel by destructive methods, he does it under the guise of correcting and advancing the cause of the Gospel. He would like best of all to persecute us with fire and sword, but this method has availed him little because through the blood of martyrs the church has been watered. Unable to prevail by force, he engages wicked and ungodly teachers who at first make common cause with us, then claim that they are particularly called to teach the hidden mysteries of the Scriptures to superimpose upon the first principles of Christian doctrine that we teach. This sort of thing brings the Gospel into trouble. May we all cling to the Word of Christ against the wiles of the devil, "for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
Galatians 1:7. "Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you."
Here again the apostle excuses the Galatians, while he blames the false apostles for disturbing their consciences and for stealing them out of his hand. How angry he gets at these deceivers! He calls them troublemakers, seducers of poor consciences.
This passage adduces further evidence that the false apostles defamed Paul as an imperfect apostle and a weak and erroneous preacher. They condemn Paul, Paul condemns them. Such warfare of condemnation is always going on in the church. The papists and the fanatics hate us, condemn our doctrine, and want to kill us. We in turn hate and condemn their cursed doctrine. In the meanwhile the people are uncertain whom to follow and which way to turn, for it is not given to everybody to judge these matters. But the truth will win out. So much is certain, we persecute no man, neither does our doctrine trouble men. On the contrary, we have the testimony of many good men who thank God on their knees for the consolation that our doctrine has brought them. Like Paul, we are not to blame that the churches have trouble. The fault lies with the Anabaptists and other fanatics.
Every teacher of work-righteousness is a trouble-maker. Has it never occurred to you that the pope, cardinals, bishops, monks, and that the whole synagogue of Satan are trouble-makers? The truth is, they are worse than false apostles. The files apostles taught that in addition to faith in Christ the works of the Law of God were necessary unto salvation. But the papists omit faith altogether and teach self-devised traditions and works that are not commanded of God, indeed are contrary to the Word of God, and for these traditions they demand preferred attention and obedience.
Paul calls the false apostles troublers of the church because they taught circumcision and the keeping of the Law as needful unto salvation. They insisted that the Law must be observed in every detail. They were supporters in this contention by the Jews, with the result that those who were not firmly established in faith were easily persuaded that Paul was not a sincere teacher of God because he ignored the Law. The Jews were offended at the idea that the Law of God should be entirely ignored by Paul and that the Gentiles, former idol-worshippers, should gratuitously attain to the station of God's people without circumcision, without the penitentiary performance of the law, by grace alone through faith in Christ Jesus.
These criticisms were amplified by the false apostles. They accused Paul of designs to abolish the law of God and the Jewish dispensation, contrary to the law of God, contrary to their Jewish heritage, contrary to apostolic example, contrary to Paul's own example. They demanded that Paul be shunned as a blasphemer and a rebel, while they were to be heard as true teachers of the Gospel and authentic disciples of the apostles. Thus Paul stood defamed among the Galatians. He was forced to attack the false apostles. He did so without hesitation.
Galatians 1:7. "And would pervert the gospel of Christ."
To paraphrase this sentence: "These false apostles do not merely trouble you, they abolish Christ's Gospel. They act as if they were the only true Gospel-preachers. For all that they muddle Law and Gospel. As a result they pervert the Gospel. Either Christ must live and the Law perish, or the Law remains and Christ must perish; Christ and the Law cannot dwell side by side in the conscience. It is either grace or law. To muddle the two is to eliminate the Gospel of Christ entirely."
It seems a small matter to mingle the Law and Gospel, faith and works, but it creates more mischief than man's brain can conceive. To mix Law and Gospel not only clouds the knowledge of grace, it cuts out Christ altogether.
The words of Paul, "and would pervert the gospel of Christ," also indicate how arrogant these false apostles were. They were shameless boasters. Paul simply had to exalt his own ministry and Gospel.
Galatians 1:8. "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."
Paul's zeal for the Gospel becomes so fervent that it almost leads him to curse angels. "I would rather that I, my brethren, yes, the angels of heaven be anathematized than that my gospel be overthrown."
The Greek word anathema, Hebrew herem, means to a curse, execrate, to damn. Paul first (hypothetically) curses himself. Knowing persons first find fault with themselves in order that they may all the more earnestly reprove others.
Paul maintains that there is no other gospel besides the one he had preached to the Galatians. He preached, not a gospel of his own invention, but the very same Gospel God had long ago prescribed in the Sacred Scriptures. No wonder Paul pronounces curses upon himself and upon others, upon the angels of heaven, if anyone should dare to preach any other gospel than Christ's own.
Galatians 1:9. "As we said before, so say I now again. If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."
Paul repeats the curse, directing it now upon other persons. Before, he cursed himself, his brethren, and an angel from heaven. "Now," he says, "if there are any others who preach a gospel different from that you have received from us, let them also be accursed." Paul herewith curses and excommunicates all false teachers including his opponents. He is so worked up that he dares to curse all who pervert his Gospel. Would to God that this terrible pronouncement of the Apostle might strike fear into the hearts of all who pervert the Gospel of Paul.
The Galatians might say: "Paul, we do not pervert the Gospel you have brought unto us. We did not quite understand it. That is all. Now these teachers who came after you have explained everything so beautifully."
This explanation the Apostle refuses to accept. They must add nothing; they must correct nothing. "What you received from me is the genuine Gospel of God. Let it stand. If any man brings any other gospel than the one I brought you, or promises to deliver better things than you have received from me, let him be accursed."
In spite of this emphatic denunciation so many accept the pope as the supreme judge of the Scriptures. "The Church," they say, "chose only four gospels. The Church might have chosen more. Ergo the Church is above the Gospel." With equal force one might argue: "I approve the Scriptures. Ergo I am above the Scriptures. John the Baptist confessed Christ. Hence he is above Christ." Paul subordinates himself, all preachers, all the angels of heaven, everybody to the Sacred Scriptures. We are not the masters, judges, or arbiters, but witnesses, disciples, and confessors of the Scriptures, whether we be pope, Luther, Augustine, Paul, or an angel from heaven.
