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.

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. 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. (Galatians 1:6-9)

The Church Of Rome Preaches Another Gospel

One of the clearest ways to show that apostate Roman Catholicism is another gospel, which is no gospel at all, is to look more closely at the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the churches in the southern part of the Roman province of Galatia. We know it of course as the Book of Galatians. Those of you who use the NIV Study Bible actually have the benefit of a very good introduction to this Epistle by Bible translator Dr. Robert Mounce. He correctly tells us:

Galatians stands as an eloquent and vigorous apologetic for the NT essential truth that man is justified by faith in Jesus Christ — by nothing less and nothing more — and that he is sanctified not by legalistic works but by the obedience that comes from faith in God’s work for him, in him and through him by the grace and power of Christ and the Holy Spirit (1985 ed., 1779)

Let’s stop right here for a minute. What Dr. Mounce, a evangelical Bible scholar of note, has just elucidated is actually the heart of the matter before us in the purity of God’s Gospel. In other words, how is a man saved from his debt of sin before a Holy and Righteous God? And clearly a debt requires a payment of some kind, does it not? For the wages of sin — [which is the debt] — is death (Romans 6:23). However, you may recall that Christ Jesus already paid that wage—that debt—with His own death.

That’s why Dr. Mounce can say, “Galatians stands as an eloquent and vigorous apologetic for the essential NT truth that man is justified by faith in Jesus Christ — by nothing less and nothing more.” It’s truly such a shame, and a travesty of God’s justice, that this has been allowed to slowly erode over the nearly 500 years since an Augustinian Monk named Martin Luther nailed those 95 Theses Of Religion upon the door of Castle Church Chapel at Wittenberg.

Theses, which essentially said — “We protest” — and would become the very document that would end up igniting the whole Protestant Reformation. We now live in an egregious ecumenical time where Satan is likely laying his foundation for the Global Family of Antichrist through his mind-numbing Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism. And because this spiritual cancer carried, e.g. by the The Cult of Guru Richard Foster, has metastasized throughout apostatizing evangelicalism it’s vital that we come to fully understand what is at stake here.

Men and women, we need to get the absolute Truth concerning God’s sovereign grace from our head down into our very hearts and it’s become such a critical issue today because, as this apostasy continues to spread, what professes to be Christianity is falling further away from the Lord. Dr. Mounce is firmly reminding us about this matter of grave importance, which we are going to have to defend in increasing measure, when he says – “that man is justified by faith in Jesus Christ – by nothing less and nothing more.” And we more concisely state the only Gospel which has any real saving power by saying that a man is justified solely by the grace of God alone–through faith alone–in Christ alone.

A Genuine Christian Must Proclaim The True Gospel

As you can see one need not spend hours in alleged disciplines of this neo-Pietism and its spurious Spiritual Formation to understand the Gospel, nor do we need the a-logic double-speak from the fools in the Emergent Church to figure this all out. And Pope Benedict, it’s really not difficult to understand the true Gospel of God if you are meek and humble enough to take off your funny hat, divest yourself of your priestly pretender robes and truly follow the Christ that you say that you are the Vicar of.

After all Jesus of Nazareth did say – Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:29). And remember the Master also said – Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). One of the things I have been endeavoring to do here at Apprising Ministries is to get us to look at whether or not anything has really changed regarding the importance of our proclaiming the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We’ve used this passage in Galatians 1 beginning with verse 6 as our text, and it’ll be helpful to read through this one more time, as we see here how Paul reacted to those who added to, and thereby specifically changed—even slightly—the Gospel that he preached. And if one should need further proof you need only return to the Book of Galatians, chapter 1. Before we run through this passage of Scripture quickly one last time, let me share this from F. Roy Coad in the New International Bible Commentary:

Something of the teaching which was brought by the Judaizing teachers to Galatia can be learned from later references in the letter. It accepted the Messiahship of Jesus, but added another requirement to that of faith in Christ: acceptance of the Jewish obedience, particularly as symbolized in circumcision and the keeping of the ethical and ceremonial law (Ac. 15:1; Gal. 3:2, 10; 4:10, 21; 5:2; 6:12, 13) (pp.1417,1418).

Galatians 1:6 — I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. Here at AM I have conclusively shown in numerous articles that the apostate Roman Catholic Church does indeed teach a gospel of works/self-righteousness. Here is something from the Code Of Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church:

A person who has not received baptism cannot be admitted validly to the other sacraments. The sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and the Most Holy Eucharist are interrelated in such a way that they are required for full Christian initiation.” (Online source, emphasis added)

Now, here is what Luther himself had to say about the verse under discussion, Galatians 1:6:

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.” (Online source)

And we know that what was being taught in Galatia by these Judaizers was not really another gospel in that it had any real saving power. Look at verse 7 again here in Galatians — which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than we — [the Apostles] — preached, let him be eternally condemned. In the original Greek eternally condemned translates that word anathema, which the Council of Trent was so fond of tossing around; and essentially means “accursed from God.”

No One Can Add To The Gospel

The great Church Reformer Dr. John Calvin points out here:

As [Paul] proceeds in defending the authority of his doctrine, his confidence swells. First of all, he declares that the doctrine which he had preached is the only gospel, and that the attempt to set it aside is highly criminal. But then he was aware, the false apostles might object: “We will not yield to you in our desire to maintain the gospel, or in those feelings of respect for it which we are accustomed to cherish.”

Just as, at the present day, the Papists describe in the strongest terms the sacredness with which they regard the gospel, and kiss the very name with the deepest reverence, and yet, when brought to the trial, are found to persecute fiercely the pure and simple doctrine of the gospel. Accordingly, Paul does not rest satisfied with this general declaration, but proceeds to define what the gospel is, and what it contains, and declares boldly that his doctrine is the true gospel; so as to resist all further inquiry.

Of what avail was it to profess respect for the gospel, and not to know what it meant? With Papists, who hold themselves bound to render implicit faith, that might be perfectly sufficient; but with Christians, where there is no knowledge, there is no faith. That the Galatians, who were otherwise disposed to obey the gospel, might not wander hither and thither, and “find no rest for the sole of their foot,” (Genesis 8:9) Paul enjoins them to stand steadfastly by his doctrine. He demands such unhesitating belief of his preaching, that he pronounces a curse on all who dared to contradict it.
(Online source)

And finally in verse 9 Paul will repeat his anathema for anyone who has the temerity to alter the Gospel which Christ Jesus gave to him. 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. As I have already shared with you the proclamation of the pure Gospel of our Lord is so important and so critical that the Apostle Paul felt constrained to repeat his stern rebuke. Let us never forget that God the Holy Spirit takes God’s Gospel of Jesus Christ so seriously that He saw to it that this warning was preserved in Holy Scripture.

But what’s so disconcerting is that somehow today all of this has simply been reduced to “significant differences.” And so now this is what the alleged evangelical “Protestant” community must come to grips with. How could Christians have reduced this Gospel that man is saved by God’s grace alone—through faith alone—in Christ alone—simply to “significant differences?” If the Apostle Paul was willing to pronounce eternal condemnation upon anyone who preached something different; and, if the Reformers were willing to die for their proclamation of this same Gospel, then what in the world has happened to us today?

He who has an ear, let him hear…for the time grows ever near…