“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, a curse be on him! As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him!
It sounds quite harsh, right? “A curse be on him!” I do not think many of us consider such sternness when we think about the gospel message. We mostly think of God’s grace, mercy, and love. And whilst those attributes of God are 100% valid, the reality is that God is so serious about the truth of Christ being preached that He allowed Paul to speak (and write) a curse upon anyone who attempted to distort it!
The word curse that Paul uses in this context means: ‘a thing devoted to God without hope of being redeemed…. therefore, a person or thing doomed to destruction’. Wow. I don’t know about you but that leaves me trembling. Do we consider that? Before we open our mouths and share our interpretations of the gospel or our beliefs, do we consider the severity of what Paul speaks over those who distort the gospel truth?
Whether intentional or not, we must hold ourselves accountable to the Word of God. Equally, we must weigh the words others preach against the true Word of God. If anyone is sharing a gospel message that is contrary to the truths written in the Bible; run. And remember the words of Paul about that preacher – “A curse be on him!” Do not yoke yourself with such people.
Read previous commentary on Galatians 1:6-7
