“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—” Galatians 1:6
Gospel memory loss is by far the most dangerous type of memory loss for the Christian to experience. We are prone to forget not just trivial things like our keys or calling someone back, but earth-shattering, life-changing things like this: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8).
Gospel memory loss was the reason that Paul wrote a letter to the believers in Galatia. It is clear from the book of Acts that Paul and his companions had a very successful evangelistic journey through the different regions in Galatia. Many people were saved and began to serve the mission of Jesus, and yet, we have this letter from Paul, written not long after that journey, in which he writes, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you.”
Paul and his team have shared the good news of Jesus Christ with thousands of people. These men, women, and children have heard that they are sinners, that Jesus is not, that God send him to die our death, so we could be seen in his righteousness. Paul has made it abundantly clear throughout his ministry that we are saved by grace!
But the Galatians have forgotten—or worse, are deliberately ignoring and avoiding what they do know—so Paul says to them, “You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated by Christ; you have fallen away from grace” (Gal. 5:4). Even though they’ve heard all about grace, they are trying justifying themselves through their works.
And guess what? We do the same thing today. We so easily forget that the good news is that we can’t do it, but that Jesus did it.
For some of us this looks like despair. We are reminded of our sin and how we cannot please God. For some of us this looks like pride. We think that God’s grace and favor has come upon us because we are great.
“—not that there is another one.” Galatians 1:7
Paul accuses the Galatia of turning to a different gospel, which is distorting the true gospel. To believe and turn to a different gospel is to believe and turn to an anti-gospel. If our faith is in anything other than the completed work of Jesus Christ on our behalf on the cross, then we have faith in something that is by definition not good news! It is not good news if we must please God—because we can’t. It is not good news if we must earn our way to heaven—because we won’t. It is not good news—it is not gospel—if God is looking at anyone other than Jesus Christ for our righteousness.
Remember the gospel today and do not forget! You are saved by Christ, not by your works! Thank God today that he has not only provided salvation for us, but accomplished it as well!
