Title: Never Move
from Christ
Text: Gal 1: 6-9
Date: Sept 24, 2020
Place: SGBC, NJ
Title: Never Move from Christ
Galatians 1: 6: I
marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of
Christ unto another gospel: 7: Which is not another; but there be some that
trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 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. 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.
Proposition: The Lord Jesus Christ is the gospel—to
make anything else necessary for any aspect of salvation is a removal from
Christ to no gospel at all.
It is important to know what the false
preachers were telling the Galatian believers.
Acts 15:1: And
certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except
ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved…5: But there
rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it
was needful [necessary, required] to circumcise them, and to command them
to keep the law of Moses.
False preachers in
our day require the same thing. Most do
not require circumcision. But they tell believers,
“Except ye keep the law of Moses, ye cannot be saved.” They say we are saved through faith alone in
Christ alone by the grace of God alone—they say salvation is of the Lord. But in addition to Christ, in addition to
faith, in addition to grace, they say, “Except ye keep the law of Moses, ye
cannot be saved.” Few say it is
necessary for justification before God.
But they require law-keeping for justification before men. That is, they require law obedience to measure
growth in sanctification, saying, “except ye keep the law of Moses ye cannot be
saved.”
Galatians 2: 2: Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised,
Christ shall profit you nothing. 3: For I testify again to every man that is
circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the one thing needful. Those truly called believe on Christ as our
acceptance with God. We live by the rule
of faith in Christ, not by law. We do
good works constrained, not by law, but by love, by the Spirit, not by flesh. Faith which worketh by love is the believer’s
rule of life.
Galatians 5: 5: For
we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6: For in
Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but
faith which worketh by love. 7: Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye
should not obey the truth? 8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth
you. 9: A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
REMOVED FROM CHRIST WHO CALLED
Galatians 1: 6: I marvel that ye are so soon
removed from him that called you…
It is Christ who calls us. He
calls us to himself. Therefore, to
require anything else or to look to any other source is to remove from Christ
who called.
Now, let me make this clear, no one called by Christ ever falls away. He will not allow his own to turn from Christ
for a lie. Christ never loses one that
he has called irresistibly to him. But
those who profess faith in Christ, without a work of grace in the heart, who turn
to trust in man’s merit or who turn to their works for justification or
sanctification to put themselves under law and go on it, prove they were never
called effectually by Christ. They have
turned from Christ himself.
Each person in the Godhead is said to call us and he calls us to Christ.
God our Father calls to Christ. No man
can come to Christ but by the Father. And
our Father calls us to Christ himself, to follow Christ, to look to Christ
alone for everything!
John 6: 44: No man can come to me, except the Father
which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall
be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of
the Father, cometh unto me….
God
the Holy Spirit calls his elect to Christ. The Spirit keeps us looking to
Christ for all our acceptance with God, for strength, for mortification, for righteousness,
for sanctification, for all.
John 16: 13: Howbeit
when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:…14: He
shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
The Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ is Head of his church—our Prophet,
Priest and King—he calls his redeemed to himself.
Matthew 11: 28: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take
my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall
find rest unto your souls. 30 For my
yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Sinner, whatever you need right this minute—flee
to Christ and he will give you rest! He
alone can! He calls us to HIMSELF
because Christ is the gospel.
John 14:6: Jesus saith
unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father,
but by me.
Isaiah 45:22: Look
unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is
none else.
Isaiah 55:3: Incline
your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an
everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
Salvation is Christ Jesus himself. The believer’s Righteousness is Christ. The believer’s Strength is Christ Jesus our
Lord.
Isaiah 45:24: Surely,
shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall
men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. 25 In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be
justified, and shall glory.
If we turn to ourselves, our law-keeping, our
good works and put confidence in something we have done then we have removed
from Christ who called us. Paul
said, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you.”
Judaizing preachers who say “except ye keep
the law of Moses you cannot be saved” think they have accomplished some great
feat by getting sinners to put themselves under the works of the law. But when Christ walked this earth natural,
religious men wanted to be under law.
They rejected Christ for the law of Moses. Sinners naturally want to be under the law to
do something to save themselves. It is
no great thing to make men want to do to be justified or sanctified by the
works of their own hands. But only God can
call and make us rest in Christ who alone established the law for his people.
REMOVED FROM THE GRACE OF CHRIST
Galatians 1: 6: I marvel that ye are so soon
removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7: Which is not another;…
To require a work of our hands is to remove
from the grace of Christ. No doubt we
are called “by” the grace of Christ.
Salvation is all of grace: election, redemption, regeneration,
preservation, glorification is all of grace.
But called "into the grace of Christ" is to be called into the enjoyment of the
fulness of grace which is in Christ.
Christ fulfilled all righteousness. His people are crucified in Christ. Our old man of sin is dead, the law is satisfied,
and God accepts us. When we are called “into
the grace of Christ” his work appears so perfect that we wonder why we ever
tried to come another way. God said that
would be the case.
Ezekiel 16: 62: And I
will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: 63:
That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more
because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast
done, saith the Lord GOD.
David Brainerd was a missionary to the Delaware Indians over here on the
Delaware River. He said, “I wonder that
I should ever think of any other way of salvation. If I could have been saved
by my own duties, my whole soul would now have refused it. I wonder that all
the world did not see and comply with this way of salvation by the
righteousness of Christ.”
When we are called into the grace of Christ we
begin to live unto God by Christ living in us.
We depend upon Christ alone for
everything. All the blessings of grace are
in Christ’s hands who gives them. Paul said,
“unto everyone of us is grace given according to the measure of the gift of
Christ” (Eph 4: 7); “being filled with fruits of righteousness which are by
Jesus Christ.” (Php 1: 11) It begins
with Life and faith and repentance. That
is the gift of Christ’s grace freely given us in regeneration and continually
throughout the life of the believer! Through
faith we are comforted by free justification by Christ’s grace freely given us. Peace of pardon and atonement is applied to
our conscience from Christ by grace through the Spirit. It is such a relief. It is joy and comfort.
He gives us wisdom to walk by faith in Christ and Christ gives us strength
to do so. It comes by the grace of
Christ freely given by the power of the Spirit.
Christ gives us every supply of grace.
All is from Christ’s hand in grace.
This is important! All is given us through the continual preaching
of the grace of Christ Jesus (Gal 3: 1-6).
We begin by hearing of Christ’s faithfulness in the gospel and we
continue the same way, even as Abraham walked 430 years before ten commandments
were given.
But if I am able to turn from Christ’s grace then
I have turned to a false gospel of works, to confidence in my own flesh—that is
not of Christ and if I can go on in it I prove I never was called of Christ
into his grace. Paul says that:
Galatians 2: 16: Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the
law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ,
that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the
law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. 17: But if, while
we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is
therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. 18: For if I build again the
things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
The sin Paul speaks of is the sin the apostle Peter committed by moving
from the table of the Gentiles to the table of the Jews. It is the sin of building again the law—that middle
wall of partition—compelling others to live by the law of Sinai. Christ does not minister that sin. That is not of Christ. Paul said if I bring the law back in “I make
myself a transgressor.” But here is what
it is to be called into the grace of Christ.
Galatians 2: 19: For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might
live unto God. 20: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I,
but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by
the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21: I do
not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law,
then Christ is dead in vain.
The grace of Christ gives perfect
righteousness which Christ worked by his obedience. Paul said, “The grace of God, and the gift by
grace [the gift of perfect righteousness] is by one man, Jesus Christ, [by his
obedience alone!]” (Rom 5:15). Also, the
grace and faithfulness of Christ actively, powerfully, effectually works in us,
supplying all our need.
But, if we turn from the grace of Christ, we turn to works. Works and
grace, law and faith are mutually exclusive.
They cannot mix.
Galatians 3: 12: The
law is not of faith.
And faith is not of the law. Law
and grace do not mix
Romans 11: 6: And if
by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if
it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
Either you are saved by your keeping the
whole law of God or by Christ keeping the whole law of God! No mixture!
Romans 10: 5: For
Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth
those things shall live by them. 6: But
the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise,…10: with the heart
man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
So we walk by faith, looking to Christ.
We do all our works by love by the grace and faith of Christ working in
us in Spirit. The grace of Christ
teaches us to cleave unto the Lord will all our hearts. Barnabas came to Antioch,
Acts 11: 23: [when he]
had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose
of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.
The grace of Christ means everything we need is provided freely in and
by Christ.
1 Corinthians 1: 4: I
thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by
Jesus Christ; 5: That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance,
and in all knowledge; 6: Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:
7: So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ: 8: Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in
the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We can be sure Christ will provide all
because Christ paid the ultimate price that he might enrich his people by his
grace.
2 Corinthians 8:9: For ye know the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he
became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
THERE IS NO OTHER 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. 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.
Never move from Christ! He is the gospel. There is no other. All other perversions are damming! Look to Christ
for a full supply of grace. He is all we
need.
Amen!