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. 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.
It solemnly repeats for emphasis that anyone, even Paul himself or an angel from heaven, who proclaims a different gospel than the one already preached and received is to be accursed. It was spoken because the Galatians were so quickly turning from Him who called them into the grace of Christ, as troublers mingled Jewish traditions with gospel teaching, insisted circumcision was necessary for salvation, and drew believers from Christ the true foundation to obsolete ceremonies. The gospel it defends is not from man nor taught by man but by revelation of Jesus Christ, in harmony with Scripture and confirmed by the Holy Spirit, giving full recognition to God's law and its authority, requiring penitence because sin is transgression of the law, and centering in the discerned and believed efficacy of Christ's atoning sacrifice to sanctify the soul and make Christ all and in all. Its counterfeit made observance of the ceremonial law essential to salvation for Gentile converts, weakening faith in Christ and obedience to the Ten Commandments, threatening division, heresy and apostasy, and replacing inward holiness and new birth with ceremonies expected to earn God's favor. Therefore it forbids teaching or accepting any other faith or doctrine than God's Word, requiring that only what conforms to the Old and New Testaments be taught, that believers listen to nothing opposed to the pure gospel received, and that God's servants firmly oppose and expose the soul-fatal falsehood with sharp, decisive warning.
Curse's Setting and Emphasis
The curse is repeated for emphasis, declaring that if anyone preaches any other gospel than the one preached to and received by the believers, let him be accursed, with no exception even for Paul himself or an angel from heaven who would trouble believers and pervert the gospel of Christ. It is Paul's repeated testimony after his conversion to the church in Galatia, given a second time for emphasis. The gospel he preached was not human in origin but received by revelation from Jesus Christ.
It was spoken because he marveled that they were so soon removed from Him who called them into the grace of Christ unto another gospel which is not another but a perversion by some that trouble them. Middlemen claiming to believe the truth were troubling the church and perverting the gospel of Christ by mingling Jewish traditions with its teaching, saying circumcision after the manner of the Jews was necessary for salvation, and turning some away from the truth. In Galatia open error was supplanting the gospel as believers turned from Christ, its true foundation, to obsolete Jewish ceremonies, and the danger called for sharp, decisive warnings.
The gospel Paul preached is not after man, for he neither received it of man nor was taught it by man, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. His teaching was in harmony with Scripture, and the Holy Spirit had confirmed his work, so the Galatians were to listen to nothing opposed to that truth. He did not persuade men or seek to please men, for if he pleased men he would not be the servant of Christ, but stood in faithfulness to God rather than pleasing men. This stood in contrast to his past conversation in the Jews' religion, where beyond measure he persecuted the church of God and wasted it and profited above many his equals, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of his fathers, a persecuting work whose spirit he understood after his conversion when he was obliged to suffer by the same will of men who evidenced their hatred of Christ.
True Gospel and Counterfeits
The counterfeit gospel in Galatia made observance of the ceremonial law essential to salvation for Gentile converts, mixing Jewish traditions with gospel teaching. That teaching weakened faith in Christ and weakened obedience to the Ten Commandments. It threatened the churches with division, heresy, and apostasy.
The false teachers replaced inward holiness and new birth with religious ceremonies expected to earn God's favor. The same principle condemns claiming to honor Christ while dismissing God's moral law and encouraging its breach. Faithful servants must firmly reject those who lead away from the received gospel and expose such errors by the word of truth.
The true gospel gives full recognition to God's law and declares God's authority supreme. It requires penitence for sin because sin is the transgression of the law. Inventing a gospel of one's own is like substituting a law of one's own, coming from an unenlightened conscience that has not made the Word its counselor and is not under divine grace, which Satan uses to lead into delusion.
The true gospel is the discerned and believed knowledge of Christ and the efficacy of His atoning sacrifice for sins, which has power upon the mind to sanctify the soul. To leave the atoning sacrifice out is to preach another gospel with no sanctifying power. The true gospel makes God's love for fallen man become the love of believers, cuts the idolatry of self from the heart, and makes Christ all and in all in His faithful, humble, believing people.
Scripture Authority and Response
The verse forbids teaching any other faith or doctrine than God's Word, and it forbids accepting any such faith, requiring that only doctrine conformable to that Word be taught, without adding anything contrary to it. The pure and exclusive preaching of His only Word as contained in the biblical books of the Old and New Testaments must be maintained. The Holy Scriptures are to be explained by other and clearer texts, are easy of understanding in all things necessary for the Christian, and scatter darkness. This Word is the only truth, the sure rule of all doctrine and of all life, and can never fail or deceive.
He who builds on this foundation shall stand against all the powers of hell, while all human vanities set up against it shall fall before God. Therefore no decree, yoke, or command contrary to God, His holy Word, right conscience, and the salvation of the soul is to be consented to. Just affection and obedience are still to be rendered to rightful rulers.
Believers are to listen to nothing opposed to the pure gospel received, since Paul's teaching was in harmony with Scripture and confirmed by the Holy Spirit. Those who lead away from the gospel received from Christ must be firmly rejected, and God's servants must firmly oppose and expose such errors by the word of truth. Teaching a different gospel from the one received is a soul-fatal falsehood and not a matter of indifference, while truth received in love sanctifies the receiver. The danger calls for sharp, decisive warnings, as when open error was supplanting the gospel and believers were turning from Christ, its true foundation, to obsolete ceremonies.
The same warning applies to false principles and false doctrines entering the churches, bringing the same difficulties to all those doing advance work for God, as when middle men claiming to believe the truth troubled the church and perverted the gospel by mingling Jewish traditions with its teaching. It applies equally to replacing inward holiness and new birth with religious ceremonies expected to earn God's favor, and to claiming to honor Christ while dismissing God's moral law and encouraging its breach. Faithfulness to God rather than pleasing men is required, for pleasing men is incompatible with being Christ's servant, and the gospel preached is not after men, neither received of men nor taught by men, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.