So often we read the bible and skip over words that were never meant to be taken lightly. Sometimes the words we so easily read past are truths for our soul and encouragements for our heart. Sometimes the words we pass by so flippantly are commands that we are expected to take seriously. Some of these commands are life and death matters.
The gospel is a life and death reality. What anyone does with the truth of Jesus is a matter of eternity and as we read through the letters of Paul we constantly find the Apostle defending the one true saving gospel truth. Paul is often dealing with people attempting to add or take away from the gospel message. As we see Paul upholding the essential tenets of the gospel, we see him explaining the gospel and then helping the church to go on protecting that truth. One of the greatest examples of this is found in Galatians.
Paul explains the gospel.
Galatians 1:3-5 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Paul tells us to protect the gospel.
There are various times in Galatians where Paul defends and admonishes the church to protect the gospel. He does so by both rebuke and command. In Galatians 6:6-7, Paul instructs the Galatians to give to those who will teach them. Paul has spent most of his letter defending and teaching against some false teachers who have come among the Galatians. He wants the Galatian churches to be as solid as possible as they stand on the irreducible gospel message that is being perverted. It seems that Paul considers that setting aside someone for intense study and teaching of the gospel will help them to stand more firmly against those who may seek to pervert it. Galatians 6:6-7 “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”
Within these words, Paul gives a strong command. “Do not be deceived.” This is a command that he makes with the passive voice (not an action that you do, but one that happens TO you). The command to the church is for us not to allow anyone to deceive us – not to allow their deception to be enacted upon us. Do all that you can to protect the gospel from those who may come among you and take you from its truth and saving power. Paul is not just concerned that we know the gospel in a positive sense, but that we protect against any negative influence that might come upon us and lead us from it. He says a similar thing to the Colossians when he says, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8).
When we see commands like, “See to it,” and “Do not be deceived,” we can so easily read over them as little phrases that are no more profound than the space they occupy on the page. In reality, they are meant to be speed bumps that slow us down and cause great caution. When we think through them, we are left with the intention of the author. Paul might as well say, “In everything you are hearing about the seriousness of the gospel in this letter, please don’t underestimate how important it is for you to uphold and protect this truth against others who will bring their own ideas to deceive you.” It’s life and death. Set someone aside to teach the truth. Stand together against the humanistic philosophies of the world. Uphold, proclaim, and never stray from the one true saving message of the gospel of Christ. Give to, support, protect, uphold and proclaim this gospel. Don’t be deceived. See to it!
The danger is for us to read this and acknowledge its importance and still just skip over it. Please don’t. Ask yourself the question today. Am I seeing to it? Am I protecting myself from deception? Am I in a bible teaching church that upholds the same gospel as the Apostles? Am I giving to that ministry? Am I in a church that has a biblical leadership structure in place to protect it? Am I allowing the Bible to tell me how to discern what I hear in the world and not the other way around? Do I use the Scriptures as my authority in the way I assess this world and my life? Am I living this way in front of others? Am I protecting from deception? How much do I value the gospel?