Galatians 1:11. For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.
Think together: The word “gospel” means good news. What good news have you heard recently?
Read together:
Paul starts this section of his letter to the Galatians by saying that the gospel he preaches is not “man’s gospel,” but God’s gospel. In other words, people didn’t make up the good news of Jesus; God did. The gospel is the good news that God the Father sent God the Son to die for our sins so that, by simply trusting in him, we can be forgiven and have eternal life.
This is “news” because it is something that actually happened—Jesus came to Earth and died for us on the cross. The gospel is not just a good idea to agree with or a good rule to obey; it is a historical event. It’s a fact! It is like when your favorite team wins the championship game, or when man first walked on the moon. Good news!
This is “good” because it is not just something that happened, but something that happens for us and to us. Yes, Jesus died on the cross for our sins—that’s the news. It is GOOD news because when you trust in what Jesus did for you, amazing things happen to you: your sins are all forgiven by God, and you get a new life that wants to trust Him more and more. We call this “eternal life.”
So why does Paul say that none of this is “man’s gospel?” Because people would never come up with this sort of message. Since the beginning of time, people have been trying to save themselves. Adam and Eve wanted to become like God by their own efforts, rather than by simply trusting God and receiving his life as a free gift.
“Man’s gospel” will always try to add something to faith in Jesus. “Man’s gospel” says, “Yes, trust in Jesus, but you must also go to church, be baptized, dress this way, do these rituals, and stop sinning.” But anything we add to faith in Jesus is not the true gospel of God, and it is NOT good news. Why not? Because anytime we have to do something to be saved by God, it will only end in failure. But when we trust in Jesus alone, we can never fail because HE CANNOT FAIL. And that’s the best news ever.
Do something together: Take turns sharing the good news of Jesus with each other. What did you include? What did you leave out?
Because of Jesus: We can be saved by simple faith, not by trying to be good.
With Jesus: We have a new life that wants to be good.
Pray: Father, help me to know the difference between your gospel and “man’s gospel.” I don’t ever want to add anything to what Jesus did. Amen.
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