“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— not that there is another one,” vs6

Salvation is by grace; it is the grace of God in Christ who died for our sins! We are saved because of grace, mercy, and compassion; it is not what we deserve; it is because Christ died for us, and it is not because we made ourselves worthy. He gives it to us freely.

He saved Paul as an example. He wasn’t looking for Jesus, except to persecute His people. He was self-righteous and proud, but he was chosen by God [1 Tim 1:16]. The Father appointed and ordained him unto eternal life, and this is grace: it is 100% God and 0% man! This testimony angers many, but it is the only gospel. There is no gospel except grace through faith, which is God’s gift. Eph 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”

Let us believe the gospel without alteration. Never listen to, “God’s done all that He can do, and now it is up to you.” Never hear, “We are saved by grace, but now we must advance higher.” No, grace will lift us up, grace will sanctify us, and grace will bring us to glory. A relationship with God BASED UPON GRACE is pure and happy.

Secondly, there are troublers! vs7

“But there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.”

We can’t avoid it, and this is all out war. We are not giving up the souls of sinners. We are not refusing to honor God. We must stand for the truth, even if they kill us. We must not keep quiet or go backward [1 Kings 13:9, 16-26]. We must advance the gospel, and demand ALL TO BELIEVE, exactly as it is written. Grace cannot be co-opted; it cannot be mixed with works [Rom 11:6].

It must be grace in election [Rom 9:11], grace in justification [Gal 2:21], and grace in sanctification [Rom 6:14]! These are battle lines, and we can not surrender. There is no other gospel that God will bless. He is not in it. He will not save by it, and salvation is too important to be squandered or misrepresented. We must have a pure gospel, so sinners can be saved, and this is the highest compassion and godliness.

We think, “Doctrine doesn’t matter,” but it matters more than anything, because it is the teaching of Christ, the glory of God, and the deliverance of the captives. Let us fight and be bold! Stick out your neck, like Paul!

Thirdly, hear the attitude of Paul: vs8-9

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.”

He is an Apostle! He’s not just talking, but he is sent by our Lord Jesus to lay the foundation of church. These are commands, and he is serious.

We are to avoid false teachers and defeat their doctrines. We are not to say, “These are just misguided Christians.” No, we must pronounce the curse that God has appointed. If it is not the true gospel, then it’s not good, because the truth is important enough for a fight. We don’t use guns and bombs, but false teachers are cursed, and God will deal with them. We don’t call them brothers, nor do we allow their doctrines to permeate the church. Paul is patient with Galatia, but if they don’t receive him, then it is curtains. He says, "I am fearful for you, that perhaps my labor for you has been wasted [Gal 4:1]."

Fourthly, this is the issue: Who do you want to please? Vs10

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

If we seek to please men, then we are traitors. If we serve God, then we speak unpopular truth. We open blind eyes, and separate darkness from light [Gen 1:4]. We are faithful to souls and to Him that sent us.

This is the high life, because God is with us. Oh, the abundant peace in the storm. Oh, the joy in the midst of battle. Sometimes, we question ourselves, but when we stand for the gospel… demanding it be believed… then we are right, faithful, and useful. We have conquered, when we CONQUER OURSELVES [Prov 16:32].