The Gospel is Good News to all who will humbly accept Jesus and listen to His teaching.
We refer to the four books of the Bible which tell the story of Jesus Christ as the Gospels. These books are named for their authors: Matthew, a Jewish Apostle; Mark, a disciple of the first generation who recorded accounts of Peter and the Twelve; Luke, a gentile Physician and disciple of the first century; and John, one of the Twelve Jewish Apostles chosen by Jesus.
Of course when a Bible HEADING for Galatians 1:6 suggests, “Perversion of the Gospel” our twenty-first century first thought is sexual perversion, but this all-inclusive description of unnamed teachers in Galatia encompasses much more.
Perversion of the One Gospel
Perversion of the Gospel 6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another..
Although the HEADING of our opening HOT topic is written to church members in Galatia it addresses perversion (which I found above my online KJV) contemporary to our 21st century churches.
Other English editors of the New Testament identify other helpful descriptions of this problem NOT related to this noun but pointedly to the object of Paul’s complaint – the GOSPEL.
NASB ‘Distortion of the Gospel;’ ESV ‘No Other Gospel;’ Lexham English Bible ‘A Different Gospel;‘ NKJV ‘Only one Gospel’
KJVGalatians 1:7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
We find a specific reason for the Apostle beginning his letter with an exhortation. Look at the end of his opening salvo of Galatians 1: verses 6 and 7.
“.. but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.”
My dear fellow follower of Christ,
Could it be less so in these last days of either the KJB (17th century) or now in this year of our Lord 2023?
μεταστρέφω – Pervert –
†μεταστρέφω metastréphō, met-as-tref’-o; from G3326 and G4762; to turn across, i.e. transmute or (figuratively) corrupt:—pervert, turn.
Think about it:
Perversion – (It’s more prevalent than we think it is.)
Paul’s preaches his HOT Topic to churches where the Apostle had brought the GOSPEL of the RESURRECTED CHRIST JESUS before. The Apostle once more preaches the same TRUE GOSPEL with urgency in the opening of his epistle to the Galatians.
ARE YOU CORRUPTED by some now preaching another gospel?
Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are with me,..
9 As we have said before, so now I say again:
If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
10 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.
Beloved believers,
Are YOU now trying to please men and women?
Does an easier gospel of some other preacher appeal to you?
HAVE YOU so soon turned from serving Jesus Christ as your Lord?
Paul’s HOT topic to the 1st century Galatians is not to far removed from the contemporary saints of our 21st century churches.
The Gospel
IS OURS A TRUE GOSPEL OF CHRIST?
From the Apostle’s brief introduction:
the Lord Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age…
Certainly this should be GOOD NEWS to those who have not turned from JESUS our One True Savior.
9b ..we [Paul and Barnabas] should go to the Gentiles and they [the Twelve and James] to the circumcised.
This refers back to the Letter they brought to the Gentiles earlier from the Council in Jerusalem. BUT NOW, the clashes of culture slip back into the religion of religious leaders.
Paul Opposes Peter 11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all,
“If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
That's the real cultural issue isn't it?
YOU can’t force YOUR RELIGION on anyone.
WE cannot serve Christ by denying Jesus as our Lord so that WE may fit into a culture turned away from grace and the Good News of God. THAT would be apostasy!
To be continued…
NEXT: HOT topic #2 from the Apostle's epistle to the Galatians - Apostasy
So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. – Acts 17:22
The Apostle’s introduction and approach are most gracious in addressing a crowd of men whose religious celebrations of their gods and goddesses would seem most sinful to every Jew in Athens.
Addressing Athena & the men who idolize her
The Apostle Paul, a Roman citizen who has also been speaking with the Jews of Athens has been brought to the Areopagus in town to address a ruling council of Hellenist leaders and crowds of interested listeners. His already spirit provoked about the overt and godless idolatry he observed [v.16]
Athena, goddess of the city is prominent to all but she is just one of many revered gods and goddesses of the myths of ancient Greece.
The Areopagus a rocky height in the city of Athens, opposite the western end of the Acropolis toward the west to which these men of the city agora have brought Paul is not only an ancient military outpost but has an idolic connection to Greek mythology as well.
Ἄρειος πάγος – From Ares
(the name of the Greek deity of war)
Recall, however, that Rome has long-established its rule of law and officials in the FREE ROMAN CITY of Athens ACHAIA.
The Hill of Mars, Roman god of War
Allow me to set the mythological stage of the GREEK & ROMAN gods behind the history of Athenian & Roman worship and festivals with music suited to the continuing 'religion' celebrating the passions of men as idols of worship.
Mars Bringer of War – Listen
This hill belonged to (Ares) Mars and was called Mar’s Hill; so called, because, as the story went, Mars, having slain Halirrhothius, son of Neptune, for the attempted violation of his daughter Alicippe, was tried for the murder here before twelve gods as judges.
We cannot fully appreciate the dilemma and provocation of the spirit of the Apostle to the gentiles without recognizing as Paul did the seriousness of the sinful culture of idolatry of these men of Athens to whom he now will address himself concerning this ‘strange teaching’ of One God and the resurrection.
So before we proceed with Paul’s speech let’s take a quick look at the mythology behind these compelling legends of gods such as Mars, Neptune, Zeus, Apollo and goddesses such as their patron mother of Athens – Athena.
ancient Greek gods & goddesses
(Try to keep score on the who’s doing what with whom as best you can.)
The Olympian Zeus was son of the Titan god Chronos. ZEUS, who has taken the lordship of the throne of heaven, is known for ‘perpetually falling in love, wooing and usually raping beautiful women, both mortal and immortal, who would then give birth to gods and demigods… [Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea, p.17]
The goddess Hera is Zeus’ wife! And HERA naturally gets jealous. Plus in an additional soap-opera-esque twist, the goddess Hera is also Zeus’ sister!
IF (unlike Paul) you are unaware of where ATHENA fits in here, this hometown goddess is one of the 12 Olympians which include:
Without pursuing these Greek gods and goddesses further (many long forgotten, as Paul & Roman inscriptions will note) their idolic family-tree and extra-worldly adventures come from ancient Greek literature, including Theogony, a poem by Hesiod from ~700 B.C.
The Hellene Pax Romana from the bringer of War
Who are the ROMAN gods of the Roman free city of Athens?
Derived from the Greek words ‘πᾶν’ pan – all, and ‘θεός’ theos – god, pantheon literally means ‘of all gods’.
King of the gods is Zeus – or his Roman equivalent, Jupiter – who rules over Mount Olympus and is the god of thunder and lightning, as well as law and order.
Hera or Juno.. is the goddess of marriage, childbirth and fertility.
Ares or Mars This Romano-British statuette shows Mars, the god of war, fully decked out in his characteristic armour, missing the original spear and shield he would once have held.
Athena or Minerva – Ares’ [Mars’] half-sister is the Greek goddess Athena. Goddess of reason, handicraft, wisdom, and war, she is the daughter of Zeus
Aphrodite or Venus [very popular idol of men and women alike in every century] Goddess of love, sex, and beauty, Aphrodite – or Venus – is said to have emerged from the white foam generated when the Titan Cronos [father of ZEUS] threw the severed testicles of his father, Ouranos, into the sea.
Aphrodite is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and as her syncretized Roman goddess counterpart Venus, desire, sex, fertility, prosperity, and victory.
Hermes or Mercury The messenger of the gods was Hermes, known as Mercury in ancient Roman religion, and he was also a pastoral god, protecting livestock and travellers.
Do you recall how on their first missionary journey they thought that Paul was Hermes who spoke for Zeus i.e. Barnabas?
And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city [Lystra in Pamphylia], brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and was wanting to offer sacrifice with the crowds. – Acts of the Apostles 14:13
YOU could learn much more about these Greek and Roman gods, many long forgotten -- and never gain any more wisdom of the One God who sent men like Paul into all the world with the Gospel of the Savior of sinners and hope of the resurrection, Christ JESUS!
Springtime in Athens
Disclaimer: Although this single illustration of typical events in Roman-ruled Athens is extra-Biblical and may not have taken place specifically during Paul's visit, I provide general descriptions mostly from SAILING THE WINE-DARK SEA to set the cultural stage for Paul's speech with some level of the Apostle's 1st century understanding of his audience.
Paul's stop in Athens may have been in A.D. 51, perhaps even in the spring.
Claudius, Emperor of Rome, had changed the calendar back in A.D. 46 and by A.D. 43 had conquered much of Europe including Great Britain. - RH
A classical culture that wasn’t what you thought.
The ANCIENT 5th century B.C. cultural of Athens had been that of a ‘democracy’ dependent on slaves. Democracy for ‘all’ was for ‘free’ MEN only, and that only of two basic Greek higher classes, one a ‘high office’ and the others ‘lower’ offices – a sort of competing middle class of free men who directly ruled over the affairs of Athens.
Athenians probably numbered no more than a quarter million, of which as many as 100,000 may have been slaves.. This would leave a citizen population of little more than twenty percent.
‘Why the Greeks Matter’ p.115
The political experiment of Athenian democracy (of its 20% citizenry) would end, of course, with their conquering by Alexander the Great. Later a similar political experiment of a Roman Republic would also fail as conquering heroes of the people made themselves to be Caesars and gods of the people.
Europeans.. are full of spirit but are somewhat lacking in intelligence and skill.. Asians.. though intelligent and skilled.. lack spirit.. The race of the Greeks, however, which occupies the center of the earth.. being both spirited and intelligent.. Thus does this race.. continue to be capable of ruling all humanity.
(Of course no sensible proponent of democracy could today speak of race rather than culture or imply any inequality of those incapable of governing themselves. Let the humanist religion of philosophy bring reason to all religions of humankind with equal participation of all flesh in the rituals of all gods celebrated together in the pax of humanity.
But this of course is a 21st c. religious take on ancient wise ways of 'classical' philosophers such as the excerpt quoted here from Cahill.) - RH
excerpt [The Politician and the Playwright p. 129 – How to Rule] from ARISTOTLE
Picture the Classical Greek citizens of Athens (and their slaves)or Hellenist Athenians in built back better ruins of their past with a Roman citizen Paul brought to their curious attention in A.D. 51:
“The continual buzz of conversation, the orotund sound of the orators, the shrill shouts from the symposia–this steady drumbeat of opinion, controversary, and conflict could everywhere be heard. The agora [marketplace].. was an everyday marketplace of ideas..
The word the Athenians used for their Assembly was Ekklēsia, the same word used in the New Testament for Church..”
Thomas Cahill – Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea p.118
Hellenist worship
At the springtime Dionysia, the Athenian festival in honor of Dionysus, three days.. began with a solemn religious procession of leading citizens, distinguished visitors, and all the choruses.. led by officials carrying.. sculpture of erect penises, symbols of the god, to his temple…
Why the Greeks Matter, Thomas Cahill pp. 129-130
Into the this idolatry walks a Roman citizen, Paul, who is invited to address the assembly of leading men of Athens, to whom the Apostle begins his logical argument with exceeding grace.
23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’
What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything…
Due to much resistance to Christ by the enemy of Almighty God and Jesus Christ our Lord, I have no additional Christian Social Witness for Resurrection Day this year.
Please COMMENT & SHARE one from our previous 10 years.
Roger Harned +
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