Let Him Be Accursed: Galatians 1:6-10 Explained

Scriptures for Today

Galatians 1:6-10
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 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. 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

Introduction — The Book of Galatians

The book of Galatians is written to churches that had already heard and believed the gospel, but something went wrong. False teachers came in and started changing the message. They were adding things to the gospel and confusing people.

Paul does not ease into this letter. He goes straight at the problem. This is one of the strongest rebukes in the New Testament because the issue is the gospel itself. When the gospel is changed, everything is lost. If the Gospel is corrupted, it is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

What Happened Before This? (Galatians 1:1-5)

Before this, Paul establishes that his apostleship is not from men but from Jesus Christ. He makes it clear that his authority comes from God.

He also points directly to the gospel—Jesus Christ gave Himself for our sins. That is the foundation. That is what they had already received before the false teaching came in.

So Soon Removed — Leaving the Truth

Galatians 1:6
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

Paul is shocked. “So soon” means this didn’t take long. They didn’t slowly drift over years. They moved quickly away from the truth.

And notice this—they are not just moving away from a message. They are moving away “from him that called you.” That means they are turning from God Himself.

The gospel is not separate from God. To leave the gospel is to leave the One who gave it.

Another Gospel — Which Is Not Another

Galatians 1:7
Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

Paul says it plainly—there is no second gospel. What they were being taught was not a different version of the same thing. It was a corruption of the one Gospel.

“To pervert” means to twist, to change, to distort. They didn’t come in and deny everything outright. They altered it.

That is how false teaching works. It doesn’t always replace the gospel completely—it adds to it, changes it, and makes it something else.

2 Corinthians 11:3
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

The method is subtle. The result is corruption. The Gospel is very simple. Jesus saves the moment you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

No Exceptions — Let Him Be Accursed

Galatians 1:8
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

Paul removes every possible exception. Even if it is “we”— even if Paul himself changed the message later, he says reject it.

Even if it is “an angel from heaven,” the message does not change. The authority is not the messenger—it is the message.

Let me say that again since some Baptist pastors and members of other Baptist churches can’t understand this. “THE AUTHORITY AND THE POWER IS NOT IN THE MESSENGER – IT IS THE MESSAGE.” It is the Holy Scriptures. It is THE TRUTH that holds the power.

If ANYONE brings any other gospel, let him be accursed. Jesus gave us the Gospel. Paul is preaching the SAME GOSPEL that Jesus preached and the same Gospel that Jesus gave to Paul. There is ONE GOSPEL. There are not many different gospels. There’s one.

If anyone brings any other Gospel, “Let him be accursed.” That is strong. That means rejected, cut off, condemned. There is no tolerance for a changed gospel. For example, I don’t have any tolerance for these Baptist pastors and preachers that change the Gospel.

The Bible clearly states over and over and over again that you receive the free gift of everlasting life when you believe. But they will say that Romans 10 teaches you MUST ask to receive the free gift of everlasting life. The Bible does not say that anywhere. I have ZERO TOLERANCE for people who bring a different Gospel.

And when you try to correct them on it, they want to fight. They can’t see the words of the Bible. They ignore His words but act as if they follow Jesus. “He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” The Bible NEVER says, “He that believeth on me must ask for everlasting life in order to receive it.” The Gospel is simple. Believe and receive in that same moment.

Repeated for Emphasis — No Confusion

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.

Paul says it again. It’s so important that Paul, through the Holy Spirit of God, repeats this.

This is not exaggeration. Paul is not exaggerating here. He’s not taking it too far. This is very serious. This is deliberate repetition. He wants it clear and settled. God wants it clear and settled.

“If any man.” That covers everyone. No title, no position, no reputation overrides this. God is not a respecter of persons. It doesn’t matter who you are. If you corrupt the Gospel, let him be accursed. And I do believe that can mean saved people corrupting the Gospel. It’s easy for even saved people to fall for deceptions of the Gospel.

A saved person can be accursed or being under condemnation for preaching a false gospel. A saved person can never lose salvation. But a saved person not walking in the Spirit can teach false doctrine. You can see it all throughout the Bible. Paul withstood Peter to the face. If I get away from the exact words of the Bible, I can teach false doctrine.

Some people will accuse me of teaching false doctrine right now when I say a believer could add or take away from the Gospel as they continue in life. They will say that there’s no way a believer would ever get the Gospel wrong. Well, it’s written right here in this book for you to see and the words of God can’t be twisted.

The standard for the Gospel is what they already received. The gospel does not evolve. The Gospel does not change. It does not get updated.

For example, I have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ ALONE for salvation. I know that I don’t have to do anything else but believe on Jesus to be saved. But there’s other Baptist pastors out there that will say that I also must ask to be saved. They will teach that it’s not just believing but you must ask. They will teach you must repeat a prayer to be saved.

Well, listen closely, that’s a different Gospel. Romans 10 doesn’t change John 3:16. Romans 10 matches John 3:16. It’s not about what you do. That’s the entire point of faith IN Christ. It doesn’t matter who is bringing this different message. Let him be accursed. “But he’s this. But he’s that. Look at how great he is. Look at his church. Look at all the people.” LET HIM BE ACCURSED.

You can ask me: “Josh, what MUST I do to be saved?” And I will tell you slowly and clearly: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and THOU SHALT BE SAVED.” Right then and there. I won’t tell you to believe and you aren’t saved until I lead you in a prayer and you ask to be saved. No, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and THOU SHALT BE SAVED. Simple. Easy to understand.

The Real Issue — Pleasing God or Men

Galatians 1:10
For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

This gets to the root of the problem. I am not here to please men. I am not here to please this pastor over here or over there. That’s why this church is independent. That’s why every church should be independent.

Some will say they are independent, but they aren’t. They depend on other churches for money and since they don’t want to lose that money, they will follow that church even down the road of false doctrine. We are not bought with money.

Look at the verse closely. False gospels exist because people want to please men. They want something easier, something more acceptable, something less offensive. The true gospel is not designed to please people. It confronts sin. It removes human effort. It demands belief in what Jesus Christ has done.

John 6:47b
He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

That is simple, and people resist that simplicity. “No, that’s not enough. You must ASK for the gift in order to receive everlasting life.” That is not what Jesus says. He says believe and receive in that moment of believing.

Paul makes his position clear. If his goal was to please men, he would not be serving Christ. That’s our goal here. We are not here to please men. We are here to please Jesus Christ.

What Is the True Gospel?

The passage assumes they already know it, but the Bible defines it clearly.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;  4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

That is the gospel. Jesus Christ died for our sins. He was buried. He rose again. And the requirement to be saved is belief. Anything added to the Gospel that the Bible does not state or teach clearly changes the Gospel.

If I add what the Bible says to that right there (there’s a colon after the verse so it continues), then it’s right. Some people will act like you can ONLY preach what verses 3 and 4 say. But I can preach what the entire Bible says and it won’t be adding lies to the Gospel.

For example, I can preach that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. I can preach that His soul was not left in hell. I can preach Acts 2:27, Acts 2:31, Psalm 16:10, Matthew 12:40, Ephesians 4:9-10. As long as I stick to the Bible, we aren’t adding to the Gospel. Adding to the Gospel means adding requirements that aren’t in the Bible.

The entire point of the Gospel is that it’s very simple. Jesus saves. Not anything else. What Jesus did saves. If I tell people what Jesus did, that’s not adding to the Gospel. If I tell people they must do something to be saved that the Bible never says, that’s adding to the Gospel.

How This Fits the Entire Bible

From the beginning, God has always given one way.

Genesis 15:6
And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Abraham was justified by belief.

Habakkuk 2:4b
But the just shall live by his faith.

That is carried into the New Testament.

Romans 4:5
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

The pattern never changes. Salvation is by faith, not works.

Practical Applications

1. There is only one gospel. Anything added to it or taken away from it is a different message.
2. The authority is the message, not the messenger. It does not matter who says it—if it changes the gospel, it is wrong.
3. You must know the true gospel so you can recognize a false one. If you don’t know it clearly, you will be misled.
4. Pleasing people and serving God are not the same. If you try to make the gospel acceptable to everyone, you will change it.

Conclusion

Paul does not soften his words because the issue is too serious. The gospel was being changed, and he calls it out directly.

There is no second gospel. There is no improved version. There is no updated message. If anyone changes it, the response is clear. Let him be accursed.

Let’s pray.