05/29/S – The Gospel From Christ

NT: “For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin. For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation of Jesus Christ.” (‭‭Galatians‬ ‭1:11-12‬ ‭CSB)

In defending the gospel that he preached and his authority to preach it, Paul made sure that the believers in Galatia understood that he did not invent the message that he preached, nor was he peddling a message that he received from someone else. The gospel that he preached was not of human origin. The gospel that he preached came directly from Christ through revelation by the Holy Spirit.

Through preaching the gospel that he received from Christ, Paul was not conforming to the popular opinions of the day, nor was he conforming to his own preferences. In fact, the gospel that he preached was in many ways contrary to the popular beliefs of the day and greatly challenged his preferences. The gospel of Christ crucified, buried and resurrected was a stumbling block for the Jews and utter foolishness to the gentiles. The message of taking up your cross, dying to self, and becoming a bondservant of Christ put an end to any selfish agendas and put to death any petty preferences. Why would Paul have concocted such a gospel? Well… he didn’t. The gospel that Paul preached was both the wisdom of God and the power of God. Only God could have devised such a perfect plan to redeem the world from sin while still maintaining righteousness and justice. And only faith in the gospel had the power to save lives and deliver them from the grip of Satan.

When we as believers remain faithful to the gospel that comes from Christ, we no longer have to be concerned with conforming to the fickle norms of culture. We no longer have to stay up-to-date with the latest cause-du-jour in order to stay on good terms with the influencers of the hour. The gospel of Christ, while not always popular, transcends popular opinion – for it is not of human origin. It originated in the heart and mind of God, is always true, and like God, never changes. When we, instead of conforming to human culture, conform ourselves to the gospel of Christ, then we too will transcend the ways of the world, and by grace become steadfast rocks of sanity and reason within the stormy seas of popular opinion and political correctness.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that the validity and effectiveness of Your gospel does not depend on popular acceptance, for the gospel message is not of human origin, but come from You. The gospel that You have given us to share does not need to be popular – it just needs to be preached… as-is. Help me to not be pressured by popular opinion or political correctness into preaching any other gospel than the one You gave – and may I never be ashamed of it, for it is the power of God for salvation to those who believe. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.