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NASB | Galatians 1:6 ¶ I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Galatians 1:6 ¶ I am astonished and extremely irritated that you are so quickly shifting your allegiance and deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different [even contrary] gospel; |
Subject: Theology of the Cross |
Bible Note: Martin Luther declared the "theology of the cross" in opposition to all other "theologies of glory." The latter he placed into three broad categories: mysticism, speculation, and merit. These are the false gospels that "are no gospels" that have been preached in opposition to the true gospel since the days of the early church. Today there is a fascination with the miraculous. This is what Luther meant by the word mysticism. Christ tells us that a "wicked and perverse generation seeks a signs" (Matthew 12:39). Many of the people of Christ's day were so absorbed in looking for some kind of "power encounter" they entirely missed the gospel of the cross. People who look for God is some kind of demonstration of power never see His true appearance in the Suffering Servant. Seeking direct experiences with the Lord without meditation on the scriptures or without preaching is a theology of glory. Today there is a fascination with the mysterious. This is what Luther meant by the word speculation. People claim some kind of secret knowledge of the will of God beyond what is stated in scripture. The gospel of the cross is content to know God through His gracious revelation of scripture. Christianity is deeply involved with this world through creation, providence, redemption, restoration, and resurrection. God cannot be known through reason. He must condescend to our ability to understand. He reveals Himself through His Word. Any philosophy that claims to have a corner on the market of divine truth outside of the holy scriptures is a theology of glory. Today there is a fascination with the moralistic. This is what Luther meant by the word merit. Both liberals and evangelicals tend to teach from the Bible moralistically. Though they do so in different ways, it still boils down to "tips for better living" or condemnation for not being more committed. Biblical characters become role models instead of historical figures in a redemptive plot which centers around Jesus Christ. Sin and grace have been replaced by politics, ethics, or pragmatism. The Puritans warned us that there is a tendency to even turn faith into a work. This, too, is a gospel of glory. Don't abandon the one true gospel for a cheap imitation, brothers and sisters. "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves." 2 Corinthians 13:5a |