What?

I’m amazed that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ to follow another gospel. It’s not really another gospel, but certain people are confusing you and they want to change the gospel of Christ. However, even if we ourselves or a heavenly angel should ever preach anything different from what we preached to you, they should be under a curse. I’m repeating what we’ve said before: if anyone preaches something different from what you received, they should be under a curse! Am I trying to win over human beings or God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I wouldn’t be Christ’s slave. Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that the gospel I preached isn’t human in origin. I didn’t receive it or learn it from a human. It came through a revelation from Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:6-12, CEB)

Normally, I agree with Paul. And this is the actual Paul, or at least most scholars accept Galatians as an authentic letter from Paul.

But I wonder about this statement, “if anyone preaches something different from what you received, they should be under a curse!”

What if we have new documents that show us what we were taught is no longer correct? God changes; consider Abraham and his negotiations with God over the number of righteous people found in the city. So to say that what was taught from the knowledge we had is the only thing we can teach from now on is not what God wants us to be or do.

Now, Paul goes on to say we are supposed to seek God’s approval and not teach a message that goes along with what people want, so we get people’s approval. But when I preach the gospel, it may not be what you learned before or what was preached before, but that does not mean it does not please God.

So please God, and speak truth even when it will not be accepted.

God calls you to stand strong. And speak truth in love.