One Good News

Galatians 1:6-9 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! 

IN most of his letters, Paul begins by praising the church he for their faith. Even as he will address certain problems in the church, the apostle still wants the church to know he is pleased with some positive aspects of their faith.
This is not true here. Apparently the Galatian churches were abandoning the gospel so quickly Paul could only express his astonished grief. He cannot believe what has happened. How could they so quickly turn from the gospel of grace? How could they believe teachings that added to Jesus’ saving work? 
What was the false teaching? As in each challenge to the Christian faith, this other “gospel” would have required some form of works for salvation. It may have been new converts from Judaism insisting one must follow all Levitical law to be in Jesus’ church. Paul emphasized that even if he or angels from heaven were to come with a different message, the church should not listen. 
This is an eternal matter. Twice he warned: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! He warned the church, and he warned the false teachers. The penalty of denying Jesus’ gospel message is death. Changing God’s Word into man’s philosophy or opinions will corrupt the truth and deny people God’s salvation. 
Our sin nature continually challenges the gospel. We want to put eternal life into our own hands. The world teaches us to, “Find your own way to happiness.” “Truth is what you want it to be.” Thousands of false religions and cults deceive people to follow one’s inner self or some person who has long since died. Each false teaching requires work of some kind to enter into a “better” life. When we think we are as God, with power to choose our way to heaven, we will only face eternal condemnation.
Only Jesus, the Living Lord, offers himself to pay for your sin. Confess his message is true. Faithfully hold to it. This is the only good news to believe.