No Other Gospel

There are some moments in life where you realize very quickly… you’ve trusted the wrong thing.

I was thinking this week about how many of us have become completely dependent on GPS.

And I don’t mean casually dependent—I mean fully surrendered.

You don’t question it anymore. If it says turn, you turn. If it reroutes, you assume it knows something you don’t. You just follow.

But every now and then… it gets it wrong.

When I was a kid in elementary school, our teachers made us write a letter to the President of the United States. We learned then what the address to the White House is. Does anyone know it?

Yes, that’s right – 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Over Memorial Day Weekend in 2017, our family went to Washington D.C.

We rented an Air BnB in the city, and we walked all over our nation’s capitol.

Our first adventure was the White House. We set our from our little apartment and started walking to the White House.

So, I typed in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue into my Maps Application on my iPhone and we started walking.

And we walked…we walked by Union Station…and the Lincoln Memorial was just off to our right…you could see the monument.

And we walked some more.

And we walked and walked and walked…and we couldn’t see the historical sites…there were no vendors…we didn’t see the Mall where all of the Museums were.

And I figured my Maps Application was taking us to the quickest route without all of the tourists.

My wife would ask, “Are you sure we are still going the right way? It seems like we should have gotten there by now.”
 
I would say, “It’s just a little bit further. It’s just up here.”

We were walking through a neighborhood…and, you know, I hadn’t really walked a city before using GPS…but our team was all troopers.

As we got closer to the Freeway, we saw a McDonalds.

And we decided that we would stop into this Oasis and get some Fries and Diet Coke.

As we did this, it started to rain. And then it started to pour.

And what’s funny is that the GPS Map Application said that the White House was just across the Street from McDonalds. But when you arrive, this is the building you see…

Did you know that you can be just a little off, but be completely wrong?

Friends, this is where I earned the label, “Confidently Wrong,” in my house.

It’s actually a pattern…but I don’t have time to tell you the rest of my stories, but let’s just say, “If you are going to be wrong, be confident about it.”

You see, in some map applications, if you type in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, it defaults to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE.

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Default: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE
White House: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

So, after a 45 minute subway ride, we made it to our destination.

You see, I trusted the wrong information that sent us in the wrong direction.

Now here’s the reality.

When GPS gets it wrong, it costs you time.

When a financial decision goes wrong, it costs you money.

But when you get the gospel wrong…

it doesn’t just affect your life—it affects your eternity.

And that’s exactly where Galatians begins. Paul is writing to a group of churches that have not rejected Jesus. They haven’t abandoned church. They haven’t walked away from faith.

• They’ve done something far more subtle.
• They’ve started to adjust the message.
• They’ve begun to add to the gospel.

And Paul steps in—not casually, not gently, but urgently—and says:
There is no other gospel.
 
Now before we dig into the text today, I want to give you a bit of an overview of the entire book.

You see, Galatians provides us a proto-type, a playbook, for dealing with conflict on the core issues of the message of the Bible.

In his overview of the book of Galatians, Dr. Randall Smith said…
“Every great denomination, seminary, and church that has embraced a liberal theology and has rejected the Bible as the authoritative word of God did not start there.”

The Apostle Paul is writing an urgent letter pleading with the churches of Galatia. Now Galatia is an entire region in Asia Minor. These churches include Antioch of Pisida, Iconium, Lystry, and Derbe. They were started by Paul and Barnabas as they were on their first missionary journey in Acts 14.

• God was moving,
• and Paul was preaching in power
• and great things were happening
• and many people were coming to faith in Jesus.

But notice something that happens when Acts 15 opens up. They have just returned to Antioch in Syria. And then this is what happens:

Acts 15:1-5
But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. 3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers.  4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. 5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”

This is going to spark the Jerusalem Council where they are going to wrestle with the doctrine of Salvation and what is required of Gentiles to be saved. These are the earliest Church Fathers.

Now, look at Acts 15:6-11.

Acts 15:6-11
6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

Now skip down just a few verses, as James is now speaking.

Acts 15:19-20
19 “Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.”

They are wrestling with what are we expecting of the people when they come to faith in Jesus.

And instead of heaping the entire law observances upon them, they make this declaration. Tell them to:

• abstain from things polluted by idols
• from sexual immorality
• from what has been strangled (animal sacrifices)
• from blood

Now, soon after this, this teaching of having to be circumcised that we saw in the opening lines of Acts 15, emerges in the region of Galatia to the churches that Paul has planted.

The initial emergence of this false teaching took place at Antioch Syria, the portion we come to in Acts 15.

But remember:

• They then travel to Jerusalem to debate it
• But it appears that these false teachers then head to these churches in Galatia, as this false teaching is the occasion of the letter to the Galatian churches.

Let me now show you the 6 part frame, and then we will dig into the first 10 verses.

When the Core Message of the Bible Comes Under Attack

Paul’s Framework

• Define the Central Argument – Ch. 1
• Address the Charges that the Message of the gospel is Rogue – Ch. 2
• Show how the message does not change in an ever-changing world. – Ch. 3
• Connect the Dots from departure to consequences. – Ch. 4
• Stick to Your Guns. Unapologetically call people to stand for the truth. – Ch. 5
• Call to Decision. Make a choice, but be willing to forgo peace so you don’t sacrifice truth. – Ch. 6

Now, let’s read Galatians 1:1-10.

Galatians 1:1-10
1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are with me,
To the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Now, let’s look at Paul’s framework to remember what he is doing in Galatians 1 as he confronts them about drifting away from the Gospel.

When the Core Message of the Bible Comes Under Attack

Paul’s Framework

• Define the Central Argument – Ch. 1

Q: What is the core message that Paul preaches?
A: Paul preaches the Gospel – the Good News.

And here is his starting point of the Central Argument of the Gospel…

The Gospel Comes from God, Not Man

Galatians 1:1–5
Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are with me,
To the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Paul opens this letter by establishing something foundational.

This message did not come from man.

“Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ…”

In other words:

• This gospel was not developed.
• It was not voted on.
• It was not shaped by culture.

It was revealed by God.

And if the gospel comes from God, then we don’t have the authority to edit it, adjust it, or improve it.

• We receive it.
• We proclaim it.
• But we do not rewrite it.

And Paul uses a title to introduce himself. That title is “Apostle,” which means, “Sent one.”

Now, in the New Testament, an Apostle is one who had seen the risen Christ and was commissioned by Him to go and preach the good news as His messenger. In other words, they were sent by Christ himself, to go and proclaim the forgiveness of sins.

So, not only is he saying, the Gospel is from God, but as he opens this letter up, he is saying, “I was sent to you by Christ himself.”

And then notice what Paul does. Paul anchors everything in the resurrection:

Galatians 1:1
Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead

The authority behind this message is not opinion—it is resurrection power.

But then Paul moves quickly from authority to content.

Galatians 1:3-5
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Grace – Goodwill freely disseminated by God; especially to the benefit of the recipient regardless of the benefit accrued to the disseminator.

Grace Acronymn:

• G – God’s
• R—Riches
• A—At 
• C – Christ’s 
• E – Expense

The truth of the Grace of God is that God poured out His wrath toward our sin upon Jesus Christ. And instead of punishing mankind for our sin (WE CALL THAT MERCY), He has put it on His Son.

Instead of Wrath, we are going to get the GIFT of GRACE – The KINDNESS and RICHES of God toward us.
                 
Peace – Harmonious relations and freedom from disputes; especially during the absence of war.

This is what is available to us.

Grace is the source.

Peace is the result.

You don’t achieve peace with God—you receive it because God has extended grace to you.

And then we come to the heart of the gospel:
“…who gave himself for our sins…”

This is not symbolic language.

This is substitution.

Christ did not come merely to show you how to live.

He came to do what you could never do.

He gave Himself—for your sins.

As Isaiah 53 tells us, “He was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities.”

Warren Wiersbe states:
To the person who has trusted Christ as Saviour, the real “Good News” is the Gospel: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures … He was buried, and … He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3–4). It is the Good News that sinners can be forgiven and go to heaven because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross. The Good News of salvation through faith in Christ is the most important message in the world.[1]
  [1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 682). Victor Books.

And then Paul says:
“…to deliver us from the present evil age…”

Now don’t miss this.

The gospel is not just about forgiveness—it is about rescue.

There’s a difference between helping someone and rescuing someone.

If your car breaks down on the side of the road and someone stops to help, that’s assistance. That’s helpful.

But if someone is caught in a current, being pulled under in the ocean, they don’t need advice shouted from the shore.

They don’t need someone saying, “Try harder. Swim better.”

They need someone who can get to them, take hold of them, and bring them back.

That’s rescue.

And Paul is saying:
Jesus did not stand at a distance and offer suggestions for your life.

He stepped in.

He gave Himself.

And He didn’t improve your situation—

He delivered you – he took you out of estrangement with God which was a dangerous situation, and lifted you to safety.
 
But notice the rescue is both eternal, but it is also for today – we are delivered from the “present evil age.”

Our faith isn’t just for a “graduation to heaven” someday. It’s for today.

• It’s life and light
• and wisdom from God for today.
• It’s joy and love from God.
• It’s protection, provision, inspiration, courage, and forgiveness.

Look at the phrase
“…according to the will of our God and Father…”

This was not an accident. The cross was not God reacting—it was God acting.

As we saw at Easter, this has always been the plan.

And Paul ends with worship:
“…to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Because when you understand the gospel rightly, it doesn’t just inform you—it humbles you and lifts your eyes.

And here is why Paul starts here:
Before he confronts them for drifting…
he reminds them what they are drifting from.
 
One of the reasons this series is called Set Free is because in Galatians there is a struggle presented – A Struggle that we all shift toward – Legalism –  (Which says…)

• Jesus got me started, but I have to do good.
• Or, the Church is the arbiter of Grace – I have to get the “Sacraments” the dispensing of grace, from the Priests.
• Or, If I live a good life, I will be “accepted by God. Heaven is my paycheck for living a good life.”

We struggle with Legalism… “Am I doing enough?”

The other side of the Struggle is LICENSE.
 
We hear the Good News that Jesus died for us and we say, “Great. I can live however I want because Jesus is always going to forgive me.” We abuse the grace of God because we still want to control our lives.

If we aren’t careful, we will justify all sorts of things saying, “Well, I am under grace. I don’t have to worry about any notion of the law.”

The message of Galatians is that there is a Liberty available to us as we walk by the Spirit. And that’s what we as a pastoral staff want for all of our lives. We don’t want to be given to “legalism” and the shame that comes by never feeling we are good enough, and we don’t want to live lives of “license” because we reason, “well, it’s all forgiven, I can do whatever I want.”

No, we want to recognize what God has done to redeem us and live lives of worship, sharing the Gospel with others.
 
Now notice how Paul's rhetoric intensifies. The second thing we need to see today is this:

Drifting from the Gospel is Deserting God

Slide: Galatians 1:6–7
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

Now the tone shifts -- “I am astonished…”

Paul is not mildly disappointed. He is shocked. There is urgency here. There is concern. There is pastoral weight. He planted these churches. He poured out his heart with these people. And he expects more from them.

He says, “I am astonished…that you are so quickly deserting him…”

Notice what he says. He does not say you are drifting from ideas.

He says you are deserting Him. To leave the gospel is to leave God.

Why is that?

It’s because we need to feel like we brought something to the table.

We brought:

• Our good behavior
• Our church attendance
• Our service to the poor
• Our monies for the building project and the budget

We hate to come to our eternity empty-handed as if we had nothing to do with it. We don’t really want grace. We want acceptance through our goodness, our efforts, our kindness.

And this is where we need to be honest.

Most people don’t wake up one day and say, “I’m done with God.”

Drift doesn’t happen all at once.

It happens slowly.

If you’ve ever been in the water—at the ocean – you can be swimming, enjoying yourself, talking, and everything feels normal.

You look up, and you’re still in the water.

But then you glance back at the shoreline…and you realize you’re not where you started.
You didn’t feel the current.

You didn’t notice the movement.

But over time, you’ve been carried somewhere else.

That’s how spiritual drift works.

• You begin to rely a little more on yourself.
• You begin to measure yourself a little more by performance.
• You begin to carry weight that grace already removed.

And before long…you are no longer standing where you once were.
“…and are turning to a different gospel…”

And then Paul clarifies:
“not that there is another one…”

There are not multiple versions of the gospel.

There is one.

And anything that adds to it or reshapes it is not a better version—it is a distortion.

Look with me at 1 Corinthians 15.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…

This is the simple good news of Jesus.

• Christ died for our sins – according to the Scriptures – in other words, it was promised.
• He was buried and raised on the 3rd day, according to the Scriptures – in other words, it too was promised!

The content of the Gospel message is Objective.

• It’s not a feeling.
• It’s not an idea or philosophy that changes.
• It’s anchored in an historical event where Jesus of Nazareth was crucified and on the third day, his tomb was empty and because He rose from the dead.

And then 1 Corinthians 15 talks about eyewitnesses to the resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:5-7
5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

This was an historic event and these disciples went to their deaths believing that they had seen the Resurrected Christ. They died for this confession.

And Paul is asking, “how can you dessert our Lord Jesus?”

Galatians 1:7b
but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

And here’s the danger.

The distortion rarely looks obvious.

It doesn’t walk in and say, “Reject Jesus.”

It says:
“Jesus is good… but you need more.”
“Jesus saves… but you have to complete it.”
“Jesus forgives… but you should still carry the weight.”
“Jesus is our Lord…but you have to access Grace from the church through these steps you must do.”

And Paul says:
That is not adjustment.

That is desertion of Grace accessed by Faith, to acceptance based upon your works.
And this will hold you hostage. This will keep you busy. This will keep you uncertain if you will ever truly do enough. You aren’t free in this system.

You may be saying, “Oh, come on Pastor. Aren’t you making too big a deal of this? Can’t we all just have our approaches to how we access Christ? At least we are all claiming Christ as our Savior.”

But notice the strength by which Paul challenges this sort of thinking, and it’s our third point today…

III. A False Gospel Is Spiritually Deadly (Galatians 1:8–9)

Galatians 1:8–9
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

Now Paul removes all ambiguity.

“But even if we…”
Even if I come back and say something different—don’t believe it.

“…or an angel from heaven…”
Even if something supernatural shows up.

Even if it looks powerful.

Even if it feels convincing.

If it contradicts the gospel—reject it.

Because truth is not validated by

• charisma,
• platform,
• or experience.
• 
  

It is measured by whether it aligns with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“…let him be accursed.”

This is strong language. Paul is not being harsh for the sake of being harsh.

He is being clear because eternity is at stake.

And here’s why clarity matters.

Those who study counterfeit money don’t spend most of their time studying fake bills.

They study the real thing. They handle it. They learn it. They become so familiar with what is true that when something is even slightly off—they recognize it.

And if you don’t know the true gospel clearly…you will not recognize a false one quickly.

And the false one will sound close enough.

• Close enough… to trust.
• Close enough… to build your life on.
• Close enough… to miss the truth entirely.

Listen to the words of Jesus.

Matthew 24:23-25
23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.

It’s the subtle message. Or it’s the spectacular message. But if we don’t know the message and hold fast to it, you too can drift and then if you are not careful, desert the Lord.

So, the final natural question is this…who are you living for?

The Real Issue: Who are you living for?

Galatians 1:10
10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Paul now brings it to the heart.

Why distort the gospel?

Because a modified gospel is easier to accept.

A gospel that says:
“You can earn this.”
“You can contribute.”
“You can prove yourself.”
—that appeals to us.

But Paul says:
You cannot serve both the approval of people and the authority of Christ.

At some point, you have to decide.

If you’ve ever posted something and then checked it again and again—
“How many people saw it?”
“Did anyone respond?”

—you know how quickly your sense of value can shift based on others.

Now take that same instinct into your spiritual life.

If your standing with God is based on how well you think you’re doing…

• you will live constantly checking.
• Constantly measuring.
• Constantly wondering if it’s enough.

And Paul says:
That’s not grace.
That’s performance.

Come Back to the True Gospel

So let’s come back to where Paul started.

“…Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins
to deliver us…”

That is the gospel.

Not what you do for God.

But what Christ has done for you.

And here’s the question:
What are you trusting in to be right with God?

Not what do you say.

What are you actually resting in?

• Is it your effort?
• Your consistency?
• Your track record?

Or is it Christ alone?

Because you cannot build your life on both.

You cannot say, “Jesus saves me—and I complete it.”

You cannot say, “Jesus forgives me—but I still have to earn it.”

So here’s the invitation today:

Stop adding to what Jesus has already finished. Because what’s done is done!

• Lay down the pressure to perform.
• Lay down the need to prove.
• Lay down the weight you were never meant to carry.

Some of you have been around church your whole life.
You know the language.
You know the expectations.

But if you’re honest, your hope has always been in what you do—
not in what Christ has done.

And today, you need to shift your trust.

Because there is only one gospel that saves.

And His name is Jesus.

And He has already done everything necessary

for your forgiveness, your freedom, and your peace.

There is no other gospel.

And you don’t need another one.



This blog is based on the message shared by Senior Pastor Dr. Roger Patterson on Sunday, April 12, 2026, at our CityRise Bellaire campus. Check out the full message below!