You cannot please men and please God when the two disagree. Dr. Tony Evans says when human opinions clash with God's truth, only one stands unshakable. God not only speaks truth, he is truth.
So when men disagree with God, it doesn't matter who the man is. This is the alternative broadcast, featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans.
Some people water down the truth. Others try to replace it altogether. That's why the Apostle Paul was so passionate about defending the gospel and why Dr. Evans digs deep into the first chapter of Galatians today. Let's listen to discover more about God's grace, the foundation of our salvation, and the source of our spiritual growth.
We live our lives by what we earn. We earn people's favor. We earn our income. When when you go to work. And your boss pays you at the end of the week or the month.
He is not giving you a gift. When is our birthday? People bring us gifts. It would actually be insulting to offer to pay somebody on your birthday for a gift they bring you. Because the whole point of a birthday gift is that it is being given at no cost to you.
All you do is receive it. You don't earn it. And so it is with grace. It is a gift. The Bible calls it the gift of God.
It's what God gives away. Not what you work to earn. You do what you do, not because you're earning his favor, you're doing what you're doing because you appreciate his favor.
Now many of us understand or remember the history of the Apostle Paul. His former name was Saul. His pre-conversion days, he was Saul, and he was an up-and-coming. Pharisee and up and coming part of the Sanhedrin. And he was given, he was so.
tenacious. For Judaism and so much of an enemy of this new thing called Christianity, that he was the one that the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council. chose to get rid of the church. To persecute Christianity and destroy it. And he says, I went after it with all I had.
Yeah. When Stephen was stoned in Acts chapter 7. stoned to death for his commitment to Christ. It says, and standing there at the stoning was Saul. He was locking people, prisoners, locking Christians up.
But then one day on the Damascus road, He ran into the risen Christ. and was transformed by that meeting. And he became now the architect of Christianity. In terms of writing more books in the New Testament than any other author, Paul is the author of 13 books. of the New Testament the most of any single author.
So he's writing all the churches of Galatians. He's writing all the brethren. Very important because he's writing Christians.
So this message is to Christians. And he wants us to clearly understand this message of the gospel of grace. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, he connects the Father and the Son together. And then he rehearses The gospel message.
This is still his introduction. Who gave himself, Jesus Christ, gave himself. For our sins. On the cross, Jesus satisfied the sin of all men for all time.
Okay? The question is then, why aren't all men saved? Because all men have not had the righteousness of Christ credited back to them. Which means that they will stand before God with their own righteousness. I don't want to stand before God with my own righteousness.
Especially since His standard is perfect righteousness. That's a standard. I can't meet that standard. You can't meet that standard. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
We cannot meet that standard.
So, what God does, knowing we can meet it, is credit it.
So when you trust Christ, you get a perfect credit score. Paul says in chapter 6, verse 14, Of Galatians, but may it never be that I would boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.
So, this present age, this world that you and I live in, should no longer be your boss.
Okay. should no longer define you, should no longer. uh control you you're in it But you've been rescued From its It's it's grip. On you.
So whatever evil you face, I face, we face. Whatever evil you struggle with. Jesus Christ died on the cross to release you from it.
So that we operate within the will of God. and bring him glory verse five. He says, I am amazed. I'm shocked. That you are so quickly deserting him.
Who called you by the grace. of Christ for a different gospel.
So here we have The fact that Something different was being given to them other than what they had heard. That brought them to salvation. They were getting some different information. Hebrews chapter 13 verse 9. Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings.
For it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace. Not by foods through which those who were so occupied were not benefited. which was a lot of the Jewish rituals. He says Don't be duped by strange teachings that don't strengthen you by grace. Many of you, maybe you are Christian, maybe you weren't.
But you were raised in legalism. It shows up. in a lot of different ways. All kind of Nuances of performing to earn God's acceptance. Many denominations are driven.
By legalism. And bye. A performance-based approach to either salvation or spirituality, or both. And he says, I am shocked that you're so. quickly removed From not only the gospel, but from God, because he says you're deserting him.
Yeah. He is sufficient to get you to heaven and he is sufficient to get you through earth, this present age. If any man. Is preaching to you. A gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be.
Accursed. This is the strongest possible language for the rejection of anyone who would undermine. The gospel. and teaching of grace. Paul knows that these Judaizers These legalists would follow Paul wherever Paul went.
And when Paul left, they would show up. And they would inject this confusing understanding of. of the gospel. But Paul makes it clear in verse 10. For Am I now seeking the favor of men?
Do I care? That they don't like me? If I am still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. That's a whole theology right there. But You cannot please men and please God when the two disagree.
You can't walk both sides of that aisle. When men disagree with God, the Bible says, let God be true and every man a liar.
So, when men disagree with God, it doesn't matter who the man is. who the person is. God not only speaks truth, He is truth. In other words, he's the source of reality.
So he can't say anything that's wrong. He can't say anything that's wrong about any subject.
So, whatever God speaks on is absolutely accurate. on every subject. Once God has spoken on it, or if God has spoken on it. then it is absolutely accurate and men have got to catch up to it. I hope you notice science keeps adjusting their.
their views all on all kind of science. You know, you got the science of food. You can eat this, now you can't eat this. You don't drink coffee, now it's okay to drink coffee. You ain't, you know, they got.
Science is, you know. Pluto is a planet. No, it's not a planet.
Well, it's a planet again. I mean, science is always evolving. And the reason why science is always evolving is they keep discovering. Which is education, that's fine. Science keeps discovering.
And so, because it keeps discovering, it keeps evolving. But God doesn't evolve. His name is I Am. Yes. All that can be known that is knowable is already known.
And the thing you need to know about God is, He's always current. He's always caring. He never goes oops. You can't throw them a surprise party. And so when men and God disagree.
Mineral. Always.
Now this calls for a high view of God. Because men can be intimidating. They got a few degrees, they can be intimidating. They got position, they can be intimidating. They got money, they can be intimidating.
Okay. Paul says when it comes to the gospel. Let him be accursed. because it is undermining God himself and the message of God. There's more to uncover about the threat these distortions posed, and doctor Evans will take us there when he returns in just a moment.
Okay. Well, as we've been learning today, when we drift from the true gospel, even slightly. We don't just lose clarity. We risk losing the power that comes with living by grace. If you want to take a deeper dive into the book of Galatians and rediscover the freedom Christ intended, we encourage you to request Tony's current teaching series called Galatians.
This 11-part collection explores the tension between law and liberty, unpacking Paul's urgent message to a confused church, one that still speaks directly to us today. It's available as our gift when you support the alternative with your contribution. And for a limited time, we'll also send you a bonus resource, Tony's impactful book, Kingdom Prayer. This practical guide will help you align your conversations with God to His purposes so your prayers move from routine to powerful, from earthbound to heaven-shaking. Don't miss this special double offer.
Visit tonyevans.org today or call our 24-hour resource line at 1-800-800-32-2000. Again, that's tonyevans.org or by phone at 1-800-800-3222. Right now, let's get back to Dr. Evans.
So Paul is being undermined in the The thinking of the Galatians by these Judaizers who are distorting the gospel. Paul, in verse 11, then begins to go into a defense of himself. And the show, he's not making something up here. He didn't just come at this. because they didn't have anything to do one day.
For I would have you know, brethren. Brethren, he's writing fellow Christians. that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. In other words, I didn't get this from school. For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism.
So he's now going back to where he was before he was a believer. Judaism. How I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure. and try to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism.
Beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen being more extremely zealous. For my ancestral traditions. In other words, I was the number one guy in class. I outpaced all the other students. I was more aggressive.
He says, zealous. I was more on fire for the traditions of my father. For my history, for my background, for my religious heritage, for my theology. I was the up and rising star. of Judaism.
And I didn't just talk it, I showed it. But when God Verse 15. who had set me apart even from my mother's womb. and called me through his grace was pleased. to reveal his son in me.
So that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood. He's now defending how he got what he got. God intervened. And now we see an interesting phrase. From my mother's womb.
Well, wait a minute. He wasn't saved in his mother's womb. He wasn't saved when he was a child. He wasn't saved when he was a teenager. He wasn't saved when he first became an adult.
He got saved on the Damascus road.
So he's probably the best guess we have is between 35 and 40 when he first gets saved.
So for a good part of his adult life, He was a non-believer. But he says, I was called. from my mother's womb.
So how do we talk about a non-believer being called? Notice what he was said he was called to. He says I was Called from my mother's womb. Through grace. That I might preach to the Gentiles.
Okay. So from his mother's womb, he was called for a purpose. He was called to fulfill a task. But he wasn't committed. to fill the task.
Even though he had been called to fill the task. until its conversion. His conversion commissioned them for the task for which he was called.
So Calling is to fulfill a task. It's to achieve a goal. Election. to even become more theological here is to fulfill a task. to achieve a goal.
Because he has to get saved. before the commissioning. is activated.
However, Another Point that you want to notice. God would use. Everything that went into his training. While a non-believer And transfer it over to him as a believer to use for God's purposes. Who knew Judaism?
Better than Paul! Paul is the man. He's outpaced all his contemporaries. He's He's in he he's he's got it so He knows what he's fighting against.
So in his unsaved days, he had. No knowledge. That all of this study, all this education, all of this fire. and ferva. Was going to be transferred to God's use.
after his conversion. God is able to take. You're unsaved yesterday. And once you get converted and get committed. Use it.
In your saved days. And it's It's amazing. He was called, but it didn't get activated until he was commissioned, which didn't take place until he was saved. When God intervened. Verse 15.
What set me apart? and called me through grace.
So he's continuing his grace message. which led to his salvation. Was pleased to reveal his son. In me.
So that I might preach. Him among the Gentiles. I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood.
So, a great transformation occurred when Paul became a Christian. He now is commissioned to go to the Gentiles. But he didn't just run. and apply to Dallas Seminary. You didn't consult with flesh and blood.
Nor did I go to Jerusalem to those who were. Apostles before me. I didn't go to any. Even to the other apostles who were Ahead of me. I did not go to them.
But I went away to Arabia. And return once more to Damascus.
So, the first place I went was not the people. I went and I got alone with God. Because of how Graphic my conversion was. I got along with God to try to make sense of this. And for some period of time, he was in Damascus.
getting his theological education. Then three years later. I went up to Jerusalem. To become acquainted with Cephas, who's Peter. and stayed with him fifteen days.
So if y'all think I got what I got from Peter. He sure would have given me a lot because I was only with him for 15 days. Yeah. Now that was a three-year gap. Between when I got converted.
And when I first talked to the to the leaders of the church. That that uh oh, that wasn't. I didn't get this from men. He's highlighting that, that the source for the gospel was not human. And I didn't see, verse 19, any of the other apostles.
Except James. The Lord's brother, which will be the Lord's half-brother. Because of course Jesus was born of a virgin, but. James is one of the he's the son of a Joseph and Mary biologically.
Now, in what I'm writing to you, I assure you before God, I am not lying. The Judaizers were coming in and were trying to undermine Paul. And he's saying, no, no, no, this gospel is authentic. It came directly from God. I am not.
Lying. Then I went into the regions of Syria. And so let's see ya. And I was still unknown by sight. to the churches of It's Judah.
Which are in Christ. They didn't know me there. But only they kept hearing. He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy. In other words, my reputation had gone public.
They didn't recognize me, but they knew about me. The person who used to try to kill us is now trying to build this up. And they were glorifying God because of me. They were rejoicing at the gospel. that the Judaizers were trying to undermine.
He now is preaching the message he sought to destroy, and his testimony had spread. and stirred the church. throughout all of these different regions.
So that's the first chapter. The book of Galatians. You're going to discover as we go into the book. A lot of theology. As Paul is going to explain.
How the gospel that saves us. also changes us. sanctifies us. and grows us. By the time we finish chapter six.
You should feel freer than you've ever felt before. As a Christian, doesn't mean they have problems, challenges, trials. But this sense of being liberated To enjoy and not endure your Christianity. Should begin to settle itself in you in this sense of victory. and the power of grace.
she began to manifest itself. Dr. Tony Evans, encouraging us to embrace the freedom and joy that come from living in the power of God's grace. Be sure to get in touch today to request your copy of Tony's current teaching series on Galatians and his valuable faith-building book, Kingdom Prayer. This limited-time offer is our thank-you gift when you make a donation in support of the alternative broadcast ministry.
Visit tonyevans.org to make your donation and request, or call us at 1-800-800-3222 any time of the day or night. One of our helpful resource team members will be happy to assist with your request. Again, that's tonyevans.org or call 1-800-800-3222. Looking spiritual and being right with God aren't the same thing.
Next time on The Alternative, Dr. Evans explains why rulekeeping doesn't earn God's favor and how only grace can set us free to grow. Be sure to join us.
