And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage. Galatians 2:4
Have you ever known of anyone who was in God’s Assembly who should not have been there? Sadly, I have seen several. In most cases, it is a young person who turns out to have not been saved at all, a child of Christian parents and sporting a false profession that sounds pretty good. In most cases, the young person is just going along with the family or friends. Other times, the person has no real grasp of what God’s Assembly is, it just appears to them to be a ‘good church to join’, and they fail to appreciate much of the New Testament principles on which the Assembly is based. Only once have I encountered a man who came into the Assembly in order to change that Assembly into his way of thinking. He was a Christian, but he had ulterior motives. But even he wasn’t as bad as the characters that Paul is speaking of in today’s text, sneaky troublemakers seeking to destroy the very basis of our salvation.
Paul is speaking of people who are probably not saved at all. These are people who are promoting a doctrine that salvation alone is not enough. They are seeking to impose the law on Christians, bringing them back into the bondage from which salvation delivered them. If our gospel is clear, it will be clear on this point: we are saved by grace alone. Any work of ours that would be required nullifies grace and makes the work of Christ on the cross of none effect. Anyone who is trusting anything other than – or in addition to – Christ for salvation does not have salvation. Baptism, holy living, prayers, Bible reading, the Lord Supper, none of these are a component of Salvation, they are a result of salvation. And yet, there are those who would insist on tacking on something we can do in order to secure God’s favour. It is highly doubtful that such folks have God’s salvation at all. And it is highly likely that such folks are simply trying to twist us to their false doctrine.
Godly elders in God’s Assembly are required to preserve the Lord’s people from those who would bring in errors. Let us give thanks for them and support them. Christian homes are also a solid bulwark against the enemy’s lies. Children are taught the truth early, and are raised in that truth, knowing that faith in Christ alone is the only saving faith. Our Gospel meetings each week preserve this same glorious truth, as faithful brethren sound forth the message. Gospel series after gospel series carries on the preserving repetition of the same precious truth. Has God given us everything we need to preserve the truth of the Gospel? Maybe. But we still need to be careful that those who would pervert the gospel don’t get inside to do their dirty work.
The truth of the Gospel gives us our liberty; anything that alters that truth leads us into bondage. – Jim MacIntosh