But I certify you, brethren, that the Gospel which was preached of me is not after man. Galatians 1:11
The Gospel that is proclaimed today is the same message, regardless of where or by whom it is proclaimed. The Gospel that is shared in secret whispers among the North Koreans is the same Gospel that is heralded by an open-air preacher on a high-traffic street corner in Toronto. The Gospel that is shared with Sunday School students is the same Gospel that is presented to an audience at a senior citizens’ home. There is no difference in the Gospel message, if it is the true Gospel message. That’s because the Gospel has a single source: God. It is not some message that has been devised in one part of the world and evolved as it spread elsewhere. It is not sourced anywhere in men’s religious organizations, or in men’s philosophical reasonings, or in academic debate. No, the Gospel is of no human origin. If it were, it would be flawed, because humanity is flawed.
It is for certain that faulty people preach and share the Gospel. Only one perfect Preacher ever lived. Of all the rest, some have been good, some great, some magnificent, but all have been flawed by sinful humanity. And yet, God has ordained that it is through flawed humanity that His perfect Gospel should flow. Paul referred to this when he said, ‘It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe’ (1 Corinthians 1:21). And in 2 Corinthians 4:7, Paul explains the reason why God has given us this great honour: ‘But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.’ When we consider how wonderful and loving God was to provide us with the Gospel message, and how little we ever did to deserve it, we can understand how God should receive all of the glory and we should receive none.
Many years ago, I remember an old preacher telling us that no man could have written the Bible if he wanted to, and no man would have wanted to write the Bible even if he could. I believe that is true. God’s plan of salvation is far greater than any human could have imagined, which proves the foolishness of those who mock the Bible’s message. The deeper we delve into the vast storehouse of the Word of God, including its Gospel message, the more we realize how far it goes beyond anything of man.
Our text gives us Paul’s certification that the Gospel did not – and could not – have come from himself or any other man. And as we read the Bible, the Holy Spirit adds His certification that this is true. – Jim MacIntosh