Galatians 1:8 "But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel..."

"But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed!" (Galatians 1:8).

Question:

Is this verse saying that Jesus and the God of only the Christian faith are correct? I like the concept of the Unity church and I enjoy the church I attend—but I'm scared of verses like this one which sound exclusive.

Comment:

The central controversy of Paul's lifetime and ministry concerned the question of whether Gentiles (non-Jews) had to first convert to Judaism before they could become followers of Jesus. Peter and James and the church in Jerusalem said they did—which meant they had to obey all Jewish laws, and Gentile men would have to be circumcised (a prospect that was having a discouraging effect on the conversion rate!). Paul taught that the message and ministry of Jesus essentially fulfilled Jewish law, and accepting the Christ was not dependent on first becoming Jewish. Paul's view eventually won out, but at the time of the letter to the church in Galatia the issue was still very much in doubt. Paul learns that the church he founded there has been visited by representatives of other views, and he is anxious that the people not be misled. His teaching was correct, he insists later in this same chapter, because "I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ."

  There is nothing new or strange in Unity's understanding of the ministry of Jesus Christ, or in our understanding of the Bible. The people of Galatia at the time of Paul's letter had no gospels, no Christian writings of any kind. All they knew was what they heard from visiting speakers, telling of a ministry that had happened in far-off Jerusalem. They were easily misled or confused. Today we have the scriptures, and beneath the scriptures we have the simple, powerful message of Jesus calling us to follow his example, to find and express the Christ that is our true identity, as it was his. We can measure our faith, not by what others tell us to believe, but by what the message says to us directly. As Jesus suggests, “by their fruits you will know them.” Something that makes you feel loved, empowered and One with God and all of life is clearly bearing good fruit. It can be trusted.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed