Consequences of False Teachings

Introduction
In the past lesson, we have learned that we are freed children of God. We are no longer under the law but under the grace of God. But what happens on the other hand if we continued to be slaves of Law? The following passages from where we left last time tell us the consequences of being a slave of the law.

The Consequences
1. Alienation from the grace of God (v.4). 4You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. The word “alienated” is more like to mean as “cut off” or mutilated. Not that we lose salvation, but it is more on losing the joy out of it. Alienation from the grace loses our ability to be joyful under the grace of God.
Paul gave a strong emphasis at the beginning of the paragraph, “Mark my words”, something that we have to take note. Paul reemphasized that those who were circumcised because the law required it, then it is completely useless for justification does not come from circumcision or from any effort exerted by men. It only comes by the grace of God through faith.
This is why those people who became “real” Christians are able to see the big difference when they were in their former life compared the time that they were saved. Before, they exert every effort in order to be saved without even enjoying the gift that God gave to all men. Now that they have faith in Christ Jesus, they are enjoying all its benefits especially the peace that God is giving.
What a wonderful life that we have if there is no problem. Yes, we know that God has a purpose for our problems which is for us to learn. Nevertheless, let us admit that nobody like trials and problems. For if there is, I would have seen a person rejoicing, jumping and shouting for joy because he is about to go to jail. The point however is, with the faith, we are able to give thanks and praise God even in the midst of all problems.
When we are alienated from the grace of God, there we will no longer feel the joy of our salvation. It will always seem that we have to do something in order to be forgiven and in order to go back in the presence of God. This is also the reason why it is so hard to go back to God when we fall from his grace. It is because no matter what we do, it will always seem lacking just to be saved. And that no matter how we try, we can never satisfy the wrath of God.


2. Will surely pay for the penalty (v.10). 10I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be. Though Paul here does not refer directly to the Galatian churches, but here we see that those people who teaches that justification comes with circumcision, and which causes others to believe and be enslave again by the Law, will surely pay the penalty.
Again, quoting back Paul in the previous lessons, he said that those who live by the law will live by it (Galatians 3:12). We all know that no one can perfectly obey the law. We also know that when a man breaks a single law, is also guilty of breaking the whole law (James 2:10). Therefore, who ever lives by the law will surely pay for the penalty.
By knowing these things, we to remember that God hates false teachers. And this is the emphasis that Paul is giving at the very beginning of the book of Galatians. He gave emphasis that if there is anyone who preach any other gospel than what Paul preached to them, let him be eternally cursed. This assured us that false teachers will surely pay for its penalty.
In verse 12, Paul deliberately stated that how he wishes that these agitators or troublemakers would cut off themselves from the church. The Greek word used for cut-off here is almost similar to “emasculation” (cutting off animal’s testicles) since Paul is giving emphasis to circumcision. From here, we can picture that Paul stated this sarcastically.
Applying this to ourselves, this is how important is our training. We train, we teach people to be able to teach others as well. And not just to be able to teach, to be able to teach the right teachings and not heresy, not false teachings. Not just to teach what we want to teach, but what God wants us to teach.
As we look our world today, many people were imprisoned by false teaching, teachings that do not come from the Bible. People tried to make their own set of beliefs, claiming something from the Bible in order to satisfy their doctrines. Instead of getting everything from the Bible, some created a substitutionary extra material to satisfy their claim as a true religion and as a true sons of God.

3. Division among the believers (v.15). 15If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. Though Paul did not directly points out that being enslave by the law will result to division, we can see here that the Galatian churches is having some divisions with each other. Now take note that there were some people that teach about circumcision, and Paul is correcting this. To picture their situation before, there were some people who did not turn back from the true gospel while some did.
This is scenario is still true in our days. What if we have someone here who have been with us for a while, participated in the breaking of bread, receive the same instructions as what you have received, served in the body of Christ like some of you. Then suddenly after attending one of the revivals where a false teacher preached, he believed in it and began teaching the message he received from that event to the whole church when such teaching is in contrast to what you have received at first. Some of you on the other hand, holding on to the faith and being aware of such an error, tries your best to correct the false teaching. Now comes in the division inside the church.
How many churches split because of false teachings? Christians had some conflicts with each other because of false teachings. This is our responsibilities now, as people who have heard this gospel, to teach others responsibly. Studying carefully the word of God so us to preserve our unity in Christ Jesus.