Anathema Upon False Gospellers (Galatians 1:8-9) by Rev. Angus Stewart
I. The False Gospel
II. The Terrible Anathema
III. The Holy Reasons
Psalm singing: 63:1-8; 37:35-40; 143:1-7a; 130:1-8
Scripture reading: Galatians 1

Matthew Henry on Galatians 1:6-9: “That they were removed to another gospel, which yet was not another. Thus the apostle represents the doctrine of these judaizing teachers; he calls it another gospel, because it opened a different way of justification and salvation from that which was revealed in the gospel, namely, by works, and not by faith in Christ. And yet he adds, ‘Which is not another—you will find it to be no gospel at all—not really another gospel, but the perverting of the gospel of Christ, and the overturning of the foundations of that’—whereby he intimates that those who go about to establish any other way to heaven than what the gospel of Christ has revealed are guilty of a gross perversion of it, and in the issue will find themselves wretchedly mistaken ... How confident he was that the gospel he had preached to them was the only true gospel. He was so fully persuaded of this that he pronounced an anathema upon those who pretended to preach any other gospel (Gal. 1:8), and, to let them see that this did not proceed from any rashness or intemperate zeal in him, he repeated it (Gal. 1:9) ... It is only against those who forge a new gospel, who overturn the foundation of the covenant of grace, by setting up the works of the law in the place of Christ’s righteousness, and corrupting Christianity with Judaism, that Paul denounces this.”
John Calvin: “[We] pronounce anathema upon everyone who has not confessed himself a sinner before God, before the angels, before his church, and in short, before all men” (Institutes 3.4.6).

Psalm 63:1-8
1 LORD, thee my God, I’ll early seek:
my soul doth thirst for thee;
My flesh longs in a dry parch’d land,
wherein no waters be:
2 That I thy power may behold,
and brightness of thy face,
As I have seen thee heretofore
within thy holy place.
3 Since better is thy love than life,
my lips thee praise shall give.
4 I in thy name will lift my hands,
and bless thee while I live.
5 Ev’n as with marrow and with fat
my soul shall filled be ;
Then shall my mouth with joyful lips
sing praises unto thee:
6 When I do thee upon my bed
remember with delight,
And when on thee I meditate
in watches of the night.
7 In shadow of thy wings I’ll joy;
for thou mine help hast been.
8 My soul thee follows hard; and me
thy right hand doth sustain.

Psalm 37:35-40
35 I saw the wicked great in pow’r,
spread like a green bay-tree :
36 He pass’d, yea, was not; him I sought,
but found he could not be.
37 Mark thou the perfect, and behold
the man of uprightness ;
Because that surely of this man
the latter end is peace.
38 But those men that transgressors are
shall be destroy’d together;
The latter end of wicked men
shall be cut off for ever.
39 But the salvation of the just
is from the Lord above;
He in the time of their distress
their stay and strength doth prove.
40 The Lord shall help, and them deliver:
he shall them free and save
From wicked men; because in him
their confidence they have.

Psalm 143:1-7a
1 LORD, hear my pray’r, attend my suits;
and in thy faithfulness
Give thou an answer unto me,
and in thy righteousness.
2 Thy servant also bring thou not
in judgment to be try’d:
Because no living man can be
in thy sight justify’d.
3 For th’ en’my hath pursu’d my soul,
my life to ground down tread :
In darkness he hath made me dwell,
as who have long been dead.
4 My sp’rit is therefore overwhelm’d
in me perplexedly;
Within me is my very heart
amazed wondrously.
5 I call to mind the days of old,
to meditate I use
On all thy works; upon the deeds
I of thy hands do muse.
6 My hands to thee I stretch ; my soul
thirsts, as dry land, for thee.
7 Haste, Lord, to hear, my spirit fails :
hide not thy face from me

Psalm130:1-8
1 LORD, from the depths to thee I cry’d.
2 My voice, Lord, do thou hear:
Unto my supplication’s voice
give an attentive ear.
3 Lord, who shall stand, if thou, O Lord,
should’st mark iniquity?
4 But yet with thee forgiveness is,
that fear’d thou mayest be.
5 I wait for God, my soul doth wait,
my hope is in his word.
6 More than they that for morning watch,
my soul waits for the Lord;
I say, more than they that do watch
the morning light to see.
7 Let Israel hope in the Lord,
for with him mercies be ;
And plenteous redemption
is ever found with him.
8 And from all his iniquities
he Isr’el shall redeem.