Galatians 1:6-9 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

I marvel that ye are so soon After my leaving you; removed from him that called you into the grace Or rather, by, or through the grace; of Christ His gracious gospel, and his gracious power. God is generally said to call men into the grace of Christ, but the phraseology seems here to point out Paul, and not God, as the person spoken of. For as he wrote this chapter to prove himself an apostle, his success in calling the Galatians to the Christian faith was fitly mentioned as one of the proofs of his apostleship, as it implied that he was assisted in that work by God. Unto another gospel Or pretended revelation from God, concerning the way of attaining justification and salvation, a way entirely inconsistent with the very fundamental principles of that doctrine which you were first taught. As these Galatians were descendants of the Gauls, as has been observed in the preface, it is the less to be wondered at that they were so unstable; the inhabitants of France, as M. Saurin observes, having been always reproached with taking impressions easily, and as easily suffering them to be effaced. Which is not indeed properly another gospel For what ye have now received is no gospel at all. It is not glad, but heavy tidings, as setting your acceptance with God upon terms impossible to be performed. But there are some Who, on pretence that their doctrine of justification by the law of Moses is authorized by God; trouble you With doubts concerning my doctrine, and disturb the peace of the church; and would If they were able; pervert and overthrow the gospel of Christ This the Judaizing teachers effectually did by teaching that justification could not be obtained purely by faith in Christ, but that circumcision and the observation of the Jewish ceremonies were necessary thereto; and the better to effect their purpose, they suggested that the other apostles, yea, and Paul himself, insisted on the observance of the law. But though we I and all the apostles; or an angel from heaven If it were possible; should preach any other gospel unto you Any other method of obtaining justification and salvation; than that which we have formerly preached unto you And confirmed by such evident and uncontrolled miracles; let him, be accursed Greek, anathema: let him be cut off from God, and Christ, and his people, and devoted to a perpetual and most dreadful curse. The apostle speaks thus, because he was absolutely certain of his own inspiration, and that the gospel which he had preached was the only true and genuine gospel of Christ. Of the word anathema, see on Rom 9:3; 1 Corinthians 16:22. As we I and the brethren who are with me; said before Many times in effect, if not in the same terms; or he refers to the declaration made in the preceding verse, and speaks upon mature deliberation, after pausing, it seems, between the two verses; so say I now again I solemnly repeat it, as my deliberate judgment; if any man Or, any one (for the word man is not in the original) whatever, whether man or angel; preach any other gospel than that ye have received Already from our lips, and which ye have been taught by us from Christ himself; let him be accursed Set apart for destruction, which, if he repent not, and do not receive and maintain the truth as it is in Jesus, will undoubtedly be his portion.