Seeking Man's Approval (Galatians 1:10)
The Problem
Last week, we studied the first nine verses to understand how the Galatians are letting people come in and trouble them with a different gospel. It doesn't take much for men to come in and start teaching something that is totally against the true gospel. Last week, we learned how subtle and quick apostasy can be.
Galatians 1:6--9 (ESV) --- 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--- 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
These verses tell us that men are distorting the gospel of Christ. They are bringing a different gospel, which is not a gospel. Consider how unique and unmatched the gospel is. There is no way on earth that anyone can rival the good news of Christ's sacrifice and resurrection. So Paul says there is no other gospel. These distortions are not good news. They are bad news. They are intended to enslave us and remove us from the true gospel. In other words, they are the working of Satan to deceive us so that he can condemn us.
We might have many different opinions about doctrines and many different preferences. Our goal is to follow the traditions we find in scripture. We try hard to do that since that's what Paul commands in other texts (1 Cor 11:2, 2 Thess 2:15, 3:6). We may not be perfect in that because we have limited information to work off of. But Paul's language in Galatians indicates that the gospel is one thing we cannot vary on. It is unalterable. If we distort the one true gospel, we have deserted God. Every preference and every doctrine needs to be evaluated to ensure that it does not twist or alter the gospel.
The Reason
The first nine verses are a strong warning against such apostasy. Now, we will see the reason why that apostasy creeps in.
Galatians 1:10 (ESV) --- 10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Now, I want us to pause on verse ten and consider its weight. Verse ten is like a thesis statement for the book. It's not the climax. It's more like the source of the problem in the churches. They are all about seeking approval from men.
He says, "Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?" Notice that Paul asks them what they think his motive is. He wants them to think about why he gave them the gospel in the first place and why he would stick to that same gospel now.
Do you think there is more to this than meets the eye? The next thing he says is, "Am I trying to please man?" Why repeat himself? He asks this question knowing that they have the wrong intentions. Those who trouble the Galatians are seeking man's approval. The Galatians are letting men change the gospel because they seek man's approval.
This leads us to the last sentence. Paul clarifies that trying to please men would remove him from being a servant of Christ. Paul doesn't give himself a third option. Either he is trying to please men, or he is trying to please God. You can't do both.
What Do We Learn?
Now, let's take a minute to consider the implications here. Paul says that altering the message to accommodate man fails to serve Christ faithfully. Trying to achieve favor with the world's opinions will lose favor with God.
Trying to make people happy and gain their approval is a part of the problem at this church. It has led to them deserting God. But how would everyone feel about distorting the gospel?
Application
Think about what it would look like if someone distorted the gospel today. How different would our worship services have to be? Not much different. When we change a few things we say and believe, that's it. It is very subtle. This text tells us why it happens! According to Paul, it happens because we seek the approval of man.
Some might say, "This text isn't that applicable because we believe the one true gospel." Are you sure? Does everyone in this room believe the one true gospel? Have you always believed it, or have you at some point in time believed a distorted view of it. Remember that Satan is trying to deceive us. If he can get us comfortable with something wrong, he can destroy us over time. Apostasy is subtle and quick, but the destruction happens over a long period. The tools at Satan's disposal are more significant than ever in history. TV, social media, and the wealth of our nation have increased his influence. So we need to be very careful not to dismiss this warning.
The Impact
Consider the impact other people's approval has on our lives. Doesn't it shape who we are? The fear of disapproval paralyzes us from doing what we want to do or what we know we should do. The desire for approval makes us want to do things we shouldn't do. Through this fear and desire, the world constantly trains us to distort the truth. It tells us that a moderately evil person is really a good person, someone who isn't submitting to Christ can go to heaven, and the ungodly man who fights for something we want is our heavenly hero. Through television and social media, they constantly push our buttons to shape who we are so that we resemble them.
Our relationships are shaped by approval as well. Our friends and family want us to say one of two things. Either it wants us to say, "Book, chapter, and verse is too hard-lined. We shouldn't care too much about what the Bible says. Instead, we should focus on our feelings. What is true to you?" In other words, love what I love. Or, on the other end of the spectrum, they want us to say, "Book, chapter, and verse is not enough. We must also hold people accountable to a cultural code of conduct that the majority feel is right." In other words, hate what everyone else hates. If we want to be approved by the world and have a happy life, we must approve of evil or hate something that isn't evil. They give us a choice between two bad options: back them up in their evil or be labeled as evil and cast out of the group.
HELP!
Our goal in Christ is to find God's approval, but how do we ignore the disapproval of others? They can make our lives miserable. We don't want lives that are full of suffering and pain. Can't we have both the approval of God and the approval of men? This text is a huge help in dealing with this crucial issue.
The first rule is that seeking approval from men is a losing game. The second I compromise God's word, I lose God's approval. I might think that giving up what is true doesn't cost me anything, and giving up the approval of men will cost me everything. But that is backward thinking. When I do that, I lose God's approval. God's approval should mean everything to me. But let's say we can develop a plan to maintain God's approval and man's approval. We must recognize that we cannot predict what others might say or think. Sometimes people are offended by things I would have never imagined. Other times the most offensive thing I have said is accepted and appreciated. I waste all this time asking myself, "What might they say?" or "How will they respond?" But my answer to those questions is probably wrong. Sometimes they will say something completely wrong, and other times they will say something great. I'm also way more pessimistic than I should be.
By caring so much about the approval of men, we are tempting ourselves to compromise God's word and lose God's approval. We can't see it, but what we are really doing is enslaving ourselves to men. We cannot serve two masters.
The main rule we get out of this text is that servants of Christ are free from man's approval. We can let go of our people-pleasing spirit. Replace it with a God-pleasing spirit. Instead of thinking, "How will they respond?" We can think, "I know what God wants from me here. He is always the same, and he has love and compassion waiting for me even if this goes badly." This makes things simpler and more freeing. We aren't forced to keep up with what is politically correct. We don't need approval from people who change what they approve of all the time.
One thing that I think happens with a message like this is the pendulum swings in the opposite direction. I'm not supposed to seek the approval of men, so I'm supposed to offend men and make them hate me. That's not what we say, but we stop caring about what people think at all. Remember that Jesus did not seek to offend people, but he did not seek their approval. He lovingly spoke the truth and let them decide about it. If they wanted to leave, he would let them leave. But his goal in life is to maintain the approval of God while encouraging others to do the same. This is Paul's purpose, and it should be the Galatians as well.
Conclusion
We need to focus on speaking the truth in love. I have found that if I speak the truth lovingly and respectfully, their rejection doesn't hurt that bad. At times, I spoke the truth in a very unloving way. That made their rejection sting for a long time. I would get passionate about my beliefs, raise my voice, and speak in a way that assumes the worst. It didn't come across lovingly, and I still cringe to think about it. Remember how Jesus spoke. Do you remember how he acted after people left? He was faithful, so he had nothing to be ashamed of. Just because they disapprove of what we say doesn't mean that we failed. If we lovingly speak the truth, it's on them to believe or not.