The Gospel preached by me is not of human origin but has been bestowed upon me through a revelation of Jesus Christ. The content of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news preached by men and women down the centuries, is that in Jesus Christ, God has brought salvation and forgiveness of sins to the world. It is a message that is beautifully summed up in the statement: “For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son so that whoever believes in him may not perish but have eternal life” (cf. John 3:16). It is a good message because it tells of the new life that is found in Jesus Christ, a new life that has already been purchased. All that remains for us to do is to reach out in faith to him who made this new life possible for us. This is the message that the early evangelists were mandated with, and it is the very message that contemporary preachers disseminate. It is about this that Paul, in today’s First Reading, wants to remind the Christian community of Galatia.
From Paul’s reaction, it appears that some people had emerged with a claim of preaching the “true” gospel, perhaps a message that was more “authentic” or of better “quality” than that which Paul had preached. Paul brushes aside the idea of the presence of another gospel since there can only be one Gospel of Jesus Christ. It doesn’t matter who preaches as long as they don’t lay claim to what they are preaching. The Gospel should be about Jesus Christ and the salvation that he has brought to humankind.