This is Why Weaponizing Galatians 1:8 Is a Problem

By far, one of the most common Bible verses used against Latter-day Saints is Galatians 1:8. But let’s take a look and see if it’s actually as much of a slam dunk on Latter-day Saints as some people seem to think it is. Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians:

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”

Galatians 1:8 has unfortunately become what I call a “Swiss Army verse” — a verse often used to quickly dismiss opposing views without really engaging with those views.

But those who simply comment “Galatians 1:8 lil bro” and assume their work is done fall victim to a rather problematic logical fallacy called begging the question. This fallacy is a form of circular reasoning that occurs when a conclusion is based on a premise that is just assumed to be true but has yet to be proved. The conclusion that I have a false gospel is based on the premise that he has the fully correct gospel — but that is a premise that has not been proved.

Thus, throwing Galatians 1:8 at people is really not persuasive; it’s just judgmental. It begs the question, why should I believe you? And if we truly want a meaningful and sincere conversation about this verse, we need to address the bigger question: What is the gospel?

One of the challenges is that we can use that word in different ways. Sometimes people use it in a broad, all-encompassing way, and sometimes it’s used to refer to something very specific. But since these are Paul’s words, perhaps a more helpful question would be, how did Paul define the gospel? And which of Paul’s teachings counted as part of the gospel, and which didn’t? For example, Paul taught what are now some very controversial things about women. It’s taught in the Bible. Is it gospel? If Southern Baptists say it is gospel, but Methodists say it isn’t, is one group cursed? How off can you be in your beliefs before you believe in a different gospel altogether? Where do we draw the line? And who has the authority to make those calls?

In this verse, Paul refers to the gospel that had apparently previously been preached to the Galatians. Unfortunately, there are no records available that tell us exactly what that was. That said, in his letter to the Corinthians, Paul does pretty specifically tell us how he defined the gospel: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you … that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day….”

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