How does Les define perversion when explaining the Galatian false gospel?
Perversion is not merely something gutter-level; it is anything that twists the truth far enough to become off-center and mislead people. In Galatia, the false gospel perverted the truth by adding Mosaic Law observance to the grace of Christ, troubling believers and turning them from the true gospel.
Les explains that perversion should not be thought of as only something way down in the gutter. He defines it as anything that has twisted the truth far enough that it is off-center and will mislead people. In the Galatian context, Paul recognized the churches were being perverted because someone was coming in and telling them they had to also keep the Mosaic Law. That addition to the gospel was a perversion. Les also notes that since the turn of the century, Christianity has been bombarded with perversions, and he warns that anyone who takes this gospel and perverts it faces serious consequences, saying he shudders to think of their end.