Genuine Versus False Gospels

Genuine Versus False Gospels: Recently, I had an interesting encounter with some “Christians” on X. The cause of the disagreement was the place of the Law of Moses or 10 Commandments in the salvation of souls. These folks rejected Paul’s assertion in Ephesians 2:8 that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone.

They insisted that only keeping the 10 Commandments produces the merit required for salvation. It was a shock to my system to read their comments because I thought that the Reformation led by Martin Luther had settled the matter, at least for “Protestants.”

For those who are not familiar with the Reformation, Luther confronted  Roman Catholic authorities over the sale of indulgences, and other work based doctrines, as a means of attaining salvation. The sale of indulgences was particularly offensive to him, because the Catholic Church hoodwinked members into believing that they could pay for the redemption of deceased family members.

Luther’s campaign against the practice led to the break-up of the then monolithic Catholic Church, and the emergence of the Protestant movement.

From all indications, many believers have again carved out their own paths to salvation. Currently, the following sects have introduced their own unique doctrines:

1. Roman Catholic Church – The veneration (worship) of Mary as co-redemptor with Jesus Christ; praying to dead people the church refers to as “Saints”; and supposed inadequacy of the blood of Jesus to atone for sins, thus requiring dead souls to spend time in a “Purgatory” to be made pure for heaven;
2. Seventh Day Adventist – The requirement to observe its own version of the Sabbath as a day of congregational meeting, as the core requirement for salvation;
3. Mormons – Believe in extra-Biblical revelations that are contrary to God’s written word in the Holy Bible. For instance, the group promotes the narrative that Jesus and the devil are brothers;
4. Jehovah Witness – The group does not accept the deity of Jesus or the sequence of resurrection of the just and unjust recorded in the book of Revelation. Among other things, members believe that all humans would be resurrected and given another opportunity to make their ways right with God;
5. Cessationists – These folks assert that operations of the Holy Spirit ceased with the early church and that gifts of the Holy Spirit are no longer available for believers;
6. Legalists – They are just like the Cessationists except that some of them operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The legalists promote works as a basis for salvation; and
7. Prosperity Centred Movements – These groups present Jesus Christ as the answer to all of human needs. They encourage their followers to seek earthly benefits, instead of a relationship with God that would transform them from the inside out.

So, what is the genuine Gospel? The book of Romans is a treatise on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In chapter 3:23, Paul the apostle declared by the Spirit that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Of course, the Father did not end the Bible there, otherwise, all of us would have ended up in hell.

Verses 4 and 5 state, “and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ a sacrifice of atonement, through shedding of His blood – to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.”

A little illustration will bring this home to anyone who is genuinely interested in knowing the truth. Let us imagine that we are all standing in God’s court. The angels read out the charges of sins against us and God pronounced the judgement – “You are all guilty and deserve to be killed by crucifixion for your sins.”

Then, Jesus stepped into the courtroom and said, “Father, please let me take their place on the cross. I choose to die in their place to atone for their sins.” When God accepted the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ, He opened the gate of heaven to welcome us back into fellowship with Him.

Because He is a holy God, He cannot accept us in our fallen states into His presence. Therefore, He poured out His Spirit on us to purge us and make us like Jesus Christ. This is the kennel of the genuine Gospel.

          Does redemption through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus preclude us from obeying the 10 Commandments? Certainly not. Jesus Himself said in Mathew 5:17 that He has not come to abolish the Law but to fulfil all its righteous requirements. Romans 8:4 declares that these righteous requirements of the Law are fulfilled in believers as they are led by the Holy Spirit.

Why do we need the Holy Spirit to help us obey the Law? The answer is simple. No man can obey the Law perfectly in his own strength, otherwise, there would have been no reason for Jesus to die on the Cross. In fact, James 2:10 states that anyone who breaks one of the 10 Commandments is guilty of breaking one of them!

 God knew that we could not please Him in our own strength through keeping of the Law. John 1:17 ties everything up for those with eyes to see and ears to hear: “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” When we confess Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, the Father sends the Holy Spirit to indwell us.

That is why Romans 8:14 asserts that only those who have received the Holy Spirit are sons and daughters of God. The Holy Spirit gives us the grace to live a holy life: He empowers us to say no to the flesh, sin and satan. Of course, He can only do this as we yield to His leading.

The Holy Spirit is a Gentleman; hence, He would not strife with an unwilling believer. That is why some Christians are carnal and live like children of the devil. In a nutshell, the genuine Gospel revolves around operations of the Holy Spirit.