True Gospel versus False Gospel

The simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ has been a stumbling block to many people all through the ages. Even believers in the early church had a problem accepting the key premise of the gospel- salvation through the merit of Christ alone. The dissension arising from the conflicting and varied interpretations of Scriptures relating to God’s redemption plan in Christ formed the core of Paul’s letters to some of the churches, especially the gathering of saints in Galatia. In Galatians 1:6-7, Paul expressed his frustrations with the way the brethren were turning to false gospel.

He said, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of the Messiah to a different gospel, which is not the gospel. But there are some who trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ”.

Paul was so pained by the intensity of the infiltration by agents of darkness that he rained curses on those who misled the brethren. In verse 8-9, he said, “Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including myself, who preaches any other message than the one we told you about. Even if an angel comes from heaven and preaches any other message, let him be forever cursed. I will say it again; If anyone preaches any other gospel than the one you welcomed, let God’s curse fall on that person”.

Why is the simplicity of the gospel a problem to some people? Jesus said in Mark 10:15, “I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it”. This was also emphasised in Luke 10:21 where He said, “O Father, LORD of heaven and earth, thank You for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and revealing them to the childlike.

Yes, Father, it pleased You to do it this way”. This trend of thought also finds expression in the only definition of faith in Scripture recorded in Hebrews 11:6,

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him”.

The key ingredients in accessing God’s redemption is trust- taking Him at His word. Right from the Old Testament, God unveiled His plans to save humanity through a Messiah, the seed of the woman mentioned in Genesis 3:15. In Isaiah 49:6, He said to the Messiah, “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth”.

The entirety of Isaiah 53 speaks of the ministry, death and resurrection of what is referred to as the ‘LORD’s Suffering Servant’. Verses 5 and 6 state, “But He was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed. All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God’s paths to follow our own.

Yet the LORD laid on Him the guilt and sins of us all”. Hebrews 10:10 ties this up nicely, “And what God wants is for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time”. Because of that supreme sacrifice and the shedding of His blood, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place.

If the word of God is immutable and all His promises to mankind fulfilled in Christ, why are we having difficulty accepting His mercy? Why have we crafted our own requirements for salvation? The only reason we have designed our own paths to salvation is because we do not have confidence in the word of God. We call God a liar when we refuse to accept His word. Scripture is not for private or personal interpretation (2 Peter 1:20), yet that is what leaders of the various denominations and fringe groups in Christendom have done and are doing.

They interpret the word of God to suit their nuances, thereby causing division in the body of Christ. They hide under the umbrella of theology to propound and propagate falsehoods, as if God had given them the authority to review or update the Bible. A comment posted on YouTube throws more light on the thrust of the false gospel:

“Be careful which church you go to. Pray, Fast and read the bible as never before. No make up, earrings, lipstick, false lashes, fake fingernails, fake hair etc, Let the hair stay natural. No tv, worldly music. No trousers as a woman. No piercings, tattoos, chains, rings, braids. Dress properly”.

 To be candid, when I read this, it reminded me of my stint in a fundamentalist church in my country Nigeria. I had attended the church briefly while seeking help for some spiritual issues. Because I wanted to be the best Christian in the mould of its members, I destroyed my television set and threw away my jewelleries and cosmetics.

One day while on a visit to a member of the church, I listened to an audio cassette in which someone claimed to have visited hell. The person in question said everyone that wore jewelleries and make up was cast into hell fire. I was convinced that the vision was from God and that coloured my relationship with people I saw with jewelleries and make up. In fact, I felt sorry for them because I was sure that they were bound for hell.

Some months later, God orchestrated events that compelled me to leave the church. It was then the Holy Spirit took me to Ezekiel 16, specifically verses 10-13, where He addressed Israel’s whoredoms. He said,

“I gave you expensive clothing of linen and silk, beautifully embroidered, and sandals made of fine leather. I gave you lovely jewelry, bracelets, and beautiful necklaces, a ring for your nose and earrings for your ears, and a lovely crown for your head. And you were made beautiful with gold and silver. Your clothes were made of fine linen and beautifully embroidered”.

After I read the Scripture, I felt the Holy Spirit said to me, ‘If wearing jewelry is a sin then God committed a sin, right?’ I was thoroughly ashamed of myself and repented of my folly. God’s intervention was enough to break the power of legalism over my life and set me free to worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

Legalism is not the only source of falsehoods in Christendom. It is one side of the two extremes. The other end of the false gospel is cheap grace. This is more pervasive in North America and Africa, which feeds from the American modern gospel. Those who promote cheap faith insist that God is too loving to send anyone to hell. They also preach the ‘once saved always saved gospel’. This in a nutshell gives the license to so-called believers to indulge themselves, since they have been given tickets to heaven. The main culprits in this regards are the prosperity preachers.

These charlatans ignore warnings in Scripture about the judgment that would befall those who were once enlightened but later rejected the Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 6:6). If all Christians are accepted by God no matter their conduct, why did Jesus threaten to delete the names of those in the church who refused to repent of their sins? (Revelation 3:15).

Paul the apostle asked a pertinent question in Galatians 2:17, “Is Christ a minister of sin?” Was the Holy Spirit sent by the Lord to empower us to sin? Is the grace of God for licentious or immoral lifestyle? Titus 2:11 says, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people”. That is what grace is meant to do- lead us to salvation; empower us to receive God’s mercy by faith.

Jude addressed this issue in verse 4 of his one chapter book, “I say this because ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvellous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Peter also had a word for them. He described such people as dogs that have returned to their own vomit (2 Peter 2:22).

         I am amazed that anyone could openly canvass such a position in the light of Scripture. God said in Malachi 3:6, “For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” Hebrews 13:8 also says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever”. The same God who demanded holiness from the children of Israel (Leviticus 19:2), is the one who sent His Son to die for us. The only difference between the Old and New Testament requirement for holiness is the blood of Jesus.

After we have been washed by the blood of the eternal covenant, why would we desire to return to our old sinful ways? What did we leave in the kingdom of darkness that is attracting us to return to our vomit? What did we benefit from the life of servitude to satan and his demons? Have these proponents of cheap grace ever read Hebrews 12:5, “pursue holiness without which no man will see the Lord?”

          It is important to emphasize that we do not make ourselves holy in our own strength. That is the very reason the Lord Jesus Christ sent us a helper – the Holy Spirit. The more we fellowship with God through the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit, the more we are transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Abiding in the presence of the Lord is the key to purity of heart and spirit. Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing”.

To recap, salvation that is in Christ Jesus is a free gift from God. The requirement for accessing this salvation is simple. “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”. Salvation is free; but it also requires us to repent of our sins. When the Jews who were convicted of their sins by the Holy Spirit asked Peter and other disciples, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptised in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins.

Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”. Jesus Himself revealed that repentance is the core of the gospel. In Luke 24:46-47, He said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah must suffer and die and rise again from the dead on the third day. With my authority, take this message of repentance to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: There is forgiveness of sins for all who turn to me”.

It is an insult on God for anyone to add to the requirement for salvation. What the proponents of legalistic gospel are saying is that the blood of Jesus is not enough to atone for their sins. Therefore, they insist that you must dress in a certain way; attend church service on a certain day; eat some special food etc to make up for what Jesus did not do on the cross. Does it not sound silly? Yet, millions of people are following then to their destruction. On the other hand, some so-called ministers of God do not raise the issue of repentance among their flocks. Their catch phrase is “God accepts you as you are”.

Is this scriptural? Certainly not. Hebrews 9:22 explains that without the shedding of the blood, there is no forgiveness. God does not require us to shed our own blood. All He requires from us is repentance which makes a way for the blood of His Son to be applied for our cleansing. John 1:9 assures us that “If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.

Dear LORD, open our eyes to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and insulate us from the pollutions of satan and his agents. Father, empower us by Your Spirit to resist the false gospel propagated by agents of darkness, especially the so-called ‘modern’ churches in America.  Holy Father, we also ask that You help us to guard our minds and hearts so that they would not be corrupted from the simplicity that is Christ Jesus Your wonderful Son. Amen.