The Danger of False Gospels....
Galatians 1:6-9
"I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the Gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed."
In Paul's day, not unlike today, he was having to confront accusations of being a fake Apostle with an illegitimate and false message. With those accusations came many other gospels that popped up in the local church scene. The false gospels being presented then ranged from the 'love and Law' gospel of the Judaizers to the overly-spiritualized and/or Gnostic gospels. There were many forms of Jesus being preached which introduced a myriad of teachings and beliefs.
Paul "marvels" at this. He was astounded that the church in Galatia was already falling for false teaching after they had been clearly taught the true Gospel of Christ! You get the sense of an R.C. Sproul moment: "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!?" (I invite you to look that clip of Dr. Sproul up on YouTube - its hilarious).
In verses 6-7, its interesting to note that Paul states that they were following "a different gospel which is not another." The particular gospel the Galatians were falling for was the 'grace + Law' false gospel which called for adherence to the OT Law of Moses along with following Jesus in repentance and faith. Paul, in using the word "different," was referring to a gospel system that would be considered "absolutely different; not even close" in the Greek sense. But then, when he calls it "another", the Greek term changes to mean "of the same kind; similar." Apparently, there were false gospels in existence in Paul's day that were weird and easy to spot ("different") along with false gospels that were close and tougher to detect ("another").
The idea is that we should neither follow a "different" gospel nor "another" gospel.
Paul then issues statements in verses 8-9 that trumps any chance of a possibility of their being another legit gospel out there. He says that not even a new message from them (he and the Apostles) nor a gospel claimed to be from the angels should be accepted. The Gospel of Christ is it and final.
Twice, Paul uses the term "accursed" to describe the teachers who so choose to preach a false gospel message. That word for "accursed" is "anathema" in the Greek, meaning "to ban; excommunicate." Wow.....those words would be considered four-letter filth words in many of our mainstream, seeker-sensitive, 'love-only' false gospel churches today wouldn't they?
The call is simple when false teaching is identified: It is anathema - ban it, get away from it, excommunicate it and the person teaching it.
Why such harsh treatment? Because Jesus didn't die so that His Gospel could be distorted. He came and died preaching a specific message with a specific mission. It is to be preached on His terms in His way. The end. Period.
Ok, so how do we spot false teaching? How can we discern the false gospels?
1) False gospels refuse to deal with sin and repentance. (1 Cor. 6:9-11; Col. 3:5-8)
-Both of these letters, to the Corinthian church and the Colossian church, address the congregation in this way: "and such were some of you"......
There was sin of all kinds, just like today, prevalent in the communities and among the church attendance. Paul would address these sins and then call the people who were believers to realize that they were once involved in those lifestyles but that in their new life in Christ they were to pursue holiness, which naturally involves repentance. In those churches, especially in Corinth, you had people coming out of adulterous, gay/lesbian, thieving, and/or drunken lifestyles. Paul didn't call them to come as they were and remain - he called them to repent and remove themselves from those lifestyles of sin. False gospels say, 'Come as you are and stay that way.' The true Gospel says, 'Come as you are, repent, and be made new!'
2) False gospels are self-seeking, consumer-based scams fueled by half-truth. (Gal. 1:6-9)
-In false teaching, take notice of the theme of the majority of the preaching - it's you. The teaching is normally all about us, the consumer, and what we can get from God if we will just believe and follow Him. Even if the false teacher addresses sin and struggle, in the end the message turns around to talking about favor and blessing and victory in the sense that these are things God owes us and will freely give to us if we will simply cast our wishes on Him like He's our magic genie in the sky. There is no emphasis on the holiness of God or the work of Christ. There is no discussion of God's wrath and judgment on our sins. There is plenty of opinion mixed with human platitudes and catch-phrases, with very little to no Bible peppered in.
3) False gospels produce false 'spiritual' experiences that breed false conversions. (Matt. 7:21-23)
-In this passage, Jesus was confronting false teachers and their false gospels. Jesus made it clear in His warning to them and to those who follow such messages that indeed, they may very well experience what would be considered genuine spiritual and emotional experiences, they may be involved in vibrant ministries, and they may even do some miraculous things, but if not built upon the Rock of faith, Jesus Christ, and His Gospel, it will all be for nothing and the end result will be judgment and Hell. Notice what Jesus actually says of these people who claim to be having these amazing ministry experiences: "You practice lawlessness!" The Greek term there means wickedness. Wow....
-Sadly, because of false teaching, many of our churches are filled with "lost Christians." These are people who take the label of Christian but have no true relationship or faith with Christ.
False gospels and false teachers have been around since the beginning of time and they will continue to be here until the world is brought to an end. Keep on guard, look out for these signs, stay in the Word, and be sure you are a part of a true Gospel church family. Eternity depends on it.
"I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the Gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed."
In Paul's day, not unlike today, he was having to confront accusations of being a fake Apostle with an illegitimate and false message. With those accusations came many other gospels that popped up in the local church scene. The false gospels being presented then ranged from the 'love and Law' gospel of the Judaizers to the overly-spiritualized and/or Gnostic gospels. There were many forms of Jesus being preached which introduced a myriad of teachings and beliefs.
Paul "marvels" at this. He was astounded that the church in Galatia was already falling for false teaching after they had been clearly taught the true Gospel of Christ! You get the sense of an R.C. Sproul moment: "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!?" (I invite you to look that clip of Dr. Sproul up on YouTube - its hilarious).
In verses 6-7, its interesting to note that Paul states that they were following "a different gospel which is not another." The particular gospel the Galatians were falling for was the 'grace + Law' false gospel which called for adherence to the OT Law of Moses along with following Jesus in repentance and faith. Paul, in using the word "different," was referring to a gospel system that would be considered "absolutely different; not even close" in the Greek sense. But then, when he calls it "another", the Greek term changes to mean "of the same kind; similar." Apparently, there were false gospels in existence in Paul's day that were weird and easy to spot ("different") along with false gospels that were close and tougher to detect ("another").
The idea is that we should neither follow a "different" gospel nor "another" gospel.
Paul then issues statements in verses 8-9 that trumps any chance of a possibility of their being another legit gospel out there. He says that not even a new message from them (he and the Apostles) nor a gospel claimed to be from the angels should be accepted. The Gospel of Christ is it and final.
Twice, Paul uses the term "accursed" to describe the teachers who so choose to preach a false gospel message. That word for "accursed" is "anathema" in the Greek, meaning "to ban; excommunicate." Wow.....those words would be considered four-letter filth words in many of our mainstream, seeker-sensitive, 'love-only' false gospel churches today wouldn't they?
The call is simple when false teaching is identified: It is anathema - ban it, get away from it, excommunicate it and the person teaching it.
Why such harsh treatment? Because Jesus didn't die so that His Gospel could be distorted. He came and died preaching a specific message with a specific mission. It is to be preached on His terms in His way. The end. Period.
Ok, so how do we spot false teaching? How can we discern the false gospels?
1) False gospels refuse to deal with sin and repentance. (1 Cor. 6:9-11; Col. 3:5-8)
-Both of these letters, to the Corinthian church and the Colossian church, address the congregation in this way: "and such were some of you"......
There was sin of all kinds, just like today, prevalent in the communities and among the church attendance. Paul would address these sins and then call the people who were believers to realize that they were once involved in those lifestyles but that in their new life in Christ they were to pursue holiness, which naturally involves repentance. In those churches, especially in Corinth, you had people coming out of adulterous, gay/lesbian, thieving, and/or drunken lifestyles. Paul didn't call them to come as they were and remain - he called them to repent and remove themselves from those lifestyles of sin. False gospels say, 'Come as you are and stay that way.' The true Gospel says, 'Come as you are, repent, and be made new!'
2) False gospels are self-seeking, consumer-based scams fueled by half-truth. (Gal. 1:6-9)
-In false teaching, take notice of the theme of the majority of the preaching - it's you. The teaching is normally all about us, the consumer, and what we can get from God if we will just believe and follow Him. Even if the false teacher addresses sin and struggle, in the end the message turns around to talking about favor and blessing and victory in the sense that these are things God owes us and will freely give to us if we will simply cast our wishes on Him like He's our magic genie in the sky. There is no emphasis on the holiness of God or the work of Christ. There is no discussion of God's wrath and judgment on our sins. There is plenty of opinion mixed with human platitudes and catch-phrases, with very little to no Bible peppered in.
3) False gospels produce false 'spiritual' experiences that breed false conversions. (Matt. 7:21-23)
-In this passage, Jesus was confronting false teachers and their false gospels. Jesus made it clear in His warning to them and to those who follow such messages that indeed, they may very well experience what would be considered genuine spiritual and emotional experiences, they may be involved in vibrant ministries, and they may even do some miraculous things, but if not built upon the Rock of faith, Jesus Christ, and His Gospel, it will all be for nothing and the end result will be judgment and Hell. Notice what Jesus actually says of these people who claim to be having these amazing ministry experiences: "You practice lawlessness!" The Greek term there means wickedness. Wow....
-Sadly, because of false teaching, many of our churches are filled with "lost Christians." These are people who take the label of Christian but have no true relationship or faith with Christ.
False gospels and false teachers have been around since the beginning of time and they will continue to be here until the world is brought to an end. Keep on guard, look out for these signs, stay in the Word, and be sure you are a part of a true Gospel church family. Eternity depends on it.
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