AN ALTERNATE GOSPEL?

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

Galatians 1:6-9

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

There was a real problem within the Galatian church.

Right after the Apostle Paul visited the region and planted churches in the cities of Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, sharing the good news of salvation through belief in Jesus, the Christian believers allowed false teaching to enter their midst. This false teaching, an alternative Gospel, was peddled by Jews who worked to convince the churches that Jewish law had to be complied with as an additional requirement to be saved.

Unfortunately, we see through Paul’s words that the Christians in Galatia were being persuaded to do as the Jews asked, deserting what they had learned from the Apostle and those with them and turning to the perverted Gospel being presented to them. Paul accused the false teachers of sowing confusion in the Galatian churches.

This intentional effort to mislead the Galatian believers would not be without consequence for Paul makes it clear that such behavior would not be favored by God. In fact, Paul confidently announces that anyone who deliberately preaches an alternate Gospel would fall under the curse of God, code for His judgment, and no one should want to be in that place.

Our God is a God of truth. Ditto for Jesus who proclaimed He was the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). Neither is going to honor anyone who misrepresents them and the truth they called their servants to share.

All this got me thinking about the Christian church today. Are we still seeing alternate Gospels being taught here in the twenty-first century?

I’m afraid the answer is “Yes”.

We see it in churches that preach, teach, and adopt polity that is in direct violation of the Bible, God’s holy word.

We see it in churches that refuse to preach and teach that eternal damnation (aka Hell) is as real as eternal life.

We see it in churches where prosperity is always preached and you see the greatest prosperity enjoyed by the pastors who share the message. They are highly skilled at making their congregants feel good about themselves in exchange for padding their wallets through the offering plates every month.

Friends, the Gospel is fundamental and meant to be shared unerringly and unapologetically. The Lord expects it to be shared in truth with nothing added or subtracted from it, lest the very good news of Jesus be perverted. In the end translation, the only way to eliminate alternate Gospels is to refuse to support them and all Christ followers have an obligation to do just that, staying true to Him who is the Truth.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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