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Gospel, A Different
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Matthew 24:4-5  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) Untold thousands of professing Christian ministers have, over the centuries, "preached Christ." They have professed to be His ministers—to represent Him. They have said Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ. But they have withheld Christ's gospel. Thus the vast majority have been deceived by false gospels! Remember, a deceived person does not know he is deceived. Otherwise he would not be deceived. Millions have been deceived into accepting a false gospel—a false salvation, believe it or not! What Is the True Gospel?

2 Corinthians 11:3-4  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) Paul, in his letter to the Corinthian church (written before AD 60), warns about those who preached "another Jesus," received "another spirit," and accepted "another gospel." The Jesus these false ministers preached about, the spirit they proffered, the "gospel" which they taught, were all spurious—totally foreign to the apostle Paul and the other true apostles of Christ! Paul, therefore, gave this solemn warning to the Corinthian brethren (and to us today): For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. (II Corinthians 11:13-15) What Is the True Gospel?

Galatians 1:6-7  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) The major thrust of the Galatian epistle is to put them "back on the track" because someone had been teaching "a different gospel," a perversion of the gospel of Christ (Galatians 1:6-7). The Galatians had derailed on their understanding of how sinners are justified. To be justified means to have one's sins forgiven and to be brought into a right relationship with God. False teachers in Galatia taught that one was justified by doing physical works of some kind. In dealing with this matter, Paul felt an urgency to emphasize that we are justified by faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:15-16) Earl L. Henn (1934-1997) Does Paul Condemn Observing God's Holy Days?

Galatians 1:6-8  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) About twenty years after Christ's death, Paul pronounced a curse upon anyone who would dare to preach any other gospel than the one true gospel which Jesus preached, and which the apostle Paul continued to preach to the Galatians. Yet, another "gospel" had been preached to the Galatians by false ministers claiming to represent Christ. The true gospel was suppressed not long after Christ completed His ministry. After about AD 70 it was no longer proclaimed publicly to the world. The true church of God was forced by persecution to "go underground," holding services secretly, communicating the truth of God privately. What Is the True Gospel?

Galatians 1:8  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) Paul says here that if he or any of the other apostles—or even what would appear to be an angel—were to preach a different gospel to the Galatians than what they had first understood, that teacher was to be accursed. Being "accursed" could run the gamut from God's judgment and wrath falling upon him to being an instruction to part company from that person and not allow him to teach any longer. The underlying thought here is the same as Jude 3: to "earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints." It is evident that there is a specific gospel which Christ brought, and any variance from that is a falsehood. In the Old Testament, God required the utmost purity in the way He was worshipped. Now, under the New Testament, the purity has to be even greater—Christ came to magnify the law and reveal the spirit and intent, thus doing away with loopholes and technicalities. Just as there were rigid requirements under the Old Covenant, the gospel of the New Covenant is precise and does not allow for variance. There is only one "way" to eternal life—our relationship with God made possible by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (John 14:6). The notion of "many paths, all leading us to the same place" is utterly erroneous. If the gospel is changed, or any of the associated doctrines are changed, the resulting body of understanding will produce a different faith than that which is necessary for salvation. Purity of the gospel and doctrine is extremely important. David C. Grabbe

Galatians 1:8-9  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) Does it matter what gospel Christians believe? Indeed, it does! Paul pronounces a double curse on anyone who preaches a gospel different from the one preached by the apostles! The gospel is serious business! The apostles were taught directly by Christ, who gave them a commission to "preach the gospel" (Mark 16:15). Richard T. Ritenbaugh The True Gospel

 

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