Turning Away to a Different Gospel

David Levy, the foreign field director of the ‘Friends of Israel’ wrote on various gospels, “In the past thirty years, there has been a proliferation of new gospels… today there is a perverted form of Christianity propagated by charismatic leaders, who possess total control over faithful followers through their heretical teachings”.

When I read this statement. I was reminded of a comment made by a leader of an evangelistic organisation. It was about the gospels preached at various times in Tamil Nadu. He said, “There are three types of gospels preached in Tamil Nadu. They are prosperity gospel, power gospel and perfection gospel”. Since he is a proponent of the ‘full gospel’, he did not add ‘full gospel’ in the list of these gospels. 

The Gospel taught in the Bible:

The Bible teaches only (about) one gospel. Anything that is preached other than the gospel revealed in the Scripture, is another gospel. The content of the Biblical gospel taught in the Bible can be summarised as follows:

• Power of God to Salvation for everyone who believes:

The gospel is the power of God to salvation given freely to everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith, to faith as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith’” Rom 1:16, 17.

• Revealed Mystery that the Gentiles will become Fellow heirs:

The gospel was kept as a secret for ages. But it was revealed to the holy apostles and prophets in the last days by the Holy Spirit. The content of the gospel is that the gentiles also will become fellow heirs and partake God’s promise in Christ.“…which (the mystery), in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel”. Eph 3:5, 6. 

The Jews and Gentiles are reconciled to Christ through the cross. “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been made near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of division between us, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity… For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father”. Eph 2:13-18

• Redemption and Forgiveness of sins by Faith and Grace:

The gospel is the redemption and forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. It is obtained because of the grace of God, when one hears and believes the gospel. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise”. Eph 1:7, 13.

• Propitiation of sins by the Blood of Jesus Christ:

The Bible says that all of us are sinners and our sins can be cleansed only by the blood of Jesus Christ through faith. We are redeemed and justified freely by His grace. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth to be a propitiation by His blood, through faith…” Rom 3:23-25 “… the blood of Jesus Christ His son cleanses us from all sin” I John 1:7.  

• Saved by His Mercy:

The Bible says that we are saved by His mercy and not by our works. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” Titus 3:5.

• Justified by Faith in Jesus Christ and not by Works:

St Paul wrote that the gospel that he preached was not from man, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. The truth of the gospel is that a man is not justified by the work of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. “But make known to you, brethren that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ”. 

“But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel I said to Peter before them all” … a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified”. Gal 1:11, 12; 2:14, 16.

• Gracious gift of God obtained by Faith:

We are all saved by grace through faith. Salvation is also a gift of God. “For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast”. Eph 2:8, 9.

Another Gospel:

So any gospel which does not contain the ‘cross’, ‘faith’ and ‘the grace’ for salvation must be ‘another gospel’. Even any gospel which adds something to ‘cross’ and ‘grace’ for salvation must be also ‘another gospel’.

The Judaizers committed the mistake of adding ‘circumcision’ to ‘cross’ and ‘grace’. Acts 15:1, Gal 5:2; 6:12-13. So Paul called it as a ‘different gospel’ in Gal 1:6. The word ‘different’ (another) used here is ‘heterodoxy’. It means a false doctrine. Hence any gospel that adds something like speaking in tongues or immersed baptism to the ‘cross and grace’ for salvation, is ‘another gospel’.

The teaching of ‘another gospel’ was strongly denounced by St. Paul. He called the false teachers as “dogs… evil workers… the mutilation” Phil 3:2. In those days the word ‘mutilation’ was used when pagans cut their bodies during their pagan worship. Paul used the word ‘mutilation’ to say that the Judaizers are actually mutilating the gospel message by adding circumcision to the gospel of grace.

Anathema:

St Paul used another very strong Greek word ‘anathema’ twice for those who preached another gospel. The Greek word ‘anathema’ originally referred to a pagan temple offering in payment for a vow. Later it came to be represented as a curse or can be translated as ‘eternally condemned’. For St Paul wrote, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned” (anathema) Gal 1:8.

Paul also called the proponents of another gospel as ‘agitators’ (those who troubled you)and wished that they must emasculate themselves (cut themselves off) in Gal 5:12. St Paul used such strong and hard words on those false teachers, because the gospel is very important for salvation and it determines the eternal destiny of a Christian. 

Dearly beloved, are you adding anything to the gospel or diluting its teaching? If you preach any gospel, other than the one which is given in the Scriptures, then St Paul would call you a false teacher or anathema. May the Lord help us not to add or delete anything to the gospel taught in the Bible.