Never Go to a Church that Teaches This
Does it matter what we believe? Jesus said,
“…false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:24 | NKJV)
Paul also warned us about this in the book of Galatians:
“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.” (Galatians 1:6–8 | NKJV)
What we believe is extremely important. Over the centuries, the gospel has been perverted in a number of different ways. Today I want to share with you four ways it has been perverted and how to keep your eye out for these false teachings.
#1 The Gospel of Faith Plus the Law of Moses
This Perversion Explained...
This “gospel” was a problem Paul and the early church faced. Some Jewish Christians demanded that Gentiles be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses as well as obey the gospel of Christ.
“And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ (Galatians 2:1-5 | NKJV)
“But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.’ (Acts 15:1-5 | NKJV)
This Perversion Refuted...
Thankfully, this perversion is clearly refuted in the Bible. For example, read what happened at the council in Jerusalem:
“Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren. They wrote this letter by them: The apostles, the elders, and the brethren, To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings. Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, ‘You must be circumcised and keep the law’—to whom we gave no such commandment—it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” (Acts 15:22-31 | NKJV)
This perverted gospel is also refuted in the books of Romans, Galatians, Colossians, and Hebrews. It is important to notice that those who seek to be justified by the Law fall from grace (Galatians 5:4), illustrating the danger of accepting a perverted “gospel”.
#2 The Gospel of Works Without Faith
This Perversion Explained...
This “gospel” exalts the importance of certain ordinances to the exclusion of faith. Thus, some believe that you can baptize people without them having faith. Examples of this would include:
Infant baptism
Infidel baptism (forcing people to become Christians)
The Mormon practice of baptism for the dead
However, the Bible teaches that these practices are not right.
This Perversion Refuted...
The writer of Hebrews says that faith is essential to pleasing God and to our salvation - Hebrews 11:6; John 8:24; Mark 16:16
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6 | NKJV)
In Acts, we see that repentance from sins and faith in Christ are prerequisites to baptism.
“‘Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.’” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’ Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 2:36–38 | NKJV)
Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?’ Then Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’ So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. (Acts 8:36–38 | NKJV)
Babies can’t believe or repent; they are safe and don’t need saving. People who are forced to convert don’t believe, nor have they repented. Therefore, their baptism is meaningless and they are not Biblical Christians.
Unfortunately, sometimes one perversion of the gospel leads people to overcorrect with another perversion...
#3 The Gospel of Faith Only
This Perversion Explained...
This “gospel” proclaims that one is saved by "faith only," “By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.” No obedience is required, especially not baptism. This false gospel became popular during the time of the Protestant Reformation and continues today in most “Christian denominations.”
This Perversion Refuted...
We must remember that the sum of God’s word is Truth (Psalms 119:160). We can’t cherry-pick verses to try and prove a point. For example, look at John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 | NKJV)
There you have it. Faith only, right?
Keep reading all the way down to verse 36:
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:36 | ESV)
The Bible clearly preaches that the gospel of Christ requires obedience.
Jesus is the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.
“And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him…” (Hebrews 5:9 | NKJV)
Paul, talking about judgment day said,
“…when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 1:7–8 | NKJV)
Peter expressed deep concern for those who have not obeyed the gospel.
“For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17 | NKJV)
This perverted gospel contradicts plain statements in the Bible. - James 2:17,20,24,26
“You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” (James 2:24 | NKJV)
This brings us to what is probably the most prevalent perversion of the gospel in popular culture…
#4 The Gospel of Good Works Only
This Perversion Explained...
Many have the idea that as long as you are a basically “good person” you will go to heaven. Especially if your “good deeds” outnumber or outweigh your “bad deeds”. I mean, if you’re not an axe murderer, child molester, or a genocidal maniac you will be saved! Why? Because “all good dogs go to heaven.”
This Perversion Refuted...
We need only to look at all the good, moral people in the Bible who needed saving. For example:
Cornelius was a good, moral, devout man. Yet he needed to be saved - Acts 10:1-6; 11:14
The 3000 on the day of Pentecost - Acts 2:5
The Ethiopian eunuch - Acts 8:27
Lydia of Thyatira - Acts 16:14
Paul - Acts 22:3
Good people” don’t go to heaven, forgiven sinners do. The Bible is clear that we cannot be saved by our good works:
“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.” (Ephesians 2:8–9 | NKJV)
“For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 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 3:3–5 | NKJV)
While these four views are very prevalent in our world, unfortunately, none of them are the Truth. So, what is the true gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? And how can we be sure that we are on our way to heaven?
We have a 3 part video series that walks you through the entire Bible and helps you see the truth of God’s plan to save mankind. We hope you find it helpful.
