Falling for Other Gospels

 

John 17:17 (NKJV): "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth."

If one is not sanctified by truth, they will fall for another gospel! 

Galatians 1:6-10 (NKJV):  "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 [distort] 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 [anathema]. 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. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ" (bracketed words added). 

Paul was addressing what the Judaizers were trying to do to the new Christians. The Judaizers allowed that faith in Jesus was important for salvation, but they believed that it was inadequate and/or not complete. They claimed that one had to add observance of the law to faith in order to be fully or completely saved. This "other gospel" may have taken other forms since then, but it is alive and well today, and many have fallen for it. 

One of the most important lessons that we are to learn from the Old Covenant is that there is nothing, and I mean nothing, not one thing we can do to be saved except to have faith in the finished work of Jesus. Listen to me, Jesus finished it! He paid the price, the total price, for us. It was complete; you can’t re-complete what is already complete. You can only believe in, trust in, and accept what has already been finished. 

We receive by faith what has been fully completed by Jesus the Messiah. We then, out of love, appreciation, and obedience, do our part, which is to go forth witnessing to others about what Jesus had completed for us. Our public witness includes water baptism, which tells others that we have, by faith and faith alone, believed in Jesus the Messiah and His finished work on Calvary.         

To add anything that man can do as a requirement to being saved, beyond believing on Jesus and what He did, is akin to the Jews telling the Gentiles that they had to be circumcised. It is another gospel. It is legalism! If you have been guilty of this or anything similar, then Jesus graciously waits to forgive you and to assure you that what He did for you is totally sufficient. Only believe! Only believe!

                                                                                                                                                                         

How in the World:

How in the world did the devil:

1.       Manage to deceive Eve and lure Adam?

 

2.       Cause one of the first two brothers to kill the other?

3.       Cause Israel to want an earthly king like other nations?

4.       Cause Israel to divide into two parts?

5.       Cause many in Israel to turn to idols and false gods?

6.       Cause most Jews of the past and present to not recognize and accept Jesus as the Messiah they long for?

7.       Cause some Jews, especially their leaders, to call for the crucifixion of Jesus, the promised Messiah?

8.       Cause division in the church which grows almost daily?

9.       Cause individual parts of the church to claim that they are the church?

10.   Cause some in the church to believe that something more than faith in the finished work of Jesus is necessary to be born again?

11.   Cause parts of the church to say that there are other ways to the Father than Jesus?

12.   Cause most parts of the church to either deny the baptism in the Spirit or to change what it means?

13.   Cause many parts of the church to depend on the arm of the flesh to accomplish the Great Commission?

14.   Cause almost all of the parts of the church to forsake the message Jesus preached which was the gospel of the kingdom?

15.   Cause many parts of the church to fall for false preachers and to turn to other gospels?

16.   Cause parts of the church to enter into false unity with each other and even with false religions?

17.    Cause most parts of the church to buy into false doctrines and traditions  which prevent the sanctification of truth and oneness that Jesus prayed for in john 17?

Knowing the Problems and the Solutions

I awoke early this morning and as I was meditating the thought came to me that it is one thing to know that there is a problem but it is another to know the solution. It is also possible to focus on symptoms and miss the root cause.

I have been seeing and/or hearing some people identify problems with the modern church without giving solutions. I have been seeing and/or hearing people identify problems with our nation but not connecting them with the condition of the church within our nation.

Many Christians are dissatisfied with the state of things in America but seem to be quiet content with things within modern Christianity or at the least with their particular group or church. Could it be that the state of things in America are really a reflection of the overall condition of the church in America? Should we focus more within and less without? Could it be that there will continue to be major problems without until we identify and deal with the problems within? Could it be that Jerusalem did not have to experience what took place in 70 AD?

Veterans and Immigration

God is the only One who has answers for our problems. Most of mankind tries to solve things apart from Him using the mind of reason. In fact, mankind has become expert at espousing things from the heart that originated somewhere other than heaven. When seriously considered, most of it does not even make good common sense.

 

An example of addressing something from man’s heart is the mixing of the needs of veterans with the situation of immigration. This is a case of someone trying to use our love for veterans to attack something they don’t like. It is not really intended to help our veterans, and it only makes the immigration situation harder to deal with. In reality, it does harm rather than good in solving the immigration situation.

 

There are many examples in the Bible of man trying to solve things apart from God, and we are still suffering many of the consequences. We must learn the lesson that man’s wisdom always causes problems and makes existing problems worse. It may make a few people happy, but it turns a lot of people off and hurts our cause in the long run.

 

What would godly wisdom say and do about veterans and immigration? First, it would not tie the two together. If someone really cares about our veterans, they would get the mind of the Lord and give themselves to the cause. If someone wants to help solve the immigration situation, they would not lean on the flesh but would call on the Lord Jesus and get His mind on the situation and carry out His will. The immigration issue must be addressed with the wisdom of the Lord. His way may not please some people, but it won’t give them a legitimate excuse for saying they are disliked or hated. There are two ways to solve most problems: God's way and the devil's way. I choose God's way.