What defines a false gospel?

Galatians 1:6-7 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

What is "gospel"?
When we speak of the word "gospel", we are referring to a message that tells us goodnews.  In the world of ancient warfare, whenever a messenger would run into a city from a battlefield, the citizens would be eager to hear whether or not he had any "gospel" or "goodnews" to tell.  If the King or army of the city had won the war, that meant no more fear or oppression from the enemy, and that the "boys" so to speak were coming home.

It is from this setting that the Bible came to use the term Gospel to describe God's act of winning the war of salvation at the cross through Jesus Christ.  The first four books of the New Testament are called "Gospels" because of their aim to "convince us" that the person and work of Jesus Christ is indeed goodnews to all who are called by grace to believe on Him.  Key passages such as John 3:16, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 and Ephesians 2:8-9 define the event, the experience and the effects of the Gospel.

Is there only "one Gospel"?
When The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul speaks of a "different" gospel in Galatians 1:6, He is using a particular word for "different" from the original language.  In the Greek language there were two primary words that could be translated "different".  One of those words meant "difference in regards to degree", like if I were to compare two "different" cups of coffee that were made at "different" times, one being hot and the other being cool.  The other word for "different" has to do with "difference in regards to kind", as in if I were to compare a cup of coffee to a cup of orange juice. 

It is this second word that is used by Paul, namely a message that is unlike the True Gospel, "a difference of kind".  It is not that the differences are surface level, or even of secondary nature.  To say a "different gospel" means that what is being passed off as "The Gospel" is in reality no gospel at all.  Stated another way, there is and can be only "one gospel" without peer nor equal.

What constitutes a "different gospel" or "false gospel" depends on what you add and subtract
In Galatians 1:6-12 and 3:1-4 we are given three standards to use in judging whether or not a message is "The True Gospel" or "a false gospel":

1. Is the Bible added to or subtracted   Galatians 1:6-12
Paul writes in Galatians 1:11-12 "For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ."  What is the source of God's revelation in Jesus Christ?  Jesus Himself states in Luke 24:44 that it was the scriptures, the Bible.  Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:115 that it is "the scriptures that makes one wise unto salvation." The Bible alone is the source and sufficient standard from whence the gospel comes.  Sometimes certains groups will add "other books" or "traditions" as being on equal par with the Bible.  At other times certain groups may only use "select portions" of the Bible while excluding the whole.  When this occurs, know that you are hearing a "false gospel".

2. Is Christ added to or subtracted     Galatians 3:1-4
We read in Galatians 3:1 "You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?"  Unfortunately, not every book or every movement that names "Jesus Christ" is necessarilty preaching the True Gospel.  It is good to ask sometimes: "which Jesus are you talking about"?  There is a particular Jesus to which Paul is pointing to: The Jesus of the Bible.  The Jesus of the Bible is described as being fully God and in co-union with the Father and Holy Spirit. He having existed from all eternity came to earth in the virgin-birth and took upon Himself full humanity.  On the cross he died in His humanity while in His Deity the eternal price of salvation was paid to the Father.  In His resurrection His humanity was resurrected as He in His Deity proved who He said He was.  He is coming back visibly as the King of Kings who is still man and will always be Fully Divine.   If the Jesus you hear is less or different from this biblical description, you are hearing a false gospel.

3. Justification by Faith Alone is added to or subtracted Galatians 3:1-4
We read in Galatians 3:2 "This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?"  How is it that you are made right with God?  In the past several blogs we have explored in detail the important truth of justification by faith alone.  The Bible teaches that I am made right with God by grace through faith alone in Christ alone. (Ephesians 2:8-9).  To say that faith is necessary but not sufficient to receive God's free gift is to preach a false gospel.  When I begin to add other rituals or human cooperation to the Gospel, I have entered into the realm of preaching a "false gospel". 

Likewise if I subtract faith from the Gospel message altogether, and just say that everyone is automatically saved or somehow made right with God outside of the hearing of the Gospel, I end up preaching a different gospel.  Therefore how one handles the Bible, Jesus Christ and Justification by Faith Alone will measure whether or not the true Gospel is being both believed and proclaimed.

Becoming in experience who I am in position

Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

Quick Review of Justification by Faith Alone
When God credits you with the life and accomplishment of Jesus Christ at the moment of saving faith, we refer to this as imputation (work of another credited to you).  God's declaration of no longer being mad at you and Him fully accepting you as fit for relationship with Him is what we call "justification".  Being that the declaration is received by "faith alone" and cannot be achieved by human effort, we term the means of justification to be: "justification by faith alone".  Thus justification as a whole is when God declares me to be: "just-as-if-I-never-sinned" and imputes or credits to me the righteousness of Jesus Christ.  

The Benefits of Justification by Faith Alone - Becoming in experience what God declares me to be already in position
In Romans 5:1-8 lists for us the experiencial and spiritual benefits that flow from being made right with God through Christ by faith:

1. Peace with God.  Romans 5:1

2. Accessibility to God. Romans 5:2

3. Constant resource for joy. Romans 5:2

4. Confidence to get through trials. Romans 5:3

5. Unending Hope. Romans 5:4

6. God's love operating in our hearts. Romans 5:5

7. God the Holy Spirit working in us and through us. Romans 5:5

Why the benefits of justification are important to know
Does justification only deal with my legal position before God?  Out of God's one-time declaration of our new position in justification begins the upward and onward experience of the Christian life.  When God declares His word of justification, it gives me the basis for having a peace of mind, hope and joy.  Because God places upon me at justification "the robe of Christ's righteousess", I have all the rights and privileges of sonship and relationship.  The Holy Spirit gives me power to live the Christian life and the ability to understand the Bible. (1 John 2:20,27)  The growing, ongoing experience of the Christian walk (called "sanctification") is distinct but connected to God's one-time declaration of my innocence in Justification. 

God's Big Credit card of Justification

Romans 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

The Central Issues in Biblical salvation
When you study the first three chapters of the Book of Romans, you discover that humanity as a whole has three problems that can only be addressed by Justification: a relational problem, a moral problem and a debt problem.  Relationally I'm termed an enemy of God (Romans 1:18-31); Morally I'm guilty before God (Romans 2:1-16) and I am in debt to the Law of God (Romans 2:17-3:20).  In short when you and I are born into this world, we are in the spiritual, moral and relational equivalent of a credit crisis.  Unless our spiritual bank account is radically credited with righteousness, no amount of right living will balance out what is owed to God. 

Abraham is used to illustrate the kind of righteousness that was credited to Him at the moment of saving faith.  This type of righteousness, called "imputed righteousness" is at the heart of understanding Justification by faith. 

Computers, Disputes, Reputations and Imputation
Perhaps the term "imputed" or "imputation" may be new to you.  Like "imputation", other words in our English language have the same Latin root "putare" (peu-ta-ray) which means "work that is accomplished".  I'm sure you have heard of a "computer"?  The word "computer" comes from two latin words: "com" meaning "with, together" and "putare" meaning "work accomplished".  Thus this blog that I am typing was accomplished by working together with a machine.

Or how about a "reputation"?  A reputation is what others are "repeating" (re) about the work your accomplished (putare).  Everyone desires a good reputation.  Or perhaps you have gotten into a "dispute"?  That is, you "disagreed" (dis) over what exactly was accomplished (putare). All these words derive from the same root word "putare", and are concerned about the nature of a given accomplished work.

Imputation means you get the credit for work you did not accomplish
So what about the work of salvation?  How is Christ's life, death and resurrection transferred to you at the moment of saving faith?  It is done by "imputation".  That is, the "work accomplished" (putare) is done in your place by another (in) resulting in you getting the credit.  When you go to a store and swipe your credit card, the cash register will display the message: "card accepted", issuing you the credit to purchase your item.  The store "imputes", "credits" you with the funds to buy the item, even though those funds had been previously secured by the credit card company.

Why was imputation at work at the cross?
In order for sinners to be "credited" with the righteousness of Jesus Christ, imputation had to be at work at the cross.  2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us: "He who knew no sin became sin for us".  The believer's sin was "credited" or "imputed" to Jesus Christ on the cross.  He who never sinned was treated by, "credited" by God as if He had done our sin.  On the cross, Christ the "New Adam" (Romans 5:14) was treated like the "original Adam" who had sinned in Genesis 3.  Why?  The second part of 2 Corinthians 5:21 explains: "so that we might be the righteousness of God in Him". 

So at the cross, my sin was "imputed to Christ", because God had made a decision to set His affection on me to rescue me, convict me of my sin, and position me to trust in Christ's life and saving work.  The moment I did that, all of Christ's identity and work was "imputed" or "credited" to me.  This is God's Big Credit Card of Justification.  Unlike the credit cards we use, there is no bill that comes in the mail at the end of the month.  God did this on the basis of His grace and love.  Truly we can praise God for justification!

Abraham - Justification's Illustration

Romans 4:3 "For what does the scripture say: "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

The Bible uses people to illustrate central truths
For every New Testament teaching or doctrine we can find at least one concrete, flesh and blood example of that truth.  When it comes to the central Gospel truth of Justification by Faith Alone,  we find such an example in the life of Abraham.  Abraham was a man called by God out of the region of ancient Babylonia (modern day Iraq, near Persian Gulf) called "Ur of the Chaldees" in Genesis 12. 

Abraham - the example of what it means to be justified by faith
After 13 years God would speak to him in a dream in Genesis 15, reaffirming His promises to Him.  By receiving those promises by faith alone, Abraham was demonstrating the concept of God "crediting" or "counting" Abraham as being right with Him.  We pick up this illustration of Abraham in Romans 4.  Some key questions from Romans 4 will guide us in seeing how Abraham illustrates Justification by Faith.

1. Is Justification based upon human goodness?
According to Romans 4:1-8 the answer is "no".  Abraham had been called by God while He was worshipping other gods in Ur in Genesis 11:27-32.  Later on we would find out that his wife Sarah was barren, unable to conceive a child, a crucial key to God's promise to Abraham of numerous offspring.  Even after trying to bring that about himself with his handmaiden Hagar, Abraham demonstrated that he was unable to bring about anything contributing to his own salvation.  It was God's loving choice and calling of Abraham that convinced Abraham to believe.(Joshua 24:1-3; Isaiah 51:1-2; Acts7:1-4)  As Abraham demonstrates, his salvation was by grace through faith alone.

2. Is Justification based upon the religious rite of circumcision?
When Paul wrote Romans, many Jews in his day thought salvation was a result of circumcision plus faith.  Yet when God spoke these words to Abraham in Genesis 15, it was before He had revealed the rite of circumcision in Genesis 17.  Thus it is not based upon how religious one is that makes one right with God.  This is the argument of Romans 4:9-12.

3. Surely Abraham was justified by keeping the ten commandments?
According to Genesis 15, it would be another 400 or so years before God would reveal the Law to Israel and Moses on Mount Sinai.  Abraham was not declared righteous due to keeping the law.  Rather it was by grace alone through faith alone - identical to how justification occurs today. (John 1:12-13; Ephesians 2:8-9) This is the argument of Romans 4:13-15.

4. Abraham was justified by faith alone
In Romans 4:21-22 we read: "and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able to perform. (22) Therefore it was also credited to Him as righteousness."  The essence of saving faith entails the idea of "firm persuasion".  The Hebrew word the word "amen".  When you here the word "amen", it means you affirm, agree, are fully persuaded of what is being said to you.  Abraham "amened" what God promised to Him.  He could not do anything to earn it, nor could he accomplish it.  God alone could bring about the miraculous result of a son born to He and Sarah in their old age. (Genesis 21)   By faith alone he received the promise.  Abraham was justified by faith.

The Divine Dilemma Solved in Justification by Faith

Proverbs 17:15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.

The Dilemma of Divine Justice and Mercy
The above verse states a significant truth: to justify, or "declare" innocent a guilty man while condemning a clearly innocent man represents the most severe form of injustice.  We unfortunately have heard of such cases of innocent people serving long prison terms.  Likewise we have been equally angered over guilty criminals getting off the hook over supposed "loopholes" in the law. 

In the scriptures, showing mercy to guilty men and punishing innocent men are uncalled-for-realities in human courts of law, let alone Divine Justice.  Yet when we look at the heart of the Gospel, we see this very act in the work of Christ on behalf of sinful human beings - a Divine Dilemma of biblical proportions!  1 Peter 3:18 states: "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit".  

Why God alone can both be just and issue forgiveness to sinners who believe by grace through faith alone
How could God, who is Holy and perfect, give His innocent Son on behalf of clearly guilty sinners?  In order to declare "innocent" guilty sinners who by faith trust in the Person and Work of Christ, five important decisions had to be made by the Triune God in order to solve this Divine Dilemma.  If any one of these five decisions were not carried through by God, salvation in general and Justification by faith alone in particular would be jeopardized.  

1. God the Father had to be willing to show mercy.
In Romans 3:21-24a we read about how willing God the Father was in eternity to show mercy to those sinners whom He was wanting to love.  2 Corinthians 5:18 plainly states the merciful heart of God:  "Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation".

2. God the Son had to be willing to represent sinners
Hebrews 10:7 records for us God the Son's words as he was coming from eternity into time: "“THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME) TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.’”  As Romans 3:24 tells us, this willing act of Christ was a work of redemption - that is - He was paying the price for salvation by a willing offering of His human life on behalf of sinners whom the Father loved.  

3. God the Father had to be willing to accept the Son's Offer
God the Father made this agreement with God the Son in eternity, agreeing that The Son becoming a man and going to the cross was the only way to satisfy the payment for sin. (2 Timothy 1:9)  Romans 3:25-26 explains that what Christ did was a "propitiation" or "satisfaction" of Divine wrath against sin.  God as a Just God had to punish sinners without obligation to show mercy.  As a Merciful God, God wanted to show mercy to sinners who clearly deserved judgment.  By the satisfaction or propitation of Divine wrath, God could still show mercy and be Just without contradiction to Himself as a Just and Merciful God.

4. God the Holy Spirit had to agree to apply salvation's benefits to those who by His convicting grace and gifting would believe
Scriptures such as John 16:8-11 and 2 Timothy 2:24 underscore the fact that unless the Holy Spirit is calling and convicting men and women, no one will choose on their own to get saved.  Ephesians 2:8-9 describes faith as a Divine gift before it ends up being a delightful response to the gospel.  The Spirit's work is His effort in applying the accomplishment of the Son.

5. The Father has to agree that faith alone is necessary and sufficient to declare the sinner innocent in His sight
Once God has called and convicted the sinner and shown them the awfulness of sin and the awesomeness of Christ, the sinner responds by faith.   Justification is a Divine declaration that goes full circle.  It is by God the Father, through God the Son and to God the Holy Spirit for the pleasure of God the Father. 

The Dilemma is solved by God
By planning, purchasing and applying salvation, God is able to solve the dilemma of justifying sinful human beings without violating His Holy Character.  Romans 3:21-31 spells all of these Divine decisions by God in full detail.  Once we understand that only God could solve the otherwise impossible task of justifying clearly guilty sinners, we can truly see why Justification is by faith alone and not by human effort. 

When God is no longer mad - Justification

Romans 3:21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets

The Cathedral of the New Testament
The Book of Romans has been called "The Cathedral of the New Testament".  Much like those great churches in Europe, when we enter into Romans we stand with our eyes toward the sky with open mouths in awe of Christ's accomplishment of salvation.  Romans 1:16 summarizes the whole point of the book: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the Power of God unto salvation unto everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also the Greek." 

Three reasons why mankind cannot please God
The first three chapters of Romans communicate why man fails to please God.  By nature man is an enemy of God. (Romans 1:18-31)  Morally man is guilty before God in the realm of his conscience. (Romans 2:1-16)  Legally man is declared a lawbreaker, incapable and unwilling to comply with God's revealed law in the ten commandments. (2:17-3:20).  Man as a guilty, lawbreaking enemy is lost in Adam and subject to judgment.  In short, God is rightly just to pronounce the sentence of eternal judgment over mankind. (Romans 3:20)

The Crown Jewel of salvation - Justification
The chief concern in the biblical teaching on salvation is: how can a man be made right with God?  Humanity since the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden has attempted to achieve right standing with God (righteousness) through law-keeping or some sort of moral improvement.  However the Gospel tells us that the righteousness demanded of God is not and cannot be achieved by man - for it is apart from the Law.  All the law of God can do is demand righteousness.  It cannot grant it nor impart it. (Romans 3:19-20) 

What is Justification by Faith?
Justification is when God declares to me that "He is no longer mad at me".  In justification the declaration by God is made: "Just-as-if-I-never-sinned".  My guilt, my enemy status and my law-breaking record before God are erased at the moment when I by grace through faith believe on who Christ is and what He has done. (Ephesians 2:8-9)  Grace initated faith by itself is both necessary and sufficient to receive all the benefits of Christ's accomplishment. (Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:8-9)  Amazingly, those throughout the centuries who have claimed to be working for Christ's Kingdom have fought and tried to change this truth.

Justification by faith alone - a seemingly simple teaching that has been subject to much attack
At the epicenter of Paul's teaching of the Gospel, Justification (or more specifically: Justification by Faith) has endured much warping and attack over the centuries.  It is critical in every generation that the Gospel be both explained, defined, proclaimed and lived out by Christians.  How is a man made right with God?  Is Grace based faith by itself enough?  Do I need to bring something to the table at salvation to cooperate with God in making sure that I am "good enough"?  How one tackles such questions as these will determine whether or not they have truly grasped this central truth of Justification by faith. 

The Most Ancient Bible Prophecy of the 2nd coming

Jude 1:14 It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, 15to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Bible prophecy's fascination lies in how much it points us to Jesus Christ and the purposes of God pertaining to our future.  Equally intriguing is to discover how long God has been speaking on this subject. 

Meet the man who saw our day and time - Enoch
We first encounter Enoch in Genesis 5:22-24 - "Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of MethuSelah, and he had other sons and daughters. 23So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him."  Genesis 5 is concerned with demonstrating the unbroken chain of God's bloodline of redemption that stretched from Adam to Noah.  Comprising ten generations in all, Genesis 5 represents 1656 years of time.

It is in Genesis 5 that we see the pre-flood patriarchs living for hundreds of years.  Comparitvely speaking, Enoch's age is young.  Yet he has the distinction of being the first man in the Bible to be known as "the man who walked with God".  After this first mention of Enoch in the Bible, other than the times we see him in geneaological listings, we do not hear another word about Enoch until the book of Jude - over 2500 years later!

Enoch predicted not one, but two major prophetic events
I remember preaching a sermon one time and I asked the children who the oldest man was in the Bible?  They all said "Methusaleh" (with one even saying: "He was 969 years old")!  Methusaleh of course was Enoch's son.  Now what is incredible about Mehtusaleh is not so much his long age as the meaning of his name.  In the original Hebrew, Methusaleh is a name composed of several Hebrew words which put together gives us this meaning: "the year for which it was sent".  What could the "it" be referring to? When Enoch named his son, many scholars believe he was making reference to the flood of Noah.  In fact, when you harmonize all of the birth's and deaths of the men in Genesis 5, Methusaleh's death occurs the same year of the flood!

The second event that Enoch saw is Christ's second coming.  Consider what He saw:
1. He saw the Lord in a literal, bodily return
2. The "coming with his thousands of ones" is in reference to the angelic hosts (Matthew 16:27 and Mark 8:38) and the saints who are resurrected during the event of His return. (1 Thessalonians 3:13)
3. The Final Judgment of the wicked who did not trust in the Lord by grace through faith alone. (please compare to Revelation 20)

In Enoch's prophecy we see cornerstone truths that run through the hundreds of biblical prophecies, namely: The Literal bodily return of the Lord, Resurrection of the righteous and Final Judgment (with resurrection) of the unbelieving dead. 

How certainty of Christ's return is just as sure as the flood of Noah
So why would Jude make a seemingly obscure reference to an ancient prophet living before the flood?  Because in scripture we see the judgment of Noah being likened to the second coming.  Peter writes in 2 Peter 3:5-7 - "For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. 7But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." Certainty is the emphasis of prophetic scripture pertaining to God's completion of His plan for the ages.  This ancient prophet saw in crystal-clear clarity two events that certainly mark out the flow and course of history - the flood and the second coming.