I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. 10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:6-10
Many will twist and pervert the Gospel of Jesus to make it something else. There are a few key ways to tell the difference. If a “gospel message” draws people closer to the speaker than it does to Christ, it’s not the Gospel. If a “gospel message” is more wrapped around what God has done in someone’s life than it is about what Jesus did on the cross, it’s not the Gospel. If a “gospel message” doesn’t call you to repentance by laying down your life and picking up the cross of Christ, daily dying to yourself, and submitting to God’s Word… it’s not a Gospel message.
Paul gives this strong warning to the Galatians, as they’ve been lured away from the Gospel of Jesus and are turning to a “different” one. Many are doing the same in today’s Church. We are abandoning the truth of the Gospel for the sake of comfort. We are exchanging Biblical truth for social idealism and accountability for friendship.
God’s Word is clear. Have no other gods (Exodus 20:3), follow no other gospel…