Another Gospel and
Another Jesus
Most people seem to think that if you take the name “Jesus”
and use it with any concept and teaching you like, that this validates what we
believe, think, feel and do. But, the Bible actually shows that anybody can
hijack the name Jesus and attach any kind of teaching, doctrine, feeling, or
activity they like, but the REAL Jesus is not associated with that at all. Paul
warned that some are just teaching “another Jesus”(2 Cor.11:3-4).
There was a serious disdain for adding ingredients to the
gospel that were not originally taught by the apostles (Acts 2:42; Gal.1:6-10),
and that if someone changed the gospel by addition or subtraction or alteration
in ANY way, it was “another gospel”, not the true, original gospel. The outlook
Paul told the brethren to have toward such alterations of the original teaching
is “LET HIM BE ACCURSED”(Gal.1:6-10). Even if an angel offered it to us, we are
to reject it and think that angel will be “ACCURSED”. Talk about respect and
godly fear, Paul was not chummy at all with someone who said they believed in
Jesus but added “circumcision”(how big a deal was that?) to the original gospel
teaching. When they added special days not originally taught in the gospel Paul
was “afraid for you”(Gal.4:10-11). We don’t see that attitude much today do we?
I certainly don’t understand the attitude I am running into
lately. One former gospel preacher said
that he would not question my faith or anyone else’s faith as long as “Jesus”
was on the lips. The problem of Galatia was not that they stopped using the
name “Jesus”. They merely wanted a Jesus who would go along with adding
circumcision and Jewish days to their religious activity. According to modern
thought that shouldn’t be a big deal, but according the inspired apostle Paul,
it made all the difference in the world between the true gospel and “another
gospel”. I don’t think people know and
appreciate the same gospel that the apostle knew and respected so much. I don’t
think people know the same Jesus that Paul knew and respected so much. If
adding circumcision to the gospel corrupts the pure gospel and makes it a
different (another) gospel (Gal.1:6-10; 5:4), then how can we imagine that
everybody today is preaching the same gospel as the apostles, and the same
Jesus they preached(2 Cor.11:3-4)?
Doctrines of men also corrupt the gospel (Col.2:8f). Got a
church for every doctrine of men you can dream up and still people think it is
fine with Jesus. People are not
exercising the fear of altering the original message that Paul exercised. People simply don’t really believe the gospel
and the same Jesus that Paul believed and respected. Even slight alterations by change of content
with additions or subtractions was a serious offense that was a kind of slap in
the face of God for giving something that was not complete and perfect as it
was. It is like saying that we can improve it and make it better if we just add
circumcision or infant baptism or women preachers or instrument music or any
number of things that were not part of the original teaching. People should let
the words “let him be accursed” ring in their ears until they shiver and
shutter at the thought of what modern religion has been doing to the original
gospel and the original Jesus. We are
letting anything and everything pass as long as the name “Jesus” is used. People, you are being sold a different gospel
and a different Jesus, and you would do well to get your Bible and start
reading about the serious differences between modern teaching and the original
teaching.
Teaching people that baptism is not essential is not
preaching Jesus like Philip did to the Ethiopian Eunuch who learned in the
process of learning the right Jesus that you must be baptized in Jesus' name.
(Acts 8:31f; Matt.28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:36-41). People are preaching
a different gospel today than Peter and Philip.
Get out the Bible and look up these verses. Don’t assume anything. Don’t
assume that you know the truth. Most
preachers will not tell people what to do to be saved exactly as Peter preached
it in Acts 2:36-41. Whereas Peter taught
that baptism comes before remission of sins, most modern preachers cannot and
will not preach it like Peter did. Or, like Ananias did to Saul (Acts 22:16). Doesn’t that bother you? Paul said “let them be accursed” if they can’t
or won’t teach it like the original teaching. Don’t even let an angel get away
with it. We have no business flirting
with preachers and teachers who wrest the scriptures and try to explain away
such obvious truths. Peter taught the true grace of God right there at the
beginning, and anything that differs with it is a false grace, a false gospel,
and you are dealing with a false teacher if they cannot respect the original
gospel just as it was originally preached.
Paul taught the Galatians exactly the same thing as Peter. He said “as many as were baptized into Christ
have put on Christ”(Gal.3:26-27). If someone teaches differently on this than
Peter or Paul, it is serious business: “let him be accursed”. John said not to toy around with teachers who
did not bring this doctrine (2 John 9-10).
How can we know the true grace teaching from a false grace
teaching? (Jude 3-5). A false grace is
not in agreement with the teaching of the apostles. It offers salvation on different conditions
of faith. It adds things to the gospel that you cannot read about in the New
Testament. It deletes things like the essential role of baptism in Jesus’ name
for remission of sins. It turns the
spiritual gospel into a social gospel, meeting felt needs instead of the needs
of the soul as addressed in the New Testament. The scary thing is that most
people don’t read their Bibles closely enough or often enough to know that they
have been hearing “another gospel” and believe in “another Jesus” that was not
taught by the apostles of the real Jesus Christ. Folks better start checking behind the
teachers and preachers of today. “Search the scriptures daily to find out if
what you hear is so”(Acts 17:11). You
may be shocked and surprised! But, demand sound, biblical teaching. Don’t let
your minds be corrupted from the simplicity that is in the real Jesus Christ (2
Cor.11:2-4). Now, check what you just
read! Is it true or not? Let me know if
it is not so. I don’t want to be lost
because I am deceived, and I don’t want you to be accursed either. - Terry W. Benton
