The Gospel: Still Worth Defending!

It’s no secret that we are living in a time of great confusion among churches. A simple online search of how many different denominations now exist is proof enough that the waters have been muddied, as some estimates list tens of thousands of different Christian denominations and beliefs.

While that number seems nearly impossible to believe, one thing that is believable is that man has been hard at work diluting and polluting the Gospel of Jesus Christ with personal interpretations and agendas bent on producing “another gospel”.

We see many popular but “perverted gospels” today, such as Jehovah Witnesses who deny the deity of Christ, Gnosticism, the idea that only through attaining secret knowledge can people find their salvation and overcome the material world, Universalism, the belief that all humankind will eventually be saved, and Hyper Grace, the idea that God has forgiven all our sins past, present and future and that there is no need to confess them or repent of them.

Why, you may ask, would someone want to do this? The simple answer is that the message of the gospel is offensive to human nature. It always has been. To understand this, we should first understand what the true gospel is.

The message of the gospel is what Jesus did for us through His death, burial, and resurrection. “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

It’s the good news that mankind can be saved from the consequence of their sin and receive the gift of eternal life through the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no greater news than this, for it breaks every chain and shackle that has us bound in sin and sets us free in Christ. This is the gospel.

Getting back to why anyone would want to corrupt the only path to heaven, there are several “offenses” to consider. For one, the gospel offends our pride. It tells us that we cannot save ourselves, therefore we need a Savior. That is a serious blow to all of us who claim to be “self made” men and women. In an age where everyone’s feelings must be validated, the gospel offers no “participation trophy” to us for our salvation; it is the finished work of Christ alone that redeems us.

The gospel also offends the wisdom of man. As brilliant as some men and women are, and as far as technological advances have taken us, the truth is that we are saved only because God came down in the form of human flesh and suffered a humiliatingly cruel death on the cross, which thing the unregenerate heart considers foolish.

Finally, the gospel offends our common sense. It requires that we believe an unbelievable story that happened over two thousand years ago: that an innocent man was condemned, tried, found guilty, nearly beaten to death, was subjected to crucifixion, and then did what had never been done before- He rose from the dead in a glorified body.

Humanity says the Gospel message offends our pride, our wisdom, and our common sense, yet it is the only message that has the power and authority to overcome each of these obstacles! This is why it is so dangerous to pervert it and so important to defend it!

In his letter to the Galatian believers, Paul boldly confronted this issue of the corruption of the gospel by telling them that:

6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. Galatians 1:6-7

Did you see the progression here? First, Paul said he was taken aback by how quickly they had removed themselves from “him that called you”. Who is Paul referring to here? He’s referencing the Lord, of course. Second, once removed from Christ, the Galatians were easy prey for those who brought another (perverted) gospel to them.

This is how Satan always works. If he can get us to divert our attention away from Christ’s gospel, he will have a counterfeit readily available that will drive us even further away from the true gospel. This counterfeit will be disguised as something we are easily agreeable to, and most likely will not require much from us, especially repentance.

But wait! There is a high price to pay for abandoning the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ! Paul goes on to say “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. 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”. Galatians 1:8-9

Is that plain enough? According to this man of God, there is no room for any other gospel. No compromise. No co-existing with other belief statements. Even if an angel from heaven were to bring a different gospel, let him be cursed. Strong words? You better believe it! Then again, this is the same Paul who said that “I am set for the defense of the gospel”. [1]

All of this to ask: in your circle, is the Gospel still worth defending? Even if it costs you friendships? If it costs family relationships? How far are you willing to go to stay true to and defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ? It’s a question worth asking, because when the day comes that we are called to answer for the hope that abides within us, there is but one acceptable answer.

Have a blessed Lord’s day, and happy Father’s Day to all of you Dads!

Ron

[1] Philippians 1:17