Turning to a Different Gospel

[Christsfreeservant]

“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— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 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. 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.” (Galatians 1:6-9 ESV)​

Now the primary context here is of the Judaizers who were trying to convince the Christians that they had to be more like Jews and that they had to add on to their faith some of the liturgical, ceremonial, and dietary laws and restrictions of the Old Covenant, including the requirement of the circumcision of all males. But there is also a broader context which can also be felt throughout the book of Galatians, and that is of any distortions of the gospel of Christ which are being taught to (potential?) believers in Christ.

Do Judaizers still exist today? Yes, they do! And many church fellowships have embraced them and have let them into their gatherings to spread their propaganda to the Christians to try to convince the Christians that it will enhance their walks of faith in Jesus Christ if they will follow some of the Old Covenant liturgical laws, customs, practices and/or ceremonies. And added on to this, many Christians are being taught a sort of “Jew” worship in putting the physical nation of Israel up on a pedestal (Galatians 4:21-31).

But the physical nation of Israel is not biblical Israel today. Biblical Israel today is comprised of both Jew and Gentile (by physical birth) who now believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives. For all Jews who chose to reject Jesus as the Christ were cut out of Israel, and all Gentiles who believed in Jesus were grafted into the Israel of God, Jesus Christ, the body of believers in the Lord Jesus who worship him as God and as Savior and Lord of their lives, who live for him and who obey his commandments.

[Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; John 8:18-19,38-47; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 9:4-8,25-28; Romans 11:1-36; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:21-31; Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 3:6; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16; Hebrews 8:6-13;1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:22; Jude 1:5; Revelation 2:9; Revelation 3:9]

So, God has not called us to be more like Jews, but to be like Jesus. He has not called us to raise the physical nation of Israel up on a pedestal, but he has called us to worship Him in spirit and in truth. He is to be the only one worshipped (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit). He is to be the only one we bow down to and give our undivided loyalties and devotion to. We are to have no other gods above God, and we are not to receive any other gospel message other than what Jesus and his NT apostles taught, as studied in the appropriate context, and not out of context.

And so this teaching of the Judaizers is not the only “different gospel” being taught today. And it is not the primary “different gospel” being taught today, either. The primary one being taught today teaches that we can make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ once in our lives, and now all our sins are forgiven, and heaven is guaranteed us when we die, but regardless of how we live. For they do not teach salvation’s requirements that we die with Christ to sin and now walk in obedience to our Lord in holy living.

But Jesus said that if anyone would come after him that he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow him in obedience. For if we hold on to our lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin (by the Spirit), and walk (in conduct, in practice) in obedience to our Lord’s commands, in the power of God, then we have the hope of salvation from sin and the promise of eternal life with God, provided that we continue in those walks of faith.

[Matt 7:13-14,21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 10:27-30; Ac 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10]

So, please be students of the Scriptures who study them IN CONTEXT, and don’t be those who rely on other humans to tell you the truth. For many are distorting and diluting the message that Jesus taught, and that his NT apostles taught, in order to make the gospel more appealing and acceptable to human flesh and to the ungodly of this world. So test everything and everyone against what the Scriptures teach, in context, so that you are followers of the truth who put sin to death and who obey the Lord Jesus.

Here I Am To Worship

Songwriter: Tim Hughes

Light of the world
You stepped down into darkness.
Opened my eyes, let me see.
Beauty that made this heart adore You
Hope of a life spent with You

King of all days
oh, so highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above
Humbly You came
To this earth You created
All for love's sake became poor

I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross

Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that You're my God
You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me.

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