Help! Love, MOM

 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! Galatians 1:6-8 NIV

In my Sunday School class yesterday, we had a lively discussion around the question: What is the gospel?

I was surprised that in this advanced-in-years group of seasoned Christians some wanted to tag personal appearance or the general demeanor or attitude of the person to receiving the good news of the gospel.

Some of my students said that such things as these can be evidence of having received the Gospel. True. There will be signs that the genuine believer has “passed from death unto life.”

However, we go too far if we say that anything other than

The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for our sins and rose again, eternally triumphant over his enemies, so that there is now no condemnation for those who believe, but only everlasting joy. That’s the gospel. Desiring God

Or to say that from the bible in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 NIV:

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.

 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance, Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 

Becoming a Christian necessarily means that, superintended by the Holy Spirit, we transition and transform.

For example, the scriptures also say:

Titus 3:5 NIV – …He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

which suggests transformation.

Also 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:The old has gone, the new is here! suggesting transformation.

However, in Galatians and elsewhere in the bible, some of the Jewish Christians, do not want holy transformation, they want to add to the gospel.

In the example cited by the Apostle the addition was law keeping and circumcision and, in my class’s view, good behavior and conservative clothing are the “add ons.”

I am positive that would have been upset with tattoos as well.

In Galatians especially, Paul warns that a “different gospel” is no gospel at all. He says even an angel should be rejected if it preaches contrary to the message already received by the Holy Spirit through him.

Paul, set apart and courageously defended the gospel: it is too precious to leave undefended.

The Bible shows that gospel truth is often protected by believers who, like Paul, are willing to stand up to pressure to shut up.

Paul did not try to please people; he cared about serving Christ, which meant speaking clearly when the message of grace was being distorted. THIS is an example of holy, bold faithfulness.

To be courageously faithful to the end of my life is one of my constant prayers. By faith in God, I pray to be be courageously faithful to the true gospel message despite all challenges and challengers.

Courage matters because false teaching does real damage. A twisted gospel replaces grace with something human beings can manage on their own. You and I always want to worship ourselves.

The true gospel is antithetical to human effort; all is of God.

The Gospel is God’s idea, initiative and inspiration.

When the core message is altered, we do not merely lose a debate; we lose the good news itself and eternity with the Father

The best defenders of the gospel – regular people like you and me- are not driven by pride but by love. In Galatians, the true gospel is tied to grace, not to human approval or performance.

That means that courageous, bold Christians speak up not to win arguments, but to make Christ known, to protect souls and honor the Lord who saved them.

This is why Paul stood up to Peter.

This kind of courage is needed today as much as ever. Believers must know Scripture well enough to recognize distortions, and they must be willing to say, with loving humility and conviction, that the gospel of Jesus Christ cannot be improved by human additions.

In this day, love for God and neighbor requires a brave voice.

Speaking up and out!

How do you define the gospel?

Kimberly