Following a Different Gospel
Follow a gospel that transforms the world rather than conforming to it
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are following a different gospel (Galatians 1:6 NET)
The churches of Galatia were being influenced by teachers who proclaimed that unless they were circumcised and lived under Jewish law, they could not be saved. They essentially taught that faith alone was insufficient to experience God’s grace. That there were additional requirements that must also be met.
Paul argued vehemently against this false gospel, going so far as to claim those teaching it as being under God’s curse (Gal 1:7–8). And that Christ was of no value to those who followed their teaching (Gal 5:2). But I have to wonder, though, how Paul would react to the gospel that is so often proclaimed and lived today. A gospel that is reduced to repeating a sentence prayer with little real impact on a person’s life.
More Than Just Words or Beliefs
The gospel proclaimed in the New Testament was not just a set of beliefs. Following Jesus as Lord was not a matter of a simple confession. It was a way of life, a commitment to trust one’s life to him and to follow where he led. It had the power to transform lives (Rom. 1:16–17).
When we reduce faith in Christ to a few words we said at some point in the past, are we not proclaiming a different gospel than the Scripture teaches? When we proclaim a gospel acceptable to our culture, are we not proclaiming a different gospel? And should we expect to escape God’s judgment when we do?
What would happen in our world today, especially in the West, if we proclaimed a gospel that transformed lives? If, instead of conforming to our culture, we were transforming it? What if our lives brought glory and honor to our Lord rather than reproach? If we were willing to live and die for him? Or if we genuinely believed in the crucified and resurrected Jesus, were surrendered to him, and looked forward in hope to the salvation that awaits us?
That is the gospel proclaimed in the New Testament. The gospel that transformed the Roman empire. It is the gospel that brings salvation.
Related Posts
- Jesus Is Able to Save Completely — Hebrews 7:25
- Arminianism: The Persistence of Salvation
- To Believe and to Profess — Romans 10:9–10
- Hold Firmly to the Gospel Message — 1 Corinthians 15:1–2
