A 'Slightly Different' Gospel

This is what Paul wrote to the Corinthian church; “I appeal to you brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another, so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.  My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.  What I mean is this; One of you says ‘I follow Paul’; another, ‘I follow Cephas’: still another, ‘I follow Christ’.  Is Christ divided?  Was Paul crucified for you?  Were you baptised into the name of Paul?” (1 Cor.1:10).

The same “divisions” exist now, but we call them ‘denominations’.   For one still says ‘I follow the Pope’ and another says ‘I follow the Queen’ and another says ‘I follow William Booth’, then another says ‘I follow Daniel Powell Williams’, or John Wesley, or Billy Graham or whoever.  Some will say I am an ‘Anglican’ or I am a ‘Catholic’ or I am ‘A.O.G.’ or A.C.C. etc. etc. All these denominations are the inventions of men!

 Is this truly being “united in mind and thought”?   NO!

It is true to an extent, that the ‘leaders’ of these congregations will be the ones who are held accountable for perpetuating these problems.  For the problems are not caused by individual believers thinking or saying the wrong things.  The root problem is that those who are given the task of leading the congregations are encouraging people to believe lies.  They are preaching lies!  This is why it is written, “Not many of you should presume to be teachers my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” (James 3:1). However, each of us will also have to give an account before God, as it is written,  “For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ.” (2 Cor. 5:10)   What will the criteria for judgement be? - “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” (John 8:32).  We were not called to hold to the doctrines of any ‘denomination’.  We were commanded to hold to the teachings of Christ Himself.

The so-called ‘leaders’ of these ‘denominations’ want us to believe that they are in unity.  In truth, they are simply throwing out more and more Scripture, until they can agree on the tiny fragments that are left, and thereby, pretend that they have unity.  Worse still - when the gospel has been demolished by these men, they replace it with popular worldly views and new age philosophies about ‘self esteem’ and ‘goal setting’, ‘achieving your dreams’ and ‘positive thinking’, so that their congregations can leave the meetings on Sunday mornings feeling ‘good’ about themselves.

These are the very things we are warned against in Scripture - it is written, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy that depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ” (Col. 2:8).  The hollow and deceptive philosophy comes from “human tradition and the basic principles of this world”. That is; everything which is not Scripture!  Don’t these men realise that “the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight”? (1 Cor. 3:19)  It may seem wise, but that is why it is called “deceptive”- because it deceives!  These lies about 'perspective' and 'interpretation' may sound very attractive when they are preached, but they are not the gospel, they are “hypocrisy” they are “false doctrines”.

Those within the congregations also have the ability to do as the Bereans did, and check their teachings against Scripture.

We have the word of God, and so we are thoroughly equipped.  And if the “man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:17) by letting the scriptures teach, correct, rebuke and train him, then he doesn’t need to take any other instruction on board.  So what is our excuse?  It clearly says to each one of us, “See to it that no one takes you captive”.  It is also written, “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way.” (2 Thes. 2:3). It is therefore, up to us!  What it means is this; we should not allow the word of God to be polluted by adding psychology, philosophy, buddhism, theology, tradition or any other so-called ‘knowledge’, which sets itself up against the truth.  For it says that with Scripture, we may be “thoroughly equipped for every good work”. It does not say ‘partially equipped for some good works’.  It says -“THOROUGHLY EQUIPPED FOR EVERY GOOD WORK!"  Who in their right mind, would go looking for more equipment, once they had been thoroughly equipped?  If I was going hiking and I was already “thoroughly equipped”, why would I put any more weight in my backpack?  It would just slow me down!

This is why our brother Paul wrote “Now brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, ‘Do not go beyond what is written’.  Then you will not take pride in one man over against another.” (1 Cor. 4:6)

We are clearly told, “DO NOT GO BEYOND WHAT IS WRITTEN”!

When perfection is changed even ‘slightly’, it ceases to be perfect. 

Does anyone say, ‘Look, I have made a slightly different circle’?  Of course not!  By definition, a circle must be perfectly round - that is what makes it a circle.  If we change the shape of a circle by adding a piece or taking away a piece, it does not become a ‘slightly different’ circle.  It simply ceases to be a circle.  If it is not perfectly round, it is not a circle!    So it is with God’s word!  It is written, “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless” (Ps. 18:30).

“By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” (1 Cor. 15:2)

Believing a ‘slightly different’ gospel will not save us! 

The word of God clearly says, “hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise you have believed in vain.”  So it is possible to “believe in vain”!!  We need to “hold firmly” to “the truth”.  We need to believe “this gospel”.  No other gospel will save us!  Again, it is as Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” (John 8:32)

Some will still say that it doesn’t matter.  They will say, ‘I am saved by grace’.  Granted, we are saved by God’s grace, but Paul also wrote,  “As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.  For he says, ‘In the time of my favour I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you’.  I tell you now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Cor. 6:1-2)  Do not “receive God’s grace in vain”!

Our Lord told his apostles this, -   “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matt. 28:18)   

Paul and the other apostles write to us so that we can learn to obey everything that the Lord has commanded!  We must be true to this gospel.  We must believe, we must be baptised and we must learn to obey everything that the Lord Jesus Christ has commanded us, just as it is written; “The reason I wrote to you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.”  (2 Cor. 2:9)

 And, “I want you to know brothers that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up.  I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, rather I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” (Gal. 1:11,12).

Consider this scripture -

“The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say ‘and to seeds’, meaning many people, but ‘and to your seed’, meaning one person, who is Christ.” (Gal. 3:16)  Here we are shown, that adding even one letter to scripture, and changing the word from ‘seed’ to ‘seeds’ gives a whole different meaning to the scripture.  That is why we are told, “do not go beyond what is written” (1 Cor. 4:6).

There is also this warning - “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll.. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.” (Revelation 22:18,19)

When a denomination actually prints their own version of the bible, to make it fit their doctrines, something is obviously very wrong.  The self proclaimed ‘Jehovah’s witnesses’ have done this at their own peril and have been widely (and fairly) denounced for doing so.  For example, in John 1:1, they have changed “and the Word was God” to ‘and the word was a god’.  By adding the ‘a’, they have made the Lord Jesus Christ equal with false gods.  And this was no accident.  They have deliberately changed God’s word, simply because they do not understand it.  They have made it fit their own ‘perspective’!  It has ‘become relevant to the readers life where they are at’, but it is a lie!

We have read the warnings above about changing even one letter, but they have ignored these warnings.  In fact, they continue to make more changes, (printing newer versions) in a continual effort to make the Bible fit their doctrines. 

However, the question must be asked.-  Are those who denounce the ‘Jehovah’s witnesses’ doing any better?  

The answer is a resounding NO!   For when a local preacher can read a scripture to his congregation and then declare, ‘It can’t mean that’ - he has denied the truth, just as much as those who change it in print.  Yet this is exactly what I heard one local preacher say.  The scripture that he was reading to his congregation did not fit in with his own personal ‘perspective’, so he declared, ‘it can’t mean that’!   

In another congregation, a preacher who was talking about the Bible declared, ‘You can’t live your life from a book’!  (I was sitting in the congregation when this was preached).  Compare the words of these preachers to the words of Christ, who said, ”It is written: ‘man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’”. (Matt. 4:4)

Whether a denomination changes God’s word in print or in what they preach, they have done the same thing.   They are no different.  They have still lied.  They are still leading people astray and will be judged for it. 

All these ‘denominations’ claim to believe that the Bible is God’s word, but they continually deny the parts that don’t fit in with their traditions or their ‘belief system’.

This is what scripture says; “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by 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 him be eternally condemned.” (Gal.1:6-8)