I once walked into a large Christian bookstore in Port Elizabeth and played dumb. I said, “I’m exploring Christianity, and I would like to read something on the gospel. Do you have a book on this?” The salesperson said, “Let me look on the computer system,” and then told me that there were no books on the gospel. Yet, I saw many books on their shelves that promoted some variation of a false gospel. Like many counterfeits, there is almost always some kernel of truth in any false gospel.
What is the Gospel is Not
What are some of the false gospels out there, you might ask? Here are five of the most common false gospels that you can find in Christianity today:
Prosperity Gospel (Health and Wealth Gospel):
This teaches that God’s will for all believers is that they would receive material wealth, health, and success, and that faith is a tool to obtain these “blessings.”Moralistic Gospel (Works Gospel):
The false gospel of moralism says that salvation and God’s acceptance come from being morally good and following a list of religious duties and/or rituals.Therapeutic Gospel (Self-Help Gospel):
The self-help gospel is common in much of televangelism and in Christian bookstores. In this gospel, Jesus becomes the means of personal fulfilment, high self-esteem, and psychological well-being. The gospel is not about personal happiness and self-improvement.Universalist Gospel (Judgementless Gospel):
Simply put, this gospel says that all people will be saved and that hell is empty because a loving God would never send anyone to hell. However, it denies the reality of God’s justice, the need for Christ’s sacrificial death for sin, and his call for repentance and faith. God gives us the freewill to choose him, honouring the individual’s desire while exercising kindness, justice, and judgment. However, by not choosing him, will suffer a dehumanised existence without God and his goodness—that is hell.Social Justice/Activist Gospel:
In a nutshell, the gospel of social justice, whose theological equivalent is Liberation Theology, replaces the spiritual message of personal salvation from sin and repentance with political activism and cultural transformation for social and economic justice.
What is the Gospel About?
So, if these are distortions, what then is the stunning truth that Paul was willing to suffer and die for? Quite simply, the gospel is “Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David.” (2 Timothy 2:8; ESV).
The word “gospel,” from the Greek evangelion, is usually translated as “good news.” The idea really comes from the Roman emperors during the time of the New Testament, who would send out good news proclaiming a saving message that would bring about change for the good. The very centre of the gospel message is, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:2; NIV). I’ve gone through Paul’s letters to offer you a brief, though detailed, description of Paul’s gospel message:
This kingdom was established through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and has infiltrated our world (Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 15:1–4). At the consummation of all things, God’s reign through Jesus will be made full and complete, bringing about his perfect justice and peace upon a renewed earth (1 Cor. 15:24–28; Rom. 8:18–23; Phil. 3:20–21).
While salvation is not the gospel itself, it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16–17). Jesus conquered sin by living a righteous life and dying a substitutionary death on our behalf, and he overcame death in resurrection, therefore dethroning Satan and setting himself up as the legitimate new ruler of the world (2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 5:18–19; Col. 2:14–15; 1 Cor. 15:54–57).
While our rebellion and sin against God resulted in his wrath against us and alienation from him (Rom. 1:18; Eph. 2:1–3; Col. 1:21), those who believe in the gospel and Christ’s work of salvation have no condemnation (Rom. 8:1) and may experience everlasting joy and fellowship with God, foregoing eternal punishment (Rom. 5:1–2, 9–11; 1 Thess. 5:9–10).
This gospel demands a response from us in the way of sincere faith and repentance, without which we will be eternally damned (Rom. 2:4–8; 2 Thess. 1:8–9; Acts 20:21). This is the true gospel that Paul proclaimed—anything else is a false gospel!
In 2 Timothy 2:8–15, Paul reminds Timothy of God’s awesome faithfulness, fulfilling all the Scriptures (Luke 24:26–27) and honouring the Davidic covenant (2 Sam. 7:12–16). Paul reminds Timothy because he wants him to remain faithful to the truths of the gospel so that he may be strengthened to endure through suffering.
Why Does Paul Suffer for the Gospel?
The Apostle Paul knew all too well what suffering for the gospel meant, because he wrote this letter to Timothy while he was in prison in Rome. In fact, he says, “I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained” (2 Timothy 2:9; NIV). Yet, despite being in prison, Paul’s gospel message was not bound up in chains. The great Church Father of Constantinople, John Chrysostom, said it well: “(Paul) inhabited the prison, and yet his teaching winged its way everywhere throughout the world!” Paul does not shrink back from his suffering, for the sake of those chosen by God who would hear the gospel and receive salvation and eternal life. No, he endures in steadfast faith and obedience to Christ (v. 10).
The Faithful Promise: Life, Reign, and Loyalty
Paul caps his call to gospel endurance with an early Christian four-stanza hymn, or a “trustworthy saying,” as he calls it. Each stanza begins with an “if we…” that introduces behaviour which is followed by a corresponding response. The first three stanzas are as follows:
Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with him,
we will also live with him;
if we endure,
we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
he will also disown us. (2 Timothy 2:11–12)
Perseverance is, therefore, the condition for blessedness in the kingdom of God. But there is also a warning: if we deny him, he will also deny us at the coming judgement, which would result in our ultimate hellish destruction. There is a cost to a definitive and unwavering denial of Christ, and it is eternal.
The fourth stanza, on the other hand, begins with “if we are faithless,” followed by a surprising yet glorious response, “he remains faithful.” God is faithful, even when we are not! The truth is that God will judge those who reject and deny Jesus, but he will pardon, restore, and keep those who are truly his, because he remains faithful even when we fall into sin. Yet, he continually calls us to repentance.
Handling the Word of Truth
Verse 14 reads, “Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarrelling about words; it is of no value and only ruins those who listen.” (NIV). Paul’s command is emphatic here, telling Timothy to remind God’s faithful people of all that he has said in the preceding verses, and then charges them not to argue about words. Paul’s exhortation to Timothy is the exhortation for every priest, minister, pastor, and church leader: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (v. 15; NIV).
Handling the Word of God rightly requires a fixed determination to stay on point—to explain and apply God’s Word according to the biblical author’s original meaning and intent. Preachers are not to play fast and loose with God’s Word; we are to handle it with care and accuracy. We are not to be innovators of new revelation, but proclaimers of the true gospel of Christ, because one who does so is not ashamed. As Paul says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16; NIV).
An Exhortation
There are so many false gospels out there, even in some Christian bookstores. Yet, the Apostle Paul reminds us that there’s tremendous hope and comfort for those who endure for the sake of the true gospel. Yes, we might waver and fall into sin and unfaithfulness sometimes in our efforts to endure. But God remains faithful. Only Jesus Christ is perfectly faithful. This should encourage all of us to remain faithful to him and his revelation to us, and to endure even when it’s hard. It’s a call to live out our Christian faith without compromise.
Disclaimer: The views presented in this blog are those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views of SATS.