The current worldwide COVID outbreak and civil unrest in the nation, many are turning to the Christian church for answers to stability, yet over the last decades some watered-down versions which omit many of the biblical doctrines that have altered and/or redefined portions of the Word of God to say that it doesn't mean what it plainly states, thereby deceiving the people thirsty for pure truth and true spiritual meaning apart from the sinful human flesh desires that have caused the decline in the Christian church and fall into political correctness of a secular pagan culture. It has been identified and generally referred to as "the Social Gospel", where hedonistic human relations over-rule the person's relationship with God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). God is love (yet, a kind of distorted view of love), but not the Almighty Sovereign Ruler and Sustainer of His created cosmos, including mankind. Christ is a friend, a brother, maybe even someone who paid for their sins, but not Lord of their live. It's a false gospel and people do not find spiritual fulfillment plus feel a false sense of salvation but have no conviction or shame, feel good about themselves and are entertained well. National revival is impossible in this “no talk about sin”, all-get-along, self-help and interpersonal relationship message and the churn is high as the focus is wrong and trends fade.
Many Christ-centered churches are centering back on the full and pure Gospel of Salvation, that we are all sinners with the righteous wrath of God upon us, destined for eternal punishment in Hell and have no way to save ourselves. But, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, God incarnate to live a sinless life and die an atoning death on the Cross for the sins of the world, so that whoever will repent of their sins, believe in the finished work of Christ in their place and follow Him as Lord would be saved, receive the Holy Spirit and bear godly fruit in good works in God’s ministry of redemption and life eternal as a citizen of Heaven. Love God, trust God, obey God, glorify God, know Jesus, believe in Jesus, follow Jesus., learn from Jesus and walk by faith in the. Spirit.
Christianity.com reported that the church has always been tempted to dull the sharp edges of the Christian faith, to abandon hard truths in the face of cultural and religious pressure. Passing a vibrant faith to the next generation is always a challenge, especially without the support of the government, the courts, the media, public schools, and the national zeitgeist that insists that we simply flow with the raging river of cultural opinion. Listed herein are just five of the many doctrinal temptations the church faces.
False Gospel 1: The Gospel of Permissive Grace
Many people have been rescued out of sterile, joyless, and performance-based Christianity when they learn that we are not only saved by grace, we are also daily renewed and accepted by grace. They have been delivered from a life of rules without relationship and outward compliance without joyful obedience. Grace, once understood, is truly amazing, not just for great sinners but also for struggling saints. But today we are witnessing a perversion of grace in what we can call the Grace Movement: teachers and preachers who offer people grace in advance, even before they are convinced they need it.
Today, many preachers say that “God loves you unconditionally” and “God loves you just as you are.” Unconditional love is interpreted as unconditional acceptance of one’s lifestyle. God does not love everyone in the same way. He loves His people, those who are “in Christ” unconditionally, even as He loves His Son (John 17:20–23). But this does not mean that God is always pleased with our conduct; nor does it mean that God does not discipline us for our waywardness. Although God is kindly disposed to everyone and loves the world (John 3:16), “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). And again, “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28–29).
False Gospel 2: The Gospel of Social Justice
In the early twentieth century, many churches left off preaching the cross of Christ and replaced it with “doing good to their fellow man.” They justified their stance with verses from the Old Testament, such as “bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause” (Isaiah 1:17) and similar texts in the New Testament, where Jesus taught that when we visit His followers in prison, we are visiting Him (Matthew 25:35–40). Social concerns replaced the finished work of Christ who died and rose again to save sinners, and the gospel of God saving us from sin was almost entirely neglected. In reaction, fundamentalists rejected the social gospel and, for the most part, confined themselves to the urgent need for individual conversion, neglecting the social implications of the gospel.
History is repeating itself today, but with a different twist. Many millennials, feeling as if they don’t fit with evangelicalism’s romance with conservative politics, have chosen to devote themselves to social justice, and sadly, many of them have abandoned the doctrine of personal repentance and opted for what they see as a more practical gospel, helping the poor and needy.
We are commanded to live radically like Christ, committing ourselves to the needs of others, body, soul, and spirit. But we must serve with a redemptive mindset, always seeking for opportunities to build bridges that will lead them to eternal life. We need gospel-driven social work that serves people because they are needy and because we want them to trust in Christ. If compassion motivates us to help alleviate the suffering in this present world, how much more should compassion motivate us to share the good news to alleviate their suffering in the world to come?
Let's continue this article on the 5 false gospels in the church next post.
In Christ, Brian
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