The Peril of Another Gospel

THE PERIL OF ANOTHER GOSPEL

By Ezekiel Kimosop

2 Corinthians 11:3-4 says "But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it! (NKJV).

Paul wrote his second Letter to the Corinthians primarily to clear the air on his noble intentions that prompted him to write the first Letter, which carried a harsh tone.

Some among the Corinthians were taken aback by his powerful writing which appeared to be contradictory of his demeanor. 

During his previous visit to the Corinthians, Paul was gentle and forbearing, imploring them in the way of Christ.

Notice the feedback on his assessment by the Corinthians in 2 Cor. 10:10: "For his letters,” they say, “are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.”

The Corinthians rightly discerned that Paul was a gifted writer. They were not however impressed by his speech.

Bible scholars describe Apostle Paul as a seasoned theological scholar who was raised by Gamaliel, one of the finest theologians of the First Century (Acts 22:3).

He had a deep grasped of the Old Testament Scriptures and this stood out in his writings. The Corinthians had underestimated his prudence and stature. Paul was however not given to speech and was possibly lacking in charisma!

Paul never intended to be harsh towards the Corinthians but the developments in the church of Corinth left him with limited options. He was compelled to flex his apostolic muscle. 

He sought to stem the ungodly divisions in the church and to provide spiritual direction on a raft of other unpleasant issues affecting the church.

For this reason he chose to address the Corinthians in considerable detail in his First Letter, penning 16 chapters in all.

In our above passage which is drawn from his Second Letter, Paul warned the Corinthians not to give in to false teachers who presented a different gospel from the one he and his associates had delivered to them.

We learn from 2 Corinthians11:14 that false teachers masqueraded as true apostles of Christ and sought to mislead the Corinthians while contesting Paul's apostolic authority! These false teachers employed philosophical reasoning with the intention of corrupting the minds of their audience. 

Paul was deeply worried that his ministry among the Corinthians would be in vain if they ended up embracing a false gospel.

This concern is as legitimate today as it was during the New Testament church period..

The contemporary church today stands at the crossroads that divides biblical Christianity and counterfeit religion. We are daily bombarded by heresies propagated by self appointed latter day prophets who were never called by Christ into ministry. These are self-seeking false teachers who are after personal glory and materialism. 

We are faced with a growing onslaught of false teachings that countermand the purposes of the cross and that seek to dethrone Christ. Unless a believer is well founded in biblical truth, they are likely to fall for these enemies of the Faith (cf. Ephesians 4:14; 1 John 4:1-6; Jude 1; Rev. 2:12-17, 18-29). 

The cheap gospel of prosperity or health and wealth is ruling the airwaves and so do personality cults and apocalyptic doomsday sects. 

Where should the believer stand? What are the fundamentals of the true gospel?
There several teachings of Scripture that believers should pay close attention to. 

My view is that the biblical gospel stands on the following pillars, among many more that are revealed in the word of God:

1) THAT the finished works of the cross are the sole basis for our redemption in Christ. Salvation is received by the unmerited grace of Jesus Christ and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9).

No man comes to the Father except by Christ's sacrificial atonement at Calvary (John 14:6).

2) THAT church ministers are stewards of God's grace (1 Cor 4:1-2). They are accountable to God for the work of ministry which should glorify Christ, the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:2-4).

3) THAT a biblical Christian community should solely depend on the teachings of Scripture and the leading of the Holy Spirit in order to live in obedience as we look forward to the soon return of Jesus Christ [1 Cor. 2 :6-12; Titus 2:11-14; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

4) THAT we should proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the sinful world and lead men to Christ by the message of hope and by our Christian living (Matthew 28:19-20; 1 Peter 3:1-6).

5) THAT Christ will come for His Church at a time appointed by God and the Dead in Christ shall be raised by God while the living saints shall be transformed in the twinkling of an eye and the two sets of believers shall be caught up together and taken to heaven by Christ [1 Corinthians 15:20-28; Thess. 4:13-18).

6) Those who reject the gospel of Jesus Christ will face judgement before the white throne of God (Rev. 20:11-15). They will be condemned and eternally separated from God.

Any gospel that contradicts or misrepresents these fundamental truths of the word of God should be rejected. 

© Ezekiel Kimosop Teaching Series 2019. 

For more teaching articles by this author, please visit www.ezekielkimosop.blogspot.com