A Different Gospel A Different Jesus - Study 5/10/12
A Different Gospel A Different Jesus
In its claim to relate with the present postmodern culture there is now “The Emerging Church Movement”. Google it and read. As summarized by Steven W. Cornell, “They believe the Church should be a welcoming and authentic community of creativity and learning—a place where people with different views are treated with the utmost respect and dignity (rather than being looked down on). ..They desire to move beyond a creed-based identity to a spirituality-based identity. They recommend embracing and celebrating the mystery of the world, life and God rather than conquering it. They prefer theology as a quest for the beauty and truth of God rather than a search for propositional statements, proof texts and doctrinal formulations ----used to measure those who are in and judge those who are out”. One of the big names in this controversial movement is Brian McLaren, a founding pastor of one of the churches in the Washington/Baltimore metro area.
On the surface, it sounds very good to be embracing, to have dialogues and conversations; but when truth of the bible is no longer the standard and now everyone’s opinion counts equally, then it is a different gospel. Throw in the subtle prosperity gospel and other half-truth-doctrines, the Church has a mess in her hand. Surprised? Not really but we are to be guarded and discerning. The first false teacher was in the Garden of Eden. 4 “You will not surely die,” Genesis 3:4. What a twist and a half truth by Satan. False doctrine always has elements of truth but not the whole truth.
Apostle Paul had to contend just as Apostle Jude wrote. “Urge you to contend(I) for the faith(J) that was once for all entrusted to the saints.(K) 4 For certain men whose condemnation was written about[b] long ago have secretly slipped in among you.(L) They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” Jude 1:3-4 Paul did exactly that.
In an all out war to stop the false apostles, Paul warned the Corinthians, 13 “For such men are false apostles,(X) deceitful(Y) workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ.(Z) 14 And no wonder, for Satan(AA) himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” 2 Corinthians 11:13-15. There will always be false teachers and doctrines. We are being called to discern them and put out their influence in our lives and the life of the Church.
What is expected from you and me? We are to study and know the Truth of the Bible and believe in the God of the Bible. Are you aware of the falsehood around you? What are you doing about it? A sign of maturity in Christ is that we are not tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrines (Ephesians 4:14). Discerning false doctrine is for all believers and not just for the theologians. What do you really believe? – A different gospel and a different Jesus?
2 Corinthians 11: 1-15
I hope you will put up with(A) a little of my foolishness;(B) but you are already doing that. 2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband,(C) to Christ, so that I might present you(D) as a pure virgin to him. 3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning,(E) your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached,(F) or if you receive a different spirit(G) from the one you received, or a different gospel(H) from the one you accepted, you put up with it(I) easily enough. 5 But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.”(J) 6 I may not be a trained speaker,(K) but I do have knowledge.(L) We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.
7 Was it a sin(M) for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God(N) to you free of charge?(O) 8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from them(P) so as to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed.(Q) I have kept myself from being a burden to you(R) in any way, and will continue to do so. 10 As surely as the truth of Christ is in me,(S) nobody in the regions of Achaia(T) will stop this boasting(U) of mine. 11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows(V) I do!(W) 12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about.
13 For such men are false apostles,(X) deceitful(Y) workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ.(Z) 14 And no wonder, for Satan(AA) himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.(AB)
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. Is Paul foolish? He is telling the Corinthians to put up with his foolishness. Why? He considers it a necessary foolishness to talk about himself in light of these so called “super apostles”. In fact he will tell the Corinthians later that these are no apostles at all but rather imposters. Paul goes on to cast himself as the match-maker or a friend of the bridegroom. He sees his responsibility to the Corinthians as follows, “I promised you to one husband,(C) to Christ, so that I might present you(D) as a pure virgin to him”. What an awesome responsibility and what a picture. We are the bride of Christ, so we should not be tainted or align with any other husband. False doctrines are serious and can derail us from whole-hearted devotion to our Lord and savior.
2. Paul gives the example of Eve who was deceived by Satan. “3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning,(E) your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ” vs.3. Look at where we are today because Eve and also Adam listened to Satan. Paul is calling the attention of the Corinthians to the seriousness of false teachers and teachings. Some Christians do not see the harm in false teachings as long as they are feeling good. One can feel good and still go to hell.
3. What exactly was Paul fearful about for the Corinthians? “For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached,(F) or if you receive a different spirit(G) from the one you received, or a different gospel(H) from the one you accepted, you put up with it(I) easily enough” vs.4. He was afraid they were embracing a different Jesus, a different spirit and a different gospel. The unfortunate thing is that they were tolerating it “easily” just like today’s Church. How many Christians today blink because of what is preached from their Church’s pulpit? As long as they are “prospering” most do not care.
4. Like Paul warned the Galatians, “6 I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ.[c] You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News 7 but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. 8 Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. 9 I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed” Galatians 1:6-9 (NLT) It is so serious that Paul pronounces a curse on the false teachers.
5. A Different spirit? It was based on Judaistic teachings – spirit of bondage (Rom 8:15); a spirit of the world (1 Cor 2:12), from freedom to slavery (Gal 2:4-5). Another gospel of rules self imposed, false humility, harsh treatment of the body (Col 2:20-23). These were contrary to the spirit of liberty we have received in Christ (2 Cor 3:17). For the Corinthians, Paul was afraid that “a different Jesus” as presented by the false teachers cannot save anyone. The “super apostles” accused Paul of being weak and unimpressive. David Guzik said regarding “a different Jesus, “Because of the way the Corinthian Christians despised Paul’s image of weakness and unimpressive appearance, the “other Jesus” was probably one who knew no weakness, persecution, humiliation, suffering and death”. These are the qualities of Jesus that secured our salvation.
6. There are no kid cloves in dealing with the false teachers and false teachings. Paul is willing to do all he can to stop them. “Because I do not love you? God knows(V) I do!(W) 12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about” vs.11-12. Let’s not treat false doctrines and teachers lightly.
The only way to detect a counterfeit dollar is to know the real dollar. Why? The counterfeit looks very close to the real one. Paul said to the Corinthians “they are deceitful” and they “masquerades as an angel of light” just like Satan. The devil will never introduces himself as Satan and he is looking for company in hell.
A Call for action - Let’s be like the Bereans who checked out each preacher based on the written word of God (Acts 17:10-11). Let’s study to show ourselves approved and rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Let’s call people to account based on what they are teaching. Let’s run from the false teachers as far as we can. You don’t have to listen to them nor sit in their churches and give them your money.
Father, save us from a different gospel; a different spirit and a different Jesus. Lord, grant us discernment to recognize false teachings/teachers and reject them. Save us from every deception. May your grace be sufficient for us. Amen.
In its claim to relate with the present postmodern culture there is now “The Emerging Church Movement”. Google it and read. As summarized by Steven W. Cornell, “They believe the Church should be a welcoming and authentic community of creativity and learning—a place where people with different views are treated with the utmost respect and dignity (rather than being looked down on). ..They desire to move beyond a creed-based identity to a spirituality-based identity. They recommend embracing and celebrating the mystery of the world, life and God rather than conquering it. They prefer theology as a quest for the beauty and truth of God rather than a search for propositional statements, proof texts and doctrinal formulations ----used to measure those who are in and judge those who are out”. One of the big names in this controversial movement is Brian McLaren, a founding pastor of one of the churches in the Washington/Baltimore metro area.
On the surface, it sounds very good to be embracing, to have dialogues and conversations; but when truth of the bible is no longer the standard and now everyone’s opinion counts equally, then it is a different gospel. Throw in the subtle prosperity gospel and other half-truth-doctrines, the Church has a mess in her hand. Surprised? Not really but we are to be guarded and discerning. The first false teacher was in the Garden of Eden. 4 “You will not surely die,” Genesis 3:4. What a twist and a half truth by Satan. False doctrine always has elements of truth but not the whole truth.
Apostle Paul had to contend just as Apostle Jude wrote. “Urge you to contend(I) for the faith(J) that was once for all entrusted to the saints.(K) 4 For certain men whose condemnation was written about[b] long ago have secretly slipped in among you.(L) They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” Jude 1:3-4 Paul did exactly that.
In an all out war to stop the false apostles, Paul warned the Corinthians, 13 “For such men are false apostles,(X) deceitful(Y) workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ.(Z) 14 And no wonder, for Satan(AA) himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” 2 Corinthians 11:13-15. There will always be false teachers and doctrines. We are being called to discern them and put out their influence in our lives and the life of the Church.
What is expected from you and me? We are to study and know the Truth of the Bible and believe in the God of the Bible. Are you aware of the falsehood around you? What are you doing about it? A sign of maturity in Christ is that we are not tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrines (Ephesians 4:14). Discerning false doctrine is for all believers and not just for the theologians. What do you really believe? – A different gospel and a different Jesus?
2 Corinthians 11: 1-15
I hope you will put up with(A) a little of my foolishness;(B) but you are already doing that. 2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband,(C) to Christ, so that I might present you(D) as a pure virgin to him. 3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning,(E) your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached,(F) or if you receive a different spirit(G) from the one you received, or a different gospel(H) from the one you accepted, you put up with it(I) easily enough. 5 But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.”(J) 6 I may not be a trained speaker,(K) but I do have knowledge.(L) We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.
7 Was it a sin(M) for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God(N) to you free of charge?(O) 8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from them(P) so as to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed.(Q) I have kept myself from being a burden to you(R) in any way, and will continue to do so. 10 As surely as the truth of Christ is in me,(S) nobody in the regions of Achaia(T) will stop this boasting(U) of mine. 11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows(V) I do!(W) 12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about.
13 For such men are false apostles,(X) deceitful(Y) workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ.(Z) 14 And no wonder, for Satan(AA) himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.(AB)
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. Is Paul foolish? He is telling the Corinthians to put up with his foolishness. Why? He considers it a necessary foolishness to talk about himself in light of these so called “super apostles”. In fact he will tell the Corinthians later that these are no apostles at all but rather imposters. Paul goes on to cast himself as the match-maker or a friend of the bridegroom. He sees his responsibility to the Corinthians as follows, “I promised you to one husband,(C) to Christ, so that I might present you(D) as a pure virgin to him”. What an awesome responsibility and what a picture. We are the bride of Christ, so we should not be tainted or align with any other husband. False doctrines are serious and can derail us from whole-hearted devotion to our Lord and savior.
2. Paul gives the example of Eve who was deceived by Satan. “3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning,(E) your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ” vs.3. Look at where we are today because Eve and also Adam listened to Satan. Paul is calling the attention of the Corinthians to the seriousness of false teachers and teachings. Some Christians do not see the harm in false teachings as long as they are feeling good. One can feel good and still go to hell.
3. What exactly was Paul fearful about for the Corinthians? “For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached,(F) or if you receive a different spirit(G) from the one you received, or a different gospel(H) from the one you accepted, you put up with it(I) easily enough” vs.4. He was afraid they were embracing a different Jesus, a different spirit and a different gospel. The unfortunate thing is that they were tolerating it “easily” just like today’s Church. How many Christians today blink because of what is preached from their Church’s pulpit? As long as they are “prospering” most do not care.
4. Like Paul warned the Galatians, “6 I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ.[c] You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News 7 but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. 8 Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. 9 I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed” Galatians 1:6-9 (NLT) It is so serious that Paul pronounces a curse on the false teachers.
5. A Different spirit? It was based on Judaistic teachings – spirit of bondage (Rom 8:15); a spirit of the world (1 Cor 2:12), from freedom to slavery (Gal 2:4-5). Another gospel of rules self imposed, false humility, harsh treatment of the body (Col 2:20-23). These were contrary to the spirit of liberty we have received in Christ (2 Cor 3:17). For the Corinthians, Paul was afraid that “a different Jesus” as presented by the false teachers cannot save anyone. The “super apostles” accused Paul of being weak and unimpressive. David Guzik said regarding “a different Jesus, “Because of the way the Corinthian Christians despised Paul’s image of weakness and unimpressive appearance, the “other Jesus” was probably one who knew no weakness, persecution, humiliation, suffering and death”. These are the qualities of Jesus that secured our salvation.
6. There are no kid cloves in dealing with the false teachers and false teachings. Paul is willing to do all he can to stop them. “Because I do not love you? God knows(V) I do!(W) 12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about” vs.11-12. Let’s not treat false doctrines and teachers lightly.
The only way to detect a counterfeit dollar is to know the real dollar. Why? The counterfeit looks very close to the real one. Paul said to the Corinthians “they are deceitful” and they “masquerades as an angel of light” just like Satan. The devil will never introduces himself as Satan and he is looking for company in hell.
A Call for action - Let’s be like the Bereans who checked out each preacher based on the written word of God (Acts 17:10-11). Let’s study to show ourselves approved and rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Let’s call people to account based on what they are teaching. Let’s run from the false teachers as far as we can. You don’t have to listen to them nor sit in their churches and give them your money.
Father, save us from a different gospel; a different spirit and a different Jesus. Lord, grant us discernment to recognize false teachings/teachers and reject them. Save us from every deception. May your grace be sufficient for us. Amen.
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