No Other Gospel

“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!” Galatians 1:8-9

“Accursed!” That is a strong word! But Paul surely means it, having repeated himself twice on this subject. Anyone preaching an alternative gospel – a gospel not in accordance with Paul’s message of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone – is anathema, to use the Greek word; “accursed” in English. Indeed, so serious is Paul about distortions of the gospel of Christ that he even proclaims that himself accursed if he should preach any other gospel … and that even an angel from heaven would draw down a curse upon himself by so going! Wow! Paul is serious – literally dead serious – about our (and our preachers, in particular) getting the gospel right! And we should be as well!

So we say it again: Anyone who preaches contrary to the message of Paul (and Jesus, and the other apostles); anyone who preaches a gospel in which salvation is not by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone is under a curse for the way in which he is leading people astray.

Now, I know that this is not the way that we tend to talk in our pluralistic age – an age when a person’s heart and sincerity are often thought to be more important than what he actually believes; when spiritual ‘life’ (so-called) is sometimes considered more important than biblical doctrine. It’s true, of course, that we must have spiritual life, and heart, and sincerity! These things are vital to Christianity! But if our life, and sincerity, and heart are channeled into the rut of a false gospel, then it is all of no avail. And if a person ventures to teach that false gospel, he brings down great judgment upon himself! And of course, the more a man or woman teaches a false gospel, the more his hearers will have opportunity to buy into it, and thus to be carried away from Jesus rather than toward him. And therefore many of them will end up accursed to.

This is what Paul was afraid of in Galatia. Evidently some men were visiting the churches, claiming to have a message from God, and circulating a false gospel of works in place of the biblical gospel of faith, by grace, in Christ. And he saw the people in the pews being led astray. And he was, if I read his words correctly, a little worked up about it – not because his gospel was being undermined (for the gospel wasn’t ultimately his) but because, by these distortions of the gospel, precious souls were being led astray by these wolves in sheep’s clothing.

And this is the same reasons why pastors are concerned today, for instance, about the teachings of Roman Catholicism. The Roman Catholics agree with us on the doctrine of the Trinity, and on the divine and human natures of the person of Christ. But their gospel is a different gospel; their understanding of salvation takes a circuitous route around and away from Jesus. It is swamped with all manner of rites and relics, statues and saints which serve like a marshy mote surrounding the person and work of Christ, and making it all the more difficult for people to run to Him and find safety in the strong tower of His name (see Proverbs 18:10). Now, I do not doubt that there are Roman Catholics who have emerged on the other side of the bog, and placed their faith in Christ alone. But the men and women who have taught them to do otherwise (Galatians 1:8-9) are in big trouble. And because of such teaching, many of our Roman Catholic neighbors have never even raised their eyes high enough to see what was beyond the black and swirling waters of the swamp … and some of them have already drowned. And that is a tragedy – and one for which their teachers will be “accursed.”

And so I urge you to understand the gospel for yourself; and to demand it from your own pulpit; and to take it to the neighbors round about you who have spent their whole lives wading in the muddy waters of the untruth promoted by false teachers. Do not despise or criticize them for the ways in which they have been duped and blinded. But neither must you mistake their sincerity and kindness for a true knowledge of the one way of salvation before God, and the “one mediator … between God and men.” Instead, open the Bible and proclaim to them the good news that  everything they need for standing righteous before a holy God is obtained by coming, in simple faith, to Jesus ... and that this Jesus is nearer to them than they have ever yet believed.

Dwelling Together in Unity

Our church, each summer, is privileged to participate in joint services with a handful of other like-minded churches in greater Cincinnati. This past Sunday evening was one of them. And, during the refreshments after, the pastors present had a chance to be reminded (by a pastor from another area) just how good a thing God has going here, and to reflect on what it is that brought us and our churches together, and also to mull why it is that, sometimes, Christians (pastors, mainly) seem not to have a heart for such linking of arms, sharing of pews, and so on.

Why is that? If it really is “good and … pleasant … for brothers to dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133:1), why is it that churches and pastors can sometimes build such fences around themselves? Why is it that, sometimes, even churches of very like mind (on even secondary and tertiary issues) have very little heart to fellowship together?

Well, let me say that there are very real theological issues (of which pastors are often keenly aware) which force us to draw lines in the sand in terms of who we really call ‘brother’. Just because a person or religious group claims to be Christian does not mean that they are, or that we should link arms with them. And, sometimes, even when a church really is a true church, the errors they espouse in doctrine or practice may still cause us to be cautious in what ways we join forces, even while calling them brothers and sisters, and finding ways to cherish and embrace them. Just as in a nuclear family, you may love your brother dearly without being able to join in his every endeavor.

But it’s not these sorts of situations about which I write. I’m thinking of the instances when churches and pastors are more than just generally like-minded … but in which they are actually in virtual lock-step even on secondary points of doctrine. Even then, it was pointed out by our brother-pastor from out of state, it is not always a given that churches and pastors will really lock arms and share pulpits, pews, and fellowship tables. Still they may remain like relative islands – theologically sound, but largely alone in terms of real, tangible cooperation with other churches.

Why is that? Let me suggest three possible reasons:

1. Myopia. Sometimes in church, as in life, we are so busy looking at ourselves, and our schedules, and our families, and our routines that it rarely occurs to us to check in with old friends, or to invite anyone over, or to care deeply about what is going on with those around us. We’re just too busy! We feel like we’ve got enough to think about just within our own four walls. But we are much the poorer for staying always within them. Note this well, any pastors who read this little column … and purpose to lead your church in looking without now and again. And note it well church members, too! It is a blessing if your church participates in something like our local joint services. Take advantage!

2. Nitpicking. One of the things about churches and pastors who actually know what they believe about second and third-level issues is that we may sometimes make those second and third level issues bigger tests of fellowship than they really need to be. Or, maybe just as likely, we may find it hard to believe that other brothers or churches really care about doctrine and truth as much as we do (because we really have encountered so many churches who do not). And so we either make too big a deal out of our doctrinal distinctives, or we just assume that others are not as serious as we are. And we just stay where it’s safe – within our own four walls, much the poorer.

3. Fear. This third point was actually made by a couple of my fellow pastors during our fellowship and conversation on Sunday night. Maybe sometimes we pastors don’t make efforts to join with other like-minded churches because we are afraid that our like-minded people will actually enjoy so-and-so’s services (or preaching, or fellowship, or demographic) a little more than our own. As though we (or pastor so-and-so) were really the proprietors of the church! The church – both in its local and universal manifestations – belongs to Christ, not to us! And so it has pleased me greatly to have brother pastors, from time to time, send our way visitors who happened upon their churches … because they thought PRBC might be a good fit for such-and-such a person or family. Why are they able to do that? Because they know that the church, and the individual members thereof, belong to Jesus, not to us! And we are much the richer if we learn that lesson well.

And so, brothers and sisters (and especially fellow pastors) … let us lay aside our myopia, our nitpicking, and our fear … and “dwell together in unity.”

Sermons from Jude

We just completed a five-part series on the book of Jude.  Listen in with us!

Jude 1-4 - Introduction to Jude - MP3
Jude 3-4 - "Contend earnestly for the faith" - MP3
Jude 3-19 - "Crept in unnoticed" - MP3
Jude 20-23 - "Keep yourselves in the love of God" - MP3
Jude 24-25 - Doxology - MP3

Gullible

“The naive believes everything,

But the sensible man considers his steps.”

Proverbs 14.15

We have recently begun a series of sermons in the book of Jude – that fantastic little epistle which warns so strongly against false teachers, and urges its readers to “contend earnestly for the faith.” And one of the things Jude points out is that the false teachers against whom he is writing have “crept in unnoticed.”

In other words, false teachers don’t generally walk into the church wearing a badge on their lapels with the word heretic inscribed in italics under their names! They creep in. They may unfold their heresies only in bits and pieces, here and there … such that people often inhale them quite calmly, like cigarette smoke, without realizing the long term destruction that is being slowly but surely wrought upon them. And so it seems to me that, implicit in Jude’s warning against false teachers is not only that we must “contend … for the faith” (and, thus, against their errors) when false teachers arise; but also that we must be alert to the fact that they are creeping in in the first place! We must not let them sneak into the sheepfold right under our noses without us ever smelling a rat! We must not be like the “naive” man who “believes everything” (Proverbs 14.15).

Brothers and sisters in the Lord, we must not be drowsy when it comes to assessing that which we are being taught – whether in our own congregation, or over the internet, or on radio and TV, or in books! Some of it is quite helpful and accurate. Much of it is pure froth – fairly harmless, but not really all that helpful either. And some of it is outright dangerous. But I wonder how many church-goers actually see the danger? Do our antennas go up when preachers preach a gospel that says little or nothing about our sin? Do we sense that something is wrong when men (and women) teach us about heaven, or hell, or the last days, or how to have relationship with Jesus based on their own visions and experiences, rather than on what is printed in the Book? Could we piece through the Jehovah’s Witnesses' Watchtower and see in it the signs of false teaching? Or does it go right on the coffee table next to our family Bible? Do we trust someone’s teaching simply because it’s on the radio or television, or do we do a little research to find out exactly what they believe (and how they live!)? Same thing with Christian music artists – from whom many people get an entirely disproportionate amount of their theology. Do we believe what they sing simply because the local Christian radio station chose to play their song? Or do we compare what we hear with scripture?

I am not suggesting we be alarmist. But what I would say is that, if false teachers had an inroad in Jude’s day … how much more in our own, what with all the additional media they have through which to communicate their message! And so we must be on the alert. We must not be naïve, but test everything against the plain teaching of the Bible.

“The naive believes everything,

But the sensible man considers his steps.”