A Different Gospel?

The Apostle Paul said this:

"I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:6-9)

Sadly, there are COUNTLESS "different gospels" out there today and many follow the leaders of HUGE groups that teach these "other gospels" straight to hell.

One very obvious one is Mormonism which was given to the convicted land swindler and con man, Joseph Smith, by a fallen angel that he identified as Moroni.

Another teaches its adherents to depend upon works, saints different than the ones mentioned in the first lines of most of Paul's epistles, Jesus' earthly mother, holy relics, etc. to get one to heaven.

ALL groups that teach "different gospels" stand in stark contrast to Christianity as it is so simply communicated in the Bible.

The Gospel is, simply and concisely put:

"Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures... (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

We participate in the Gospel by confessing Jesus as our Lord (no one can do this in proxy for us as there are NO examples of this in the Bible:

"But what does it say? 'THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART' (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:8-10)

When one confesses Jesus as his Lord he is immediately baptized or placed into Christ:

"For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:13)

and he quite literally experiences a co-crucifixion with Jesus:

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

This is why Paul described it like this:

"Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:3-4)

This is the spiritual condition of every Christian and there ARE NO Christians who are not born again:

"Jesus answered and said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.' Nicodemus said to Him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?' Jesus answered, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.'" (John 3:3-6)

I was raised in a spiritual tradition that NEVER talked about being born again, confessing Jesus as Lord, being baptized into Christ (immersion INTO Jesus), rising with Him.... I studied it all my life....rejected that system and when I was 29 received Jesus as my Lord and was born again anew.

The group I was exposed to as a child and young adult preaches a "different gospel", according to the Apostle Paul and that is reflected in the multitude of anti-biblical and extra-biblical beliefs in that system. Those beliefs give it an appearance of legitimacy....and has successfully herded millions to hell.

Paul says that born again people, upon their deaths, find themselves immediately with Jesus.

"Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord-- for we walk by faith, not by sight--we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:6-8)

It is my hope that anyone who has trusted in any systems on the earth to be saved and to spend eternity with God will read the Bible and see it for himself.

Our Lord's heart breaks for those who have gone to their deaths trusting in some earthly ritual....only to find themselves headed for hell.

It breaks my heart too. That's why I have written this today.

Pastor Mike McInerney

Mike McInerney Ministries, Inc.

Decatur, TX

© April 13, 2015

(For use with permission)