TRUE GOSPEL VS. FALSE GOSPEL

How do we differentiate between the true and the false gospel?

The true gospel focuses on the cross whereas the false gospel emphasises the success, happiness, comfort and fulfillment of man (1 Corinthians 2:2). 

                                                                        

The true gospel tells us to deny ourselves ( Luke 9:23) whereas the false gospel turns God into a genie to serve us. http://bit.ly/1ANB0Mc

                                                                                                                                                 
The true gospel leads the believer first and foremost to ask, What can I do for you, God? (Colossians 3:1-3). But the false gospel leads the believer first and foremost to ask, What can God do for me? http://bit.ly/1yGV0CE

The true gospel emphasises the need for genuine repentance out of godly sorrow for our sins (with resultant change in worldview and lifestyle) whereas the false gospel sees “repentance” as merely changing one’s mind (giving mental assent to the fact that God sees you as pure). http://bit.ly/1k61NQt

The true gospel tells us that, if we fall into sin after conversion, we should confess our sins whereas the false gospel tells us that only a one-time confession of sins at conversion is all that is necessary. http://bit.ly/1rcYJzl

The true gospel makes no provision for automatic forgiveness of sins we have yet to commit in the future whereas the false gospel declares that the future sins of believers are automatically forgiven (FSAF) from the time of conversion. http://bit.ly/1dXOjBB

The true gospel tells us there is a price to be paid for following God and the way to heaven is narrow and difficult whereas the false gospel entices man with benefits and gives us a comforting but false assurance that the way to heaven is going to be easy (Matthew 7:13-14).

The true gospel not only tells us about the benefits Jesus secured for us at the cross (forgiveness, healing, victory over death, sin and satan) but also the need for personal responsibility (the need to stop sinning and work out our faith with fear and trembling). The false gospel gives a lopsided emphasis on these benefits and downplays personal responsibility. http://bit.ly/1eKirzG

The true gospel is about God being Lord and Saviour—about the demands our Lord makes on our lives as much as it is about the blessings we stand to gain from Him being our Saviour. But the false gospel downplays the demands the Lord makes on us but emphasises the blessings our Saviour showers upon us. 

                                                                           

The true gospel makes sure believers understand these “hard sayings”—cost of discipleship, suffering, persecution, need for endurance and perseverance. The false gospel downplays the significance of these themes in the life of the believer. http://bit.ly/1imb1GN

The true gospel sees God as a God of love, mercy and grace as well as a God of justice, holiness and righteousness. The false gospel primarily sees God as a God of love, mercy and grace and discounts / downplays the harsh side of God, giving believers a false impression that He is a celestial Santa Claus. http://bit.ly/1dXojrr

The true gospel tells us, even though believers are saved at a point in time, they can lose their salvation and have their names blotted from the book of life, not because God does not want them but because they do not want God. The false gospel tells believers that once saved, they are always saved (OSAS): Having bought their ticket to heaven (conversion), they are on autopilot mode all the way till they arrive at their heavenly destination. http://bit.ly/1nm6nuK

The true gospel raises the bar to whosoever who would follow God but the false gospel makes following God an easy, pleasant and attractive proposition through sharing its blessings and benefits.  http://bit.ly/18jlBsg

                                                                        

The true gospel presents to you a life that is difficult now but will be easy later. The false 

gospel presents to you a life that is easy now but will be difficult later.

The true gospel leads you to heavenly bliss in future. The false gospel leads you up the garden path of deception—and possibly damnation.

                                                                       

Preaching a soft and easy, diluted, false gospel that merely blesses people but fails to emphasise the cross not only leads people astray but produce weak believers who won’t be able to endure the tests, trials and tribulations of these perilous end times. http://bit.ly/1ANB0Mc

“Any message that doesn't give the full or complete Gospel is a false Gospel. This means not only Jesus saves but also about sin, damnation, and repentance. Without conviction of sin there is no repentance. Without repentance there is no salvation. Jesus took the punishment of our sin in our place on the cross. He rose from the grave to defeat death. The wages of sin is death and godly sorrow produces a repentance leading to salvation.”

— David Whittlesey

RELATED POSTS

FUTURE SINS AUTOMATICALLY FORGIVEN?

Are the future sins of Christians automatically forgiven (FSAF)?

http://bit.ly/1dXOjBB

IS CONFESSION REDUNDANT?
Hyper-grace teaches us that, after our one-time confession of sin at conversion, believers no longer need to confess our sins. Is it true that sin has been dealt with ‘once and for all’ at conversion?
http://bit.ly/1rcYJzl

GRACE AND HYPER-GRACE IN A NUTSHELL

The basics about grace and hyper-grace

http://bit.ly/1qGIyye

IS REPENTANCE MERELY CHANGING ONE’S MIND?

Some say that believers only need to change their mind (correct their past erroneous thinking) when they repent. Is this what the Bible teaches?

http://bit.ly/1k61NQt

HEALING THROUGH COMMUNION?

Is healing promised to believers when they partake of the Holy Communion? 

There has been strange teaching going around that believers can receive healing when they partake the Holy Communion.

Holy Communion, also called the Lord's Supper or Eucharist, is a sacrament to remember Jesus' sacrificial death.

• “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11: 26).

• “And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me’” (Luke 22:19).

                                                                            

When we partake of the bread and wine during the Holy Communion, we focus on Christ’s death on the cross. We are reminded to lead a life worthy of His sacrificial death.

In fact, we are warned to examine ourselves before we partake of the Holy Communion so that we do not profane the body and blood of Christ, symbolised by the bread and wine ( 1 Corinthians 11:27-28).

Neither Christ or apostle Paul mentions anything about healing through the Holy Communion in the New Testament.

However, healing by means finds biblical support in the following instances:

• Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord (James 5:14).

• No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments (1 Timothy 5:23).

• Isaiah said, "Make an ointment from figs." So Hezekiah's servants spread the ointment over the boil, and Hezekiah recovered (2 Kings 20:7).

• On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations (Revelation 22:2).

If Christians were to emulate the Bereans (Acts 17:11), scrutinising every teaching against the Word, they won’t easily fall for such "feel good" teaching—Holy Communion has healing properties.

                                                                               

This shows that many believers prefer to honour the teaching of leaders rather than accept the Bible as the highest authority in the areas of faith and doctrine.

                                                                         

What is lacking today is serious personal Bible study: "Study to show yourself approved to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2: 15).

Why did the apostle Paul charge young Timothy to preach sound doctrine? Because the time will come—and indeed it has already come—when people will no longer listen to sound teaching but will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

Please do not be mistaken. It does not mean God cannot heal. He certainly can heal. But there is no promise of healing through the Holy Communion. 

What does the New Testament teach when someone in church is sick?

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14). There is no verse in the Bible that explicitly teaches that believers who partake of the Lord’s Supper will receive physical healing.

 

This “communion-cum-healing” teaching may not cause much harm. What is more worrying is when false teaching affects the eternal destiny of believers, in which case it is termed destructive heresy (2 Peter 2:1).

You may ask, “How this is possible?”  Well, here are just two examples:

If one believes that confession is redundant and live by it, one’s eternal security as a believer may be at stake. http://bit.ly/1rcYJzl

If one believes that one’s future sins are automatically forgiven and live by it, one’s eternal security as a believer may also be at stake. http://bit.ly/1dXOjBB

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MEDICINE OR MIRACULOUS HEALING?

When we are confronted with sickness, what should be our approach?

http://bit.ly/1GY81vr

DOES GOD HEAL ALWAYS?

Doctors treat but God heals. As a Christian for forty years and a practising doctor for thirty years, I have seen people being healed in so many different ways—through supernatural means and medicine/surgery. But does He heal always? 

http://bit.ly/1eVkpev

SEVEN REASONS WHY FALSE TEACHING THRIVES
Why it’s easy to be fooled without realising you’ve been had

http://bit.ly/1AxRFr6

SIGNIFICANCE OF COMMUNION

The Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion) is one of the important sacraments of the church (the other being baptism). 

The primary purpose of observing the Holy Communion is to remember what Christ has done for believers. Man is weak and prone to forget what Christ has done. By appealing to the senses, the broken bread (body of Christ) and the wine (blood of Christ) remind us of Christ’s death through which we obtain forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God.

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”

(1 Corinthians 11:26)

“And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’”

(Luke 22:19)

Secondly, by partaking of the bread and wine, we also identify ourselves with Christ’s suffering. When we realise how much Jesus has to go through to redeem us from sin, we will be less likely to grumble when we face trials or persecution.

“The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?”

 (1 Corinthians 10:16)

Thirdly, because believers participate in the process of breaking a single piece of bread, communion is also a symbol of unity among believers.

“Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”

(1 Corinthians 10:17)

                                                       

EXTERNAL LINKS

WHY ONLY BAPTISED CHRISTIANS SHOULD TAKE COMMUNION

http://www.christianity.com/church/church-life/why-only-baptized-christians-should-take-communion.html

HEALING THROUGH HOLY COMMUNION?

http://www.letusreason.org/Popteach59.htm

http://ripostes.blogspot.com.au/2005/04/neither-healthy-nor-gospel-health-and.html?m=1&hc_location=ufi