We know the Gospel gets changed. We established that from 2 Corinthians 11 in the first article of this month. In exploring this thought, we also contended that change comes almost exclusively in two ways: change in Who Jesus is and change in what belief is. We must believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. The Lord will not justify the one who botches genuine belief or the one who falls short of a Biblical Jesus. How do these two changes happen?
False Worship
One way the saving Gospel becomes distorted is by means of false worship. True worship recognizes Who God is and gives Him what He wants. False worship either warps the identification of Who God is or offers Him something that He does not want. False worship confuses sinners on the character and nature of God. With genuine worship, since God is recognized as holy, He is presented with holy offerings. Giving Him worldly, sensual, or fleshly “worship” communicates that God Himself is wordly, sensual, or fleshly. Anyone Who receives this “God,” has gotten an imposter.
Since worldly, fleshly, or sensual worship is unacceptable to God, who is it about? It is about the one presenting it. This pragmatic ”worship” suggests that salvation is about our own entertainment, comfort, and good-feelings. The worshipper becomes sovereign over God, his personal taste becoming predominant. Justification then comes, not from turning from his own way, but from bringing Jesus along for the ride.
Corrupted Methods
Men so want to see success in the ministry that they use methods that alter the nature of the gospel. Instead of going to preach, they go to invite. Unsaved people are not interested in Scriptural exegesis and true worship, so the presentation of the Gospel almost always is customized for the audience. Since there is only one Gospel, this customization often leaves the crowd with a placebo and the church with a statistic.
Since the church is the body of Christ, people learn about Christ through the nature of His body. When the church becomes a place of fun and etertainment, the nature and character of Jesus Christ is changed in the mind of the hearers. Faith becomes self-gratification, and Jesus becomes the goody-meister.
Twisted Interpretation
Salvation isn’t praying a prayer. We are not justified through prayer. We are justified by faith. The people who call on the name of the Lord are those who understand the nature of Jesus Christ and the dire predicament they are in. Salvation isn’t walking an aisle or raising a hand. It isn’t being able to answer certain leading questions. Men have taken a few passages that mention “confess” and “call” and have turned salvation into a syllogism that concludes with “prayer equals salvation.” That misses what God says about justification by faith alone.
Arguments from Silence
Many continue the false worship, corrupt methodology, and twisted interpretation with arguments from silence. The primary argument from silence goes like this: ”The Bible doesn’t say it is wrong, so it must be right.” But God’s Word is sufficient. God does not have an entire agenda between the lines of the Bible. He has included all of it in the actual text of Scripture. When we operate outside of Scripture, we undermine the authority and suffiency of Scripture, and we threaten the very propagation of the gospel itself.
How bad do you think it is that churches and Christians damn people to Hell by their changing the Gospel? Could there be anything worse?
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