August 16, 2026 - False Gospels

Psalms 78:1-72

Galatians 1:1-24

Job 15:1-35

Job 16:1-22

Bible in a Year Through Song - Day 228 of 365 - Bible App

Galatians 1:6-8 NIV

[6] I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— [7] which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. [8] But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!

I recently heard someone say that the word gospel does mean good news but more appropriately it is God news, or the Good News of God. We live in a culture that encourages and promotes the deconstruction of faith. The AI definition of deconstruction is - The process of critically examining, questioning, and sometimes dismantling one’s previously held beliefs and practices to arrive at a more personally meaningful or truthful faith.

That is exactly what we are warned against in Galatians 1:6-8. These are people who have taken what they have come to know and believe to be true and allowed the culture and the things of the world to dictate their deconstruction of the gospel of Jesus. In light of eternity a deconstructed faith is no longer good news and certainly not God news. It doesn't matter who is teaching this false gospel, if it does not align with the word of God and Jesus' message of salvation then it is heresy and we need to run away from it. Everything that we read or listen to from any teacher or preacher needs to be weighed against scripture. False gospels can go in 2 different directions.

The first way I have tendency to think about it is to lighten the truth to be just about love. For example, as long as you do good things and don't harm others then a loving God will not send you to hell. Jesus is a God of love, and He wants you to be happy so that is all that matters. These are very common beliefs and teachings in the world today and I have heard them many times.

But the other direction is a critical and harsh gospel that removes love. We need to acknowledge sin, but it should be to convict us of our need for a savior and drive us to repentance and thanksgiving, not scare us into obedience.

I recently was talking to someone who was explaining that she and her homosexual daughter do not go to church because they had been in a church that told the mom that she was going to go to hell for divorcing her abusive husband and that homosexuality will send a person to hell. This is a false gospel that is being preached in churches all over the world. The gospel of Jesus Christ says that ANY sin results in condemnation and separation from God. But if you put your faith in Jesus Christ then you are reconciled to God and set free from sin and unrighteousness. There is no sin that God cannot forgive so for a church to teach that any particular sin/sins will send a person to hell is a false gospel.

That is why it is vital to be in the word of God everyday reading, listening, studying and meditating on it. We need to know the word of God so well that when someone says to us "The bible says....", we know the truth. We can answer these questions without hesitation, "Does it really say that?" if it does "Is it written in the context in which it is being used?" and if it doesn't "What does it really say and what is the context?"

Also, we have been reading that putting our faith in Jesus should change our hearts and minds and result in us actively turning from our sin so a homosexual who gives their life to Christ should be convicted by the truth of God and surrender that part of their life to Him seeking His healing. But how God does that in what His timing looks like on the subject is up to God. After all we all have sins that we struggle with that God is working out in us. We should see a growing improvement on those sins. And as we have read in 2 Corinthians if we are not convicted to turn from our sin then we need to evaluate ourselves and examine our hearts.

We need to know the truth so well that the lie is obvious to us and we can challenge those who claim the lie. I wish I could get in the habit of challenging the lies of "The bible says...." with calmly and respectfully asking "Oh I didn't realize it said that. Can you tell me where it is so that I can look into it?" Instead, what I usually do is just say "No, it doesn't." Then I would go on to say what it really says. Which I don't think has the same impact as when someone is allowed to figure out the truth on their own. But I do trust God to be able to use it for His glory regardless of how I say it because I know that it is not me who changes the heart and mind of anyone. It is only power of Jesus through the hearing of His word under the influence of the Holy Spirit.