Galatians 1.6-9
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”
We must be on guard against false teachers, and Paul says here that people are not the only source of distorted doctrine; sometimes the source is demonic. The apostle speaks directly to this in 2 Corinthians:
“And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” (2 Corinthians 11:12-15)
Such is the nature of counterfeit gospels. Like any counterfeit, false teaching disguises itself by trying to imitate the real thing or appealing to felt needs. This is especially true when it comes to the deceptive strategies of Satan and his deceitful servants. Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, and the agents of the devil disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.
Please understand what this means! If you try to create a counterfeit dollar bill, you do not put a picture of Donald Duck on the front; rather, you do everything possible to make it look as much like George Washington as possible. This is now the Enemy works; he creates false gospels that look good, sound good, and feel good … and he creates false teachers that do good things. They claim to be from God, but are not. Upon close examination, you will find significant doctrinal errors in their teaching and significant behavioral errors in their lives.
Jesus teaches this same principle in the Sermon on the Mount: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:15-16). Jesus warns that there will be false teachers who are “wolves” disguising themselves as “sheep.” Watch them carefully, the Lord says, and the behavior of these false teachers will eventually reveal who they really are. Stay away from these counterfeits, for they seek to deceive and destroy you.
Anticipating the coming siege of Jerusalem and destruction of the temple (which would happen in AD 70), Jesus warns the disciples: “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:24). This also applies to our time, especially as the time of Christ’s return grows closer. We must be on the lookout for false prophets and counterfeit messiahs as the return of Christ grows near.
Every generation is confronted by false and counterfeit gospels. In our generation, we have been confronted for years by the prosperity gospel. This false teaching claims that financial blessing and physical well-being are always the will of God for them, and that faith, affirmation statements, and donations to their ministry will increase one’s material wealth and physical health. Material and especially financial success is seen as a sign of divine favor.
”But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies … and many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words.” (2 Peter 2.1,3)
Another false gospel in our time is “progressive Christianity,” which is a growing movement in the church that seeks to re-interpret the Bible, re-assess historic doctrines, and re-define the core principles of the faith. This movement identifies itself as “Christian,” claims to follow Jesus, and boasts a high view of Scripture. However, the truth is they are leading many unsuspecting Christians astray, and confusing the body of Christ about what the Bible is, what Jesus accomplished on the cross, and what the good news of the gospel proclaims.
Progressive Christianity:
- Devalues truth statements, and often embraces postmodern rejection of objective truth.
- It claims Jesus didn’t die for our sins, but rather died publicly and grotesquely because he was a political and religious threat to those in power.
- It claims the Bible is just a human book.
- It seeks to redefine, reinterpret, or even reject essential doctrines of the faith like the Virgin Birth, the deity of Jesus, and his bodily resurrection.
- It focuses heavily on “social justice,” often embracing the ideology and politics of the progressive left.
*For more about Progressive Christianity, I highly recommend Alisa Childers book “Another Gospel?”
Here are the departing words of the apostle Paul to the elders of the church at Ephesus: “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.” (Acts 20:28-30)
Bottom line: Satan and his forces of darkness seek to deceive us through distorted doctrine and counterfeit teachers. We must exercise discernment to recognize and reject false teaching. This is an essential spiritual discipline.
