What are Counterfeit Gospels
From it’s inception, the truth of the Gospel has required a defense against false teaching and doctrine.
The Fruit of Doctrine
The second area where false leaders present their opposition to the Gospel is in the area of false doctrine and teaching. There are some individuals who may hold to “heavenly” truth but who live a “hellish” lifestyle while others hold to “hellish” doctrines while living a moral or “heavenly” lifestyle. Both are wrong and they reveal a false leader and ultimately counterfeit gospel. The key to keeping believers in Jesus centered in the truth is to walk in humility with a teachable and Christ centered attitude and then to be taught solid Bible truth. The first responsibility that every Christian has, is not to be an expert on the counterfeit gospels, but instead to be well trained in the Word of God (the Bible). The greatest single reason for the advancement of false teaching is the ignorance of the Bible on the part of Christians.
Jesus said to the Sadducees – “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God” – Matthew 22:29. The Sadducees were a Jewish rationalistic sect that denied the supernatural, including the resurrection and the reality of angels. They opposed the Gospel and the work of Christ. Jesus told them the reason for their mistaken unbelief was that they did not know the Scriptures or the power of God. This same issue of a lack of Scriptural knowledge produced numerous individuals who perverted the Gospel and taught false gospels in the early first and second centuries. Many of the books of the New Testament were written to correct these false teachings. There are six areas of doctrine that are targets for false teaching.
1. The Doctrine of Biblical Authority – What is the foundation for our faith in Christ?
2. The Doctrine of God. – What is the nature of God?
3. The Doctrine of Man – What is the nature of man and his need for a relationship with God.
4. The Doctrine of Christ – Who is Jesus Christ?
5. The Doctrine of Salvation – How are we saved from our sin and brought into a right relationship with God. 6. The Doctrine of the Church – What is the church (the believers in Jesus) and how do we relate to each other?
We will examine the two most fundamental of these truths that have the greatest impact on the eternal destiny of people-
1. The Biblical teaching on Who is Jesus? – Christology2. How are people saved from their sin? – Soteriology When these two doctrines are incorrect, the other four areas of doctrine listed above will in most cases also be wrong.
Who is Jesus? – Christology
Jesus Christ is Lord. He is 100% God and 100% man. He is the Divine Son of God.God became human in the person of Jesus Christ with the express purpose of going to the cross and bearing the sins of all mankind. (See Fact #4 on what Jesus stated about Himself).He has always existed – John 1:1-14; John 8:53-59; 17:5,24: Hebrews 1:12;13:8; Colossians 1:16,17He created all things – John 1:2; Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 1:3,8; Ephesians 3:8,9He is one with the Father – John 10:30; 8:19; 14:7; 15:23; Matthew 10:40; John 12:45; 14:9He is to be worshipped as God – Matthew 14:33; 28:9; Luke 24:52; John 5:23; Romans 10:9-13;Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 1:6He forgives sin – Mark 2:5-10He upholds all things – Colossians 1:17He has all authority – Matthew 28:18-20He is the final Judge –John 5:25-29His words are the very Words of God- Luke 21:33He is referred to as God – John 20:28; Acts 20:28; Philippians 2:6,7; Colossians 2:9; Titus 2:13He was a man – I Timothy 2:5He was born and went through childhood – Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:32-35He was tempted like we are – Hebrews 4:14-16.He was limited in His humanity in many ways as we are – Matthew 4:2; 8:24; John 4:7; 19:28; John 4:6He experienced pain and suffering – Luke 22:44; 23:33.He died – John 19:30-34.The fact that Jesus Christ is both man and God is a mystery well beyond our understanding, yet the evidence of the New Testament clearly teaches that He is both God and man – God in human flesh – Immanuel – “God with us”.How are People Saved from Their Sin? – Soteriology
Jesus Christ died for our sins. He rose again from the dead and we are saved by repenting, turning from our sin, and placing our sincere faith in His provision for us on the cross. As we examined earlier in this presentation, the Gospel places our salvation completely in Jesus Christ and the merits of the cross that only He has made available to us. The apostles preached that we are saved on this one basis alone. This area of Biblical instruction is referred to as Soteriology and the atoning work of Christ is the center piece of this doctrine. (See the above material facts #1-4 on the core message of the Gospel.).Just as in the early church, these two primary areas of truth are the facts at which the enemies of the Gospel aim their attack. The fact that we are sinners and in need of the Savior – Jesus Christ. The fact that we must respond in faith to what Christ has accomplished for us on the cross. The fact that we must confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and embrace the reality that He rose from the dead and is right now alive. If these truths can be distorted and marginalized, then the Gospel is not preached and those who heard these counterfeit gospels are not hearing the truth.The apostles had to deal with numerous false Gospels that perverted the message of Who Jesus is and what He had accomplished. The apostle’s primary mission was to preach and proclaim the truth, but they were also called upon to defend and instruct believers in the basic truths of the Gospel.Counterfeit Gospels Confronted by the Early Church
The following is a listing of some of the counterfeit gospels and erroneous teachings that they had to confront.1. Ebionites: This movement taught that Jesus was the Messiah but He was not the Divine Son of God. They rejected Paul’s authority as an apostle and believed, as the Judaizers, that the law of Moses and Jesus’ work on the cross were both together the means by which men are saved. Galatians 1:6-9; 2:11-20.2. Gnostics: This teaching had a wide diversity of thought. In general, it placed a special importance on spiritual “knowledge” and it shunned the material world. The Gnostics believed that salvation came from an enlightened intellect, not the work of Christ on the cross. They rejected the Biblical teaching that Jesus was a real man and taught that He did not die on the cross and therefore He did not rise from the dead. I Timothy 6:20,21, I John 4:1-4.3. Judaizers: They believed in Jesus Christ but taught that in order to be saved, men had to believe in Jesus as Savior and also had to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses. – Acts 15:1; Ephesians 2:1-22.4. Nicolaitans: These followers of Nicolas, believed in Jesus as Savior but also believed that they could live out lifestyles of unrestrained sin and immorality. II Peter 2:19-21, Rev. 2:12-16.5. Asceticism: This was a branch of Gnosticism that saw everything in the material and human world to be so inherently evil that in order to be saved men had to punish their bodies with self-denial and self abuse. They did this to attain a higher level of spiritual enlightenment. I Timothy 4:1-4.6. Docetism: This was a movement that taught that Jesus Christ was not a physical man, He only appeared to be physical. He was a manifestation or an illusion and was at His core a spirit being. Therefore, it only appeared that He died on a cross and rose again, but in reality these events did not take place and were instead only illusionary. John 1:1-14; I John 1:1-3; 4:1-4.
How did the apostles respond?
The apostles clearly taught that Jesus is Lord, the Divine Son of God, the only Savior. He was truly God and yet truly a man. He literally died on a cross and literally rose from the dead and only by faith in Him can we be saved. Nothing short of this would suffice.Today, we have numerous organizations that are not preaching the Gospel, but instead are presenting a different “jesus” and a different “gospel”. These groups all have common characteristics. They tend to deify man and humanize God; elevate a certain leader or group of leaders to a place of absolute authority; undermine and even eliminate the seriousness of sin; display a lack of respect for the Bible; believe that they alone are the true believers or the only true church or spiritual society. The terms that they use may sound biblically based, but when pressed for the definition of these terms, it will be evident that they are not based in the Scriptures. It needs to be pointed out that some of the things that these organizations teach may have some merit and wisdom. However, the key teachings of the serious and vitally important Biblical essentials are always denied. Let’s examine in brief detail the two basic Gospel truths and compare them with what the most prominent of these organizations teach.Truth #1: Jesus Christ is Lord. He is 100% God and 100% man. He is the Divine Son of God.
Truth #2: Jesus Christ is the Savior. He died for our sins. He rose again from the dead and we are saved by repenting and turning from our sin and placing our sincere faith in His provision for us on the cross.
The ten main organizations and movements that are promoting counterfeit gospels are:
1. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints – ( The Mormons).2. The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society – (The Jehovah’s Witnesses).3. Christian Science.4. The New Age Movement Organizations.5. Spiritism (Spiritualism) 6. Theosophy 7. The Unification Church 8. Hare Krishna 9. Scientology 10. The Way International1. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints – Mormons:
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Jesus:
Mormonism – Jesus was a pre-existent sprit, however, He is the first born of God’s spirit children. He is not the unique Son of God.“His humanity is to be recognized as real and ordinary – whatever happened to Him may happen to any of us. The Divinity of Jesus and the Divinity of all other noble and stately souls in so far as they, too have been influenced by a spark of Deity – can be recognized as manifestations of the Divine” – Elder B.H. Roberts citing Sir Oliver Lodge in Joseph Smith, King Follett Discourse, page 11 note.According to apostle Orson Hyde, Journal of Discourse, Vol. 4, pages 259,260 – Jesus was married to the two Mary’s and Martha.Salvation:
Article #3 of the Mormon Articles of Faith – “We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel”.“I want you to tell them and tell all the great men of the earth, that the Latter-day Saints are their redeemer….Believe in God, believe in Jesus and believe in Joseph his prophet and Brigham his successor and I add, if you will believe in your hearts and confess with your mouth Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph was a prophet and that Brigham is his successor, you will be saved in the kingdom of God…” – Brigham Young – Journal of Discourses 6:299, 7:2892. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society – The Jehovah’s Witnesses:
This organization is the result of the work of Charles Russell (1852-1916). |
Jesus:
“He was a god, but not the Almighty God, Who is Jehovah”. – Let God be True – 1946 page 91.“Jesus the Christ, a created individual, is the second greatest personage of the universe”. – Make Sure of All Things –page 207.Jehovah’s witnesses believe that Jesus was Michael the Archangel in his pre-existent state, an angelic brother of Lucifer. During his earthly experience, Michael became a man. – See The Kingdom is at Hand, page 49.Salvation:
“All who by reason of faith in Jehovah God and in Jesus Christ dedicate themselves to do God’s will and then faithfully carry out their dedication will be rewarded with everlasting life”. – Let God be True , page 298.Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the resurrection of Christ. “This firstborn from the dead was raised from the grave, not a human creature, but a spirit”. – Let God be True, page 276“God raised him to deathless life as a glorious spirit creature”. – Let God be True – page 41.3. Christian Science:
This organization was founded and is based on the teachings of Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910).Jesus:
“Jesus is the human man, and Christ is the divine idea; hence the duality of Jesus Christ.” – Science and Health, 473:9-16.Christian Science is a Pantheistic religion – “God is a divine Whole and All, an all-pervading intelligence and love; a divine, infinite principle.” – Mary Baker Eddy, Miscellaneous Writings, page 16:21,22.Salvation:
There is no such thing as sin or evil. Sin and evil are only illusions. ” … Hence, evil is but an illusion and it has no real basis. Evil is a false belief” – Science and Health , page 480. Because sin and evil are not real, there is no need of salvation. “Christ came to destroy the belief of sin”. – Science and Health – 480:23,24.Christian Science does not believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.“Jesus students, not sufficiently advanced to understand fully their Master’s triumph, did not perform many wonderful works until they saw him after his crucifixion and learned that he had not died”. – Science and Health, page 45,46.“His disciples believed Jesus to be dead while he was hidden in the sepulchre, whereas he was alive, demonstrating within the narrow tomb the power of Spirit to mortal, material sense”. – Ibid, page 44.In the Christian Science belief system, there is no need for the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Gospels. No sin, no evil and thus no need for a Savior.4. New Age Movement Organizations:
This is a term which describes a worldview of numerous types of organizations – (professional, educational, economic, medical, human potential, human development…). However, they all share common spiritual and religious beliefs.Jesus:
God is an impersonal all pervading energy. (A pantheistic God). Jesus was a New Age teacher and an example for us of an enlightened person who realized that he was God. All of mankind has the divine within us and we need to realize that, like Jesus, we are also God. |
Salvation:
Sin is the ignorance of man’s personal Divine nature. We are saved by looking inside one’s self and practicing New Age methods of self awareness to finally fully realize that we are God (Divine).In the New Age system of thought there is no real sin and no need of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Resurrection has no place in this theology. This is a pantheistic system and upholds the view of reincarnation.5. Spiritism: (Spiritualism)
This is one of the oldest forms of religious expression; It is the belief in the spirit world and in the demonstrated fact of communicating with that world. One learns to mold their beliefs and conduct from teachings derived from this communication. (See National Spiritualist Association, definitions, 1914,1919).Jesus:“Jesus was no more divine than any other man. The spark of divinity dwells in all people. Jesus was the Son of God in the same sense that all men are the sons of God.” – “What Spiritualism Is and Does” – Spiritualist Manual – 1940Salvation:rn“Good deeds, springing from a good heart have a creative force in building pleasant abodes in spirit life and conversely the sinful create their own unhappy habitations. The wicked must compensate for their deeds, here or hereafter and attain a state of justice before they are prepared to enter upon the path which leads to spiritual happiness and progression.” – “Philosophy of Spiritualism” – Spiritualist Manual – 1940.The Lordship of Jesus Christ as the Divine Son of God; the substitutionary work of Jesus on the cross on mankind’s behalf and His resurrection from the dead is rejected within the Spiritism belief system.6. Theosophy:
The Theosophy movement was founded by Helena Blavatsky (1831-1891), an Ukrainian Occultist.Jesus:
Truth is found in all religions. Jesus was a man who had the Divine principle. The exclusive nature of the Biblical Jesus is to be rejected.Salvation:
Salvation consists of man reaching the state of consciousness through a series of seven stages where he comes to know the reality of his divine nature. “for you are God and you will only what God wills; but you must dig deep down into yourself to find the God within you and listen to His voice which is your voice” . – Krishnamurti, At the Feet of the Master page 10.7. The Unification Church:
This “Church” was founded and led by a Korean spiritual leader named Sun Myung Moon (1920-2012).Jesus:
According to Moon, Jesus Christ was a failure. “Abraham the father of faith, Moses was a man of faith, Jesus was the Son of man, trying to carry out his mission at the cost of his life. But they are, in a way, failures” – Victory or Defeat from The Master Speaks, March 31, 1973, page 1.“Jesus is the man of his value. However great his value may be, he cannot assume any value greater than that of a man…” – Divine Principle , – page 255. “It is plain that Jesus is not God Himself” – Divine Principle, page 258.“But after his crucifixion, Christianity made Jesus into God. This is why a gap between God and man has never been bridged. Jesus is a man in whom God is incarnate, but he is not God Himself” – Christianity in Crisis, pages 12,13.Salvation:
Jesus Christ was supposed to have redeemed mankind both spiritually and physically. According to Mr. Moon, Jesus failed to accomplish this and as a result Moon was chosen to establish a new religion which is now the Unification Church and this “church” under his leadership is the final revealer of truth.“Jesus failed in his Christly mission. His death on the cross was not an essential part of God’s plan for redeeming sinful man”. – Divine Principle, page 151.Jesus did not physically or bodily rise from the dead as recorded in the New Testament, He merely “spiritually” arose.8. Hare Krishna:
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Jesus:
“Jesus is the son and Krishna is the Father” – Jesus loves Krsna’s, Los Angeles Bhaktivenda Book Trust – page 26. Jesus is not the Lord, Krishna is lord.Salvation:
Salvation is accomplished by dealing with one’s bad deeds. Karma must be paid during the many successive lives (reincarnations) that are lived by each individual.9. Scientology:
Founded by L. Ron Hubbard (1911-1986). He was a science fiction writer who developed a self- help system called Dianetics. Later, an organization referred to as the Church of Scientology was formed.Jesus:
“You will find the cross as a symbol all over the universe, and the christ legend as an implant in preclears a million years ago” – L. Ron Hubbard Professional Auditors Bulletin, page 31.“Neither Lord Buddha nor Jesus were OT (Operating Thetans), the highest Scientology level) according to evidence. They were just a shade above clear.” – L. Ron Hubbard Certainty Magazine, vol. 5, #10.Salvation:
“It is despicable and utterly beneath contempt to tell a man he must repent, that he is evil”. – L. Ron Hubbard , Professional Auditors Bulletin, page 31.“…personal salvation in one lifetime(is) freedom from the cycle of birth and death( reincarnation)… Religious practice of all Faiths is the universal way to Wisdom, Understanding and/or salvation.” – Scientology: A world Religion, pages 16,35.10. The Way International:
Founded by Victor Paul Wierwille (1916-1985), a former Evangelical and Reformed Christian pastor, claimed that God spoke to him audibly and gave him new Biblical understanding never know before.Jesus:
“If Jesus is God and not the Son of God, we have not yet been redeemed.” – Victor Paul Wierwille, Jesus is not God – page 6.“Jesus Christ’s existence began when he was conceived by God’s creating the soul-life of Jesus in Mary. God created, brought into existence, this life in an ovum in Mary’s womb.” – Victor Paul Wierwille, The Word’s Way, Vol. 3, pages 26,37.Salvation:
Salvation is in Christ, but the manifestation of this salvation is that a person will speak in tongues.“… the only visible and audible proof that a man has been born again and filled with the gift of the Holy Spirit is always that he speaks in a tongue or tongues.” – Victor Paul Wierwille, Receiving the Holy Spirit Today, page 148.Summary:
These are just a few key examples of what could be hundreds of religious organizations that all teach a different “jesus” and a different “gospel”. To examine these organizations in much greater detail, see the books listed in Note #2 at the end of this presentation. As stated earlier, it is the responsibility of every Christian to know the Bible and to be grounded in the clear fundamental teachings of the Scriptures.The six major doctrines that are targets for false teaching are:
1. The Doctrine of Biblical Authority – The Bible is the foundation for our faith in Christ.2. The Doctrine of God. – God is the Eternal, Infinite Spirit Being Who is Triune in His nature. 3. The Doctrine of Man – What is the nature of man and his need for a relationship with God.4. The Doctrine of Christ – Jesus is 100% God and 100% man.5. The Doctrine of Salvation – We are saved by grace, through faith, in Jesus Christ alone.6. The Doctrine of the Church – We are members of the body of Christ with equality among us under Biblically based leadership.