A Perverted Gospel is No Good News By Eternity Now Ministries

NOTE: After retrieving this article, Eternity Now Ministries has become somewhat of a New Age ministry, which I strenuously oppose. The article below however, is very good.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. (Gal 1:6, 7)

Perversion. What does it mean to pervert the gospel? The use of the word in this context is the same as in any other. Perversion means joining together two things that don't belong. The same word is also used in the Bible to describe the turning or degrading of something into an unfavorable state, such as turning the sun into darkness and the moon into blood (Act 2:20).

The word "gospel" means "good news." Read the verse again: You "are turning to a different gospel--which is really no gospel at all." Or, (inserting the definition) "a different gospel-which is really no [good news] at all."

A perverted gospel doesn't bring some truth. It causes a distorted knowledge of God and defiles the conscience, leading to further deception. Jesus told the Pharisees they made the law ineffective by softening its demands and letting people off the hook (Mtt 15:6-9). Paul, under the new covenant, makes it clear that mixing any amount of legalism with the grace that is found in Christ makes the message of the gospel ineffective.

We Christians want to live out our faith in ways that reflect the truth of scripture. But when faith becomes perverted we have a tendency to rewrite the gospel in ways that reflect the truth about our beliefs. A friend recently illustrated this by looking at Colossians though a works-based perspective. A review of her satirical interpretation of a familiar passage may prove surprisingly familiar. Which gospel is your church practicing?

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the determination and will that I had to be one....to you saints who have been able to all, on your own, be faithful brethren. Law to you and striving from God our Father.

We give thanks to the fact that you are performing well.... because you know if you continue to do good by the gospel of law given you, you can pretty much feel safe in feeling that you will get to go to heaven.

This gospel of law has come to you just as it has all the world and is causing them as well to strive daily to attain in increasing amounts. For since the day you heard it, you have pretty much done a lot of it. Just as you heard it from Epaphras, our hard working slave has been faithful to "preach the word" to you of what you need to do. He also informed us of your performance.

For this reason, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to keep harping at you to keep doing all the things necessary to be filled up with the knowledge of law in all the ability that you can muster up to know and do the right things.

THEREFORE, do not believe people who might tell you that you are worthy because you were bought by the precious blood of Christ, where you have now died and the life that you live is actually Him in you. Then you might erroneously come to the conclusion as you go through life here on earth, that Christ can actually on His own, be pleasing to God the Father as He sees Him in you doing all through you. -- From Col 1:1-12, the MSYDI (Make Sure You Do IT) translation, by Joyce Mikhael.

The law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. I cannot balance grace with law. I must balance grace, just like anything else, with faith.

© 2002 EternityNow Ministries. All Rights reserved. This page may be freely copied, reprinted or otherwise used for non-commercial purposes only.

Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible® . The Lockman Foundation © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 Used by permission.

Scripture marked NIV taken from Holy Bible, New International Version® . NIV® . International Bible Society. © 1973, 1978, 1984. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked MSG taken from The Message New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs © 1995. NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. © 1995.

Scripture marked KJV taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version.

Scripture marked paraphrased are by the author.

Contact me about this article

Blog Me - Feel passionate about this subject? Join my blog and lets talk about it. You'll have to register but it's quick and easy.