Compromising the Gospel
The Gospel Defined
The word Gospel is defined simply as “a good message” (Strong’s Dictionary) or “bringing good news” (The Complete Word Study Dictionary). In the secular dictionary, it is defined as “something regarded as true and implicitly believed, i.e. to take his report for gospel; a doctrine regarded as prime importance, i.e. political gospel.” In either case, the Gospel is something that is regarded as true. In scripture, the Gospel is bringing good news through the truth.
Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. Matthew 4:23 (ESV)
Another Gospel
There is another “gospel” that the world is embracing and it is not the Gospel of the Word of God.
“If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.” (Saint Augustine)
Universalism is one of the more common “gospels” that is contradictory to the Word of God. Universalism, in its most basic form, is the theological doctrine that everyone will be saved. Unitarians are such a group.
Universalism teaches that if we are good people, we will die and be at peace. Reincarnation is another “gospel” that I run across. We’ll be back to do this all over again. Thank the Lord that this is not true. Several years ago, I read a case in a legal newspaper where a company was providing a service to those that are reincarnated. The facts were that the company provided a service in which a person wills their money to this company. The company would give a pin number to the customer and invest the customer’s money. Upon their reincarnation, all they had to do was provide the pin number to the company and voila, collect their money with interest. I am interested in obtaining their customer base 
Within the “Christian” camp, we have the health and wealth gospel that emphasizes God’s blessings while ignoring His justice. I have heard a few preachers declare that they do not preach sin and repentance as people already feel bad enough about themselves. Yet, another ‘gospel.’ Liberal Christianity teaches a form of universalism. Sin and repentance are not taught for as it is taught that God is merciful.
It is within the “Christian” camp that the compromised gospel is most dangerous. If sin’s eternal consequences are not preached, there is no salvation for a sinner does not realize that they are in need of His mercy. They preach a false gospel and they have followers as their followers are being fed what they want to hear. These preachers are the wolves in sheep’s clothing that scripture speaks of. (Matthew 7:15)
If they had a social gospel in the days of the prodigal son, somebody would have given him a bed and a sandwich and he never would have gone home. (Vance Havner)
C.H. Spurgeon summed up the Gospel of Christ as:
“The heart of the gospel is redemption, and the essence of redemption is the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ.”
“If the Lord’s bearing our sin for us is not the gospel, I have no gospel to preach.”
The Gospel of Christ, the Good News is Christ-crucified. He has made atonement for sin so that whosoever believes in Him shall have eternal life.
All others are false and lead to eternal separation from God. It is a deadly gospel.
WordPress Tags: Gospel, word, message, doctrine, truth, Jesus, Universalism, affirmation, Unitarianism, death, person, heaven, Lord, Christian, justice, repentance, salvation, sinner, mercy, Spurgeon, Christ, redemption, atonement, life, scripture, preachers
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