This post succinctly states all the false gospels that were presented in the recent series on the Modern False Gospel (see categories, gospel message, to examine the 8 part series).
I have a sense of urgency about presenting this material because I clearly see that most do not know the true gospel. Millions of professed Christians are following false teachers; they fill stadiums listening to them; there are so many false teachers that are very popular…all these things indicate that few know the true gospel; few can discern a true from a false preacher….
It is easy to be unaware of the true gospel message because there have been a half-dozen false gospels that have been in vogue since the late 1700s.
After the following summary statements, there is a sermon by C. H. Spurgeon titled Self Delusion. It is far more specific than the 4 minute video by Dr. MacArthur I recently posted about how to recognize a deceived Christian.
ALL THE FOLLOWING MODERN GOSPEL MESSAGES ARE FALSE; THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM WITH EACH IS THAT THEY HAVE DEPARTED FROM SCRIPTURE; THAT IS, EACH OF THESE SYSTEMS OF THOUGHT ARE MAN-MADE ATTEMPTS AT SALVATION:
- The age of reason, late 1700s, ushered in a new intellectualism. This spirit of pride engendered a need to be relevant, innovative…that infiltrated into the church because people left it due to its antiquated ways. That same spirit is at work in the emergent church of the 21st century.
- A desire to be relevant and to keep people from leaving the church caused preachers to bring in new man-made ways such as entertainment; drama; amusements…pastors focused on numbers and methods, not biblical truth
- Revivalism: it began in 1800, in Kentucky: the focus was on emotionalism and looked like Benny Hinn’s revivals of today. Pastors believed that the Holy Spirit was the One moving people to ecstatic, falling out behaviors; pastors were known to stir up congregants via their style of preaching (Jonathan Edwards developed a system, based on 1 John, to distinguish true from false converts), (see session 4 of the Modern Gospel series for more)
- Easy Believism: Charles Finney combined elements of revivalism with works to create a new method of salvation: Finney sought to stir up congregants to the point of making a decision: by raising a hand; coming forward; signing a card…one could be saved. One of these actions was required (see Session 5 of the series); the pastor was a salesman; tools used to move converts included psychology; music; prosperity preaching; sales techniques; peer pressure; emotional stories; freedom from pain and hell..; there was no focus on sin or belief in original sin
- The social gospel: The industrial revolution brought new problems to America: poverty, oppressive work conditions; disease due to over populated cities. Pastors saw a need they could address, such as feeding people and political activism regarding social equality. The biblical hope of salvation in Christ, became, help towards a better life here on earth. Video clips of Rick Warren are shown wherein he is soliciting the help of Islamic leaders to deal with Aids; ecumenism became a way to bring in this new earthly kingdom that was and is wrongly believed to be Christ’s goal (see session 6 for more)
There are more things that can deceive a person and cause him to perish without Christ. The following Spurgeon sermon is VERY RELEVANT today.
Anyone who has read the Bible knows that God’s eternal truth states precisely the problems of man. It shows just how sinful his heart is and provides the only solution to his problem, Christ. Jesus said the following about man-made doctrine: Mat 15:7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,
Mat 15:8 ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.
Mat 15:9 Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.'”
Mat 15:10 Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” He said, “and try to understand.
Mat 15:11 It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” [that reveals the heart, see categories, Beatitude Life, Matthew 5:8 to learn more about the heart]
The following Spurgeon sermon is 51 minutes in length: it is from the YouTube site: Christian Praise and Worship Songs, Sermons, and audio Books:
In closing, I want to emphasize that we have been born into a society that largely professes a false Christian gospel. Unless you have read through the Bible and study it, your faith may have many false elements, that likely render it ineffective.
The solution is to abide in God’s appointed means of grace (reading His word; hearing the truth preached; praying according to the Bible; fellowshipping with other believers; participating in the Lord’s Supper and baptism).
Furthermore, if you have no interest in doing these things, then you may not even be a Christian, because a big part of being born-again is that God gives you an interest in Christ and the things of His kingdom which includes abiding in Him and these means; striving for obedience; hating your sin….
STUDY RECOMMENDATIONS:
***Jonathan Edwards book, Religious Affections: Edwards was part of the true revivals of 1735 and 40; he strove to identify the difference between the genuine and counterfeit converts of those revivals. This work is available at Amazon: paperback, $11.99; Kindle, $0.99; and audible. It is no easy read, but if you want to examine your faith, it is a great tool.
***Christian Praise and Worship Songs, Sermons, and Audio Books: has sermons from many great preachers from the past. For example, the above sermon by Spurgeon is much more biblical than those typically preached by pastors today.