The Genuine Gospel

Counterfeit Gospel (Graphic)

A very well-known preacher was being interviewed on television
recently. When the topic of sin came up, the preacher said, “I
never talk about sin. I never use the word ‘sin,’ because people
already know they are sinners. I am not here to beat people down. I
just want to lift them up.”
Have you deceived yourself?
I have to disagree. Most people don’t know they are sinners. Or if they
do know, they are certainly trying to camouflage it or keep it hidden
in the secret basement of their lives.
Sin has become a word that you don’t use in polite company.
Certainly not personal sin, yours or mine. People think of sin as
something perpetrated by radical terrorist groups, by violent criminals, murderers,
and kidnappers.
But the word of God is clear, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”
– Romans 3:23. “If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not
in us. If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His Word is not in us.” –1 John 1:8-10
Let go of sin and turn to Jesus
The task of the preacher is not just to lift people up, it is to point them to
Christ. So we have to use the word “sin”. Jesus came to seek and to save
that which was lost. He didn’t come to cheer us up, He came to rescue
us from the grip and condemnation of sin. We don’t have to look very
far to find those that are identified as sinners – we just have to look
at the mirror. Yes, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”
– Romans 3:23.
Salvation from our sins
The angel Gabriel, in announcing the birth of the Messiah, declared,
“You shall call His Name, Jesus, for He shall save His people from their
sins” – Matthew 1:21. He comes to bring us good news, “glad tidings
of great joy which shall be to all people.”
The Gospel is the good news,
but it is only good news if it deals with the main obstacle to peace
with God – our sin. The attempt to ignore sin and to cover it up with
a “feel good” Gospel gives people a false sense of security. The book
of Proverbs says, “He that covers his sins shall not prosper but whoever
confesses and forsakes them shall obtain mercy.” – Proverbs 28:13
A gospel that avoids the issue of sin is a counterfeit gospel. The
Apostle Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia, “I marvel that you are
turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a
different Gospel” – Galatians 1:6. Just because someone uses the term
“gospel”, it doesn’t mean he or she is referring to the genuine Gospel. Even if
someone claims they are preaching the gospel, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is the real Gospel.
For the Gospel to be genuine, certain things must be in place. And one of those
things is the acknowledgement that everyone has sinned. As 1 John 1:8 says, “If we
say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
Do you know the genuine Gospel?
The only solution for our sin being removed is the Cross. If the Cross
is not proclaimed, then it is not the gospel. Any proper presentation
of the Gospel includes the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ. Paul wrote to the believers at Corinth, “For I determined not
to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified”
– 1 Corinthians 2:2.
Whenever there is the genuine, there also will be the counterfeit.
And the devil has his fake version of just about everything spiritual –
even the Gospel. 