Anyone Who Distorts The Gospel is Accursed

[Johann]

Anyone Who Distorts The Gospel is Accursed



The apostle Paul spent his entire ministry proclaiming, defending and contending for the purity and exclusivity of God's Gospel. When the Gospel first came under attack in the Galatian churches, Paul responded with righteous anger and indignation towards the false teachers because so much was at stake. He issued a severe warning and then repeated himself so there would be no misunderstanding. "As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!" (Gal. 1:9). This is as harsh as God’s inspired Word ever gets…pronouncing a damning curse on anyone who distorts or alters His Gospel.

Nothing Can Be Added to God's Gospel
Paul pronounced the damning curse on the Judaizers, who only professed to believe in the person and work of Christ, but were distorting His Gospel by adding something to it. These false teachers were requiring Gentiles to become Jewish proselytes and obey the Mosaic Law to be saved. They were nullifying God's saving grace by adding religious rules and rituals as requirements for salvation. They were insulting the Lord Jesus Christ by adding to His perfect, all-sufficient work of redemption. Paul soundly rebuked the Judaizers when he wrote: "we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ" (Gal. 2:16).

Is the Roman Catholic Clergy Accursed?
There are many perversions of God's Gospel today; however, the greatest of all distortions is the false and fatal gospel of the Roman Catholic Church. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), the following six requirements have been added to the Gospel and are necessary for Catholics to be saved: baptism (CCC, 1256), sacraments (CCC, 1129), good works (CCC, 1477), the sacrifice of the Mass (CCC, 2180), penance (CCC, 980), and keeping the law (CCC, 2068). According to God's inspired, infallible Word, every Roman Catholic pope, cardinal, bishop, priest and nun is under a divine curse for teaching a distorted gospel. They are all included in Paul's divinely inspired anathema. "Even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!" (Gal. 1:8). Catholics must be warned that their clergy is condemned by the one true God. No one should believe the uninspired words of men unless they conform to the inspired Word of God (Acts 17:11).

What Does it Mean to Be Accursed?
In Galatians 1:8-9, the word “accursed” is the Greek word anathema. It means to be turned over to God for destruction. God's Word is pronouncing a damning curse on anyone who distorts or alters His Gospel. If you add anything to the Gospel or take anything away from the Gospel, you are to be turned over to God for destruction. Those who teach any way of salvation, other than through the perfect, all-sufficient work of Jesus Christ alone, are accursed. The Lord Jesus describes what it means to be accursed in Matt. 25:41. He said: “Depart from Me, you accursed, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.” To be cursed is to be put away from the presence of Christ, and thrown into the eternal fire prepared for the devil.

Christians Must Not Tolerate any False Gospels
Most of our Christian leaders are rightfully exposing Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons and Muslims as false teachers, but we can only wonder why they are not denouncing the false teachers of Roman Catholicism. Have they considered Paul's question? “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10). Paul's admonition is clear. If we tolerate any false gospel, we are not pleasing our Lord.

Christians Cannot Be Yoked with Unbelievers
Paul did not seek unity with the Judaizers, who believed in Jesus but were distorting His Gospel. He was outraged because they were confusing the Galatian believers. Paul was amazed and astonished that Christians were tolerating a false gospel and not resisting the Judaizers. We see the same thing happening today. Many Christians are tolerating false gospels. Instead of exposing the false and fatal gospel of Catholicism, they are seeking unity with Roman Catholics to fight the social, moral and political wars. We must obey God's Word! "Do not be bound together with unbelievers" (2 Cor. 6:14).
.
We Must Rescue Those Who Are Deceived
Anyone Who Distorts The Gospel is Accursed--Link


Satan’s most popular and destructive lie is that salvation can be merited by good works. Of all the different faiths in the world, there are really only two. One is by grace through divine accomplishment, the other is by works through human achievement. One is based on what Jesus Christ has DONE, the other is what man must DO. People will never know they are deceived until they are confronted by the truth. As truth bearers, we must rescue those who are perishing by speaking the truth in love. We must call Catholics and others who are trapped in religious deception to repent of their false and fatal gospel and to believe God's Gospel (Mark 1:15).

 

[Soyeong]

Anyone Who Distorts The Gospel is Accursed



The apostle Paul spent his entire ministry proclaiming, defending and contending for the purity and exclusivity of God's Gospel. When the Gospel first came under attack in the Galatian churches, Paul responded with righteous anger and indignation towards the false teachers because so much was at stake. He issued a severe warning and then repeated himself so there would be no misunderstanding. "As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!" (Gal. 1:9). This is as harsh as God’s inspired Word ever gets…pronouncing a damning curse on anyone who distorts or alters His Gospel.

Nothing Can Be Added to God's Gospel
Paul pronounced the damning curse on the Judaizers, who only professed to believe in the person and work of Christ, but were distorting His Gospel by adding something to it. These false teachers were requiring Gentiles to become Jewish proselytes and obey the Mosaic Law to be saved. They were nullifying God's saving grace by adding religious rules and rituals as requirements for salvation. They were insulting the Lord Jesus Christ by adding to His perfect, all-sufficient work of redemption. Paul soundly rebuked the Judaizers when he wrote: "we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ" (Gal. 2:16).

Is the Roman Catholic Clergy Accursed?
There are many perversions of God's Gospel today; however, the greatest of all distortions is the false and fatal gospel of the Roman Catholic Church. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), the following six requirements have been added to the Gospel and are necessary for Catholics to be saved: baptism (CCC, 1256), sacraments (CCC, 1129), good works (CCC, 1477), the sacrifice of the Mass (CCC, 2180), penance (CCC, 980), and keeping the law (CCC, 2068). According to God's inspired, infallible Word, every Roman Catholic pope, cardinal, bishop, priest and nun is under a divine curse for teaching a distorted gospel. They are all included in Paul's divinely inspired anathema. "Even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!" (Gal. 1:8). Catholics must be warned that their clergy is condemned by the one true God. No one should believe the uninspired words of men unless they conform to the inspired Word of God (Acts 17:11).

What Does it Mean to Be Accursed?
In Galatians 1:8-9, the word “accursed” is the Greek word anathema. It means to be turned over to God for destruction. God's Word is pronouncing a damning curse on anyone who distorts or alters His Gospel. If you add anything to the Gospel or take anything away from the Gospel, you are to be turned over to God for destruction. Those who teach any way of salvation, other than through the perfect, all-sufficient work of Jesus Christ alone, are accursed. The Lord Jesus describes what it means to be accursed in Matt. 25:41. He said: “Depart from Me, you accursed, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.” To be cursed is to be put away from the presence of Christ, and thrown into the eternal fire prepared for the devil.

Christians Must Not Tolerate any False Gospels
Most of our Christian leaders are rightfully exposing Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons and Muslims as false teachers, but we can only wonder why they are not denouncing the false teachers of Roman Catholicism. Have they considered Paul's question? “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10). Paul's admonition is clear. If we tolerate any false gospel, we are not pleasing our Lord.

Christians Cannot Be Yoked with Unbelievers
Paul did not seek unity with the Judaizers, who believed in Jesus but were distorting His Gospel. He was outraged because they were confusing the Galatian believers. Paul was amazed and astonished that Christians were tolerating a false gospel and not resisting the Judaizers. We see the same thing happening today. Many Christians are tolerating false gospels. Instead of exposing the false and fatal gospel of Catholicism, they are seeking unity with Roman Catholics to fight the social, moral and political wars. We must obey God's Word! "Do not be bound together with unbelievers" (2 Cor. 6:14).
.
We Must Rescue Those Who Are Deceived
Anyone Who Distorts The Gospel is Accursed--Link


Satan’s most popular and destructive lie is that salvation can be merited by good works. Of all the different faiths in the world, there are really only two. One is by grace through divine accomplishment, the other is by works through human achievement. One is based on what Jesus Christ has DONE, the other is what man must DO. People will never know they are deceived until they are confronted by the truth. As truth bearers, we must rescue those who are perishing by speaking the truth in love. We must call Catholics and others who are trapped in religious deception to repent of their false and fatal gospel and to believe God's Gospel (Mark 1:15).

In Matthew 4:15-23, Jesus began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand, which was a light to the nations, and the Mosaic Law was how his audience knew what sin is, so repenting from our disobedience to it is a central part of the Gospel message. In Romans 15:4, Paul said that OT Scripture was written for our instruction, and in 15:18-19, his Gospel involved bringing Gentiles to obedience in word and in deed, so his Gospel was on the same page in regard to teaching repentance from sin. Moreover, Romans 10:16, 2 Thessalonians 1:8, and 1 Peter 4:17 all speak against those who do not obey the Gospel. So Galatians 1:1-9 should not be used as a weapon against the Gospel that Jesus and Paul taught. Paul's problem with the Judaizers was not that they were teaching Gentiles how to follow Christ, but that they were wanting to require Gentiles to obey their works of the law in order to become justified.

Our salvation is from sin (Matthew 1:21) and it is by the Mosaic Law that we know what sin is (Romans 3:20), so while we do not earn our salvation by obeying it, living in obedience to it through faith in Jesus is intrinsically the content of the gift of him saving us from from not living in obedience to it. For example, honoring our parents through faith in Jesus is the way that he is saving us from not honoring our parents. In Titus 2:11-14, our salvation is descried as being trained by grace to do what is godly, righteous, and good, and to renounce doing what is ungodly, so we do not need to first do those works in order to result in earning our salvation and we don't need to do those works as the result of having first been saved, but rather God graciously teaching us to do those works is the content of His gift of saving us from not doing those works. Someone who refuses to participate in this training is rejecting the content of the gift of salvation. Furthermore, in Titus 2:14, Jesus gave himself to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people of his own possession who are zealous for doing good works, so becoming zealous for doing good works in obedience to God's law has nothing to do with adding our works to Christ's work on the cross as if it were not sufficient, but rather that is the way to believe in what he accomplished through the cross (Acts 21:20). It is contradictory to trust in God for salvation while refusing to trust in what God has instructed for salvation.

 

[Johann]

In Matthew 4:15-23, Jesus began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand, which was a light to the nations, and the Mosaic Law was how his audience knew what sin is, so repenting from our disobedience to it is a central part of the Gospel message. In Romans 15:4, Paul said that OT Scripture was written for our instruction, and in 15:18-19, his Gospel involved bringing Gentiles to obedience in word and in deed, so his Gospel was on the same page in regard to teaching repentance from sin. Moreover, Romans 10:16, 2 Thessalonians 1:8, and 1 Peter 4:17 all speak against those who do not obey the Gospel. So Galatians 1:1-9 should not be used as a weapon against the Gospel that Jesus and Paul taught. Paul's problem with the Judaizers was not that they were teaching Gentiles how to follow Christ, but that they were wanting to require Gentiles to obey their works of the law in order to become justified.

Our salvation is from sin (Matthew 1:21) and it is by the Mosaic Law that we know what sin is (Romans 3:20), so while we do not earn our salvation by obeying it, living in obedience to it through faith in Jesus is intrinsically the content of the gift of him saving us from from not living in obedience to it. For example, honoring our parents through faith in Jesus is the way that he is saving us from not honoring our parents. In Titus 2:11-14, our salvation is descried as being trained by grace to do what is godly, righteous, and good, and to renounce doing what is ungodly, so we do not need to first do those works in order to result in earning our salvation and we don't need to do those works as the result of having first been saved, but rather God graciously teaching us to do those works is the content of His gift of saving us from not doing those works. Someone who refuses to participate in this training is rejecting the content of what salvation is. Furthermore, in Titus 2:14, Jesus gave himself to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people of his own possession who are zealous for doing good works, so becoming zealous for doing good works in obedience to God's law has nothing to do with adding our works to Christ's work on the cross as if it were not sufficient, but rather that is the way to believe in what he accomplished through the cross (Acts 21:20). It is contradictory to trust in God for salvation while refusing to trust in what God has instructed for salvation.

I concur.
J.

 

[Johann]

and the Mosaic Law was how his audience knew what sin is, so repenting from our disobedience to it is a central part of the Gospel message.

Terms for God's Revelation (Using Deuteronomy and Psalms)

I. "Statutes," BDB 349, "an enactment, decree, or ordinance"

A. Masculine, חק (KB, 346) – Deut. 4:1,5,6,8,14,40,45; 5:1; 6:1,24; 7:11; 11:32; 16:12; 17:19; 26:17; 27:10; Psalm 2:7; 50:16; 81:4; 99:7; 105:10,45; 148:6

B. Feminine, חקה (KB, 347) – Deut. 6:2; 8:11; 10:13; 11:1; 28:15,45; 30:10,16; Ps. 89:31; 119:5,8,12,16,23,26,33,48, 54,64,68,71,80, 83,112,124,135, 145,155,171

II. "Law" BDB 435, KB 1710, "instruction"

– Deut. 1:5; 4:44; 17:11,18,19; 27:3,8,26; 28:58,61; 29:21,29; 30:10; 31:9; Psalm 1:2; 19:7; 78:10; 94:12; 105:45; 119:1,18,29,34,44,51,53,55,61,70,72,77,85,92,97,109,113,126,136,142,150,153,163,165,174

III. "Testimonies" BDB 730, KB 790, "divine laws"

A. plural, עדה – Deut. 4:45; 6:17,20; Psalm 25:10; 78:56; 93:5; 99:7; 119:22,24,46,59,79,95,119,125,138,146,152,167,168

B. עדות or עדת – Psalm 19:7; 78:5; 81:5; 119:2,14,31,36,88,99,111,129,144,157

IV. "Precepts" BDB 824, KB 959, "a charge"

– Psalm 19:8; 103:18; 111:7; 119:4,15,27,40,45,56,63,69,78,87,93,94,100,104,110,128,134,141,159,168,173

V. "Commandments" BDB 846, KB 622

– Deut. 4:2,40; 5:29; 6:1,2,17,25; 8:1,2,11; 10:13; 11:13; 15:5; 26:13,17; 30:11,16; Psalm 19:8; 119:6,10,19,21,32,35,47,48, 60,66,73,86,96,98,115,127,131,143,151, 166,176

VI. "Judgments/ordinances" BDB 1048, KB 651, "rulings" or "justice"

– Deut. 1:17; 4:1,5,8,14,45; 7:12; 16:18; 30:16; 33:10,21; Psalm 10:5; 18:22; 19:9; 48:11; 89:30; 97:8; 105:5,7; 119:7,13,20,30,39,43,52,62, 75,84,102,106,120,137, 149,156,160,164; 147:19; 149:9

VII. "His ways" BDB 202, KB 231, YHWH's guidelines for His people's lifestyle

– Deut. 8:6; 10:12; 11:22,28; 19:9; 26:17; 28:9; 30:16; 32:4; Psalm 119:3, 5,37,59

VIII. "His words"

A. BDB 182, KB 211 – Deut. 4:10,12,36; 9:10; 10:4; 17:19; 18:19; Psalm 119:9,16,17,25,28,42,43,49,57,65,74, 81,89,101,105,107,114,130,139,147, 160,161,169

B. BDB 57, KB 67

1. "word" – Deut. 33:9; Psalm 119:11,67,103,162,170,172

2. "promise" – Psalm 119:38,41,50,58,76,82,116,133,140,148,154

3. "command" – Psalm 119:158



All of these refer to God's special revelation of Himself to Israel. They are basically synonymous.

INSPIRATION

This is the faith assertion that God was actively involved by His Spirit in recording His acts, promises, and will for mankind. It is "the" divine self-disclosure! This disclosure is called "revelation." Its recording for future generations is called "inspiration."

The only use of the word "inspiration" in the Bible is in 2 Tim. 3:16 and is literally "God exhaled." Notice "Scripture" in the NT always refers to the OT (i.e., 2 Tim. 3:15 refers to Timothy's Jewish upbringing). Notice the purpose of Scripture is two fold.

1. wisdom that leads to salvation, 2 Tim. 3:15

2. training in righteousness, 2 Tim. 3:16

Notice how John 5:39; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; and 1 Pet. 1:10-12 see the OT as pointing toward Christ. Jesus Himself asserts this in Luke 24:25-27!

The Spirit led OT writers (cf. 2 Pet. 1:20-21). The church accepted the canon of the OT. They saw it as fully inspired (cf. Matt. 5:17-19). However, they also realized that the NT, which contains Jesus' words and deeds, was ultimate revelation (cf. Matt. 5:21-48; Heb. 1:1-2). Jesus is the full, final, and complete revelation of YHWH (cf. John 1:1-5,14; Col. 1:15-16). He fulfills the OT promise of Messiah (i.e., Matt. 26:31,56; 14:27,49; Luke 20:17; John 12:14-16; 13:18; 15:25; 17:12; 19:24-36; Acts 1:16; 3:18,21-26; 4:25-28).

The Spirit must open the mind and heart before one can understand (cf. Acts 8:34-35; 13:27). The Spirit led biblical writers to express in human words, idioms, and illustrations the truths of God's self-disclosure in Jesus (cf. John 14:26; 15:26-27; 1 Cor. 2:10-11,13-16).

A good brief discussion is in Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, 2nd ed., pp. 224-245.

Also a good discussion on the literary process from an "oral" based society to written documents is John H. Walton and D. Brent Sandy, The Lost World of Scripture (2018).

While I would disagree we are UNDER the Mosaic mitzvoth.