The Bible Says There is Only One Gospel
Mar 31, 2008
One way that today’s religious world could accurately be described is varied. There are a huge number of different faiths and belief systems. In many cases, diversity is great because it makes things interesting. However, in serving God, diversity is not great. According to God’s word, there is just the one gospel. There is only one correct set of instructions. Out of all the sets of instructions out there, the correct set must be the one that comes from God. And those instructions from God are contained in our record of His word " the Bible.
When the apostle Paul wrote his second letter to the Corinthians, he expressed a concern that they would be corrupted and accept a different gospel (2nd Corinthians 11:3+4). He expressed a very similar concern for the Galatians (Galatians 1:6+7). Paul would not have been worried about them accepting a different gospel if different gospels were acceptable. Different gospels are not acceptable. There needs to be unity, or oneness, in how God is being served (Ephesians 4:4-6).
To achieve this oneness, the same set of instructions must be followed. In my job as a programmer, we are expected to have a consistent, unified look to our programs. To do that, we all have to follow the company standards. It would be ridiculous for me to make up my own standards and then hope everyone else follows them. Just like our company won’t have consistency without following one set of instructions, there won’t be consistency, or unity, in Christianity unless the same set of instructions is followed. That set of instructions needs to be the one from God. As the apostles answered those who told them not to teach in Jesus’ name, “we ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Our set of instructions needs to be exactly the one God provided, no more and no less. That is what He expected in the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 4:2). That is also what He expects today (Revelation 22:18+19).
God’s instructions for us were written down and passed on in the Bible. His word was revealed to “His holy apostles and prophets” (Ephesians 3:5). They taught the word back then (Ephesians 4:11-13) and it was recorded in the books and letters that make up the Bible today. Even though many of the books in the New Testament are letters that were written to specific people or churches, they were intended to be passed around (Colossians 4:16). The only correct gospel is the one that was taught and recorded then by the men to whom God revealed it. One of those men, Paul, gave the following warning: “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8+9). There is only one correct gospel, so let’s follow that one and accept no imitations.
When the apostle Paul wrote his second letter to the Corinthians, he expressed a concern that they would be corrupted and accept a different gospel (2nd Corinthians 11:3+4). He expressed a very similar concern for the Galatians (Galatians 1:6+7). Paul would not have been worried about them accepting a different gospel if different gospels were acceptable. Different gospels are not acceptable. There needs to be unity, or oneness, in how God is being served (Ephesians 4:4-6).
To achieve this oneness, the same set of instructions must be followed. In my job as a programmer, we are expected to have a consistent, unified look to our programs. To do that, we all have to follow the company standards. It would be ridiculous for me to make up my own standards and then hope everyone else follows them. Just like our company won’t have consistency without following one set of instructions, there won’t be consistency, or unity, in Christianity unless the same set of instructions is followed. That set of instructions needs to be the one from God. As the apostles answered those who told them not to teach in Jesus’ name, “we ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Our set of instructions needs to be exactly the one God provided, no more and no less. That is what He expected in the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 4:2). That is also what He expects today (Revelation 22:18+19).
God’s instructions for us were written down and passed on in the Bible. His word was revealed to “His holy apostles and prophets” (Ephesians 3:5). They taught the word back then (Ephesians 4:11-13) and it was recorded in the books and letters that make up the Bible today. Even though many of the books in the New Testament are letters that were written to specific people or churches, they were intended to be passed around (Colossians 4:16). The only correct gospel is the one that was taught and recorded then by the men to whom God revealed it. One of those men, Paul, gave the following warning: “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8+9). There is only one correct gospel, so let’s follow that one and accept no imitations.