Earlier tonight, I was studying Galatians Chapter 1 with a good friend of mine. This chapter talks about how we have strayed from the true gospel and about Paul's conversion. As we were studying, it really hit us hard how we are not living the life of the gospel. How can we say we believe in something, but not live it out? If we believe something shouldn't we be proving it? When we look at the scripture, it says:
"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let that person be under God's curse!" (vs. 6-8)
When I read these verses it makes me cringe because we have strayed so far from what the gospel is really saying. Instead of seeking what the bible says, we have allowed the world to preach a fake gospel. We have become confused ourselves, which makes me cringe even more because without the counsel of God himself, we are teaching a gospel that is not only throwing ourselves, but others into confusion. I think we have made the gospel way too comfortable and painted this pretty picture of what following Jesus looks like. But when we search the scriptures, we see Jesus and his disciples being persecuted, beaten, and even killed. Looking at Luke 9:57-62 it sounds as if Jesus is talking people out of following him because he knows that following him is a hard road. But he also promises that whoever loses their life for his sake will save it (Luke 9:24).
I guess what I'm trying to say is are we preaching a watered down version of the gospel so that we can please people, or are we more focused on what God thinks? We have become a people who is more about pleasing someone than pleasing the King himself. We have a tendency to fear what man thinks over what God thinks. We may not think that, but our actions say otherwise. Why would we, or anyone, change what the Bible says to accomadate what people want to hear? To please people. Paul directly faces this issue in verse 10: " Am I now trying to win human approval, or God's approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."
What gospel are we preaching to those who don't know the gospel at all? Are we telling them the entire truth, or are we covering some of the truth up, leaving them blinded when they discover the real truth...
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