"Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." Psalms 119:18 (KJV)
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.” II Cor. 11:3-4
The Apostle Paul was concerned about the early church in Corinth. He knew the devil would attempt to attack, weaken, and destroy the ministry there as he has done even to the first man and woman in the Garden of Eden. Paul knew that the subtle enemy of God would attempt to get the fledgling church to disobey and question God just as he did to Adam and Eve in the garden. The evangelist knew Satan’s tactics and how he often attacked and weakened God’s people.
Satan’s attack on God’s people today is not much different from the one on the early church. One of his tactics is not to totally halt talk about the things of God, but to confuse people into believing different things about what is spoken about in the Bible. The enemy of God is the originator of religiously correct confusion, which is similar to the secular politically correct confusion, which is being forced on many today.
One of the enemy’s techniques of confusion is the “religious” acceptance of another Jesus. This Jesus is spoken of much in modern churches. He was born in a manger. He died on the cross, but close examination of their religious teachings show that He is not same as spoken of in the Word of God.
Although they may claim that Jesus is the only “begotten son” of God, they also teach that Satan is Jesus’ brother, which is not scriptural. Some flatly deny, although they say Jesus was a good man, that he was God’s son (which false teaching is prevalent in the modern “bibles”), or He was just a prophet or “God’s messenger.” Others deny his virgin birth, which is the way He was born sinless in the body of a man, and this unvirgin birth would make him a sinner.
Many believe another Jesus, and not the one that came to this earth to save people from the wages of their sin. Many know of a “Jesus,” but it is not the Holy Son of God spoken of in God’s Word.
Another confusing ploy of the enemy is to make men believe and follow another spirit, rather than the Holy Spirit. This false spirit is alive and being followed today when people decide to do what they think is right and good. Rather than obey the Holy Spirit’s leading which is always in accordance with the Word of God, they follow the false, often unholy spirit of man. Some of these unholy spirits lead people and do not convict them of their dishonesty, drunkenness, deceitfulness, immodesty, lewdness, unholy lifestyle, or other sins. Their religion and philosophies justify the sin they are committing. It is another spirit they are following, as the Spirit of God would not permit any iniquity.
Another gospel is also believed and obeyed (Galatians 1:7-8). It is not the good news that Jesus died on the cross for sinners, and that His death is the only payment God will accept for any person’s sin. Today many teach obeying church rules, and doctrines will get one to heaven. It is also preached from some pulpits that good works, religious rites, or deeds will get one to heaven, even though the Bible clearly teaches otherwise. Often a religion’s man-made religious writings have higher importance than the preserved Word of God.
Some even teach the false gospel that there are many different ways to heaven, while the true Gospel says there is only one way to Heaven and that is through Jesus (John 14:6). Others unbiblically teach that praying to dead Christians of the past can get prayers answered and sins forgiven. Man-made religion has added to or removed from the real Gospel that Jesus brought to mankind.
The true Gospel is the one that God has made sure we would have after all these years. The pure Word of God has been kept for us within the pages of the King James Bible. That Bible should be the only source of knowing the will and way of God.
There is a real, unseen spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:12) occurring everywhere. The enemy’s goal is to send as many souls as possible to Hell or to weaken believers beyond usefulness to the cause of Christ. The battle can be lost by any that believe and follow the wrong Jesus, the wrong spirit, or the wrong Gospel. Be wary! Read you Bible for yourselves. Learn, obey, and follow only the genuine.
“Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:7-8
This article was featured in The Bible View #519.