How Many Gospels Are There?
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“Does it make any difference which Gospel we believe? Listen to the answer of the Eternal God as inspired in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, the first chapter, the 8th and 9th verses:
“‘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.’ And it is made a double curse! For the next verse says: ‘...So say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed’!
“WHY, then, has the world lost sight of that Gospel? WHY do people believe different gospels today?
“This is an astounding, incredible situation! It ought to shake you out of passive indifference. YOUR eternity is at stake! This is not a nonconsequential, unimportant matter!
“Jesus Christ said it is necessary to BELIEVE THE GOSPEL to be saved! Yet the many—the hundreds of millions—today, do not know what that Gospel is! Again, His parting commission to His apostles, being sent out as His ministers to build His Church, was this: ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel.’ They were to preachTHE GOSPEL.
“Jesus then said: ‘He that BELIEVETH and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned’ (Mark 16:16). Notice! Jesus said, He that BELIEVETH. Believeth what? Why, BELIEVETH that which they PREACHED, of course—THE GOSPEL! Not a gospel. Not any gospel. THE Gospel! On the authority of Jesus Christ, it is necessary to believe THAT PRECISE IDENTICAL GOSPEL in order to be saved! And to BELIEVE the true Gospel, we must first come to KNOW what it is!”
What is the TRUE GOSPEL?, pp. 3-4
Did you realize—have you remembered?—that a person, any person—this includes YOU!—cannot receive salvation unless he believes the one correct gospel—and this means “THAT PRECISE IDENTICAL GOSPEL”?
What could be more important? What words could Mr. Armstrong have chosen to crash louder on the ears of his listeners? Make yourself grasp and remember his warning!
What then did Mr. Armstrong teach was the correct gospel? Beginning with this quote, let’s hear it in his own words from a later portion of his booklet that appeared under the subhead “Kingdom of God to Be Preached TODAY”:
“Yes, JESUS proclaimed and taught the GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. But did He command His ministers, inBUILDING HIS CHURCH, to preach this same Gospel? Quickly let us notice the Scriptures.
“Luke 9:1-2: ‘Then he called his twelve disciples together...and he sent them to PREACH THE KINGDOM OF GOD.’
“Luke 10:1, 2, 9: ‘After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. Therefore said he unto them...heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The KINGDOM OF GOD is come nigh unto you.’
“In Jesus’ prayer, so commonly called ‘The Lord’s Prayer,’ He prayed, ‘THY KINGDOM COME’— then it wasn’t here yet, and it isn’t here yet, today—but He taught us to pray for it to COME, for His KINGDOM and that ALONE shall bring PEACE and HAPPINESS to this sin-sick, war-weary earth! ‘Thy Kingdom COME—THY WILL, BE DONE on earth, as it is in heaven.’ The FATHER’S WILL.
“What Gospel did the early evangelists preach, in first sending out the FAITH ONCE DELIVERED? How did the early Church carry out the commission?
“Notice PHILIP preaching at Samaria! Acts 8:12: ‘But when they BELIEVED Philip preaching the things concerningTHE KINGDOM OF GOD, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.’ Philip preached the things concerning THE KINGDOM OF GOD. [Author’s note: It is absolutely clear from Mr. Armstrong’s highlighting or special emphasis, and lack of emphasis, on the words he wrote, that he did not consider “the name of Jesus Christ” to be part of the gospel. Reread this paragraph to be clear and notice the same emphasis in the next one.]
“Paul? Acts 20:25, 21: ‘I have gone preaching THE KINGDOM OF GOD... testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and FAITH toward our Lord Jesus Christ.’
“And notice the Gospel Paul preached to GENTILES, after he had turned completely away from the Jews.
“Acts 28:30-31: ‘And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching THE KINGDOM OF GOD, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ.’
“And, WHAT GOSPEL did Jesus say should be preached TODAY?
“Matthew 24:14, speaking of the PRESENT: ‘And this GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM shall be preached in ALL THE WORLDfor a witness’—for a WITNESS—‘ unto ALL NATIONS; and then shall the END come’!—the end of this AGE.”
What Is the True Gospel?, pp. 10-11
This second quote leaves no room for confusion. It holds no ambiguity—no way for the sincere and honest seeker of truth to misunderstand what the gospel includes, and excludes!
However, we cannot go on to other elements of this doctrine until all doubt is removed about what Mr. Armstrong taught consistently for 52 years. This happens momentarily.
Christ’s Role Entirely Separate
First, take serious warning! The idea that Jesus Christ is, or is part of, the gospel is entirely Protestant thinking. The second error of “witnessing” or professing Jesus is classic evangelical Protestant thinking. As mentioned in the INTRODUCTION, the attempt to bring Jesus into the gospel is not only wrong, but it derives from a much greater danger—that of importing “another Jesus,” borne of “another spirit” (II Cor. 11:3-4) into the Church’s fellowship. This very passage describes the Corinthians—God’s own people!—as having fallen into belief in “another gospel” and “another Jesus.” And if Jesus is, or is part of, the gospel, why did Paul list these as two separate and distinct problems of belief within Corinth (and that these problems were both connected to a third problem—that of following “another SPIRIT”)? Would you have thought these things remotely possible within God’s Church?
History demonstrates they are!
First, for instance, The United Church of God, terribly misunderstanding I Corinthians 15:1-4 (we will look more closely at this passage in the next chapter), and possibly a couple other passages, through careless reading, and states in its “gospel” booklet that the gospel of the kingdom includes the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Though carefully worded, it describes the apostles as having gained “enhanced” understanding of Christ’s message—His “gospel”—about the kingdom. This organization’s purpose from the beginning seems to have been to include Christ’s role in helping people enter the kingdom as something that is part of the gospel. Their media philosophy statement once declared this openly. Here is what it said: “Preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God is a divine commission given to the Church…The gospel message, which includes God’s offer of the gift of salvation…”
But the role of Jesus Christ is entirely separate—distinctly different!—from the gospel of the KINGDOM OF GOD.
The Living Church of God goes much, much further, and actually lists Christ’s role as the first element of the gospel. They describe the gospel this way in their public mission statement: “The Gospel of Christ is the ‘Good News’ of the forgiveness of our sins through Christ’s sacrifice, and of the soon-coming Kingdom and government of God.”
This is fiction, invented entirely from outside God’s Word—and from inside the churches of Satan’s world. This organization also declares in its mission statement that its first purpose is “To preach the true Gospel of the Kingdom of God…AND the name of Jesus Christ…as a witness to all nations” (emphasis mine). When understood, this “witnessing” error is inseparable from the wrong gospel. No wonder this organization has now also gone into a third “gospel” error—teaching that healing is part of the gospel. (This will also be examined in the next chapter.) Remember, Paul describes false teaching as like leaven—it spreads.
This means their gospel is wrong in three distinct and separate ways!
Why? We will learn later that an emphasis—any emphasis—on Christ within the gospel leads to the NEXT STEP of “witnessing Jesus,” wherever “He” is preached. You will see that the drift into this automatic next step is not accidental. Neither is accepting the third error.
So many seem perfectly willing to be lied to about these things by their leaders. Why? How could they have forgotten all that is at stake on just the truth of the gospel? Why are they not “prosecuting” the arguments and blatant deceit of their leaders? Why are thousands in the Living Church of God (and others) not asking whetheranother spirit could be present and leading where they think God’s Spirit is guiding?
How could so many so quickly copy the apostates and the Protestants, and in such BIG WAYS?
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