Tossing and turning in bed my eyes were wide open and sleep was literally a dream I couldn’t achieve. I tried so hard to silence the thoughts in my head but they kept shouting louder and louder. I wasn’t nervous about an upcoming test or worried about getting in trouble at school. What was keeping me awake was far worse: I was afraid of dying.
Little five-year-old Christopher was deathly afraid of encountering death for one reason: a false gospel. My parents had told me the true gospel but my tiny brain couldn’t grasp it. I thought that if I died and I hadn’t repented of all my sins, then I wouldn’t make the cut to heaven. Salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone had been replaced by a works-based system of repentance alone where my salvation was dependent upon me. I had to work hard enough to earn my salvation. So, night upon night I would lie in bed unable to sleep, scared witless of death.
In hindsight, it’s a funny story because it was a childish misunderstanding of what the gospel was and of course I came to realise the beauty of the true gospel. But it’s also a sobering story as it reveals the main consequence of believing a false gospel: doubt and fear. Because false gospels are always based on ‘works’ and not ‘grace’, those in bondage to them are constantly questioning their salvation and are trapped by fear and anxiety for their eternity. Yet, some of the most famous preachers in Christianity today are peddling false gospels which destroy faith and replace it with fear.
One example is the Prosperity Gospel which says that it is always God’s will to give you health, wealth and happiness, and that Jesus’ death on the cross allows you to possess these three things. Prosperity preachers will always use this formula “if you . . . then God . . .’ often asking church members to donate money to their private jets or mansion. This is a system in which if you work hard enough and have enough faith, then God will reward you with material possessions because it is always his will to do so.
So, what happens when you are sick, poor and sad? It’s all your fault! If you had enough faith then God would bless you, so you mustn’t have worked hard enough. It causes those who are struggling in life to doubt their salvation and relationship with God.
The Book of Job is a story in which a righteous and faithful man loses his health, wealth and happiness all in one day and instead of supporting Job, his closest friends prattle the message of the prosperity preachers: if you just had enough faith then God would have blessed you.
Another example is the ‘Signs and Wonders’ Gospel found in many mainstream Pentecostal churches. This false gospel teaches that unless the preaching of God’s word is accompanied by signs and miracles (e.g. speaking in tongues, healing, prophecy) then God’s word has not properly been preached. The major problem? God has not given these spiritual gifts to all people.
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts [love]. 1 Corinthians 12:29-30
When people are unable to perform these spectacular signs and miracles, they begin to doubt their relationship with God and wonder if God is truly working through them or has even accepted them into his family.
Finally, and sadly prevalent in Seventh-day Adventist churches is the false gospel of legalism. This doctrine teaches that only through strict obedience to the law can salvation be achieved. An example of this is Last Generation Theology which makes the bold claim that a final generation before the Second Coming will achieve a state of sinless perfection and be able to stand before God’s throne with their own righteousness instead of Christ’s. This places unfathomable pressure on Christians to constantly strive to be better, try harder and work to a standard that can never be achieved.
All of these false gospels are destructive and cause fear and doubt, but the true gospel is transformative. Of all the religious views in the world, the true gospel of Christianity is the only one that says salvation can be achieved only through the grace of God. That Christ died for sinners to pay their debt of sin, adopt them into the family of God and reconcile them to Him is a message unlike any other.
Because of the righteousness of Christ, Christians can have full assurance that their salvation has been achieved in Jesus Christ and that their eternity is secure having their names written in the Book of Life.
If you or someone you know is trapped by the doubts and fears of a false gospel, turn from it today and embrace the free gift of grace God gives today. Replace fear and doubt with assurance and love, and have a good night’s sleep.
WRITER: Christopher Petersen