“No Gospel At All” – A Comparative Study Lesson 5
Galatians 1:6-9
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.
Gal 1:6-7a
Introduction Gospel Perversion
Jesus’ Warning For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect — if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time. Matt 24:24-25a
Paul’s Characterization For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. 2 Cor 11:13-15
Source of Power The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose
consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 1 Tim 4:1-2
Attack from Within I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. Acts 20:29-31
Spiritual Adultery I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or
if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. 2 Cor 11:2-4
Certain Judgment But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them — bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. 2 Peter 2:1-3
Christianity
God
There is but one living and true God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5 7; 1 Corinthians 8:4)
An infinite, all knowing Spirit (John 4:24), perfect in all His attributes, one in essence, eternally existing in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14) differing only in function, each equally deserving worship and obedience.
This infinite, triune God is self existent – that is, He has always been and He is the only uncreated entity, therefore, all creation is both subject and accountable to His will and word
Jesus
The second Person of the Trinity (not in rank but in designation), possesses all the divine attributes, and in these He is coequal, consubstantial, and coeternal with the Father and the Spirit (John 10:30; 14:9).
All things were created by him and for Him and through Him all things are sustained (John 1:1-3: Col 1:15-17; Heb 1:3)
In the incarnation Christ surrendered only the prerogatives of deity but nothing of the divine essence. He accepted all the essential characteristics of humanity and so became the God Man (Philippians 2:5-8; Colossians 2:9). Therefore, Jesus Christ represents humanity and deity in indivisible oneness (Micah 5:2; John 5:23; 14:9-10; Colossians 2:9). Jesus laid aside His right to the full prerogatives of coexistence with God and took on an existence appropriate to a servant while never divesting Himself of His divine attributes (Philippians 2:5-8).
Jesus, in His humanity, was virgin born (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23, 25; Luke 1:26 35)
He died a substitutionary, atoning death for all who believe (John 10:15; Romans 3:24 25; 5:8; 1 Peter 2:24)
He rose from the dead bodily on the third day (John 5:26 29; 14:19; Romans 1:4; 4:25; 6:5 10; 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23)
Sin
There is no one righteous, not even one (Rom 3:10-12)
All are sinners (Rom 3:23)
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us (1John 1:8)
In Adam's sin of disobedience to the revealed will and Word of God, man lost his innocence; incurred the penalty of spiritual and physical death; became subject to the wrath of God; and became inherently corrupt and utterly incapable of choosing or doing that which is acceptable to God apart from divine grace. With no powers to enable him to recover himself, man is hopelessly lost. Man's salvation is thereby wholly of God's grace through the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ (Genesis 2:16 17; 3:1 19; John 3:36; Romans 3:23; 6:23; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 2:1 3; 1 Timothy 2:13 14; 1 John 1:8).
Redemption
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,
1 Peter 1:18-19
18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers,
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
Heb 10:12-14
12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.
13 Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool,
14 because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy
Rev 1:5-6
5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,
6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father — to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
Salvation
John 1:12-13
12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Acts 16:31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved ….
Rom 3:24 and (we) are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Eph 2:8-9
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God,
9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Afterlife
Dan 12:2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2 Cor 5:8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
Phil 1:21, 23
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;
2 Thess 1:7-10
7 …This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power
Heb 9:27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
Rev 20:12-15
12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
“Mormonism”
God
There is not one God but 3
The eternal father is a progressive being, and possesses the capacity for eternal increase. Perhaps he was once a child and mortal like ourselves.
The father has a body of flesh and bones
God is not omnipresent
Every man who reigns in celestial glory is a god to his dominions
Each god, through his wife or wives, raises up a numerous family of sons and daughters
Jesus
Among the spirit children of Elohim, the firstborn was and is Jehovah or Jesus Christ, to whom all others are juniors
By obedience and devotion he attained to the pinnacle of intelligence which ranked him as a god, even in his pre-existent state.
He was the executive in the work of creation, aided by Michael (or Adam), Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Peter, James, John, Joseph Smith and others.
He was born of the virgin Mary. Elohim is the literal father of Jesus and the Holy Spirit
He died on the cross, rose again, and will return in power to set up his kingdom.
Sin
“Adam fell that men might be: and men are, that they might have joy” (11 Nephi 2:25)
“Adam deliberately and wisely chose and partook of the fruit”
“Adam cried. ‘Because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy”
“We ought to consider the fall of our first parents as one of the great steps to external exaltation and happiness” Mormon Catechism
We believe that men will be punished for their own sins and not for Adam’s transgression
Redemption
We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel
The first principles and ordinances of the gospel are: Faith on the Lord Jesus Christ: repentance; baptism for the remission of sin; and laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Spirit
“They who believe not your words, and are not baptized in water in my name, for the remission of their sins …shall be damned”
Salvation
Baptism is ... the very gateway into the kingdom of heaven, an indispensible step in our salvation and exaltation
Baptism by proxy for the dead is a major activity. “the saints are … redeeming their (unbaptized) dead from the grasp of Satan
Celestial marriage is the gate to an exaltation in the highest heaven within the celestial world
Those who attain the highest sphere, the Celestial, will “have spirit children in the resurrection, in relation to which offspring they stand in the same position that God our Father stands to us”
The second sphere, the Terrestrial, will be inhabited by “accountable persons who die without law” or who “did not accept the gospel” or with Latter Day Saints who “were not valiant”
Afterlife
Those who have believed the “gospel” and been faithful to the doctrines will become gods populating their own planet
Most of the adult people who have lived since Adam (having rejected Christ and lived wickedly) will go to the “Terrestrial Kingdom”
Perdition is for Satan, and the Sons of Perdition, angels who rebelled with him. Also for people who commit the unpardonable sin
“Endless punishment” is “God’s punishment” and may endure for “one hour, one week, or one year, or an age”
The God Makers; Ed Decker & Dave Hunt; Harvest House Publishers; 1984
Jehovah’s Witnesses
God
God’s personal name is Jehovah
Only Jehovah is from everlasting to everlasting
Jesus is not one God with the Father
Satan is the originator of the doctrine of the Trinity
Jesus
The son that Jehovah God brought forth
The first creation by God
He had a pre-human existence, he was Michael the archangel, now Jesus Christ
He was born about Oct 1, BC 2, of the virgin Mary
At baptism, he was anointed to be the Messiah, or Jesus the Christ
He died on a cross and God raised him as a mighty, immortal spirit Son, not in the flesh, but with a spiritual body.
Sin
Sin is falling short of God’s perfection.
Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God’s plainly stated law
All of Adam’s descendants inherit sin from him. All are born in sin
Redemption
The Bible plainly shows that 144,000 will share in heavenly glory, while the rest will enjoy life here on earth
All who by faith in Jehovah God and in Jesus Christ dedicate themselves to do God’s will and then faithfully carry out their dedication will be rewarded with everlasting life