THREE GOSPELS
The term “gospel” is generally interpreted to mean “good news.” It is not well-understood, however, that there are actually three gospels, only one of which contains good news. The others are actually “bad news” because they lead people into religion.

These are the three kinds of gospels. Two are false gospels and one is the true gospel.

Christians will not easily accept that the gospel is anything other than what they have been taught in church. Thus it can be said that the Christian gospel is a stronghold of wrong thinking and is a false gospel.  Here are several verses that may convince them that the true gospel is the word of God:

Acts 8:3-4 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.

COMMENTARY: This follows the story of the stoning of Stephen who was speaking in the power of the holy spirit. Speaking in the power of the spirit means that God was speaking through him as an apostle (i.e. messiah.) Messiahs are anointed by God to speak for God.

Most religious people who cannot hear God’s voice spoken by messiahs get very angry when they hear what God has to say to them. That is what happened to the people who heard Stephen speak. Angry that God’s words convicted them of the sin of religion, they stoned Stephen. But a few were convicted and repented for practicing religion. These started preaching God’s words just like Stephen did.

1 Peter 1:25  but the word of the Lord abides for ever.” That word is the good news which was preached to you.

COMMENTARY: God’s spoken word is eternal. This verse says that God’s spoken word is the good news (i.e. gospel) that is preached by true prophets, angels, messiahs, high priests, witnessses, warriors and apostles.

Hebrews 4:2   For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.

COMMENTARY: This verse follows Hebrews 3 which is a rebuke of Israel for failure to listen to God’s voice. This verse says that what Israel heard was the good news (i.e. gospel).

Since the person of Jesus was not in view during Israel’s forty years in the desert, the good news that Israel heard was not the Christian gospel about Jesus being the way to salvation. The good news was nothing more and nothing less than God’s spoken word.

Israel heard God’s voice and,and was convicted by it, but rejected it because it did not want to quit being religious. It wanted religion — not faith. Therefore, Israel did not enter into God’s rest. And that is how it is today. Religious people hear God calling them out of religion but they are afraid to quit.

Ephesians 1:13  In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

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Colossians 1:5  because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel

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Acts 15:35  But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

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1 Thessalonians 1:5 for our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

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Acts 15:7 And after there had been much debate, Peter rose and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.

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These conclusions about true and false gospels will trouble Jews and Christians who are convinced that the written Bible is the one and only true gospel. They have heard this lie spoken so often by religious leaders that they have come to believe it as an article of faith. They have ignored God’s warnings about trusting man.

Christians and Jews simplistically believe that everything God has to say to them is contained in the words of the literal Bible. They worship a very small god. Most will admit that the Bible contains mysteries that they do not understand, but, instead of listening to God’s voice to explain the mysteries to them, they trust religious leaders to explain parts they do not understand. They prefer listening to religious leaders instead of listening to God’s voice. That is idolatry. People fall into idolatry when they believe a false gospel.

Christians idolize Jesus. They do this because they do not understand that the spoken word of God is the true gospel.  Religious leaders created the idea of Jesus from the false gospel found in the literal words of the Bible. Religious leaders proclaimed the false gospel that says Jesus is the way to eternal salvation. Religious people, desperate for assurance that their eternal life will be secure, listen to this false gospel, find it believable, and put their trust in the image of a man. Thus it can be said that they have stumbled over the man-created image of Jesus. Instead of  listening to God’s voice while studying the Bible, they have lazily adopted a false idea of who Jesus was and his ministry. Most wrongly believe that Jesus is equal to God. This is exactly the kind of idolatry that God had in mind in the First Commandment.

STUDY TIP: See Jesus for a Biblical understanding of Jesus.

Jesus idolatry has been the theme of Christianity since the days of the early church. It began, and continues, because religious people do not understand which gospel is the true gospel. They believe that the written Bible is the true gospel and believe that anyone who preaches/teaches from that gospel is a legitimate representative of God. And so, because they trust their religious leaders instead of trusting God’s voice, they also effectively idolize their religious leaders. This is why it can be said that religion is idolatry.

Religious leaders, of course, are eager to allow people to idolize them. Being the object of constant praise by men for knowledge of the Bible and insight into the heart of God is a source of pride that few men can resist. And when people pay them for their knowledge and ability to preach the gospel, their pride explodes.

Inability to discern between false gospels and the true gospel is the reason religion exists. If people understood the nature of the true gospel and pursued that gospel, there would be no need for religion. If people understood that God insists that his people listen to his voice (i.e. the true gospel) and that religious leaders are trees of knowledge of good and evil, there would be no market for religious leaders and no need for synagogues and churches. That is why God is careful to warn about discernment between clean and unclean animals.

The sad truth is, however, that people do not know the difference between false gospels and the true gospel. They do not know a false prophet from a true prophet.

Lacking understanding of these differences, but still desiring to know God, people are willing to pay anyone who has a reputation for preaching about God. And so it can be said that religion is commerce. It is a system in which religious people buy religious information from religious leaders. But, instead of preaching the true gospel that commands listening to God’s voice, religious leaders deceive people into believing that God wants them to listen to the voice of a religious leader. And to make matters worse, religious leaders further deceive their followers into believing that God wants people to pay them religious leaders for teaching with tithes and offerings. It is a totally corrupt system designed and implemented by men for the benefit of men.

STUDY TIPS: See Jesus and the Money-Changers in the Temple for understanding of Jesus mission to tear down the system of buying and selling religious information. Also see Sacrifices, Tithes and Offerings for understanding of tithes.

Jews and Christians willingly participate in the commercial religion system as both buyers and sellers. They do not understand that the information about God that they seek is available from God at no cost, and they willingly pay their tithes and offerings to religious leaders. They have a small view of God, and are unwilling to stop listening to their religious leaders long enough to learn how to listen to God’s voice.

The sad, shameful reality for Jews and Christians is that the gospel they pay for is a false gospel. The true gospel comes from the voice of God and his anointed, true prophets — not from religious leaders.

The easiest way to identify a false gospel is to look at who is sharing it. If it is received through a commercial religious organization (e.g. church, synagogue, ministry, etc.) that accepts tithes and offerings in exchange for religious teachings and religious services (e.g. baptisms, weddings, worship, funerals, etc.) it is a false gospel. If payment for access to religious products and services is required, it is a false gospel. If it a gospel is shared by a false prophet, it is a false gospel. In short, if religious people and/or organizations are involved, the gospel they preach is a false gospel.

On the other hand, if the gospel is shared by a true prophet without expectation of compensation, and if that gospel directs people to start listening to God’s voice, and not the voices of religious leaders, it is a true gospel.