2 Corinthians 11 - How Can You Spot A False Gospel Teaching A False Jesus!

2 Corinthians 11 - NIV

Enduring Word Commentary

Paul and the False Apostles

11 I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! 2 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. 3 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. 4 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 Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.

One of the major issues Paul addresses in this letter to the Corinthians was that he was a true apostle. Some "bad apples" slipped into the Corinthian church and were talking behind his back.  They created doubts about Paul's integrity, by saying he didn't keep His word when he said he would come to see them. These ideas came from what Paul calls "false apostles". These false apostles had slipped in not only to cut down Paul, but also were false teachers. 

Paul summarizes how you can spot a false teacher. 

"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 Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough."

Paul points out three things that made these infiltrators false apostles. First, they preached a different Jesus. This Jesus could have been a great moral teacher, a messenger of God, a miracle worker, or a political conqueror. But they did not preach that Jesus was God in the flesh. 

They did not teach that he was both "fully God" and "fully man". This false teaching about Jesus' true identity is at the root of many heretical churches like Mormonism, and Jehovah's witness. They don't teach the full deity of Christ. 

Second, they preach a different gospel. This was not a gospel of unmerited grace received through faith based on the Word of God. It was not a gospel which taught that Jesus is the only way of salvation. 

It was Jesus plus something else. It was Jesus plus works. Jesus plus plus Jewish rituals and laws. I.e. circumcision. In short it, 

 "It traded the finished work of Christ's cross for a system of human achievement." - Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange

Finally, a different Spirit. One of the big roles of the Holy Spirit is to help believers distinguish truth from error. If someone is preaching a different gospel, or a different Jesus, the Holy Spirit will make that clear. But the Corinthians were obviously vulnerable and were not led by the Holy Spirit, but by the spirit of the evil one  

The devil is crafty and cunning. This was how he deceived Adam and Eve to sin in the garden. One of the devil's biggest tactics is to make a lie look like the truth. He distorts, twists, and manipulates the truth. If we are unaware of his schemes, as Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 2:11, we will fall into the same trap as the Corinthians. 

By the way, there are many false apostles out there today, preaching a different gospel, a different Jesus, by a different spirit today. Here are some modern day examples. 

The Prosperity Gospel: Claims God guarantees health, wealth, and comfort if you have enough faith or give money.

The Therapeutic Gospel: Treats Jesus as a life-enhancer or therapist whose primary job is to make you feel good about yourself.

The Moralistic Gospel: Reduces the good news to being a "good person" or following a strict list of behavioral rules rather than recognizing inner sin and needing a Savior.

The Social-Club/Progressive Gospel: Shifts the focus entirely away from eternal salvation and repentance toward political agendas, social networking, or mere fellowship. 

(From David Guzik and the Gospel Coalition)

So how can we be ready to recognizes these different gospels preaching a different Jesus?

1. Know the real Jesus! The real Jesus came down from heaven and died for you on a cross to grant you the forgiveness of all of your sin. He was truly God and truly man. When you put your faith in Him, you were born again and received the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Truth. 

2. Be on guard for false teachers. Guard your mind which is a wellspring of all life. Fill your mind with God's Word, so that when the world and all it's lies confront you, you will see it for what it is. 

Paul says this in Romans 12:2, 

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2, NIV)

3. Make sure the church you goes to preaches and teaches the true Gospel and the true Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Get to know the pastors and teachers and ask them questions about their doctrine and theology. If they are a part of a denomination, study what the denomination's doctrine is. Is the church in alignment with it? 

Finally, pray for a spirit of wisdom and discernment. God will never lead you astray. 

Father, as we live in a world full of lies, help us to keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecer of our faith. Help us to remember the true gospel of Jesus' coming to earth from heaven, fully God and fully man, to die for all of our sins on the cross. On the third day He rose from the dead proving He was and is the Son of God. Keep us on guard so we can recognize false gospels that preach a false Jesus! We pray for pastors and teachers in the Christian church that they would watch their life and doctrine clearly. Amen. 


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