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. Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:6-7, 10–11, NIV 1984).
My Musings – We must be very careful that we do not “dumb-down” the Gospel in order to make it more appealing to a wider audience. That is “trying to please men.” By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone is the only Gospel. Anything less is “really no gospel at all.” It cannot be earned, it must be believed, and there is no other path except through Christ. And let’s not settle for any “silly nonsense” that the Christ of the Scriptures is anything less than what He was portrayed as, or as anything less than He claimed — “Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’ ‘I am,’ said Jesus.”(Mark 14:61–62, NIV 1984).
My Advice – The reality is, misrepresenting the Gospel or Christ is not just “silly nonsense.” People’s souls are at stake. That is why Paul said, “If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:9, NIV 1984). It is that serious. We must speak the truth in love, but watering down the truth is not love. People may find it more pleasing now, but in the end, it leads to torment — eternal death. “This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:49–50, NIV 1984).
The Brew Is A Musing 