God said to Adam: “In the day that you eat off that tree, you will surely die.” (Gen. 2:17)

The serpent said (to both Adam and Eve): “You can eat off that tree and you will surely NOT die.” (Gen. 3:4)

So…which gospel did they believe?

We were told long ago that “the time would come when people will no longer endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires…because they have itching ears…they will gather around for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables/myths.” (2 Tim. 4:3-4) 

I hope that you gave some serious thought to the message I shared here yesterday, pertaining to how we can respond to God’s word…which is dependent on the condition of our own hearts. I think one of the more heart-revealing places we can come to is when we recognize it’s possible that we can actually love various teachings derived from God’s word… more than we love God Himself.

Hence, the ‘test’ I put forth here occasionally when I suggest how you can quickly discern whether Jesus has your whole heart…or a ‘doctrine’ has captured your heart. If you find yourself needing to ‘defend your doctrine’…even when other scriptures from the same Bible would seemingly contradict what you have been taught to believe (man-made teachings) …how do you respond? Let me put it this way….

You’re reading through your Bible during a devotional time at home, and you come across a passage that sort of stops you in your tracks. It’s not highlighted or marked in any way, and it’s puzzling to you at first because it seems to suggest something contrary to what you have been taught previously, even by people you know, love, and trust. What most people tend to do, as I’ve done this myself on multiple occasions in the past…is you just ‘dismiss’ that verse, as in just keep reading and give it little attention because it brings a sense of ‘discomfort’ within you.

Or perhaps at one point in time, someone (from another church usually) points a particular Bible verse out to you that is unfamiliar to you, and it too seems to ‘contradict’ what you have been taught to believe. I’ve actually heard people respond in such a manner where they say outright: “Oh, our church doesn’t believe that way.” And that is in response to a simple Bible verse.

I remember one time years ago, a couple of Jehovah Witnesses came by my home and I decided to engage in some conversation with them; not to be snarky or combative…but because I just enjoy discussing God’s word with anyone who wants to chat if time permits.

We ended up touching on one particular topic where I could see them bolster up, ready to confront me on this particular subject matter. After he shared his ‘opinion’ that clearly was not biblically based, I then took his Bible from his hands, opened it to a particular passage and asked him to read it aloud, which he did. I then witnessed all the ‘air deflate from his balloon’ as his countenance sank, and all he could say in response was: “Well nobody told me that was in there.” Please believe me when I tell you - I did not rejoice in that moment as if I had just won a chess match. But it was a pivotal moment for me personally, and I have thought back on that moment many times since then.

When God’s word arises and seems to undermine various teachings and ‘pet doctrines’ that have found their way into our hearts/minds, we can either do one of two things. We can harden our hearts to God’s word, and hold firmly to our ‘traditions’, which in effect is the same thing as rejecting or turning from the light…because we ‘love the darkness more’, or…we can lay aside that which we thought we believed…and at least spend more time digging into God’s word to see how that passage applies, since clearly it did not ‘fit’ with what we were taught previously. There is something to be admired with what the Bereans did in Acts 17:11. Staying humble and not getting ‘defensive’ also goes a long way in drawing the Holy Spirit in your direction to lead you into all truth, given we know God ‘resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6).

But have you ever felt something ‘rise up’ in you when you heard a few scriptures read aloud that flat out did not make sense (based on what you had been taught previously), maybe give you a little ‘kick’ inside; and possibly even angered you? I have, on more than one occasion, especially back in the early years of my faith journey. Have you ever stopped to examine why just hearing some Bible verses read aloud would cause such a vitriol response within you? I would think that any sincere ‘believer’ would want to know exactly what ‘that is’, that would make one recoil and get ‘defensive’ when all they are confronted with is God’s word, which most of us claim to love. Remember now…we can be ‘sincere’ in our beliefs…and still be ‘sincerely wrong’. (Rom. 10:1-3). Allow me to point you to a passage now that might provide some insight as to what ‘that is’ that opposes other parts of God’s word, especially when it doesn’t fit with our beliefs.

I opened up today’s lesson with the first ever ‘false gospel’ recorded in scripture that goes all the way back to the garden of Eden. God said one thing, and the serpent declared something which was just the opposite of what God said; and sadly…both Adam and Even fell for the lie. (Gen. 3:13). Isn’t it interesting that Paul points back to that same incident, as he prepares to warn the church at Corinth that the same thing can happen to us, even today. Take a look at 2 Cor. 11:3-4.

Paul first expresses concern (fear actually), that ‘in the same manner in which the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness…so also will our minds be corrupted and led astray…’ and that we could actually be deceived into ‘receiving…another gospel and/or a different spirit’ (counter to the Holy Spirit) and even end up following ‘another Jesus’. Would you please underline that passage in your Bible where it says ‘receive another spirit’.

Now we are taught that those who receive the gospel of Jesus will also receive the infilling of His Holy Spirit which will continue to lead us into all truth (John 16:13; Acts 1:5-8). Do you suppose it’s possible that if a person ended up receiving ‘another gospel’ that was counterfeit to the gospel Jesus came preaching…that it might also ‘come with another spirit’? We certainly are warned about widespread deception taking place in the last days, and there being a slew of ‘other Jesuses’ coming to lead many astray’. (Matt. 24:4-5,23). And, as Paul points out there in 2 Cor. 11… Satan can come as an ‘angel of light’ along with his servants transforming themselves into ministers of righteousness’ (14-15). Is it any wonder that simply hearing God’s word would get such a rise out of anyone…who might have been deceived just as Eve was.

Why not finish up with a reading of 2 Tim. 3:1-7. And just open your ‘spiritual ears and heart’, and ask Jesus to lead you into His truth…that brings freedom to all who receive it.