For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
2 Corinthians 11:4 (ESV)
False teachers have been an issue for the church throughout its history. And this is nowhere more evident than in Corinth. Much of this second letter is written to refute what Paul calls ‘false apostles’ who have infested the church at Corinth. These men came with an air of superiority, looking to gain a following and to make a living from their teaching. Paul leaves no doubt about how he feels about these men.
But the problem was not just limited to the false teachers. The church itself seems to have been accepting of the false teachers and was being led astray by them. And Paul’s concern for them is evident as you read through this letter. He is almost in tears at times.
Paul does not specify just what it was that these teachers were proclaiming. But he does tell us that they were proclaiming a different Jesus, a different Spirit, and a different gospel than what Paul had declared to them. And the church was accepting of these false teachings. They did not necessarily hold to these false teachings. But they were tolerant of them within the church. It is as if they didn’t care what the individual members believed or how they lived.
What Really Matters?
Sadly, much of Christianity is like that today. For many, all that matters is to say you are a Christian and do some ‘Christian things’. But it does matter. If you believe that Jesus was only a good ethical teacher who set an example for us, you believe in a different Jesus than the One proclaimed in the Scripture, and He will do you no good. If you believe that the Spirit is just a good feeling or a way of life, then you are believing in a different Spirit from the One proclaimed in the Scripture. And if the gospel you believe requires nothing more of you than a verbal claim, then your gospel is contrary to what is proclaimed in the Scripture and will not lead to salvation.
There are many doctrinal differences among believers today. I do not believe that most of them fall into this category. But some things are core, including that Jesus is the eternal, incarnate, second person of the Trinity. That the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, the third person of the Trinity, who indwells and guides the believer. And that salvation is a matter of God’s grace, not human effort. But it is not cheap. It calls for a surrender to the Lordship of Jesus and a life of faithfulness.
Don’t be led astray by those proclaiming a different Jesus, Spirit, or gospel. Hold firmly to the truth taught in the Scripture.
