How Many Gospels Are There?

The Full Gospel of the Kingdom - Part 1

Depending on the translation you use, the Bible speaks of the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew 4:23), and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Mark 1:1), and the Gospel of peace (Romans 10:15), and the Gospel of God (Romans 15:16), and the Gospel of Christ (Romans 15:19), and the Gospel of your salvation (Ephesians 1:13).

But though it is referred to in different ways, there is only one true Gospel.

“On one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted Him”—Luke 20:1 (NASB)

It is this Gospel that provides for us the only way of salvation.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”—Romans 1:16 (NASB)

“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.”—1 Corinthians 15:1-2 (NIV)

“In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”—Ephesians 1:13-14 (ESV)

Knowing that there is only one true Gospel, Paul expressed concern that believers in Corinth might be subtly swayed into believing a false gospel.

“But I am afraid that, even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, your minds may be corrupted and led away from the simplicity of [your sincere and] pure devotion to Christ. For [you seem willing to allow it] if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted. You tolerate all this beautifully [welcoming the deception].”—2 Corinthians 11:3–4 (AMP)

The very thing that Paul was so concerned about in the Corinthian church happened to the Christians of Galatia. The Galatians were subtly swayed and deceived into believing a false gospel. Paul had to confront them with strong words of correction, proclaiming in no uncertain terms that there is only one true Gospel.

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of the Messiah and, instead, are following a different gospel, not that another one really exists. To be sure, there are certain people who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel about the Messiah. But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that person be condemned! What we have told you in the past I am now telling you again: If anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that person be condemned!”—Galatians 1:6-9 (ISV)

Regardless of the terms we use to describe it, there is only one true Gospel. There is only one way to be saved. There is only one way to enter Heaven, and that is through faith in Jesus Christ.

Any other gospel is a false Gospel. It does not matter if it is championed by famous, influential people or declared by the most respected Christian leader. If it is different from the pure Gospel message of the Bible, it is false. It is a lie.

If Christians could be so easily misled during the time of Paul and the oversight of the original apostles, then it can also easily happen to us if we are not diligent to stay alert and guard ourselves and our family members from subtle deceptions.

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”—Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)

False religions often publish their false gospels in books:

The Hindu religion has the Bhagavad Gita.

The Mormon religion has the Book of Mormon.

Buddhism has the Tripitaka or the San Zang.

The Catholic religion has the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Islam has the Quran.

Jehovah’s Witnesses have created their own “translation” of the Bible, called the New World Translation which changes key passages of Scripture to support their false gospel.

There are severe warnings in Scripture for anyone who adds to the words of God or changes His words in any way.

“Every word of God is perfect.
He is like a shield to those who trust in him.
He keeps them safe.
Don’t add to his words.
If you do, he will correct you.
He will prove that you are a liar.”
—Proverbs 30:5-6 (NIRV)

“For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”—Revelation 22:18-19 (NKJV)

The deceptions of these false gospels that are published in books should be obvious to any true disciples of Christ who take time to consider them.

But many times, false gospels are much more subtle than those. Respectable ministers may stand in the church pulpits on Sunday mornings and seem to say all the right things . . . almost. They may only make a subtle statement or two that seem to be “off.” Maybe they claim that homosexuality is an acceptable lifestyle, teaching that “love is love.” Maybe they will imply that Islam’s Allah is just another name for Christianity’s Jehovah. Maybe they will assert that a loving God would never send anyone to hell. Maybe they will subtly suggest that there are many ways to get to Heaven or that all religions lead to the same destination. When those false teachings are accompanied by seemingly miraculous signs and miracles, they can become powerful deceptions, even for Christians.

“False christs and false prophets will appear, and they will offer great signs and wonders in order to deceive, if possible, even those whom God has chosen.”—Matthew 24:24 (CEB)

False gospels can be very accommodating to other points of view. They often say that there are many ways to God. Satan doesn’t care which false gospel you believe as long as you are misled to accept the broad way that leads to destruction, rather than the narrow way that leads to life everlasting.

But the true gospel is uncompromising. The Bible assures us that there is only one way to salvation and only one mediator between God and man, and that is Christ Jesus.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now it is already in the world.”—1 John 4:1-3 (NASB)

May God protect us and enable us to guard our hearts against all false teachings!