“I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.” (2 Corinthians 11:3-4 NLT).
The gospel is simple. So simple that people nearly always want to complicate it. Just as the law of the garden was simple: “Don’t eat.” So the gospel is simple: “Take and eat” (Matt. 26:26). The apostle Paul had preached the simple gospel to the Corinthians. But false teachers had come in trying to add or subtract from his message, preaching a “different gospel.” He warned them not to be deceived as Eve was in the garden.
When you hear someone ask, “Did God really say?” You should be on alert. Anyone who questions the reliability of the Word of God is speaking with the serpent’s tongue. The serpent didn’t tempt Adam and Eve to steal, kill or destroy. He merely tempted them to question God’s Word. The rest followed as a result.
The gospel calls us to place our faith in the finished work of Jesus. Not earning, but receiving. Christ died for our sins. Repent and believe. The simple gospel calls us to a “pure and undivided devotion to Christ.” No more, no less.
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for the finished work of Jesus. For we have believed in Him and received forgiveness of sin and eternal life. We are Yours. Deliver us from the temptation to complicate Your gospel or to question Your Word. Strengthen us to always stand in the true gospel without wavering. Empower us to proclaim it to the whole world as You have commanded. In Jesus’ name, amen.