Spontaneous Commentary is a brief Bible Commentary by Rob Robinson on a section of Scripture that is written without the assistance of notes or other tools. Rob simply comments on certain verses of scripture as the Holy Spirit speaks to him.
Galatians 1:6-10 “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”
Paul was concerned that some of the visiting teachers who came into the Galatian church had already caused the believers there to turn away from the simplicity of Jesus Christ. to follow the complexities of men.
One of the problems in the church today is that man is always seeking to complicate the simple message of God’s offer to forgive all sin and grant eternal life, by simply by coming to Jesus Christ in repentance. Most of the mainline denominational churches have “traditions” and teachings within the church that cannot be found in the Bible and are unsound in their precepts.
Jesus scolded the Pharisee for upholding their traditions above the simplicity of the Word of God:
Mark 7:7-8 “…And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men…”
One of the largest churches in the world today that claims to be a “Christian” church, but does not believe in the Jesus Christ of the Bible. The subtleties of their doctrines use the name of “Jesus” and speak of “His Blood as purifying them from their sin”, yet the president of their organization has publicly stated that “We do not believe in the historical Jesus of the Bible.”
Instead, their church doctrine teaches that Jesus is a created being, the brother of Lucifer. Jesus was a sinful man himself who was in need of redemption, and that he found his redemption and was elevated to the position of “A God” through his obedience to the church and it’s doctrinal teaching.
A few of the other statements made by the LDS Leadership:
From the Mormon Journal of Discourses, vol. 1, page 123, made by the LDS Apostle Orson Hyde:
“Remember that God, our heavenly Father, was perhaps once a child, a mortal like we ourselves, and rose step by step in the scale of progress, in the school of advancement; has moved forward and overcome, until He has arrived at the point were He is.”
Lorenzo Snow, late President of the Mormon church, made this statement in the second verse of his famous poem entitled, “Man’s Destiny”:
“As Abra’m, Isaac, Jacob, too, babes, then men–to gods they grew. As man now is, our God once was; As now God is, so man may be,– Which doth unfold man’s destiny. . .”
Salvation in this organization is found by being obedient to the teachings of the church, and specifically, personal good works.
After an entire life of attempted obedience to this church and it’s teachings, a person never really knows if they have eternal life until after they die. When they reach the judgement, the chief judge is Joseph Smith, not God the Father, or as the Bible declares; Jesus Christ is the judge of all men.
Romans 2:16 “...in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ…”
In the declared doctrine of the LDS church it is stated that “No man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith” (1)
The error of teaching “A Different Jesus” is becoming more and more common as we approach the day of Jesus return. As people look increasingly to the teaching and doctrines of churches instead of insisting that their pastors teach from the Bible, there will be more of this kind of errant, heretical doctrine being taught.
The Bible declares that Jesus is not a created being, He is Himself the Creator of all things:
Colossians 1:16 “For by Jesus all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”
Salvation is not by works, but recieved as a free gift by faith:
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
There is only One Way to heaven, through the Jesus of the Bible:
Acts 4:12 “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
As Paul is writing these 5 verses to the church at Galatia, he warns them:
Galatians 1:6-10 “... But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed…”
It is interesting that the primary doctrines of the Mormon church came from an “Angel” called “Maroni“.
What was the message that this supposed angel Maroni told Joseph Smith? That he was declaring a new an improved gospel of Jesus Christ. One that is far removed from the gospel declared in the Bible The Gospel that Maroni told Joseph Smith is in complete contradiction to the gospel that Paul taught.
Paul said that even if it is an angel who tells you this “different gospel”, let that messenger be “Anathema”. The word “Anathema” means to be assigned to the darkest, hottest place in Hell.
Finally Paul leaves the 5 verses of Galatians 1:6-10 by encouraging the church to not be the pleasers of men, but always seek to please God.
Galatians 6:10 “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”
The truth is that the kind of gospel that declares to a man that he must do certain things in order to be acceptable to God, is very appealing to the pride of man. If you tell someone that they are helpless and cannot do anything themselves to cleanse their sin and make themselves acceptable to God, that is an outright offense to many people.
Man would rather have a list of things that he can do. Such as the LDS church, Buddhism, Hinduism, or many of the current day religious cults. God is very specific in His offer of salvation to man that He will not share His Glory with man. If man could do something to earn God’s favor and acceptance, then man could take credit for his own salvation. Instead scriptures such as The entire Book of Romans spend 16 chapters seeking to remove all of the excuses that man has for why he should be acceptable to God by his works.
Salvation is all a work of God, and man has absolutely nothing to do with it. All he can do is believe it, accept it and live it. For this, God accepts man, forgives and removes all of his sin and gives him eternal life as a free gift.
All these places of false doctrinal teaching have at least two things in common:
1. They make Jesus less than who the Bible portrays Him, a good man, great teacher, but not God.
2. They have a list of things that you must do in order to be acceptable to God, but deny that salvation is by Grace, a free gift.
The Bible is unique in this regard in that it clearly states that Jesus is the God of the Universe who created everything, and that is it only His death and Resurrection and the complete reliance upon Jesus finished work that any person can be saved and be acceptable to God.
Rob Robinson
Notes:
1. http://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/sermons_talks_interviews/jofdvol7p282_291smith
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