But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.” (2 Corinthians 11:3-4, NASB)
Discernment is a precious and necessary gift in the life of a believer. The ability to recognize truth from error, to distinguish the voice of the true Shepherd from the voice of deceivers, is not simply an intellectual exercise—it is a spiritual necessity. Paul warned the Corinthian church of the subtle danger of being led astray by false teachers who proclaim a different Jesus, a different spirit, and a different gospel. His concern was not confined to Corinth; this warning extends to the church in every generation.
The apostle John echoed this same urgency: “Many deceivers have gone out into the world” (2 John 1:7). The Christian must be ever watchful, guarding against those who preach a counterfeit Christ. I have spoken with many who claim to follow Jesus, but when pressed on who He truly is, their answers often betray a different gospel. How, then, can we discern whether someone is preaching another Jesus?
There are key signs that reveal the presence of a false gospel. Among the most telling are these:
1. Denial of the Virgin Birth—The true Jesus was born of a virgin, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 and attested in the Gospels. To reject this truth is to undermine the divine nature of Christ’s incarnation.
2. Denial of Christ’s Deity—Many will acknowledge Jesus as a teacher or prophet but refuse to confess Him as God in the flesh. Yet Scripture is unmistakable: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Jesus Himself declared, “Before Abraham was born, I am” (John 8:58).
3. Denial of the Bodily Resurrection—Without the resurrection, there is no salvation. Paul declares, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). The resurrection is the cornerstone of the gospel.
4. Denial of Christ as the Only Savior—Jesus proclaimed, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Any teaching that suggests multiple paths to God is not the gospel of Christ.
5. Denial of Christ’s Lordship—True believers confess Jesus as Lord, for “no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). A gospel that does not proclaim Christ as both Savior and Lord is a false gospel.
Those who preach another Jesus are not simply mistaken; they are agents of deception. Paul pulls no punches when he describes them: “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:13-14). The enemy does not always oppose the gospel with open hostility; more often, he corrupts it subtly, mingling truth with error to lead astray the undiscerning.
A. W. Tozer once said, “Jesus is not one of many ways to approach God, nor is He the best of several ways; He is the only way.” This is the bedrock of the Christian faith. If we lose this truth, we lose everything.
Yet, we do not stand on our own in this battle for truth. The real Jesus not only saves His own but keeps them. Jude offers this assurance: “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 1:24-25, NASB)
May we hold fast to the true gospel and remain steadfast in the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
Cross References: Matthew 7:15-16, Galatians 1:6-9, 1 John 4:1-3.
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