Nougat 10

Are you familiar with the song, ‘In Times like These’? It’s a call for intimacy with God and time in the Word. Very apt for these times of Covid variants, economic turmoil, climate degradation and the upsurge of criminal activity. Consider today’s Holy Nougat as confirmation of such.

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed!” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭NRSV‬‬

The fact is, God’s Truth is not to be compromised or diluted. To do so intentionally is to invite our fair share of retribution. And, while it may be that the punishment is not meted out in ways that seem extreme; let us remember that God is not to be mocked.

What I appreciate about this admonition is that it holds every single one of us accountable. No group is exempt. We note that Paul uses himself and angels as the point of reference for the example. It suggests to me that a) Gospel Dilution and Alteration is not new; and b) the problem manifested from spiritual leaders and as spiritual warfare.

Gospel Dilution & Alteration

This may occur when someone has not done our fair share of reading when preparing for Bible study. In those instances it’s not likely to be intentional. On the other hand, sometimes new denominations are formed on the basis of slightly different interpretation and this sometimes creates friction between us believers.

But there are instances where the Word is altered and the doctrine is rooted in Jesus Christ plus. That’s alteration. For me, this is most concerning. I suspect that Paul’s argument was primarily intended to raise awareness about such situations. It may begin subtly, but as time progresses, the shifts lead to distortion of God’s Word. We must guard against such – whether as teachers of the Word or by being gullible followers. Hence we also consider

Spiritual Leaders

As spiritual leaders, we recognize God’s sovereignty. This means we maintain our focus on God being at the highest level of leadership and we know that we are accountable to God. Unfortunately, some of us begin ‘believing their own press’ (i.e. we yield to vanity, etc) and we start making our Faith about ourselves, rather than God. Sometimes this gets to the point where such are ‘foisted’ on others, usually vulnerable persons. We recognize that this is part of the devil’s plan; hence it’s also spiritual warfare.

Spiritual Warfare

This at its simplest relates to the devil’s desire to take as much people from God’s creation as possible. Paul speaks to it in Ephesians and Corinthians. Jesus alludes to it in the Gospels; and some of us believe that Adam and Eve’s sin/rebellion is rooted in this battle. It’s also addressed in Daniel and Ezekiel.

Thus we find when the Gospel is proclaimed and it isn’t The Gospel of Christ, it is time to be watchful. The time is such that we must be familiar with the Word and know God for ourselves. I pray that in this new year, we will commit ourselves to learning and applying God’s Word, however much time is available to us.

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May all we seek be found in Christ