Learning to Live a Life of Loss, part 3

Did you see Paul’s warning in Philippians 3:2? The NLT translates it this way, “Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved.” He is warning us to watch out for people who preach a false gospel.
 

The sad truth is that false gospels come in many forms. During Paul’s day, it was common to hear a message like this, “In order to follow Jesus, you must first submit to the Law of Moses.” This is what Paul is specifically talking about when he says watch out for “those dogs.” 

That particular heresy has been met and dealt with, but in our day, we will more commonly hear a false gospel, filled with false promises, of comfort, ease, wealth and health. We will be told that following Jesus always leads to prosperity, or better health, and more happiness. Now to be certain, eventually, these things are true; but the false gospel in our day is all about becoming wealthier, healthier, and happier right now, telling us, “If you just love Jesus enough and have enough faith, you’ll be wealthy, healthy and happy.” (To refute this teaching, I’d advise us to ask the disciples or other first century believers how that worked out for them.)
 

It’s also not unusual to hear phrases like, “whatever flows, goes,” as if following Jesus was just a ride down a lazy river. But the path of least resistance, friends, makes both people and rivers crooked. 
 

Or maybe you have heard a gospel that says that God will never let anything bad happen to you. Many people’s faith can be on the verge of folding, simply because they begin to face hard times. The promise of instant wealth, health, and happiness may sound like good news; but the true good news is that Jesus will be with us whenever we go through whatever we face, and He is there in good times or in bad times, never leaving or forsaking us. 

This is why I’m a stickler at teaching correct doctrine, because bad theology creates its own set of difficulties. Bad theology can become a harsh taskmaster. What do I mean? What’s so evil about health and wealth theology? Well, for starters, it can force us to lie about our circumstances in order to convince everyone that everything is just ducky. After all, if God is all about health and wealth, then, if I have neither health or wealth, everyone will look at me as if I am living in sin, or maybe, not even saved at all.
 

Bad theology can also lead to feelings of guilt if things are not going well, or conversely, cause us to ignore feelings of guilt, feelings that could lead us to repentance and true life!   

Paul is warning his friends in Philippi – and us – to be on guard against bad theology, the theology of dogs. At its core, dog theology says, “You can impress God and others with your religious behavior.” Think about how you train a dog: it’s performance based, isn’t it? “Don’t use the rug as your bathroom; sit; speak; roll over…  Do all that on command and you get a treat.” Dog theology = Performance based.
 

But you and I friends, we are not dogs. We are created in the image of God. So don’t you believe the gospel of Satan. He wants to slap those performance chains around your mind and heart, so as to deaden the power of the true Gospel, of freedom through Christ Jesus.

Continued tomorrow