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Dec 26, 2025 06:00am

Have You Fallen for a Fake Gospel? How to Spot Spiritual Counterfeits

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Have you fallen for it?

You know, the story, the video, or the picture that sounds and looks real but isn’t? There were tons of videos floating around of different people who had been featured on “never before seen” episodes of America’s Got Talent. At first, they look real. The people who are always in the judges’ seats are the real deal. The person on stage looks real too. But there’s just something that might not be right.

The edges look a little too smooth. The lighting doesn’t cast a shadow. They look too perfect.

And then you recognize it.

AI.

A forgery. It’s well crafted. Lots of detail and time went into it to make it look and seem real, but it wasn’t. One way to spot these fake videos is by looking at the source.

Where did it come from? Can you trust that source? Look before you share. Think before you repost.

Galatians 1:6–12

Paul had founded the church in Galatia during his first missionary journey. They had received the Gospel and believed in Jesus. But over time, there were people who were spreading a fake gospel.

I’m sure when the Galatians first heard it, it may have sounded very similar to what Paul had taught them. But the closer you examined it, the more you could see it was fake.

Judaizers were Jews who believed the Gospel was too simple. There had to be more required to become a Christian.

The true Gospel that Paul had taught and defended to them was that “Jesus gave His life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live” (Galatians 1:4). And in order to receive that rescue, “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30). “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved…” (Romans 10:9–10).

But that was too simple, wasn’t it? There had to be more. That’s what the Judaizers thought. Remember, they were Jews who had been raised in a world that relied on keeping the law in order to be righteous. But when Jesus came, He fulfilled the law.

The law merely points to our inability to keep it and the need for a Savior.

They thought there had to be more. There had to be something man could do in order to be made right with God.

But Paul said to think about the source of this message you’re hearing and the true Gospel.

Paul had received it straight from the Lord Jesus Himself. The other originated from men and their ideas.

Is the Gospel anything other than hearing and believing? Not according to the Word of God.

Listen, if you could do anything to save yourself or to add to your salvation, then what was the need for Christ to do it for you? Why did He suffer and die for your sins?

Even today, there are people who are just like the Judaizers and believe the gospel of grace is far too simple. That in order to be saved we must believe and… just fill in the blank.

But they are wrong.

“God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” —Ephesians 2:8–9

It’s a free gift. It’s not earned. It’s not belief plus this or belief plus that.

Don’t believe me? Take it up with Paul—and with Jesus.

Prayer:

Father, it’s so easy to be fooled. Something can sound good, look good, or seem good enough, but the only way to know the truth is by going to the true source—Your Word. You say it is a lamp for our feet, a light for our path. It will reveal the truth to us. Open our eyes and our hearts to Your truth when we open Your Word. Help us to block out anything we’ve heard before and truly examine it for what it says. Forgive us for trying to add anything to our salvation. It is by Your grace alone. You are all sufficient, and we thank You for Your sacrifice that paid for our sins. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Questions:

Search the Scriptures for yourself. As you read Luke 23, consider how this criminal was forgiven of his sins and earned a place in paradise according to your beliefs.
As Paul said, consider your source. Is your source the true Word of God? Is it merely one Scripture pulled out from the text? Go to it. Read it in its entirety and see the context for which it was written.