Accept No Substitutes

“If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness” (1Tim 6:3).

It looks like the real deal. It sounds like the real deal. But there’s just something about it that doesn’t pass the sniff test. You know what we’re talking about, don’t you? A product is so wildly successful that many others want to get in on the action. Imitators crank out all sorts of phonies with the evil intent of fooling you and me. 

According to Paul, it’s no different when it comes to the Gospel. God’s incredible offer of grace, forgiveness, and abundant life in Jesus has turned the world upside down. The only way we access His salvation is through trusting in Christ and Christ alone. But spiritual con artists have been selling their snake oil for more than 2,000 years. They spin their counterfeit gospel by slapping a lot of Jesus on it and sprinkling in a few verses from the Bible.

In a letter to his protege, the apostle tells Timothy not to fall for the fake. He teaches the young Ephesian pastor how to identify their scam. “If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sounds words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness” (v3). There are two warning signs of this religious ripoff. One, it doesn’t square with what Jesus said. Two, it sends folks further from the Father. When it comes to the Gospel, accept no substitutes.

The problem of a fake gospel was a clear and present danger for Pastor Tim and the church of Ephesus. A team of spiritual hucksters had weaseled their way into positions of influence and spread a crazy concoction of goofy myths, confusing genealogies, lies, and downright demonic doctrine (1Tim 1:3-7; 4:1-2). Just a few verses down the page, we’ll read that they were nothing more than money-grubbing windbags (1Tim 6:4-10). Paul has left Tim in charge of getting this church out of the ditch and back following Jesus again. 

The apostle alerts the young preacher to keep his eyes and ears peeled in case “anyone teaches a different doctrine” (v3). This phrase is actually one Greek verb: heterodidaskaleo. It means to teach something other than what should be taught, instruct error as if it was truth, or teach a false doctrine. This word only appears one other time in the Bible and it happens to be earlier in this very same letter. “As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine (Gr. heterodidaskaleo)” (1Tim 1:3). These hucksters had duped believers into thinking they had to follow a certain set of rules to ensure their place in God’s family.

Don’t be fooled. There is only ONE Gospel. There is single message of Good News. The only way to have a relationship with God is by trusting in who Jesus and what He’s done for us that we could never do for ourselves. In case your keeping score, He followed God’s Law perfectly. I’ve failed miserably. He died the death on a cross for my disobedience. It’s the death I should have died. He rose to new life. I absolutely don’t deserve it. He does it all for me and you. There’s absolutely nothing left for us to do to seal the deal of our salvation. It’s the reason Jesus shouted for the world to hear from the cross, “It is finished! (Jn 19:30). Instead of counterfeit not-so-good news, we to place our trust in the “Gospel of the glory of the blessed God” (1Tim 1:11). Accept no substitutes.

The first way to recognize a rogue doctrine is when it “does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v3). In other words, our teaching must line up with the message of the radical Carpenter/Rabbi from Nazareth. In case you’re wondering where you might find that, God gave us four bios at the beginning of the New Testament called Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Interestingly, one of those writers is a physician. Dr. Luke uses the word we see here as “sound” (Gr. hugiaino) in a medical context, meaning healthy, strong, and whole. It comes from a root word describing healthy and vibrant growth.

When the religious police get their undies in a bundle at Jesus attending a party with a guest list loaded with sinners, the Lord says, “Those who are well (Gr. hugiaino) have no need for a physician, but those who are sick” (Lk 5:31). FYI, if you’re constantly pointing out just how sinfully sick everybody else is, you’re the one who needs to make an appointment to see the Great Physician. When Christ heals Roman army officer’s nearly dead employee, the good doctor describes how folks got back home and “they found the servant well (Gr. hugiaino)” (Lk 7:10).

Earlier in this letter, Paul made the point that God’s law is good when used properly, especially when applied to those who lived “contrary to sound (Gr. hugiaino) doctrine” (1Tim 1:10). Jesus’ teaching is the ultimate source of wellness. His Gospel causes us to grow in healthy ways. When we’re connect to Christ, we thrive. “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in Him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5). Did you catch that? We can’t do a single thing of lasting value without Him. When we stay hooked up to Jesus, He produces all sorts of fruity goodness in our lives. In case you’re wondering what that looks like, check out what Paul calls Holy Spirit fruit. “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal 5:22-23). Healthy teaching produces a healthy harvest.

That’s in sharp contrast to that sick stuff peddled by the false teachers. Their spiritual snake oil not only doesn’t heal but it makes actually makes people sicker than they were before. Any false gospel garbage not only stinks up the joint but is incredibly unhealthy for everyone around it. It can’t continue. It needs to be cleaned up and taken to the dump. Accept no substitutes.

Here’s an important part of church life that some of us don’t like to talk about. There are critical times when you have to confront folks who are teaching something other than the true Gospel of Jesus. Yeah, we want the church to be a place of love and grace. But in order to get there, evil and wrong must be dealt with. Jesus places pastors and church leaders in the position to protect His flock. When wolves infiltrate and start spreading their stinking thinking, drastic measures are required. They must be confronted. They must be shut down. Radical measures must be taken. 

The second warning sign of a garbage gospel is when it drives us and those around us further from the Father. The legit Good News is “the teaching that accords with godliness” (v3). Paul uses a Greek word for “godliness” (Gr. eusebeia) that means reverence toward God. It’s actually a compound word: “good (eu-) worship (-sebeia).” This is a powerful reminder that our worship isn’t limited to singing a few of our favorite songs on Sunday morning led by a guy in skinny jeans holding an acoustic guitar. We worship the Lord with how we live our lives, love our families, and work our jobs. That’s godliness. Good worship urges us to move closer to God.

Godliness is reverence toward God in all that we do. Everything we do is an act of worship to Jesus. It’s living life with our eyes on heaven. You’ve probably heard about someone who was so heavenly minded that they were no earthly good. Nothing could be farther from the truth. We become effective spreaders of His salt and shiners of His light when we remember all that He’s done for us that we could never do for ourselves.

The idea of godliness is one of the really big ideas in this letter. We’re to pray for our political leaders “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly (Gr. eusebeia) and dignified in every way”(1Tim 2:2). Paul may have written a huge chunk of the NT, but even he can’t wrap his brain around the “mystery of godliness (Gr. eusebeia)” (1Tim 3:16). If you’re a follower of Christ, you should “train yourself for godliness (Gr. eusebeia)” because “godliness (Gr. eusebeia) is of value in every way” (1Tim 4:7-8). 

Spiritual hucksters have cooked up a scheme to make a fast buck because they think that “godliness (Gr. eusebeia) is a means of gain” (1Tim 6:5). What they’ve missed is “godliness (Gr. eusebeia) with contentment” is the key to true success and satisfaction in life” (1Tim 6:6). Instead piling up cash, we should be sprinting after “righteousness, godliness (Gr. eusebeia), faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness” (1Tim 6:11). Good worship draws us closer to God. Phony teaching drives us further from the Father.

The bad news is there’s a lot of crap out there. Two thousand years later, there’s still a ton of bad teaching that people peddle as truth. Want to know how to tell the difference between Jesus’ legit message of Good News and every fraud posing as real faith? Paul says listen for a couple of alarms. First, does it line up with everything Jesus said and taught in the Gospels? Two, does provoke a lifestyle of good worship or send folks further from the Father? When it comes to the Gospel, accept no substitutes.