The Counterfeit Gospel: How to Spot the False Currency

By: Pastor José Flávio Macieira — 2025

A false gospel is identified not just by what it teaches, but by the unrest it produces.

“...which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” (Galatians 1:7 NIV)

A counterfeit banknote, to be dangerous, cannot be grossly different from the original. On the contrary, it needs to look as similar as possible. It's the subtle details that give it away. Similarly, the most dangerous false gospels are not those that openly deny Christ, but those that look very much like the real thing, with just a few "minor" alterations. It is against this subtle and deadly counterfeit that Paul warns so vehemently.

First, he makes a crucial correction: the "different gospel" the Galatians were following is, in fact, "no gospel at all." There are not two or more valid versions of the gospel. There is only ONE. Everything else is a fraud, non-news disguised as good news. In the marketplace of spiritual ideas, Paul brings down the hammer and declares the exclusivity of Christ's message. There is no "plan B" or "alternative path." The refusal to accept this exclusivity is the gateway to all kinds of deception.

Second, Paul gives us a diagnostic tool to identify the false currency: its fruit. He says the false teachers are "throwing you into confusion" (or "troubling" you). The true gospel of grace produces peace, assurance, and rest for the soul (Matthew 11:28-29). A gospel based on works and legalism, on the other hand, will always produce unrest. It generates anxiety ("Have I done enough?"), pride ("I am better because I follow these rules"), and fear ("What if I fail?"). If the message you are hearing makes you more anxious, more insecure, and more focused on your own performance than on the work of Christ, it is a warning sign that you may be consuming a counterfeit gospel.

Finally, Paul describes the tactic of the false teachers: they are "trying to pervert the gospel of Christ." The word "pervert" means to twist, to corrupt, to turn into the opposite. The enemy's strategy is rarely a frontal assault; it is a subtle distortion. He takes the pure gospel of salvation by grace alone, through faith in Christ, and adds an "AND." It's "Jesus AND the works of the law." "Jesus AND your moral performance." "Jesus AND human traditions." The moment we add any "AND" to the finished work of Christ, the gospel is perverted. It ceases to be good news about what God has done for us and becomes a heavy burden of what we must do for God. As Paul warned in another letter, it is the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ that the enemy tries to corrupt with his cunning (2 Corinthians 11:3).

Challenge Perform a spiritual diagnosis today. Has the central message you've been consuming (in sermons, books, social media) produced in your soul the fruit of peace and security in Christ, or the fruit of unrest and anxiety to perform? Ask God for discernment to identify and reject any teaching that steals your peace.

Time to Reflect

1. Why is it so important for Paul to establish that there is only ONE gospel?

2. Can you identify in your life or in the church today any teaching that looks like the gospel but actually "troubles" you?

3. What is the most tempting "AND" that culture or religiosity tries to add to the gospel of Christ today?

4. How can you, in practice, "test" a teaching to see if it is a distortion or the pure truth?

Prayer Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your pure and simple gospel. Forgive me for the times I have been seduced into adding my own works to Your perfect work. Give me sharp discernment to recognize any distortion of the truth and the courage to reject it. I want to live in the peace that only Your true gospel can give, not in the unrest of a counterfeit faith. In Your name, amen.

The true gospel says, "It is finished." A false gospel always says, "It's almost there, now do your part."