A man made gospel?

Ever think the gospel is made up? Even just for a moment? Scary thought?

Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, says, "The gospel I preached is not something man made up." He may have thought the Galatians thought he was making it up. I can see their point. He could have invented this story. He could have been a pathological liar. How would they know? How could they know it was a revelation received from God?

In the age we live in, almost everything is relative. "I have my truth and you have yours. Keep yours to yourself." There do not seem to be any absolutes. How can we know truth? I am going to give you a big word today you can use to impress friends. Epistemology. Our friends at Wikipaedia say, 'Epistemology primarily addresses the following questions: "What is knowledge?", "How is knowledge acquired?", and "What do people know?"' Some would say by rational deduction or reason, some would say by experience, some would say you can not really know anything.

Christians would say we can know by revelation. God is the author of truth and He reveals it with certitude. His revelation trumps our reason. So we would say that God confirms what is true by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit illuminates His infallible word and we are able to grasp it as truth. Kind of. The challenge is that our minds can not fully understand truth. They are corrupted even in their regenerate state. So we are unable to fully embrace it and live it out. That does not make it any less true. The problem is with our receptors, not what is being sent. As we mature, our minds are transformed more and more, but never fully until we get to heaven.

So, all that to say, people will think the gospel is made up. You may not be able to convince them. It is not. The Holy Spirit may illuminate the truth of that to people you know. If he does they will "get it" a bit, but not fully. So what is the remedy? Believer and non believer alike, we need to be told and shown the truth again and again. Reminded by the Holy Spirit through people, through the Word, through deed, through prayer.

So maybe today is a day you are wondering about the validity of the gospel or you have a friend. As I remind me, I want to remind you. It is not man made. It is from God. He has the power to reveal that. Blessings