Spiritual Gifts part 172: satan can't counterfeit sacrificial love.

Spiritual Gifts Part 172: satan can’t counterfeit sacrificial love.

The Doctrine of Spiritual Gifts

Point 3: What is a “Spiritual Gift”?

What is discernment?

Discernment is being able to determine what is coming from the thinking of Christ and what is coming from doctrines of demons, 1Ti 4:1.

The all-important fruit of satan’s pride is the fact that “he does not stand or abide in the truth”.

The Bible predicts the areas of doctrine that the cults and false teachers will attack.

2Co 11:4a
For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we [the apostles] have not preached [vs. the Jesus of the New Testament],

2Co 11:4b
or you receive a different spirit which you have not received [vs. indwelling Holy Spirit at salvation],

2Co 11:4c
or a different gospel which you have not accepted [vs. the one in 1 Cor 15:3-4], you bear this beautifully.

Another Jesus

A different spirit

A different Gospel

Satan will use false preachers in the church age to do this, and they will be attractive so we’ll be tempted to give them a hearing.

“Another Jesus” means that they will teach false doctrine about the Person of Christ, the God-Man.

“another spirit” means they will attack the person or the work of God the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity.

“another gospel” means they will teach falsehood concerning the Work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on the cross.

They might attack eternal security, the Biblical doctrine that once you become a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ you cannot lose eternal life, your salvation.

They might attack unlimited atonement, the truth that Christ died for the sins of the entire human race.

They might attack the doctrine of justification by faith, that we are saved by grace through faith, not of works, lest any man should boast.

They’ll do whatever they can to make the Good News…. sound like bad news.

Cults seem to always attack one of these four central doctrines:

The Deity of Jesus Christ

The work of Jesus Christ (the Gospel)

The Trinity

The Person and Work of God the Holy Spirit

metaschematizo
 =pretending to be someone; hypocritically acting as someone; masquerading as someone.

Satan uses an agent to get his messages to us.

In the garden he used the serpent.

In the church age he uses preachers or what Paul calls here “ministers of righteousness”.

All the cults and false religions of the world are giving out false light.

The counterfeit can never quite pull it off 100%.

And at the end of the day, one thing that just cannot be counterfeited is sacrificial love.

This is the kind of love that gives and serves and covers, laying one’s life down for others, with a willingness to suffer in order that the other may have new life.