Have you ever heard of the dangerous “impossible gospel?”

The “impossible gospel,” as I like to call it, is not actually a defined doctrine or belief held by a specific group of people. Rather, it is something that pervades and corrupts parts of the teachings of the gospel in groups all over the world. Indeed, even sitting at home reading the Bible yourself you can be susceptible to the “impossible gospel.”

The “impossible gospel” is the belief that despite what is written in the Word of God – that we shall be perfect just as our Father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48), that God will make us victorious over all conscious sin (Romans 16:20), that we absolutely do not need to give in to our sin (Romans 6:12) – despite how clearly it’s promised there, it somehow cannot be true. It’s impossible.

“We all fall short,” they say. “Yes, God gave the commandment, and we try our best, but it just can’t be done. We live righteously as long as we are able, but in the end we are too weak. We will fall. We will sin. That’s why we have forgiveness.” Does any of that sound familiar to you? That’s the “impossible gospel.”

And it’s all a load of rubbish.

God meant what He said

God knew how important the Bible would be for mankind. When He inspired the various writers to write the Bible don’t you think He acted very directly to get exactly what He wanted down on paper? Wouldn’t He have gone to great lengths to ensure that the Bible was His true and perfect Word?

Was God mistaken when He wrote the Bible? Did He really not understand the wretchedness of the human condition when He wrote it?

“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” Numbers 23:19.

It’s only proud and foolish human reasoning that, when discovering yourself at odds with God, you assume that God is the one who made a mistake! It’s faith in mankind rather than faith in God. Thinking that anything in the Bible is not possible exactly as it’s written is only pride and these thoughts come from the devil. Of course he sends us these thoughts. Think how much Satan benefits whenever people believe in the “impossible gospel!”

God has all power on heaven and on earth! He created the entire universe and He created you and me, with all of our weaknesses and tendencies. That means that He knows exactly what it takes for us to live perfect as He is perfect. (See Psalm 139:1-3)

Believe in victory over sin. Why would the Bible contain such amazing verses as 1 Peter 2:21-22 or 1 John 3:6-7 if it weren’t possible to live in total victory over sin all the days of our lives? Why would God say it if it weren’t true? Read 2 Peter 1:10, Romans 6:12-14, Hebrews 2:17-18, etc. Believe in them! Wage war against all thoughts of doubt until you have laid hold of faith and you believe in this! Fight to lay hold of these verses! You make God’s Word your own when you are obedient to it, and follow it exactly as it is written.

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse

When you are completely obedient to all of the commandments God gives you then you will receive all of His glorious promises. The very reason that so few believe in the promises of the Bible, exactly as they are written, is because they have only partially tried to live according to the commandments. They haven’t been willing to pay the full price. Maybe they are even 99% faithful to what God has said to them. But there are very few who are 100% faithful, and it is only those few who experience that the gospel really is possible!

“You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.” Hebrews 12:4.

“‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.’” Malachi 3:10.

Why does the Bible contain so many exhortations like the ones above? Because God knew it would be needed. If you have not experienced that God pours His blessing out for you, if you have not experienced all of the glorious promises of the Bible, then ask yourself if you have really brought all the tithes into the storehouse. Have you really resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin?

Quite simply, have you done absolutely everything in your power, used your time, energy, and thoughts to serve God and love Him and obey His commandments? Have you prayed to God for strength to endure? Every single time somebody has experienced that they didn’t receive one of the promises in the Bible it is always because they have somehow failed to fulfil the conditions of that promise, without exception. God is faithful! If you do your part, He will do His.

Faithfulness, minute by minute

Think about Jesus’ commandment to “go and sin no more.” (John 5:14; John 8:11) It is a simple and powerful exhortation but do we really believe in it? Never sin again? Not once? That seems like a pretty tall order.

But consider the moment you are living, right now. Can you go the next minute without sinning? With faith in God it’s totally possible, even though it means you have to give up your own will and put up a fight against the lusts in your flesh. After all, a minute is not so long. And the minute after that? Why not? The next five minutes? Five minutes is manageable. Even an hour. You can go an hour without sinning if that is the deepest desire in your heart. If you would give up everything for God and be exactly obedient to everything He says to you. God sees that resolve and strengthens it, giving you the help to be faithful. And if you have gone one hour, can’t you go another hour, and then another? Then a whole day.

But where does it stop? At what point do you absolutely have to sin no matter how hard you try not to? At what point is God’s strength no longer sufficient? The amazing truth is that as long as you are faithful, you will get victory, and that point never comes! God will give you power.

He knows what He’s doing.